Best and Worst Moves the Denver Broncos Have Made in Free Agency
The Denver Broncos have worked within their budget to add players in free agency. These budgetary constraints have meant other teams have outbid the Broncos for some players, and they had to let some of their own higher-priced free agents go as well.
Head coach Gary Kubiak wants to build a championship team this year. Adding quality talent through free agency is only a part of the process.
“My approach is that it’s about the team. One of the things that I’ve been fortunate [with] in this league is to be a part of some championships and a part of some great teams. One thing for sure is every year the best team wins the championship in our league,” Kubiak emphasized. “It’s not the best offense or the MVP or the best defense, it’s the best football team.”
Kubiak continued, “We’re going to stay focused on that. We’ve done a lot of great things, and they have a lot to be proud of over the course of the past few years, and I respect that, but I also think I know what they all want do. They want to win a championship in Denver. They want to win another one. I was fortunate to be a part of many years ago, the last one, and hopefully we get to work on doing it again. That will be my message.”
Here are the best and worst moves the Broncos have made in free agency.
Best: Signing Shelley Smith
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The Broncos entered the free-agency period with three question marks on the offensive line. They needed to find a left guard, center and right tackle either through free agency, the players already on the roster or via the draft.
Denver took care of the left guard position by adding Shelley Smith. He has experience playing in the zone-blocking system and could be penciled into the starting lineup.
At the NFL owners meetings, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak talked about his previous working relationship with Smith and where he sees the player fitting in on the offensive line.
“I know Shelley has played there [left guard] for me. That’s something he’s done. I would like him to calm down and just play guard—because I think he can be very competitive from a starter’s standpoint at the guard position—but how the center position pans out probably has a lot to do with that.” Kubiak continued, “We have multiple players that we think are swing players.”
Smith should be able to beat out Ben Garland for the starting job, and so long as he’s healthy, he should be a quality starter for the Broncos.
Worst: Not Signing a Center
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There is still a hole in the middle of the offensive line that the Broncos could fill easily with a veteran free agent. There are good options out there for Denver, but the team seems content to see what Matt Paradis can do at the position.
A sixth-round pick in 2014, Paradis spent his rookie season on the practice squad. The Broncos are hoping the new coaching staff can bring out the best in players like Paradis.
Kubiak talked about his faith in the young players on the roster at the offensive line.
“We think a lot of the young guys, we really do. My history with [offensive coordinator] Rick Dennison—Rick and [offensive line coach] Clancy [Barone] have worked together. I feel good about our ability to develop these young guys.”
Kubiak continued, “That’s our job as coaches. We have a lot of confidence these guys have done this before.”
The Broncos could easily rectify the situation by signing a veteran like Chris Myers or Will Montgomery. It’s good the team is hopeful that Paradis can develop into a quality starter, but Denver needs to wrap up an insurance policy just in case. Neither Myers nor Montgomery would cost that much in terms of average annual salary, and the value of an experienced starter would be well worth the price.
Best: Retaining Virgil Green
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Arguably the most important of their own free agents, it was a fantastic move to keep Virgil Green in town.
A seventh-round pick in the 2011 NFL draft, Green came out of Nevada primarily known as a receiving weapon. He worked diligently over the last four seasons to become a devastating blocker. Now, Green is one of the best blocking tight ends in the league.
Kubiak has a good feeling about Green in his offense.
“I think our group will play well. I’ve got a lot of confidence in them. Obviously, we’ve got two guys right now that have experience, but I think the key is the position plays well. I try not to say, ‘Owen or Virgil, you’ve got to try and do the same thing he [Julius Thomas] did.’ I don’t think you go there, we just need to be productive at the spot.”
Green is a seriously underrated receiver who should have a career-best season in 2015. He’s a strong blocker, but this year we should see what kind of receiving weapon Green can be at the pro level.
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Worst: Letting Julius Thomas Walk
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This could either be a “best” or “worst” move based on your perspective.
It could be considered a “best” move because of Thomas’ price tag. The Jacksonville Jaguars made him the highest-paid tight end in the league by signing him to a five-year, $46 million contract. Simply put, the Broncos could not even come close to affording that price for the talented tight end.
I consider this a “worst” move for Denver because of how big of an impact Thomas made on the team’s passing game. In two years (with five games missed), Thomas scored a whopping 24 receiving touchdowns. Without him in the lineup, the Broncos weren’t as efficient when the offense was near paydirt.
Replacing Thomas is going to take more than one player, according to Kubiak.
“I think we’ve got to replace him as a group. I don’t think we have on player to come in there and say, ‘[TE] Owen [Daniels], you’ve got to catch the same amount of balls that he did or you have to do all the things that he did or do.’ We’re going to have a good group. He and [TE] Virgil [Green], having them in place is very important.”
Kubiak continued, “But I think the bottom line is the position has to play well for us and they have to be productive for us. I feel good about it.”
Thomas took the league by storm in 2013, and the Broncos offense will look different without him. We’ll see who emerges as the primary red-zone target for Peyton Manning in 2015.
Best: Signing Owen Daniels
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With the Broncos not being able to afford Julius Thomas, they had to find a replacement at a better price. Enter veteran tight end Owen Daniels.
He was a fourth-round pick for Kubiak—then head coach of the Houston Texans—in 2006, and Daniels has played for Kubiak ever since. When Kubiak moved on to be the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens in 2014, Daniels followed him. Now, he has come to Denver in order to be the Broncos' primary tight end.
In addition to contributing as the top tight end, Daniels can also help his teammates learn the new offense. Kubiak discussed this at the owners meetings.
“He can definitely help. He can go teach our offense. He can walk in a room and teach what we do, so yeah. I know he and Peyton are getting together and throwing. For them to get together and talk—he can say, ‘I know Kub’s call this this,’ so I know there will be a head start from that standpoint.”
Daniels was the perfect free-agent addition for the Broncos, and he should pay dividends as their lead tight end and a favorite target of Peyton Manning.
Worst: Letting Terrance Knighton Go
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The Broncos are moving to a 3-4 defense this year under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. They have no proven nose tackle to anchor the new look.
That anchor could have been Terrance Knighton.
Instead of bringing him back for a hometown discount, the Broncos decided to let him move on in free agency. Washington signed Knighton to an incentive-laden deal worth only $4.45 million.
To replace Knighton, the Broncos might use a few different players in the middle.
Kubiak talked about the rotation up front.
“I think we’re going to have a rotation. If you look at most fronts, defensively, in the National Football League—if you’re a 3-4 team people are playing five, six guys a game and they are rotating them. [The] 4-3 teams are playing seven, eight guys. I think that’s extremely important, especially if you’re playing no-huddle tempo-type teams. So we have to put a good group together.”
Kubiak concluded, “I know one thing: We have one hell of a [defensive line] coach in [Bill] Kollar. He will get the most out of them. It’s obviously a priority as we move forward, but we’ll play a lot of people.”
For the price they could have signed Knighton, keeping him around to play nose tackle would have made a lot of sense.
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.
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