The Denver Broncos spent the 1st week of free agency sending waves of panic throughout their fanbase thanks to their non-action — the only 1 out of the 32 NFL teams to not bring in a player outside of their 2025 roster.
The last week has been making up for lost time.
Following a blockbuster trade for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, the Broncos added another key piece on Thursday by signing safety and special teams standout Tycen Anderson away from the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Bengals free agent Tycen Anderson is signing a one year deal with the Denver Broncos, he tells me,” CBS Cincinnati’s Yanni Tragellis wrote on his official X account. “The former fifth round pick became a backbone of Cincy’s special teams unit in his four years with the Bengals.”
“Former Bengals S Tycen Anderson is signing with the Broncos,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account. “Depth and special teams help.”
There were a few reports on Anderson signing with the Broncos on Wednesday night that jumped the gun, but the deal finally went through.
“Multiple sources say the Broncos do *not* have an agreement to sign S Tycen Anderson as has been reported,” The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel wrote on Wednesday night. “Not impossible — safety depth and special teams is a Denver need generally speaking — but one source said a deal between the sides is ‘nowhere close.’ ”
Former MAC Superstar Turned Heads With 40 Time
Anderson, 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, starred at St. John’s Jesuit High in Toledo, Ohio, and stayed home to star at the University of Toledo, where he was a 2-time All-MAC selection in 2020 and 2021.
The thing that propelled Anderson into a 5th round pick (No. 166 overall) by the Bengals in the 2022 NFL draft was a bravura turn at the NFL scouting combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.36 seconds.
Anderson spent his entire rookie season on the injured reserve, then played 8 games in 2023 before he tore his ACL. He bounced back to play every regular-season game the last 2 seasons, where he’s been an absolute menace on special teams.
Over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he’s played on 80 percent of Cincinnati’s special teams snaps — 727 plays — and racked up 42 tackles. Over his career, he’s averaged at least 1 special teams tackle per game.
Anderson Could Add Valuable Depth at Safety
The Broncos had 1 of the NFL’s elite safety duos in 2025 with NFL All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones, but found themselves in a pinch late in the season after Jones suffered a season-ending torn pectoral muscle on December 14.
Jones signed a 3-year, $20 million free agent contract with the Broncos before the 2024 season and has been one of the key components for their defense over the last 2 seasons, including a 14-3 regular-season record in 2025.
“Jones not only proved the Broncos right in signing him, but he also exceeded expectations by finishing as one of the five highest-graded safeties overall (84.8) and in coverage (89.8) in 2024,” PFF’s Jonathan Macri wrote before the 2025 season. “He played a career-high 1,042 defensive snaps — almost double his previous career high — and looked more comfortable than he ever has in Vance Joseph’s defense, putting him in the conversation as one of the league’s best heading into 2025.”
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