Free Agent Profile: Adam Gotsis

The 2019 season for Adam Gotsis did not go as he, or Denver Broncos fans, would have hoped. After starting out the year in a decent snap rotation along the defensive line, averaging around 50% of the snaps per game, Gotsis became part of the defense’s run stopping resurgence for all the wrong reasons, because he wasn’t on the field.

The former second-round pick was benched as part of the roster shakeup prompted by the Leonard Fournette 225 yard game in week 4, and he didn’t see snaps again until week 9, where he began to rotate in on a limited basis.

Further adding insult to injury, he suffered a knee injury requiring surgery to his ACL and meniscus, landing him on IR for the final two games of the year. According to Vic Fangio, it was the same knee that Gotsis injured in his final year at Georgia Tech.

What kind of contract could he get

This one is tough. Coming off of knee surgery, as well as a season in which he only played 25% of the team’s snaps is a tough valuation. It’s likely Gotsis will have to take a one-year “prove it” deal wherever he eventually lands to show he is healthy as well as can play more quality snaps in the season.

It’s tough to find comps, but an interesting one could potentially be Angelo Blackson, of the Houston Texans. He is around the same age as Gotsis and was a failed fourth-round pick who bounced around practice squads, landing on the Texans in 2017 until he earned a one-year $1.2M contract in 2018. He played well on his “prove it” deal, which landed him a three-year extension worth roughly $12 million, so his cap burden is around $4 million per year.

To me, that’s best case for Gotsis, prove yourself on a one-year contract with potential for an extension like that.

Why the Broncos should sign him

Denver is experiencing a mass exodus on the defensive line this year, so we will be talking about defensive line depth for a good chunk of these free agent reviews. Denver has close to a combined 1,400 snaps from the trio of Gotsis, Wolfe, and Harris hitting unrestricted free agency this offseason, so retaining Gotsis for cheap could be a nice hedge for the team depending on what happens with Wolfe and Harris.

Why the Broncos shouldn’t sign him

The injury was really unfortunate timing for Gotsis because he it seemed to be improving some after the midseason benching. Early on, he was not good against the run, which has to be his primary calling card since he doesn’t offer a ton in the pass rush department. While Denver struggled on multiple levels stopping the run for the first four weeks, Adam Gotsis being benched, and the run defense’s improvement was not a total coincidence.

Watching the tape of last year, Gotsis was often outmatched and overwhelmed by the offensive line in run support, struggled to stand up to double teams, and was routinely moved from his gap.

Final word

I really like Adam and was hoping this past year would be a good one for him under Vic Fangio, but while we saw some improvement in the final games he played in 2019, I’m not sure it’s enough to warrant bringing him back from knee surgery, for as little upside as it seems he is bringing to the table.

What are your thoughts Broncos Country?