Grading Denver Broncos' Free Agency So Far
The Denver Broncos entered free agency with a plan. However, as the open market began to strip away some of the talent on the roster, that plan had to change.
General manager John Elway was a Hall of Fame quarterback who had a great ability to improvise on the field. As an executive with the team since 2011, Elway has again shown the ability to make plays while scrambling—especially this offseason.
The Broncos won Super Bowl 50, but the roster to begin training camp this year is going to look much different. The team has lost impact players on both sides of the ball but also added various players with the ability to fill most of those spots.
In this article, we’ll evaluate the moves the Broncos made—and didn’t make—so far during this free-agency period.
Losing Malik Jackson
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The Broncos lost an up-and-coming player on their defense when defensive end Malik Jackson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jackson signed a five-year, $85.5 million contract which included a $10 million signing bonus, $42 million guaranteed and an average annual salary of $17.1 million.
Simply put, that’s a price tag the Broncos were unwilling to pay for a player who was likely the sixth-best member of the defense. Also, the Broncos would likely struggle to sign anyone else had they committed that much money to Jackson.
To replace Jackson, the Broncos could look to the 2016 NFL draft.
This is a very good class of defensive linemen, and the Broncos may be able to find starting-quality talent on the final day of the draft. However, they may choose to spend their first-round pick on an available defensive lineman.
Someone like Robert Nkemdiche (Ole Miss) could fit their plans at the position. With little bad weight on his 295-pound frame, Nkemdiche could be a perfect replacement for Jackson. In fact, there’s a chance that Nkemdiche could provide more upside at the position than Jackson did. He’s just as good if not better than Jackson as a run defender, and Nkemdiche has untapped potential as a pass-rusher.
Even if the Broncos go in a different direction in the first round of the draft, there are several other quality defensive linemen who could contribute as rookie starters. Yes, keeping Jackson would have been ideal, but it just makes more sense, given his huge price tag and the talented crop of players coming into the league via the draft this year.
Adding Donald Stephenson
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The team needs to upgrade their offensive line, and it began that process by adding former Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Donald Stephenson in free agency.
Stephenson signed a three-year, $14 million contract with the Broncos which includes a $3 million signing bonus, $10 million guaranteed and an average annual salary of $4.6 million.
He’s a versatile player who can play inside at guard or outside at either tackle position.
At this time, it looks like Stephenson will start at right tackle for the Broncos in 2016. He started the first six games of 2015 at left tackle for the Chiefs. An ankle injury slowed him down and caused the team to move him across to the other side of the line. When healthy, Stephenson has the strength and athleticism to excel at the position. He can get out of his stance quickly and has the footwork to work well in combo blocks at the second level of the defense.
Last year, Michael Schofield started most games at right tackle for the Broncos. He struggled in pass protection and may be moved to swing tackle or inside to guard in 2016. Adding Stephenson is a clear upgrade for the Broncos, and he comes with a team-friendly price tag.
Losing Danny Trevathan
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At the NFL Scouting Combine, Elway revealed that linebacker Danny Trevathan would be allowed to test the open market. It was really no surprise when Trevathan moved on to the Chicago Bears where he will be reunited with former Broncos head coach John Fox.
Trevathan signed a four-year, $24.5 million contract with the Bears. It includes a $5 million signing bonus, $12 million guaranteed and an average annual salary of $6.1 million.
It’s time to see what linebacker Todd Davis can do with a larger role.
Davis may not be quite as athletic as Trevathan, and any downgrade at the position could be felt in coverage. However, Davis might be better as a run defender than the player he’s going to replace. Davis arrives at the ball with natural violence and seems to have a nose for the football. He’ll put himself in good position to make a play and rarely lets a ball-carrier out of his sights.
With Elway’s comments from the combine, it seems like the Broncos conceded they were going to lose Trevathan before the process started. With the depth at the linebacker position already on the roster, the team must have felt comfortable losing a player they discovered as a late-round pick.
Davis may not be the only answer at the position, as the Broncos could address inside linebacker in the 2016 NFL draft as well. Perhaps they’ll be able to find another late-round gem, as when Trevathan came out of Kentucky in 2012.
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Bye Bye, Brock
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The biggest move the Broncos didn’t make was convincing quarterback Brock Osweiler to stay in Denver.
The Houston Texans were able to lure Osweiler away from the Mile High City with one of the richest contracts paid out in free agency this year. Osweiler signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Texans. This whopping deal included a $12 million signing bonus, $37 million guaranteed and an average annual salary of $18 million.
Elway has made tough decisions at quarterback during his short time as an executive. He got rid of Tim Tebow coming off a season where the Broncos won the AFC West and a Wild Card Game. Elway replaced him with arguably the best free agent of all time—quarterback Peyton Manning. Just last year, Elway convinced Manning to take a $4 million pay cut coming off a season where he threw for over 4,700 yards and 39 touchdowns.
It may sting right now, but not overpaying Osweiler was the correct move for the Broncos.
With only seven starts under his belt, there’s no telling what kind of quarterback Osweiler will become. He showed brief flashes during his time with the Broncos, but he also struggled in the second half of games and had poor numbers when attempting passes over 12 yards.
