5 Free Agents Who Won't Be Signing with the Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos have important decisions coming up in free agency. They are looking to construct a stronger roster as they strive to make yet another run at a Super Bowl in 2015.

A huge part of the process is determining which free agents to sign. The Broncos will have to look at their own set of players who are set to be unrestricted free agents. They’ll also have to examine players from other teams who will be available on the open market.

According to Spotrac.com, the Broncos have more than $116 million committed to 45 players who are under contract for 2015. With the salary cap predicted to rise between $138 and $141 million, per Jarrett Bell of USA Today, Elway will have around $22 million to make additional moves.

A lot of Broncos fans love to dream about which players could be added to the roster, but to quote Nick Saban (when he was the Miami Dolphins head coach), “This ain’t fantasy football.” Let’s get a reality check here as we approach the start of free agency in about a month.

Here are five free agents who won’t be signing with the Denver Broncos this offseason.

Julius Thomas

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As much as it pains me to write this, I don’t think Julius Thomas returns to the Broncos in 2015. Thomas is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but there might not be enough salary-cap room to sign him if a bidding war ensues for the talented weapon.

The Broncos found a steal when they selected Thomas in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft. Coming out of Portland State, Thomas had one year of college football experience after starring as a basketball player. I remember being wowed by Thomas during the week of practice for the 2011 East-West Shrine Game in Orlando, Florida. That week, he flashed the athleticism, box-out ability and agility to be a mismatch nightmare in the NFL.

Thomas missed most of the first two years of his pro career with an ankle injury that eventually required surgery, but in 2013 Thomas exploded onto the NFL scene.

His breakout game was Week 1 in 2013 against the Baltimore Ravens. He finished that game with five catches for 110 yards and two receiving touchdowns. After that, Thomas became a regular in the end zone, scoring a Broncos tight end-record 12 receiving touchdowns in 2013. He did all that even though he missed two games with a minor knee injury.

In 2014, Thomas picked up where he left off and scored another 12 receiving touchdowns. However, he once again injured his ankle and missed three weeks. Upon his return, Thomas only caught three balls for 63 yards over the last three weeks of the 2014 regular season.

The Broncos may offer Thomas a deal to stay, but it might be less than the offer they floated to him (that his camp obviously rejected) before the start of the 2014 season. Injuries have prevented Thomas from ever playing a full season in his four-year pro career.

Thomas is one of the best tight ends in the game when healthy. Some team may be willing to take a chance on Thomas with a healthy price tag that puts him out of Denver’s reach.

Wes Welker

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The passing game is going to have a different look in 2015 for many reasons. First, the formation the Broncos use will mostly be two-tight end sets. Second, the slot receiver could be de-emphasized in this type of offense. Also, in addition to losing tight end Julius Thomas, we could see the Broncos let Wes Welker move on in 2015.

His Broncos career started off hot in 2013. Welker immediately became a favorite target for Peyton Manning, and he compiled nine touchdowns over the first eight weeks of the season that year. The end of that season was cut short by concussion problems.

Before the start of the next season, Welker suffered his third concussion in 10 months—and this left his future in doubt.

In 2014, Welker’s season started with a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. A new policy was implemented, and Welker’s suspension was reduced to only two games. The time off allowed him to recover from his latest concussion, but when he returned, Welker never quite played like he did to start 2013.

We may have seen the last of Welker in the NFL. According to Mike Garafolo, from Fox Sports, Welker is considering retirement after 12 seasons in the NFL. If Welker does decide to hang up his cleats, we might see him inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in five years.

Greg Hardy

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The Broncos want to have a more aggressive defense in 2015. New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips didn’t pull any punches when asked if he’ll run an attacking unit.

“We’re aggressive. Defensive players, they’re aggressive by nature. I think you take something away from them when you don’t let them be. And aggressive doesn’t mean blitzing all the time, but it does mean coming off the football—everybody coming off the football.” Phillips concluded, “This is an attack defense, and that’s the way players like to play. You get the best results out of that and I think you play the best that way so we’ll be that way.”

