View from section 125 free agent guess
Have never really done this before but since I visit this place everyday figure I would give it a shot. We all know how last season went and if anything want more consistency out of this team in 2012. There are some great pieces in place and the potential for some giant wholes depending on how free agency falls. Anyways lets get this started. I see our biggest needs as: MLB, CB, RB, DL, OL in that order.
Broncos we resign
- Broderick Bunkley is an absolute must. Very underated season and a steal for what we paid for. Give the big guy the money he deserves or if we were ever to franchise tag a player he would be choice until a long term deal can get done.
- Matt Prater clutch, clutch and more clutch last season and gets us a touch back practically everytime we kicked off last season.
- Britton Colquitt showed great improvement this last season and shouldn't go anywhere expecially since he is an exclusive rights free agent.
- Daniel Fells was a good blocker last season with decent hands and seemed to open quite a bit just never got the ball. If Tebow needs anything lets keep come familiar faces to help him develop as a passer.
-Eddie Royal want to keep him as a punt/ kick returner if we can. Don't know if he has shown enough the last couple seasons to earn a big check somewhere else. But with Shanahan lurking you just never know.
- Mario Haggan guy has class and played a good game when Miller was hurt, seems like a solid presence in the locker room and team leader.
-Russ Hochstein filled in well the last couple seasons with injuries and knows the system. If we can keep him for a decent price I say pull the trigger. Hope we sign him and he never sees any game time unless its 4th quarter garbage time.
-Marcus Thomas the man tried to leave last year and didn't really get any great offers and came back. Think that is the story once again this offseason. Sign him to another 1 year deal and will add quality depth and push for a starting spot.
Think that is all the major re-singings to me, would love to keep WW but think he will earn a better chance at a starting job on another team. Will miss him but hands down DJ is a better player and keeping him at one position for 2 years in a row may help him play to his talent level. Hope we can restructure his contract to help pool more money for quality free agents. We can all dream can't we. Also don't see any of our RFA going anywhere.
Offensive Free agents:
QB- we all know that we need to bring in a quality back up for a number of reasons. For one to help push Tebow (not that he needs a lot of help), but most importantly after the dreadful loss to the Patriots there is a realistic chance he will sit for a couple games due to injury. So after thinking long and hard
Jason Campbell, I know I am going to get yelled at for this but he is a quality QB and a recent article from the post got me thinking. Think it was by Woody Paige and he said something along the lines that any QB we pick up is going to come into camp wanting to compete and thinking they are better than Tebow. He handled himself well in Oakland and seems to be a class act. Other plausible options are Josh Johnson and Denis Dixon but think we would be in the same boat as last year with Tebow and both of them seem injury prone. Also thought about Gerrard but don't see him wanting to reunite with Del Rio.
RB- We all know its just a pipe dream that the top tier RBs in this class are getting the franchise tag. So I would say we need some new blood in the draft and judging by last years pickup of McGahee I would say we go for a solid veteran who has been stuck on the depth chart.
Jason Snelling would probably come on the cheaper side of things and seems to be a pretty good all around talent. Not a lot of number to look at but hard to when he is stuck behind a work horse. Also has fresh legs and decent hands out of the backfield. Also he is only 28 years old so could lock him up for a couple of years no problem. Other choices would be BenJarvis Green Ellis and Tim Hightower.
FB- I don't know if we let Larsen walk or not but am far from sold as Sylvester as our only FB on the roster. We could wait for the draft but think that a good FB can make a good RB/ O-Line look a heck of a lot better and we all know that we need to pound the rock to help Tebow.
Jacob Hester not only are we stealing a back from san diego but he seems to be very solid and can run in a pinch. Solid hands and don't know how much of an upgrade he would be but the bolts always seem to have a good running attack since he entered the league. Still very young with room to improve at 26.
WR- I like where we sit at the moment and need to let the young guys develop. One thing we could do is go out and get a solid veteran to help teach DT and Decker learn the ropes a little bit. I also think we go after a deep threat in the later rounds of the draft and the guys on the practice squad showed some promise last pre-season. Think we could stand pat at this position if Eddie Royal is resigned and if he isn't maybe pursue Ted Ginn for his return abilities if he slips out of San Francisco
O-Line- to be honest I think that Walton is servicable and needs some competition. So I say bring in a some competition at center and look to add some more youth though the draft.
