Should the Denver Broncos Make a Run at DT Vince Wilfork?

The Denver Broncos are getting ready to start calling free agents. The new league year (and free agency) begins on March 10. Teams can start contacting outside players starting this upcoming Saturday. However, veteran players who have been released this offseason can be contacted at any point.

On Thursday, in a somewhat surprising move, the New England Patriots decided not to pick up the option on defensive tackle Vince Wilfork’s contract. Mike Reiss, from ESPN Boston, reports the move saves the Patriots $8 million in 2015.

Due a $4 million roster bonus on March 10, the Patriots must have felt the veteran’s cap hit of $8.9 million was too much to pay. Now on the open market, the Broncos could contact Wilfork immediately if they so desired.

With Wade Phillips hired as the new defensive coordinator, the Broncos are switching to a 3-4 defense in 2015. This is arguably a better fit for most of the personnel already in place on the defense. However, the team has a gaping hole at nose tackle with no clear answer at this time.

Should the Broncos make a run at defensive tackle Vince Wilfork? Let’s take a look.

What Does Wilfork Have Left?

At 33 years old, the big question surrounding Wilfork is “what does he have left?” In a recent statement released to Twitter, Wilfork expressed confidence in his ability to keep playing football.

"

Morning guys ... Please read below this will be my only statement pic.twitter.com/gClv03hqet

— Vince Wilfork (@wilfork75) March 5, 2015"

This was one of the best quotes from the tweet. “Can I still play football? Hell yea! Do I still love football? Hell yea!” Wilfork wrote, also citing that he has suffered just “one major injury” during his pro career and has “lots of gas still left in the tank.”

The major injury that Wilfork noted was the ruptured Achilles’ he suffered in 2013. In Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons, Wilfork tore his right Achilles’ tendon and ended up missing the rest of the season. The Patriots felt confident enough in his recovery to sign him to a three-year extension last offseason.

In 2014, Wilfork showed no lingering effects from the injury. He once again dominated in the middle of the defensive line, eating up double-teams and freeing up the linebackers behind him to make plays. Wilfork played on 762 snaps (via employees only ESPN database) last year, racking up 47 tackles (24 solo, 23 assists).

For all intents and purposes, it looks like Wilfork could continue playing at a high level.

Bill Belichick Knows When to Move On

The Broncos have taken a chance on former Patriots each of the last two years. The results have been mixed, and many fans wonder if Patriots coach Bill Belichick knows when is the right time to move on from veteran players.

Denver made a splash move in 2013 when it added former Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker to the roster. Welker might have preferred to stay with Tom Brady in New England, but catching passes from Peyton Manning proved to be fruitful. Welker started the season on fire with nine touchdown grabs over the first eight weeks of the season.

He finished the year with 10 touchdown receptions, a career-high for the veteran receiver. However, his season was cut short by concussion problems. A four-game suspension (reduced to two), another concussion (suffered in the preseason) and a back injury kept Welker from looking like his old self in 2014.

Last year, Denver made one of their biggest moves in free agency when they lured cornerback Aqib Talib away from the Patriots. His size, aggression and playmaking ability were a welcome addition to the Broncos defense, and he was reunited with college teammate Chris Harris.

Talib looked good when put in the right position. However, in the Divisional Round loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Talib was tasked with covering T.Y. Hilton. A smaller, quicker and faster Hilton was able to get open and catch four passes for 72 yards. Hilton was bracketed by Talib with safety help over the top, but he was still able to get open. He even drew a couple of defensive penalties against Talib during that contest.

Neither Welker or Talib made much of a difference against the Colts in the playoffs. Some fans are concerned that going after Wilfork might net the same sort of results.

Yes, Belichick replaced Talib with Darrelle Revis—arguably a better player, and he essentially replaced Welker with Julian Edelman. However, when Talib was signed last year, Revis had not yet been released (that happened 24 hours later). Plus, the Patriots wanted Danny Amendola to be the Welker replacement, and that’s why they signed him after Welker left. Amendola struggled to stay healthy and Edelman shined with a larger role.

The Patriots arguably had upgrades at both positions, but it wasn’t necessarily due to some “master stroke” by Belichick. There was a bit of luck—both good and bad—on both sides of the ledger.

I interviewed Erik Frenz, Bleacher Report Patriots writer, on Thursday and asked him if Wilfork could return to the Patriots for the right price. “I think they would certainly bring him back for the right price. I think he’s really gonna want to test the open market and see what’s out there.” Frenz said.

The move to let Wilfork go sure does seem like it was almost solely revolved around money as the Patriots try to get under the salary cap before the start of the new league year.

Fan Reaction

On my ESPN radio show in Denver on Thursday, I posed the question of adding Wilfork to Broncos Country. Here’s what some diehard Broncos fans had to say.

"

@ESPN_Denver @CecilLammey That's a big hell yes.

— Tyler Ellis (@rockntherockies) March 5, 2015"

"

@ESPN_Denver @CecilLammey Yes. He would be a huge pickup to run Wade's 3-4. He would be key!

— DP (@dpereajr) March 5, 2015"

"

@ESPN_Denver @CecilLammey Yes but only as a last option if the #Broncos can't land D.Williams or bring back T.Knighton. $5 or $5.5 mil?

— #Kicking&Screaming (@BroncoFanatic26) March 5, 2015"

"

@ESPN_Denver @CecilLammey absolutely not !! Could be a good fit but look at the track record with the pats letting players walk away

— Lorenzo Jimenez (@renzoj10) March 6, 2015"

Summary

There’s no doubt that Wilfork would help anchor the Broncos' defense. He’s still confident in his ability to play football and the film from 2014 backs up that sentiment.

If added, the Broncos would be choosing him over Terrance Knighton—perhaps based mostly on experience. Wilfork is no stranger to playing nose tackle, while Knighton would have to get used to a new position.

Wilfork is no long-term answer, but the Broncos are in win-now mode. Their Super Bowl window may only be open one more year, and the team doesn’t have the time to wait around for a first-round defensive tackle to develop.

Yes, if a player like Danny Shelton (Washington) fell to the Broncos at the 28th-overall pick, it would be incredibly tempting to add that sort of talent—a player who can be compared to a young Wilfork. Time is of the essence, and the Broncos don’t have that luxury, as they need to do whatever they can to win a championship this year.

Wilfork’s next contract doesn’t have to break the bank. He might sign a deal that is similar to—or even less than—what Knighton is going to get on the open market. Neither Wilfork or Knighton are likely to see the pile of cash that Ndamukong Suh (Detroit Lions) is about to get.

Most of the fans in Broncos Country want Wilfork to be added to the roster. We’ll see if the Broncos can make that happen. He’s got the experience, should come at a good price and is a great fit for what the Broncos want to do on defense.

Wilfork has been a Super Bowl champion twice in his career. He could bring that attitude and mentality to the Broncos as they look to win a ring before Peyton Manning’s career is over.

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

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions. Draft grades provided by NFLDraftScout.