It’s like an episode of Oprah with the Denver Broncos. You get a contract extension, you get a contract extension, and you get a contract extension.
Wil Lutz, Luke Wattenberg, and now key defensive tackle Malcolm Roach have all received contract extensions over the course of the last five days.
Lutz received a three-year deal on Friday of last week, Wattenberg received a four-year deal last night, and now Roach is getting a three-year deal that’s worth up to $29.2M, $14M of that being guaranteed, as reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelisserro and Ian Rapoport.
Roach is an important part of the Broncos’ core, especially on the defensive line. Not only are they getting an impact player on the field, but Roach is viewed internally as a locker room glue guy.
Now, Denver has a large portion of their core on the offensive line and defensive lines secured going forward.
Defensive end Zach Allen signed an extension in training camp, D.J. Jones signed an extension during NFL Free Agency, and now Roach is locked in. Defensive end John Franklin-Myers has had a tremendous season and has indicated that he’d like to return to the Broncos, but the team has yet to reach out to his agent regarding any potential extension.
It’s very clear that head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton have prioritized locking in players they feel will be valuable to the foundation of the team moving forward in the years ahead, and right now, that foundation is looking stout with all of the players they’ve taken care of.
Over the last two years, the Broncos have extended Patrick Surtain II, Quinn Meinerz, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, Courtland Sutton, Garett Bolles, Wattenberg, Lutz, Roach, and Jones.
