5 Free Agents Denver Broncos Should Avoid This Offseason

Perhaps no team has as many tough decisions to make this offseason as the Denver Broncos. Several key pieces of the roster are scheduled to hit the open free-agent market.

That means Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway and his staff have their work cut out for them. For one, they will have to weigh the players available from other teams against those already on the roster.

While there may be some attractive players whom Elway could attempt to lure to Denver the way he has in recent years, there are others he should steer clear of completely.

So who are those players and why should the Broncos avoid them? Finding players that fit the team's system and players that come at the right cost must always be taken into consideration.

As of today, the Broncos currently have a little over $26 million in available salary cap space, according to Overthecap.com.

Here, we give you five names for the team to avoid in free agency.

Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver

AJ Mast/Associated Press

There is a chance that 36-year-old wide receiver Reggie Wayne has played his last game in the NFL. But if he decides to return for a 15th season, he will be an unrestricted free agent.

Though Wayne has had one of the best careers of anyone to play the wide receiver position, his play is clearly declining. The Indianapolis Colts seem to be in a good position without Wayne going forward, so they may not even want him back.

In Denver, Wayne could reunite with Peyton Manning, the quarterback he played with for 11 seasons. But the Broncos shouldn't even consider it.

Denver has an unrestricted free agent of its own at the wide receiver in Wes Welker, but replacing him with an aging Wayne would make absolutely no sense.

Sure, Wayne could mentor the younger players on the team, but his skills have diminished. He scored a total of just four touchdowns over the past two seasons and gave way to T.Y. Hilton, Hakeem Nicks and rookie Donte Moncrief in Indianapolis.

Instead, the Broncos should allow Welker to move on and place last season's second-round pick, Cody Latimer, in his place.

Wayne made just over $6 million in 2014. Only one player on the entire Colts roster made more. But even if he took a major discount to play with Manning in Denver, Latimer is a better option.

Greg Hardy, Defensive End

MIKE MCCARN/Associated Press

If the Broncos are interested in adding another pass-rusher to the defense, Greg Hardy should not be on the list.

How could a player go from having 26 sacks in two seasons to being undesirable?

Hardy made over $13 million in 2014 and played in just one game. That was because he was placed on the commissioner's exempt list for his role in an alleged domestic dispute.

Hardy still faces a jury trial in that case, and regardless of the result, he will be lucky to find a team willing to take a chance on him.

As reported by The Charlotte Observer's Jonathan Jones, Hardy doesn't even sound like he thinks he'll be back for another season in Carolina.

The Broncos may want to beef up the interior of the defensive line, but they should be in good shape from a pass-rushing perspective with DeMarcus Ware, Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson.

Let another team be the one to take a chance on the troubled Hardy.

Rey Maualuga, Linebacker

David Richard/Associated Press

Fans in Denver have felt as though the Broncos need to get more serious about the middle linebacker position. However, much of what they do next year will depend on whether or not new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips decides to employ a 3-4 scheme.

Either way, the team should avoid Cincinnati Bengals free-agent linebacker Rey Maualuga.

Maualuga made $3.8 million last season and will be looking for an increase in pay. The Broncos can sign their own free agent, Nate Irving, for much less than that.

Most of all, the Broncos have three other linebackers on the team—Von Miller, Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall—who all deserve to be starters.

If Phillips transitions to a 3-4 defensive alignment. they can re-sign Irving and have a very strong quartet of linebackers.

"

Rey Maualuga recorded a missed tackle per every 5.6 tackles in 2014, which ranked 65th among 70 qualified inside linebackers.

— Josh Kirkendall (@Josh_Kirkendall) January 12, 2015"

Though Maualuga would be an attractive option due to his ability as a run-stopper, Irving, who is solid against the run himself, would make more sense due to his familiarity with the team.

Jermaine Gresham, Tight End

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

One of the biggest questions going into the offseason for the Broncos will be whether or not they choose to keep unrestricted free-agent tight end Julius Thomas.

There's a very good chance they won't, which will leave them with just Virgil Green, Jacob Tamme and Dominique Jones as the only tight ends on the roster.

Tamme and Green are both unrestricted free agents as well, leaving the Broncos with some tough decisions to make.

Jermaine Gresham will be available, but he'll also be one of the most expensive options at the tight end position.

Gresham is a former first-round pick who has averaged 56 receptions per season over his five-year career. But in 2014, he saw his average yards per reception dip down to 7.4.

The Broncos can get that kind of production out of Green. In fact, Green, an excellent blocker, is a much better option than Gresham, who raked in $4.8 million last season.

If the Broncos want to look at the free-agent market for a tight end, a player like Owen Daniels would be an excellent fit.

Daniels has played for Gary Kubiak in both Houston and Baltimore and he and Green could combine to be a very good duo in Denver.

Ndamukong Suh, Defensive End

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Ndamukong Suh may be the biggest name set to hit the free-agent market this offseason. In recent years, John Elway has shown a propensity to go after the biggest names available in free agency.

Suh is as good as any player in the league at clogging up the middle to stop the running game, and he can also get after the quarterback.

But he is also considered amongst the league's dirtiest players, as he has been voted as such by fellow NFL players in the past. That's a distinction not many would want.

Suh is also routinely fined by the league for illegal plays, and he seems to constantly straddle the line of good hit and cheap play. That isn't something the Broncos want to get involved with.

As has been the theme throughout this list, the team should instead lock up their own free agent rather than shop the market.

Terrance Knighton isn't as physically gifted as Suh, but he has performed very well in his two years in Denver. Knighton has collected five sacks, and he has been a dominant force against the run.

Last season, Suh earned $22.4 million while Knighton made just $2.75 million. For the difference in cost alone, Knighton is the better option.

"

Terrance Knighton wants to return to Broncos, values happiness over top dollar - The Denver Post http://t.co/85JFqDcmmT

— Denver News (@DenverNews24) January 17, 2015"

Elway, with the Super Bowl in his sights, might want to make a bunch of crazy moves to try to get a deal for Suh in place. But he shouldn't; he has the right player on the roster already.