Now that charges were dropped in his domestic violence incident, Greg Hardy is arguably the best pass-rusher available on the open market. Joseph Person, from the Charlotte Observer, believes that the Carolina Panthers are unlikely to bring back Hardy in 2015.

Even though Hardy seems to be in the clear legally, there is still a chance the NFL could suspend him, according to Joel Corry from CBS Sports.

The legal problems and potential suspension are something the Broncos would likely shy away from. Adding additional pass-rushers to a defense that already has Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware is simply a pipe dream that will go unfulfilled.

Also add in the fact that Hardy could command a salary that pays him around $10 million annually. Last year, Hardy played under the Panthers franchise tag and had a one-year guaranteed salary of $13.1 million.

Devin McCourty

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Depending on what happens with Rahim Moore, the Broncos may have a hole to fill at free safety. One of the best players at the position is the New England Patriots' Devin McCourty, and he’s set to be a free agent after playing out his rookie contract.

McCourty (948 snaps) and Moore (1,006 snaps) played about the same number of plays in 2014. While Moore had the edge in interceptions (four to two), McCourty had more tackles (67 to 50).

As one of the top free safeties in the league, McCourty has regularly shown the ability to make plays in coverage. He sees the field well, and McCourty plays with great anticipation for where a play is headed. He has a nose for the ball, and he does a good job of cleanly tackling opponents.

Jeff Howe, from the Boston Herald, expects the Patriots to use the franchise tag on McCourty. According to Jason La Canfora, from CBS Sports, the expected franchise tag for a safety would require a one-year, fully guaranteed contract of approximately $9.5 million.

Simply put, McCourty is worth every penny of whatever size contract he gets for 2015. If the Patriots slap the franchise tag on him, it will buy them more time to secure him with a long-term contract that keeps him in New England for the near future. The deadline for franchise-tagged players to reach a new agreement is July 15th. If no deal is had by that time, they play on a one-year deal.

Moore had a strong season in 2014, and he’s likely to command a lower price tag than McCourty.

Mike Iupati

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The Broncos need to seriously upgrade their offensive line this offseason. According to Jeff Legwold, from ESPN.com, the Broncos seek at least three new starters on the offensive line. On the Broncos “must-add” list is a right tackle and a left guard.

The left guard position could be filled—and filled fantastically—by San Francisco 49ers guard Mike Iupati.

Matt Barrows, from the Sacramento Bee, predicts the 49ers will not bring Iupati back in 2015. He’s likely to make it to the open market, and you can easily make the argument that Iupati is the best offensive lineman in free agency. After three straight Pro Bowl appearances, Iupati has cemented himself near the top of the league in terms of offensive line talent.

I would expect the Broncos to make a strong run at Iupati, as he would be the perfect addition up front. Some have a misconception about the size requirements for offensive linemen in the zone-blocking system. There is a thought that players must be lighter and quicker in order to excel in a system where linemen move laterally at the snap.

The truth is, an offensive lineman in the zone-blocking system must have light feet and be able to target moving defenders at the second level. Iupati is a mountain of a man, measuring in at 6’5”, 330 pounds. This is only a few pounds heavier than right guard Louis Vasquez (6’5”, 325 pounds). Like Vasquez, Iupati has the athleticism required to be a great fit in Denver’s system.

The highest paid guard (in terms of annual average salary) is Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard Logan Mankins. He checks in with a number of $8.5 million annually, according to Spotrac.com. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Iupati get a contract offer that is in that ballpark.

The Broncos may have around $22-25 million to make moves in free agency, but that money will dry up quickly. Iupati would be a great fit, but he might be out of reach.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via Broncos media department unless otherwise noted.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac.com. Transaction history provided by ProSportsTransactions.com. Draft grades provided by NFLDraftScout.com.