Chris Myers solid center from a run based offense and think the Texans are going to have a hard time keeping all of their UFA this year. Knows the city and know that it won't to hard signing an o-linemen who knows there are in a smash mouth style of offense.
Marcus McNeill think we can get him on the cheap and compete with Harris as a back up. Think if it is at the right price it will be a low risk high ceiling type of deal.
TE- Don't really know what to think of this situation at the moment. Some good prospects moving forward but think it is worth our while to let them develop and wait to see whats happens in the draft. I am okay going into the draft with Fells, Green and Thomas.
Defensive Free Agents
Think this is where we are going to spend the majority of our money this offseason. Too many years of neglect and the talent level behind some core starters is really bad. With Del Rio on board and some infusion of talent we could be scary good next season.
D tackle- think that if we resign most of the pieces we have in place and get a draft pick or 2 we will be looking pretty decent here and say we stand pat. John Fox never seems to pursue huge name tackles and look what he did last season. Did very little and managed to patchwork together a decent group.
D end- Hunter was solid back up and don't know what to think of Ayers. Think will add some depth/ rotational players and pursue someone that can push Ayers. Harvey might be back but if Del Rio wasn't too happy with him in Jacksonville and won't really miss him.
Cliff Avril May take a little bit more money than we would like but think it is worth the gamble. Good all around player and with Dumervil on the other side and Miller coming from the outside I think we would have one of the best pass rushes in the league. Also seemed to have very similar numbers as Ayers but more sacks. He also really pissed me off during the Detroit game but my memory is pretty hazy from that game.
LB- Think we are set at everything but MLB and should let Joe Mays walk. Nate Irving is still learning but think this is the most important part of our defense making the next step. We have some youth at this position and 2 stallwart started in Miller and DJ.
Dan Connor another player that is buried on the depth chart behind a pro bowl player. He is young, knows Fox and is from the linebacker factory Penn State. A lot of others have him as a high priority and would really love to lock him up for a couple of years.
CB- This is going to interesting what we do at this position. To put it simply we are too young and too old at this position. Champ and Carter are going to be back. Who knows what Goodman will do and wouldn't mind cutting him and spending on some younger talent. My choice is sign a big name and then draft one early. The way the league is moving and the way we got torched last season by good passing teams this is a must.
Brandon Carr another one of those situations of stealing good young talent from a division foe so it seems like a win win in my book. Decent size and cover skills and young enough to imporve and be a key factor for this team for years to come.
S- At safety I think Dawkins will return next season and we need another year to see what we have in Moore and Carter. Say stand pat and wait to see what happens. Champ will moving here in the next couple of seasons so don't want to break the bank on anybody just yet.
Think to be on the highly optimistic yet feasable side of free agency. Don't know how much we are going to add in FA but if we got them for the right price think that it is a good blend of youth and talent to really help this team in the long run.
This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR
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Denver will sign a few FA's
but I look for them to build through the draft more than Free Agency. They have been burn too often paying big money for do nothing free agents!
IMO Denver isn’t that far away from being a good team, this off season they will be able to take giant steps toward being a winning team!
Kansas Bob
We have to play in FA.
I agree with just about everything you said in your post. Just a few comments…
- I hope we’re wrong about Woodyard, but I wonder if Mohamed was drafted last year with Woodyard’s impending free agency in mind. I think Woodyard could start in the NFL – but sometimes I tend to overvalue Broncos’ players because I see them so often.
- I like Jason Snelling. Seems like a hard-nosed runner. Tim Hightower also might be serviceable. But I think we’ll end up drafting a running back. The more I simulate the draft, the more likely it seems that we’ll end with Utah State’s Robert Turbin. If this ends up being the case, I’d be thrilled with that. But if we end up scraping Knowshon off our shoe, then maybe we could add some more depth with one of these guys.
- Why don’t people like Spencer Larsen? To me, he’s the ideal fullback in that he plays two positions. I’m not enamored with the concept of dedicating an entire roster spot to a fullback. If we bring in a fullback who can only play fullback, that would be a downgrade to me (too bad Larsen can’t long snap too).
- I totally agree about Haggan. The dude’s grown on me.
