Why Bryan Bulaga Must Be at Top of Denver Broncos' Free Agency Wish List

Though the offseason shakeup continues for the Broncos with the recent hiring of Gary Kubiak as the team's next head coach, the free-agent signing period starts in just over six weeks.

With that, it's not too early to start looking at potential targets for the Broncos to bring in.

According to Over the Cap, the Broncos currently have about $27.7 million in available cap space—only seven teams have more.

During the past two offseasons, John Elway and the rest of the organization have attacked the free-agent market with an aggressive approach. Money has been no object.

This has allowed them to land prized free agents such as Wes Welker, Louis Vasquez, Emmanuel Sanders, Aqib Talib, DeMarcus Ware and T.J. Ward.

This season, the Broncos need to focus on what many would likely agree is their biggest weakness—the offensive line. 

This past season, the Broncos were forced to reshuffle the offensive line several times, and they never did seem to get it right.

Vasquez went to the Pro Bowl following the 2013 season, where he excelled at the guard position. The Broncos moved him to right tackle in 2014, which simply didn't work.

He was nowhere near the level of a Pro Bowler, and the Broncos often brought in a sixth offensive lineman just to help on his side.

The lack of pass protection really hindered the passing game, especially down the stretch.

If Peyton Manning is to come back for another season, protecting him and giving him the time he needs to throw is a must. That's been the case with any team Manning has ever been a part of.

For those reasons, Bryan Bulaga should be at the top of Denver's free-agent wish list.

Bulaga was selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers. He was named to the NFL's All-Rookie team following that season. He has started 48 games for the Packers and is still only 25 years old. He could be a key piece of the Denver offensive line for several years to come.

Bulaga would bring several things to the Broncos. He can be effective as a pass-blocker and as a run-blocker. He gets great leverage and plays with a very physical mentality.

Player	Age	Overall Rating	Pass Block Rating	Sacks Allowed	QB Hurries Allowed
Bryan Bulaga	25	11.9	10.8	4	20
Doug Free	31	8.5	1.2	3	17
Joseph Barksdale	27	-5.9	-9.4	7	40
Tyler Polumbus	29	-12.6	-7.2	8	13

When he is healthy, he can be one of the better offensive linemen in the league. However, if there is a deterrent, it would be his health.

Out of a possible 80 career games, Bulaga has only played in 52.

However, much of that is because he missed the entire 2013 season due to a torn ACL. In three of his five seasons, he has played in at least 12 games.

Bulaga graded out very well this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Out of every tackle in the NFL, PFF ranked Bulaga 16th in the league. He was tied for ninth with Dallas left tackle Tyron Smith in pass-blocking, and Smith was selected to the Pro Bowl.

Bulaga gave up just four sacks on the season, two of which came in one game against the Miami Dolphins.

He also knows a little about protecting one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL as well, having been a teammate of Aaron Rodgers' since 2010.

Bringing in Bulaga would allow the Broncos to shift Vasquez back to his guard position, where he is clearly more effective. It would also give the Broncos a pair of great bookend tackles with Bulaga and Ryan Clady—providing Clady can return to his All-Pro form.

Bulaga had a base salary of just a little over $2.5 million in 2014, so the Broncos can certainly afford him and would even be able to offer him a significant pay increase.

In fact, if the Packers don't make a concerted effort to keep him, there may not be a more attractive option for Bulaga than in Denver.

Player	Overall Rating	Pass Block Rating	Sacks Allowed	QB Hurries Allowed
Bryan Bulaga	11.9	10.8	4	20
Ryan Clady	-2.8	-2.9	2	21
Orlando Franklin	12.0	8.0	1	8
Manny Ramirez	2.0	-1.2	0	7
Louis Vasquez	-4.2	-4.0	3	7

Looking at it from Denver's standpoint, adding one right tackle certainly isn't going to fix all of the problems along the offensive line. They could also use an upgrade at the center position.

But the key to bringing in Bulaga is what it would allow the Broncos to do with Vasquez. That is the biggest reason as to why Elway needs to make this move.

A new center and even a new guard can be found in the draft. They also have 2014 third-round pick Michael Schofield, whom they are still developing, and he may be able to beat out Manny Ramirez in training camp next summer.

Orlando Franklin may not have liked moving over to guard this past season, but he worked out well in that spot. The team needs to keep him there.

But they need to move Vasquez back to the other guard spot, and bringing in a quality tackle is the only way to do that.

Bulaga fits the bill.

Elway has been as good as any executive in the league in recent years at acquiring quality free agents, giving fans confidence he will be able to do that every year.

If he is to be successful this year, rebuilding the offensive line has to be very high on his list of offseason priorities.

That's why the first call he makes when he is able to negotiate with players from other teams will be to Bulaga's agent.