Moves Denver Broncos Will Regret Not Making This Offseason
The Denver Broncos have had to make several tough decisions this offseason. Armed with less salary-cap space than they had last year, the Broncos watched as several of their top players were ripped away from the roster with big-money deals.
Instead of being able to keep several quality starters, the Broncos instead had to find cheaper replacements on the open market. They did a good job of acquiring talent for a reasonable price at various positions, but things could have been different in a handful of transactions.
Here are five moves the Broncos will regret not making this offseason.
Letting Jacob Tamme Go
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The Broncos only had one tight end under contract (Dominique Jones) for 2015 when the new league year began. They had to make moves at the position, not only for numbers purposes but also because the Gary Kubiak offense is going to regularly feature two tight ends on the field at the same time.
Denver was not going to be in the running for Julius Thomas. The Broncos discovered a star in 2011 when they drafted Thomas in the fourth round, but after two seasons where he caught 24 touchdowns, Thomas was almost certainly going to receive a big-money contract in free agency.
That’s what he got—and then some. The Jacksonville Jaguars gladly rewarded Thomas with a five-year, $46 million contract (with $20 million guaranteed and a $6 million signing bonus).
Denver did a great job by re-signing Virgil Green. The 2011 seventh-round pick has worked diligently to become the best blocking tight end on the team, and he’s an underrated receiver who should put up career-best numbers in 2015.
The Broncos also hit a home run in free agency by acquiring veteran tight end Owen Daniels. There have been few snaps in Daniels’ career that haven’t been under the watchful eye of Kubiak. The coach drafted Daniels in 2006, and the player followed Kubiak to the Baltimore Ravens in 2014. We’ll see Daniels as the lead tight end, and he should become a favorite target for Peyton Manning.
The Broncos would have made a good move had they kept around one of Manning’s favorite targets already in tight end Jacob Tamme.
Yes, Tamme is no longer the player he used to be—but as the team’s third tight end, he would have been fine. The chemistry with Manning cannot be overstated, and having that sure target to go to in case of injury would have benefitted the Broncos in 2015. In addition to his duties as a reserve tight end, Tamme showed he was a team-first player as a standout on special teams.
It’s not like Tamme’s contract was going to break the bank. He signed a deal with the Atlanta Falcons that would have been affordable for the Broncos. Tamme inked a two-year deal with the Falcons that will pay him an annual average salary of only $1.6 million.
Green is underrated as a receiver, but he’s unproven at the pro level. At 32 years old, Daniels is no spring chicken, and he hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2008. The third tight end on this team is likely to see some important snaps in 2015—the Broncos should have prepared for that scenario by keeping Tamme for a good price.
Not Adding Jerome Felton
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The rushing attack for the Broncos is going to have a different look this season. Not only will they implement a zone-blocking system up front, but they’ll also be spending most of the time in “22” personnel (two running backs, two tight ends) with a fullback lined up in front of starting running back C.J. Anderson.
At this time, there is no fullback on the roster. Signing the best fullback on the open market, Jerome Felton, would have been a rock-solid move.
Felton has been in the league since 2008. Originally a fifth-round pick out of Furman for the Detroit Lions, his best season came in 2012 for the Minnesota Vikings. Felton plowed open holes for Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 2,097 yards and was voted to the first Pro Bowl of his career.
In addition to being a powerful lead blocker who can usher defenders out of the way with ease, Felton is a capable short-yardage back. He has a nose for the end zone and can serve as a reliable receiver out of the backfield too.
Felton signed a four-year, $9.2 million contract with the Buffalo Bills this offseason. The deal included a $2.6 million signing bonus and $3.6 million guaranteed. Instead of blasting open holes for Anderson, Felton will be leading the way for superstar running back LeSean McCoy in the Bills’ run-heavy offense.
The Broncos added Dixie State tight end Joe Don Duncan in free agency earlier this year after they worked him out as a fullback. He’ll likely compete with Juwan Thompson for the fullback job this season. Tight end Virgil Green may also be tasked here and there to play fullback.
Instead of a group effort at an important position in this offense, the Broncos had a star available in Felton.
Not Acquiring a Veteran Right Tackle
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Arguably the biggest hole remaining on the Broncos is at right tackle on the offensive line. It was a spot on the roster that certainly had players on the wish list in free agency.
Several quality right tackles were available in free agency, but the Broncos were unable to snare any of them. One of the players the Broncos might have been targeting is offensive tackle Jeremy Parnell.
A backup with the Dallas Cowboys, Parnell got an opportunity at right tackle while splitting time with Doug Free last season. His part-time play got him a full-time opportunity with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They gave him a five-year, $32 million contract with $14.5 million guaranteed.
