The Super Bowl is in the rear view mirror; and while Gronkowski may still be partying, the never ending wheels of the NFL continue to spin, as the opening days of free agency are just five weeks away.
NFL insider, Benjamin Allbright joined the 1st & 10 at 10 crew on Orange and Blue 760 today to talk about the upcoming offseason and the position groups Denver might target in free agency.
Check out the interview above (free agency discussion starts around the 8 minute mark), and the highlights below.
Inside Linebacker
This position is no surprise as Denver continues to lack a difference maker at this level of the field. Add in the fact that Vic Fangio typically likes to have versatile, mobile linebackers on the interior, and inside linebacker makes the top of the wish list. Allbright mentioned that he would love to see C.J. Mosley in Denver. The Broncos reportedly tried to trade up for Mosley in the 2014 draft, but the price was deemed too steep as Denver was picking at #31 coming off a Super Bowl berth, so the team clearly likes Mosley.
He would definitely be a big ticket item as he is line to make top inside linebacker money, potentially ahead of Luke Kuechly’s $12M per year average.
Mosley is definitely worth that and would be a game changer at the position in the hands of Vic Fangio.
Safety
Safety is another potential position to watch, and the no brainer there is strong safety Adrian Amos, from Chicago. Amos is only 25 years old, drafted in the 5th round of 2015, and enjoyed a career year last year under Vic Fangio. He is a guy that is already familiar with the system, and with both the head coach, as well as defensive coordinator, Ed Donatell.
If the Bears don’t re-sign him, he makes way too much sense for Denver to not make a run at. As Allbright mentions in the interview, this would give the Broncos a nice young safety tandem with Justin Simmons going back to full-time free safety and letting Amos man the strong safety spot.
Corner
The cornerback position is obviously one of need, likely Denver’s top need depending on what happens with Bradley Roby.
Allbright didn’t have any specific names here, but said Denver may sniff around at a few guys, but will likely look to the draft to bolster the position. It’s a pretty underwhelming free agent corner class, but I wouldn’t mind seeing the team take a shot a Kareem Jackson, from the Texans.
Jackson is a hybrid corner/safety who played corner most of his career, was moved to safety at the start of 2018, and ended up playing the majority of his snaps at corner and nickelback due to injuries.
He would play sort of that Malcolm Jenkins role, and was really impressive in Denver’s matchup against Houston this year.
Offensive Line
Lastly, Allbright mentioned that Denver could potentially look to beef up their offensive line.
Obviously the name to watch in-house is Matt Paradis as the team will look to extend him, but a free agent name I like a lot is one that Scotty Payne mentioned when Mike Munchak was first hired, Steelers guard, Ramon Foster.
Foster would be a timely free agent as he could follow his offensive line coach from the Pittsburgh to Denver and played pretty well under Munchak. He would be a veteran guy that wouldn’t likely be a long term deal or fix at the position, but could potentially be a replacement for Ronald Leary if the team decides to go with someone cheaper and more available.
Who are your free agents you would want to see Denver pursue? What are areas of need we didn’t touch on here?
Let’s discuss in the comments!