Once the Broncos franchise tag Justin Simmons, extend tenders to Mike Purcell and Elijah Wilkinson, and move on from Joe Flacco and Ronald Leary, they’re projected to have just over $60 million to spend in cap space.
That’s a lot of ammunition to attack this year’s free-agent market, and John Elway‘s track record suggests he’d love to do just that. Heck, he just traded for A.J. Bouye this afternoon.
With that in mind, here are three big-name free agents the Broncos could use to fill some of their biggest needs.
Robby Anderson (No. 35 free agent overall, No. 3 WR)
After interviewing several of the wide receiver prospects at the NFL Combine last week, it’s no secret the Broncos will be looking to add at least one, but probably multiple playmakers on the perimeter of their offense.
Rather than sitting at 15, hoping and praying one of the top-three receivers falls into their lap, they could be proactive and add a free agent receiver like Robby Anderson.
The Broncos love Henry Ruggs III, but if they believe he won’t last until the 15th pick, Anderson is the next best option as a speed receiver. He’s not a No. 1 wide receiver but he’s a terrific No. 2 receiver that can take the top off a defense. Spotrac’s estimated $12 million annual price tag ($48 million over four years), feels a little rich for him, but the Broncos have the cap room and Anderson’s untapped potential could make the deal seem like a bargain a couple of years from now.
This would give the Broncos more flexibility early in the draft, as they could wait on adding a receiver until later in the draft, or still take one early if one they love.
Jack Conklin, (No. 21 free agent overall, No. 1 OT)
The Broncos have to upgrade the tackle position this offseason because Garett Bolles suffocates the offense with his constant penalties and Ja’Wuan James‘ history of injury leaves the opposite tackle spot unstable as well.
Jack Conklin would add some much-needed stability, but is he worth the price tag when you’re unsure if he or James could make the switch to the left tackle spot? That’s a big gamble to take on an injury-prone tackle duo that could cost the Broncos $27-30 million next season.
That said, the potential upswing of this move is hard to resist. Conklin is a Pro Bowl-caliber tackle that is a road grader in the run game. Adding him and James to Denver’s offensive line would give the Broncos one of the best run-blocking lines in the league. It would also give Drew Lock some security, which is invaluable to the Broncos and should be their top priority this offseason.
Amari Cooper, (No. 2 overall on NFL.com’s Top 101 free agents, No. 1 WR)
If the Broncos really wanted to set Drew Lock up for success, adding Amari Cooper would be a perfect idea.
It would give the second-year passer two top-flight receivers of contrasting playstyles to target, and Cooper has already been incredibly valuable to the development of two successful NFL quarterbacks in Derek Carr and Dak Prescott. As is the case with Anderson, signing Cooper would give the Broncos extra flexibility with the draft, and it would create a perfect mentorship situation for a rookie receiver to learn from if Denver chose to go that route.
That biggest hurdle in signing Cooper would also be money, as his estimated $20 million price tag annually is tough to stomach. However, it should once again be noted that the Broncos have way more cap space than they could realistically spend this offseason, and once the new CBA is agreed to, player contracts will skyrocket and blow ones signed during this free agency period out of the water.