Derek Newton would have been a fine addition for the Broncos had the Houston Texans not re-signed him to a five-year, $26.5 million contract with $10 million guaranteed. Newton obviously would have been a great fit for the zone-blocking system that he knows well. Instead, the Texans knew how valuable he was and decided to keep him around for a good price.
This season we’re going to see 2014 third-round pick Michael Schofield compete for the starting job at right tackle. He made the final roster as a rookie, but Schofield battled weight (and pass-protection) issues and was not active for a single game. It’s a risk to see him as any sort of answer at the position.
Chris Clark struggled at right tackle in 2014 and was eventually replaced in the starting lineup. The Broncos are going to give him another chance to prove himself on the outside this year. Clark is athletic, and the zone-blocking system might be a better fit for his natural skill set.
We’re likely going to see the Broncos select a right tackle in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. This is a strong class of offensive tackles, and the Broncos should have more than one quality option available when they draft at 28th overall. A player like T.J. Clemmings (Pitt) or Ereck Flowers (Miami) could be added to compete at right tackle in training camp.
Both (and others) are talented players, but it’s still a questionable move (with a nearly immobile quarterback) to start a rookie on the outside at right tackle to begin the season. The Broncos had a few moves under their belt they could have executed to create more salary-cap space in order to be bigger players in the right tackle market.
Not Signing Chris Myers or Will Montgomery
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When the new league year began, the Broncos had three open spots on the offensive line. The center position was one of the most glaring holes up front. They didn’t have the money to win the sweepstakes for the services of Rodney Hudson, who he signed a five-year, $44.5 million deal with $20 million guaranteed.
Last year’s starter (at the end of the season), Will Montgomery, was a free agent, and the team did not quickly move to re-sign him. Instead, Montgomery followed John Fox and Adam Gase to Chicago to play for the Bears. No financial details are available, but Montgomery’s deal is only for one year—and it’s likely a fairly affordable price. Last year, he played for the Broncos for a reasonable $1.3 million.
Chris Myers is still available. The Houston Texans released him a week before the start of free agency, yet he’s barely attracted any attention on the open market. Myers obviously has experience working under head coach Gary Kubiak from their days together with the Texans. He’s a plug-and-play starter who knows the zone-blocking system like the back of his hand.
Yes, the Broncos traded for Gino Gradkowski, but he’s no clear-cut starter. A 16-game starter in 2013 for the Ravens, he struggled to impress and was replaced as the starter for the 2014 season by Jeremy Zuttah. With the Broncos, Gradkowski will only compete for the starting job as the team anxiously waits to see if he can develop.
Gradkowski will compete with Matt Paradis, a sixth-round pick out of Boise State the Broncos acquired in last year’s draft. Paradis did not make the final roster, instead spending his rookie season on the practice squad. Manny Ramirez—who failed as the starting center in 2014—will get another chance to compete at the position despite his $3.1 million cap number (with only $166,668 in dead money).
The Broncos lack a “sure thing” at center for the 2015 season. That’s a mistake that could come back to bite them at some point this year.
Not Re-Signing Terrance Knighton
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The Broncos seem to be content moving forward with 2013 first-round pick Sylvester Williams as their starting nose tackle for Wade Phillips' 3-4 defense. With zero experience playing nose tackle in the NFL—and coming off a disappointing 2014 season—blindly relying on Williams to play at a high level is certainly a gamble.
The answer was already on the roster—and better yet, Terrance Knighton wanted to stay with the Broncos.
Instead of re-signing Knighton and plugging him in as the starter at nose tackle, the Broncos showed little to no interest in bringing him back. This led some Broncos fans to defend their team’s decision with a bevy of talking points that may sound good on the surface but lack any substance when examined further.
“He’s not a good fit for Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense!” some fans would cry.
That’s just not true. Phillips has worked with one-gap and two-gap nose tackles of varying size. While Knighton might wear down as a nose tackle, at least he has the experience (and production) to lean on. The Broncos could then use Williams as a rotational player—his best fit for this team in my opinion.
“Knighton is too fat and out of shape!” fans would boldly declare often.
While Knighton might be out of shape in March, by the time training camp and the regular season would roll around, he’d be at the size the team needed him to be. Knighton is a big man, and I’m certain his weight fluctuates (and increases) during the offseason.
Knighton ended up signing a one-year deal with Washington. The contract is incentive-laden with (gasp) a weight clause. In 2015, Knighton will earn a base salary of $950,000, a signing bonus of $2 million, a roster bonus of $500,000, a workout bonus of $550,000 and an incentive bonus of $450,000. Knighton has a cap hit of $4.45 million, while his dead money value is $2.95 million.
Instead of keeping a player who flourished during his two years in Denver (for a relatively cheap price), the Broncos dangerously are relying on Sylvester Williams to play in a manner which he has yet to show in the pros.
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.com.
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