Broncos free agency target: Jawaan Taylor

It’s no secret that the Broncos need to revamp their current offensive line. This has been one of their weakest position groups for years now. And right tackle has especially been a turnstile over those years. They have had more than 10 different right tackles at the start of the year since 2013. The last time they had the same guy at the start of consecutive seasons was with Orlando Franklin when he started from 2011-13.

And while Cameron Fleming may have been a step in the right direction, in terms of consistent play, Denver needs a step up in skill. It is risky to try and find a game-one starting tackle in the draft, especially with the, let’s call it limited, capital that Denver currently has. It would be safer to take a look at signing a free agent in order to fill this hole.

One of the top tackles out this free agency cycle there is Jawaan Taylor. Drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019, he has spent his entire career with them where he has started all 66 games and has barely missed a snap. This is the kind of consistency the Broncos offensive line needs. Taylor was also named to the Pro Football Writers of America all-rookie team in 2019, but he has been up and down throughout most of his career.

Even though he is one of the most highly touted free agent offensive linemen this year, Taylor is not the perfect prospect. While a good pass blocker (76.4 PFF grade), his run game needs much improvement (39.7 PFF grade). Pretty much the opposite of Cameron Fleming.

PFF also has calculated that Taylor will be worth around $16 million a year, so that might be one of the reasons why this signing would be made difficult for Denver to achieve, given their limited cap space ($11.95 million) and the fact that they need numerous positions filled.

Another thing that might get in the way of this deal is the relationship that Taylor and the Jags have. After the season, Taylor said that he would like to return to the Jags, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence lobbied for Taylor’s return. But the possibly good news for Denver is that the Jags rank 31st in cap space. And Evan Engram, Arden Key, and Dawuane Smoot are going to be free agents that they’ll be taking a look at bringing back.

Will Jawaan Taylor be the guy that Sean Payton, Russell Wilson, and the Denver Broncos can rely on?