Broncos place second-round tenders on Alexander Johnson and Tim Patrick

The Denver Broncos have placed a second-round tender on inside linebacker Alexander Johnson and wide receiver Tim Patrick.

With 124 tackles (four for loss), a sack, two forced fumbles, and 0 games missed, Johnson was the Broncos’ leading tackler last season. Meanwhile, Patrick stepped in and helped the offense not skip a beat with the loss of Courtland Sutton to injury. Broncos GM George Paton revealed in his March 4 press conference plans to tender Johnson and Patrick, though the level was not announced until today.

Both players will make $3.384 million on those second round tenders and while there is a chance another team could spend a second round pick to sign these players, it is highly unlikely that will happen here.

GM George Paton seems committed to reworking and restructuring Denver’s weapons, particularly along the defensive line. He has signed CB Ronald Darby and re-signed DE Shelby Harris, fully effective at the start of the new league year on Wednesday.

Paton also franchise-tagged safety Justin Simmons, but did not pick up Kareem Jackson’s team option, leaving him open to the safety market once free agency officially begins. Paton also placed a low-round tender on RB Phillip Lindsay’s and let LB Austin Calitro go without one. Most recently (and perhaps most notably), he also secured the services of a future Hall of Famer when he picked up Von Miller’s contract option for 2021.

There is definitely a spot for both Johnson and Patrick on this revamped roster. Such a high-level tender placed on them reflects Paton’s efforts to keep them in Denver at least through 2021, which comes as no surprise after the GM referred to both Johnson and Patrick as “two good football players that we look forward to being here in the future.”