Broncos free agency: Coming weeks will reveal a lot as Sean Payton’s team tries to vault into AFC contention

Last spring, the Broncos transformed their defensive front and did so with impressive frugality.

In March and April, the club could only hope it had struck gold.

By the time the 2024 regular season ended, that defensive front had authored quite a statement: A team-record 63 sacks and massive jumps in production both in rushing the passer and stopping the run.

The spring cost for that renovation? A future sixth-round pick plus a modest two-year, $15 million contract for John Franklin-Myers and a measly two-year, $7 million deal for Malcolm Roach.

For Franklin-Myers, the Broncos pounced when the New York Jets found themselves in a salary cap straightjacket. With Roach, Payton had insight to the kind of disruptive run-stopper and effusive locker room presence he could provide given their time together in New Orleans.

Combined, they not only proved to be substantial upgrades but they also helped unlock Zach Allen while providing opportunities for Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper on the edge.

Perhaps the Broncos would have pursued those two moves in particular regardless, but head coach Sean Payton made an interesting point during the draft that is instructive as Denver sets out into free agency next week.

He said they pursued pro options on the defensive line in part because they didn’t love the depth in last year’s draft.

“It’s one of the balances between free agency, players in our league and then where the draft is,” Payton said after the draft concluded with Denver selecting seven players — none defensive linemen. “I think we felt going into this draft — every year it’s thick or heavy somewhere. This year, it was a little thinner at offensive guard, maybe a little thinner at defensive tackle.

“A lot of that, you have to take that into account as you’re forecasting where you might be (after the draft). That can change from year to year.”

This year, most analysts and people around the league believe the 2025 draft crop is strong at running back and tight end, two of Denver’s foremost roster needs. There are also several promising defensive line prospects and edge rushers, the former being a more pressing matter for Vance Joseph’s defense. First, though, comes free agency. The legal tampering period begins Monday and teams can officially sign players beginning with the opening of the new league year Wednesday.

Denver is armed with more than $40 million in cap space — and the ability to create more room if it chooses — and a list of what Payton breaks into three categories: Musts, needs and wants.

The Broncos figure to check in somewhere between last year’s very modest free-agent haul and 2023’s league-high spending spree.

Where they spend will be the most interesting part. Do they see the draft’s strengths and weaknesses the same way the league does?

And just how close do the Broncos think they are to contending in the AFC?

The way their needs stack up, they may be tempted to spend free agency dollars, premium draft capital or both on positions which typically do not command such resources.

That is particularly true at inside linebacker and safety. The Broncos have needs at all three levels up the middle of their defense.

Do Payton and general manager George Paton think they’re an upper-echelon safety away from shoring up gaps in the secondary? And if so, can they fix that issue on the cheap — Brandon Jones’ three-year, $20 million deal last spring proved to be a bargain — or might they consider going toward the top of the market in free agency or drafting South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori in the first round?

Do they think that an inside linebacker can transform their zone coverage in the intermediate levels of defense? If so, they could try to lure veteran Dre Greenlaw or pounce at drafting Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell.

Teams that think they have close-to-complete rosters tend to take more liberties at non-premium positions. Detroit did it in 2023 when it spent four picks in the top 45 on running back, inside linebacker, tight end and safety, respectively. Every one of them turned into a difference-maker for one of the most talented teams in the NFL.

Green Bay, notoriously a team that is conservative in free agency, spent at the top of the market last year for a running back and a safety. Josh Jacobs rushed for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Xavier McKinney racked up eight interceptions.

The course that the Broncos chart in the coming weeks, then, will speak loudly about how they view their roster and also how they view this draft class.

No matter where they turn their attention, they’ll do so aiming to emulate last offseason’s success.

“I just think you don’t always need the big splash,” Paton said. “You don’t always need to buy your team. You build it the right way, you draft, you develop and you’re selective in free agency. You’re hopefully measured.

“Does that mean you’re not going to have a big signing this year? No, but I think for the most part you just have to be measured.”

Here are just some of the options the Broncos can consider at their foremost positions of need.

Running back

Free agent options: Aaron Jones (Minnesota), Rico Dowdle (Dallas)

Jones is still productive despite turning 30 in December. He’s got pass-catching ability (51 catches in 2024 to go along with 1,138 rushing yards) and fits the mold of a “Joker” player Payton covets. Dowdle eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. But will Denver spend in free agency when they’ve got young backs they might want to see more and the 2025 draft is loaded at the position?

Internal options: Javonte Williams. Paton last month left open the possibility of re-signing Williams and noted his status as an elite pass protector. He could be an attractive option as a third-down back but the days of Denver relying on him as a go-to offensive player appear to be in the past.