- You probably saw this, but Oakland cut Stanford Routt. He’d be an upgrade over Goodman. Plus, signing him would be extra sweet because the Raider’s would be footing part of the bill.
- I like Josh Johnson. I saw him tear it up one game with Tampa. He’s very athletic and fun to watch with improvisational skills reminiscent of Tebow’s.
There's no way Khloe's a Kardashian. No frickin' way.
by Agent Jerry Fletcher on Feb 10, 2012 8:22 AM MST reply actions
The only problem I have with Larsen is that he really doesn't blow anybody up when blocking.
He is versatile in the McD sense but not very high on talent. I like Larsen a lot personally and would love to see him more involved in the running game (actually getting some touches) and the passing game because when he got those opportunities he did pretty well (though the sample size is very small). I wouldn’t complain if we re-signed him but I also wouldn’t be too upset if we didn’t. I know he is a fan favorite so that over values him a bit I think.
Tim Tebow wears 3WM and drinks Tuscan whole milk.
by BroncoMath101 on Feb 10, 2012 9:20 AM MST up reply actions
Larsen is as valuable with his versatility than anything else. Not a solid thumper with the ball in his hands.
"You hate to think you have to censor your language to meet other people's lack of understanding" -Julian Bond
Follow @bfree2bronc
by bfree2bronc on Feb 10, 2012 11:16 AM MST up reply actions
Re: Blowing people up.
I haven’t really thought of him as a run-blocking liability; but we just haven’t used our fullback much since Shanahan left. Maybe that has something to do with our talent level at the position since McD dumped Hillis.
To me, I keep coming back to the idea of situational fullbacks. Put Hochstein back there when the fullback is going to be the lead blocker or put Fells or Rosario back there when we’re going to chuck it. I guess we’d be more transparent if we went that way, but I’d rather keep the roster spot open.
There's no way Khloe's a Kardashian. No frickin' way.
by Agent Jerry Fletcher on Feb 10, 2012 5:43 PM MST up reply actions
I agree about Routt
He is one of the players, similar to Bunkley that I believe would flourish under Fox and Del Rio.
"And on the 8th day, God created Tim Tebow. And He saw that it was good. And He said, "I can now retire. Go forth and make Touchdowns through Running and Passing."
-Harvey J. Neptune
I want Routt as well.
He was always a great #2 CB
by broncos7life on Feb 10, 2012 4:09 PM MST up reply actions
I won't burn you for mentioning Jason Campbell. I think he would be a great option to back up Tebow. Would love to have him here (as a backup).
I think you did pretty well with some FA choices but doubt Carr will be coming here or Avril. Those guys will command pretty big pay days and I don’t think we’ll be players. I could see maybe Jeremy Mincy or Rashean Mathis instead. Both are familiar with Del Rio, Mincy won’t command as much money as Avril but can still be very productive with us. Mathis just came off an ACL so if he checks out medically his price will probably be much lower because of it.
Maybe they aren’t the sexiest signings but I think they represent the “value signings” that Xanders was talking about in the tier 2-3 range of talent.
BTW, love the Dan Connor pick. I think he would be great competition for Irving and would be an instant upgrade to Joe Mays.
Tim Tebow wears 3WM and drinks Tuscan whole milk.
Mincey has come on the last couple of years and did standout with a below par DLine...
"You hate to think you have to censor your language to meet other people's lack of understanding" -Julian Bond
Follow @bfree2bronc
by bfree2bronc on Feb 10, 2012 11:14 AM MST up reply actions
True but I doubt he'll command Avril type money. I don't think the Jags will franshise tag him whereas the Lions could tag Avril.
That may say something to the difference in talent level if they do/don’t. We’ll see I guess. I never get FA or draft guesses right so I won’t hold my breath.
Tim Tebow wears 3WM and drinks Tuscan whole milk.
by BroncoMath101 on Feb 10, 2012 4:30 PM MST up reply actions
No to Avril
I believe he’s one of those classic signings… looked good for a couple years… give him money and he disappears. I don’t trust Cliff Avril.
"If you went to the Fair with this guy and you played that game where you have to throw the ball through the hole..... he may never get it through the hole, but he's still gonna be walking away with all the stuffed animals!" Prime's commentary on our very own Tim Tebow!!!
"As iron sharpens iron, so will one man sharpen another." The Bible, by way of Tim Tebow.
