During his tenure as general manager of the Denver Broncos, John Elway has hit some home runs when it comes to free agency. Despite a 2016 crop that underperformed, cornerback Chris Harris Jr. expects his GM to come up big again this offseason.
“Once free agency comes you know Elway is going to make some splashes,” said Harris. “I’m excited to see who he brings as a part of the team.”
Last season, Elway’s free agent additions were highlighted by tackles Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson, both of whom struggled in the Mile High City. As such, upgrading the offensive line is again expected to be a priority.
The Broncos shouldn’t be saddled with the financial restrictions they saw last off season either. According to OverTheCap.com, Elway will have a shade over $33 million in cap space to work with, a number that will jump to $44 million if they release Okung.
With all due respect to DeMarcus Ware, the team does not have any unrestricted free agents that they absolutely must re-sign. The only likely priorities of restricted/exclusive rights free agents are: kicker Brandon McManus, center Matt Paradis (if he recovers well from surgery on his hips) and maybe linebackers Shaquil Barrett and Todd Davis; none of whom should break the bank.
Whether it’s through free agency, trades or the draft, the Broncos will primarily need to upgrade both the offensive and defensive line, tight end and the inside linebacker position. As Elway has shown in the past, with signings like Peyton Manning, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and Emmanuel Sanders, he is more than willing to be aggressive on the market.
With nothing holding him back financially, that’s exactly what you should expect to see from Elway this offseason.