Should the Broncos avoid using franchise tag to get a long-term deal for Dre’Mont Jones?

Good morning Broncos Country!

We are heading into free agency season and I have another question to ask. We didn’t get the results from last week’s survey until today, so I’m going to hold those until Friday and release both since these questions are related.

News broke yesterday that the Denver Broncos don’t love the idea of using the franchise tag on interior defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones, which means there is a very good chance they let him walk in free agency in three weeks. There is a chance they can get a deal done in time, but I am personally doubtful.

Typically, the team would use the franchise tag to buy time to work out a long-term extension. The Broncos have done it multiple times over the years to keep their young stars in the long term, which has me thinking they intend to let him move on in free agency if a deal can’t be reached by the March 7th deadline for franchise tags.

So, should the Broncos let Jones walk if they can’t get that long-term deal in place in a few weeks or should they go ahead and use the franchise tag to get more time?