"If I had to choose between an abundance of football intelligence, or football wisdom, I'd choose wisdom every single time...... John Fox has enough football wisdom to be carried in a dump truck." Me!
Yeah agree with you Pale.
He reminds me of Ray Edwards from Minny last year, way overrated, benefited from having the Williams wall and Jared Allen.
Avril has Vandenbosch,Suh,Corey Williams to take alot of pressure off of him.
-Champ Bailey's calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd; no one fools Champ Bailey-
-The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese -
by Automatik41 on Feb 10, 2012 10:21 AM MST up reply actions
exactly
he is a product of everyone else around him. Ray Edwards is the perfect comparison.
"If you went to the Fair with this guy and you played that game where you have to throw the ball through the hole..... he may never get it through the hole, but he's still gonna be walking away with all the stuffed animals!" Prime's commentary on our very own Tim Tebow!!!
"As iron sharpens iron, so will one man sharpen another." The Bible, by way of Tim Tebow.
"If I had to choose between an abundance of football intelligence, or football wisdom, I'd choose wisdom every single time...... John Fox has enough football wisdom to be carried in a dump truck." Me!
Very nice post section 125.
Royal, Ginn, same, same.
You have a good take on everything I think. The names for me might change a bit from yours, but all in all the same thoughts.
"I am not better than anyone else just because I play football."
Tim Tebow
Avril was I believe
the only defensive player on the Lions who did not say something horrible about Tebow after their game this year, so I guess it wouldn’t be awkward taking him. :)
Good post, I think like with all mid-career FA’s it’s kind of like the draft, some of them get paid and keep playing hard, some of them get paid and turn into Haynesworthless…
Thanks for doing the research.
"And on the 8th day, God created Tim Tebow. And He saw that it was good. And He said, "I can now retire. Go forth and make Touchdowns through Running and Passing."
-Harvey J. Neptune
Sign Routt
Resign Bunkely, WW, Prater, Colquitt, Eddie Royal, Marcus Thomas.
Not sold on Haggan or Mays, I think we upgrade here by moving DJ around and keeping WW. I like Snelling as well, but am interested in how Mario fannin shows up this year – he could be the power/speed back we are looking for. I’m fine with keeping “Sauced” on the roster, but he could be a victim based on his recent DUI. I just hope he doesn’t come back to burn us, as I think he has steadily improved since he came to Denver.
I’d like to see DJ move to MLB, Irving backing him up, WW backed up by Mohammed, and Von on the other side. With Champ and Stanford, Bdawk (hopefully) and Rahim/Quentin, our seondary is set, our linebackers are set – we need an upgrade at Defensive end. Can anyone say – break the bank for Mario Williams??? DT, to me, is not a huge priority and can be addressed in the draft.
On offense – we need a backup QB, potentially a RB if we don’t catch one in FA, a backup WR for more depth, and some big bodies to challenge the starters on the oline.
I’d like to target Routt, Mario Williams, Jason Campbell, and Chris Myers – and then continue to build from the draft.
I'd love it if we signed Mario Williams...
…provided he’s healthy.
The more time I’ve spent pondering the DEs in this year’s draft class, the more I appreciate how rare Mario Williams’ size/speed combo is.
We all know he’s a brilliant pass rusher, but is he solid against the run? What kind of injury did he have last season (I’d look it up, but thought I’d ask here first).
With his size, I could see us moving him inside to UT on obvious pass situations and then maybe bringing in a situational pass rusher like Vinny Curry. A pass rush of Von, Doom, Mario and Vinny Curry would give opposing quarterbacks the Hershey squirts.
There's no way Khloe's a Kardashian. No frickin' way.
by Agent Jerry Fletcher on Feb 10, 2012 5:29 PM MST up reply actions
The Denver Broncos have made 4 good solid moves already this year...
Matt Russell was promoted to director of player personel giving him a broader range to evaluate and analyse possible future talent…
Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio…
Strength and conditioning coach Luke Richesson. Clearly the Broncos have struggled in late December for the past few years and new blood may be just what the Fox ordered…
Capologist Mike Sullivan who is aggressive and knows the ends and outs of the CBA and is very familiar with how the league operates and conducts business. Denver has had some very good talent come to Dove Valley only to have them sign with another team. We will have a close up view of Sullivan’s prowess of bulldog negotiations in March. Can’t wait to see who we get.
