The Denver Broncos have had a lackluster start to free agency and have yet to add an outside name thus far. After re-signing Alex Singleton to a two-year deal, the Broncos released LB Dre Greenlaw, who they brought in last offseason. It was an injury-riddled season, and General Manager George Paton decided to move on quickly.
Broncos Release Dre Greenlaw
After they brought back Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton, Greenlaw’s release didn’t come as much of a shock. He couldn’t stay on the field at any point last season and admitted it was hard to acclimate to Sean Payton’s high workload during training camp and even in the regular season. When he was out there, he made his presence known, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Broncos from letting him go.
Paton has done a nice job of putting together a team, especially after taking on historic dead money with Russell Wilson, but this is a questionable decision. Denver’s linebacker room was already thin, and bringing back Singleton, who at times is appointed as the weak point on defense, could come back to haunt them. This move frees up $6 million in cap space, but in my opinion, I’d rather just keep Greenlaw and see what he can do.
A Quiet First Day For Denver
After making multiple signings on the first day of free agency last year, the Broncos didn’t do much this time around. They kept many of their current players, most notably bringing back RB JK Dobbins on a two-year deal, but have yet to sign an outside free agent. It’s unclear how much money Denver has left to work with, but they are expected to be active on Day 2 of Free Agency. If they want to get to a Super Bowl next year after falling just short, they need to make multiple additions.
Recent reports have linked them to former Packers Wideout Romeo Doubs, who would be a nice complementary piece. Last season in Green Bay, he had 55 receptions for 724 yards and 6 touchdowns. It seems unlikely that the Broncos will land a star receiver via trade, so they could pivot to Doubs. With injuries to Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant in the playoffs, it showed how badly Denver needed another reliable target for Bo Nix.
They were also connected to Kendrick Bourne, who later signed a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals. It doesn’t sound like they’ll get themselves involved in a bidding war when it comes to Doubs, but they will be firmly in the mix to land him this offseason. With Bo Nix on a rookie contract, these types of moves are crucial for his success.
An Important Day Ahead
Many teams strike gold on the second day of free agency, which is where General Managers try to hit on the margins. With the Broncos not signing a big-name free agent, they’ll need to be smart with how they allocate their resources moving forward. They need to add two positions: wide receiver and linebacker. Any other positions they can add to in the NFL Draft in April.
There are still a ton of names left on the board as we enter Day 2, and the Broncos need to get themselves involved. If they don’t, Paton will be putting a lot of pressure on himself, along with the rest of the front office, to have to hit on a lot of draft picks that can contribute at a high level right away, which is very rare. Paton had a tough draft last year and needs to redeem himself next month.