The Broncos elevated their offer to Osweiler, but they had a number established and clearly didn’t want to go past it. Elway has a clear history of refusing to overpay free agents, and Osweiler was no different.
Right now, the defending Super Bowl champions have a huge hole at quarterback. Elway will work diligently to fix that—but he’ll do it in a way that doesn’t mortgage the future of the team. If Osweiler turns out to be painfully average or just a bust with the Texans, his contract won’t be looked upon so kindly.
Matching Dolphins Offer Sheet on C.J. Anderson
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Some think the Broncos mishandled restricted free agent C.J. Anderson when they tagged him with an original-round tender that would yield them nothing if he signed with another team.
The Miami Dolphins decided to see if they could snare Anderson from the Broncos with a front-loaded deal. Instead, the Broncos decided to match the four-year, $18 million offer sheet he signed with the Dolphins. The contract includes a $5 million signing bonus, $7.6 million guaranteed and an average annual salary of $4.5 million.
It was the right move to keep Anderson around, and it was also a wise move to have the market set his price this year.
Had the Broncos placed a second-round tender on Anderson, they would have likely locked him up for one year with a deal that payed $2.5 million in 2016. However, Anderson would have been an unrestricted free agent in 2017 and possibly coming off a career-best season.
It’s clear the Broncos are likely to use Anderson this year as their featured runner. With a pro-rated signing bonus over the life of the contract, Anderson only has a cap hit of $2.08 million in 2016.
Elway actually saved money in 2016 by letting the market establish Anderson’s price, and now the team has the bowling-ball running back locked up for four years instead of one.
Russell Okung Signs a "Prove-It" Deal
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The overhaul of the offensive line continued when the Broncos were able to pick up former Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Russell Okung.
With contract negotiations with left tackle Ryan Clady at an impasse, the Broncos decided to move on in a different direction. Clady now might be on the trade block, as the Broncos have pegged Okung as their starting left tackle for the 2016 season.
Elway convinced Okung to sign a very team-friendly deal.
Okung signed a five-year, $53 million contract with Denver Broncos. This contract has an average annual salary of $10.6 million. In 2016, Okung has a base salary of $2 million, a roster bonus of $2 million and a workout bonus of $1 million. Amazingly, there is no guaranteed money in this contract.
Unless he’s on the roster in Week 1, Okung’s 2016 salary won't be guaranteed. That clears the Broncos to move on easily if Okung’s health deteriorates. He’s coming off offseason shoulder surgery, but Okung claims that he’s going to be ready for training camp.
This contract is basically a one-year deal with four years in non-guaranteed team options. The Broncos are easily protected if Okung’s time at left tackle falls apart quickly.
Various Cuts, Restructures, Transactions and Trades
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Tough decisions had to be made by Elway, and that’s why guys like tight end Owen Daniels were released. Daniels is a favorite of head coach Gary Kubiak and knows the system like the back of his hand. Going into 2016, it looks like second-year pro Jeff Heuerman will be the lead TE on the Broncos offense.
Veteran guard Louis Vasquez was released the same day that Daniels was. Vasquez is a power player who always seemed like an odd fit in the zone-blocking system. Add in the fact that he was fighting through chronic back problems, and it’s easy to see why the veteran struggled in 2015.
The team was able to restructure the contract of future Hall of Fame pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware. It’s a move that seems to be overshadowed by other signings (or non-signings) by the Broncos this offseason. Ware agreed to cut his 2016 pay from a $10 million cap hit to merely $4 million. This indicates what most expected after an injury-riddled 2015: Ware is going to be a part-time pass-rusher for the Broncos going forward.
The Broncos defense lost another key player when veteran safety David Bruton chose to sign a deal with Washington. The team wanted to bring Bruton back, but he wanted a chance at more playing time. With strong safety T.J. Ward and free safety Darian Stewart already in place, there’s just no room for Bruton in the starting lineup. Bruton was a star on special teams, which is where his loss will be felt the most.
In a somewhat controversial move (to certain fans in Broncos Country), the team traded the Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback Mark Sanchez. This is just the first of what could be two or three moves to shore up the quarterback position for the Broncos. Sanchez has plenty of starting experience, and his price tag of only $4.5 million in 2016 makes this a low-risk move for Elway.
Overall Grade
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When taking into account the Broncos' limited cap space to begin the free-agency process, they haven’t done as bad as some think.
NFL.com recently gave the Broncos a D+ grade for what they’ve done in free agency this offseason. That grade is quite misleading and, frankly, just flat-out wrong.
Taking a closer look at what Elway has done this offseason shows how he’s thinking two steps ahead in the process. Losing Jackson, Trevathan, Osweiler and Bruton is not ideal, but the team should find more than a few ways to be more than OK without them.
Elway has done the necessary salary-cap gymnastics to make these new salaries fit within the cap. The team is not overextended with bad deals for any of these players. In fact, the Broncos are in the driver’s seat with the way the contracts were set up for Okung, Stephenson and Anderson.
The unknown at quarterback makes the Broncos' grade a bit lower, but it certainly should be higher than the D+ handed out swiftly by the league’s website.
Grade: C+
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database. Draft grades courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com.
Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.
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