Now, up and onward to the Superbowl…How does a team get there? Continuity of a mixture of both youth from the draft and veteran infusion in key positions. We had poor production and success from every position group, and not one was really a standout over the other ones. Part of that could have been from lack of time in practice with the new regime, some with the talent level, a mixture of both. The coaches and staff after taking a well deserved vacation are back at work evaluating team personel as well as analysing future prospects through the draft…
Trying to out guess EFX is fruitless we all know that for a fact, but it’s always fun going through the process.I like your ideas and am sure it will generate much debate. The DTs we have are of average age and need an addition of at least one youth to develop. Sign all three of the FAs there and draft a DT somewhere along the line that is raw, but talented at pass rushing. Hoping that Ty Warren and Kevin Vickerson come back healthy to compete in TC.I do believe we will draft a DE in the first 4 rds which wil be the BPA when we’re on the clock…
All the LBers are fairly young with the exception of veteran DJ Williams. His contract is above his talent worth imo and I believe EFX will work on it. Wesley Woodyard should be given the opportunity to explore his options if he wishes or re-sign at just above minimum salary. I wouldn’t invest too much money in him. Mike Mohamed is a developing ball-hawk whom I believe will surprise some people this year. Nate Irving is a raw talent that really didn’t get much of a chance to find the field last year other than on STs where he made some solid plays. Look for him to compete for the starting job this year. Fox may woe his former ILB Conner from Carolina, we will see on that.
Cornerback has both youth and age and the number 1 spot belongs to Champ. Whether EFX feel Goodman is good enough to retain remains to be seen, but he is aging as well and eventually a #2 will have to be added. Why not this year in the draft? I hope we add at least 2 from that pool and none in FAs. Syd Quan Thomas and Chris Harris are all we need at the nickle-dime backs. Cassius Vaughn is talented and should be retained for STs and as a rotational-sub player. If we acquire a CB in FAs then we can probably say goodbye Goodman…
The safety group is a problem with all youth and no veteran leadership. That was a huge problem when Brian Dawkins went down. We need a thumper here and we may have to shell out the 3-5 mil range contract for a veteran. Can’t rely on BDawk at his age even if he is back. Drafting one may be out of the question, but I don’t think we would go wrong with gettin George Iloka, BoiseSt in the 2nd rd. I think he will be a household name in the NFL for some team and why not make it ours. He plays FS or SS and is not afraid to thump or go after the ball…
Now see, that wasn’t so painful. I only spent 15mil and let the youth grow into the system and scheme, plus adding a couple of veterans to mentor and help out.
"You hate to think you have to censor your language to meet other people's lack of understanding" -Julian Bond
Follow @bfree2bronc
nicely done. Add a DE and RB to that list and I'd say we're set :)
Tim Tebow wears 3WM and drinks Tuscan whole milk.
by BroncoMath101 on Feb 10, 2012 4:34 PM MST up reply actions
I'm warming up to this idea.
Wesley Woodyard should be given the opportunity to explore his options if he wishes or re-sign at just above minimum salary. I wouldn’t invest too much money in him.
I’m a Woodyard fan and would love to see him stick around, but only at a good price. I’m seeing UK’s Danny Trevathan going after the third in most mocks. I wonder if he’d be a good replacement for Woodyard at a better price.
There's no way Khloe's a Kardashian. No frickin' way.
by Agent Jerry Fletcher on Feb 10, 2012 5:32 PM MST up reply actions
Good post! I really want to keep Woodyard!!!
I think people forget he is nominated by the team as the Walter Payton man of the year every year. This shows me he is a team first guy. He was also a Captain last year. I don’t think you should talk about letting team Captains walk lightly. I think he too should be a priority resign.
by ThorpeBroncosfan on Feb 10, 2012 10:01 PM MST reply actions
Line Backers
Let Joe Mays walk. John Fox is familiar with Dan Connor and Connor brings more to the table than Mays so we should definitely sign Connor. Plus after Drafting Dont’a Hightower in the 2nd round we will be set at MLB. Re-sign Mario Haggan as a back up and draft an OLB in the 5th round and we are set at our whole LB position.

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