Tight end

Free agent options: Juwan Johnson (New Orleans), Mike Gesicki (Cincinnati), Evan Engram (Jacksonville)

Among the free agent crop, few are as clean a fit as Johnson would be in Denver. He played for Payton in New Orleans, produced at a position of need for the Broncos and probably wouldn’t break the bank to sign. Johnson caught 50 passes for 548 yards and three touchdowns in 2024 and has 18 career touchdowns over his first four seasons. Denver’s tight ends collectively have only accounted for 22 touchdowns over the same span.

Denver could instead be interested in Gesicki, who put on a show against the Broncos for the Bengals in December and caught 65 passes for 665 yards and two touchdowns on the year. He’s not much of a blocker, but he can do what no Broncos tight end in several years has been capable of: threaten defenses up the seam. Engram was a late cap casualty in Jacksonville. The 30-year-old caught 47 passes in nine games in 2024 but is just one season off a 114-catch campaign in 2023.

Internal options: None. Every tight end from 2024 is under team control for 2025 after the team tendered Lucas Krull as an ERFA this week.

Defensive tackle

Free agent options: B.J. Hill (Cincinnati), Poona Ford (Los Angeles Chargers)

The Broncos’ defensive line went from weakness in 2023 to strength last year and Paton said the club will “keep feeding” the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. If Denver wanted to take a big swing, they could try for Milton Williams. More likely, a veteran like Hill or Ford or any number of others — guys who have played a lot and know how to get the dirty work done — could fit. But only, likely, if Denver doesn’t just figure out a deal with one of its own

Internal options: D.J. Jones. Jones played out the final year of a three-year, $30 million deal in 2024 and had another high-quality season manning the middle of the Broncos’ front line. Unless Jones is going to command premium money on the free-agent market at 30, it makes sense for Denver to try to keep him around. The chemistry up front was real and Jones played a big part in it.

Inside linebacker

Free agent options: Dre Greenlaw (San Francisco), Jamien Sherwood (New York Jets), several others

Even with 2024 All-Pro and former Payton draft pick Zach Baun signing a massive deal to remain in Philadelphia, the Broncos will have several interesting options to sort through at inside linebacker if they want to address the position in free agency.

Greenlaw is coming off of injury, but has been an elite player. He’s got what Denver needs — coverage chops in the middle of the field and three-down ability — but may command a wide market. Sherwood fits precisely what Paton and Payton like to pursue in free agency: A young, ascending player looking for a second contract. He burst onto the scene in New York with 151 tackles this year and hits free agency at just 26 years old.

Internal options: Cody Barton, Justin Strnad, Zach Cunningham. Barton or Strnad could return if the price is right, though with three players already under contract — Alex Singleton, Drew Sanders and Levelle Bailey — and the draft ahead, Denver can be judicious.

Safety

Free agent options: Jevon Holland (Miami), Talanoa Hufanga (San Francisco)

Holland will command top-of-the-market money. So while Denver signed a safety from the Dolphins last year in Brandon Jones and it paid off, Holland may well price himself out of what Denver’s looking for. Hufanga was a first-team All-Pro in 2022 but has dealt with multiple injuries since. If you’re trying to add quality depth and maybe catch lightning in a bottle, he’d be an interesting target.

Internal options: None. Every safety from the 2024 roster is under team control for 2025 after the team tendered Devon Key as an ERFA this week.

Others to watch

Backup QB: The Broncos need a No. 2 to Bo Nix. Either Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson could be in play here. Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, will undoubtedly want to see if there’s a place where he can compete for a starting job. If Wilson goes elsewhere, Denver could well be tempted to look around at other veteran options besides Stidham.

Not a need, but…: The Broncos are solid at corner. They’ve got reigning defensive player of the year Pat Surtain II and a young, cheap supporting cast. But if there’s a surprise position Denver pursues in free agency, this could be it. Of particular interest: Another former Payton player in New Orleans, corner Paulson Adebo. He fractured his femur Week 7 against Denver but is a terrific player when healthy. Perhaps he’ll get big money even with the injury. If not, perhaps Payton will be lurking.

WR watch: Payton’s expressed confidence in his group of receivers, saying during an interview with “Up & Adams” before the Super Bowl that he thinks the Broncos are “stronger than some would think.” Still, he called adding a veteran something of a need. In that line of thinking, somebody like Tennessee’s Nick Westbrook-Ikhine makes sense as a big, physical player who’s been stuck with bad quarterbacks and could have some untapped upside. He caught nine touchdowns on just 56 receptions last year, is a quality blocker and has the speed to threaten down the field. He would be something like a souped up version of last year’s Josh Reynolds signing.

Special teams: The Broncos are in the market for a punter, whether it’s Riley Dixon returning or somebody new. They also have top special teamers Michael Burton and Tremon Smith set to hit the market. All three could be back, but new special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi could shake things up, too. Long snapper Mitchell Fraboni is a restricted free agent.

Broncos’ impending free agents

(Click here to see chart of Broncos free agents in mobile.)