After coming up one game short of the Super Bowl, it’s clear the Denver Broncos need to make multiple splash signings this offseason.
They’re finally out from under Russell Wilson’s contract and have money to spend. And if last year’s offseason is any indication, the Broncos will add some big-named talent this March.
Denver Broncos need to make multiple splash signings this offseason
Denver has multiple needs, and they’re basically all on the offensive side of the ball.
Sean Payton needs a dependable running back, a play-making receiver, and a tight end worth a damn.
What will George Paton do to help Sean Payton?
Two years ago, in March 2024, it was a quiet free agency period for Denver. They signed Josh Reynolds, who never worked out. They re-signed Justin Strnad and signed Matt Peart, and brought in Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
The Broncos also cut salary by releasing Justin Simmons and trading away Jerry Jeudy.
That year, they ended up making the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons despite paying Wilson $53 million. It’s a story too weird to be true, but it is.
Denver’s lack of money meant they had to make due with what they had.
Last year, they still had to pay Wilson $32M, but $21M was freed up for free agency.
And the Broncos got aggressive.
They signed Talanoa Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw, Evan Engram, and J.K. Dobbins.
The irony being that Greenlaw and Engram were the Broncos splash signings during free agency. But Hufanga and Dobbins out-played both of them during the regular season.
Ultimately, all four of them performed for the No. 1 seed Broncos at some point in the season, and to varying degrees.
Denver went out and addressed needs, and they paid off.
Now, they have to do it again.
Broncos must go after running back, tight end again this year
Paton and Payton went all-in last year with a lot less money; they need to go after another running back and tight end this offseason.
We saw what the Seattle Seahawks are capable of doing with a talented duo of running backs. Kenneth Walker III was the “starter” but he split carries with Zach Charbonnet. And Charbonnet took a lot of the goal line carries.
In Denver, the Broncos’ own running back duo did great for the first half of the season, until J.K. Dobbins was injured by the Raiders. Then, their lack of depth shone brightly. RJ Harvey carried the load decently, but he needs to be the No. 2 guy behind a veteran for now.
Luckily for the Broncos, there are a ton of great options.
The biggest name is Breece Hall, formerly of the New York Jets. But he may end up being too expensive ($12-13M per year) and there are multiple teams who could use his services. The Chiefs, Texans, Jets, and Broncos have been mentioned.
Then there’s Rachaad White, Tyler Allgeier, Rico Dowdle, Travis Etienne, and even Dobbins, among others.
Payton has to decide which guy he likes best for his system and go after him.
Then there’s tight end.
Engram is still signed for the 2026 season. If they cut him, they’d lose $10M in dead cap, and would save $3M toward the cap. So, it’d be expensive, but considering they just had $85M in dead cap over two years, they could be willing to do it.
Like at running back, there some solid tight ends out there.
The bigger names are older guys like Dallas Goedert, and then other veterans like Kyle Pitts, David Njoku, Tyler Higbee, and Darren Waller.
Broncos fans would love Pitts; he’s both big and athletic, and is coming off his best professional season (928 receiving yards, 5 TDs). But Over the Cap predicts he will command $14M next year. Is that too pricey?
Denver currently has $29.8M in cap space, and some restructuring of deals could happen, too. Either way, that’s a lot of dough, especially if they also have to eat that Engram dead cap.
Pitts would be the player Broncos fans expected out of Engram, but Pitts has also been wildly inconsistent in his career.
What about Njoku? He’s a 9-year veteran, but may have peaked in 2023, his career year. Since then his numbers have slowly dropped off besides touchdowns.
When Engram showed flashes—like in the overtime win over Washington—he was great. But they were far and few between.
Denver getting Bo Nix a talented tight end and dependable running back will only help this team take the next step. With three weeks until free agency kicks off (March 9), you know Payton and Paton have been cooking up schemes to improve this team.
Other spots include receiver—unless they think Troy Franklin or Pat Bryant can take a massive leap this year—linebacker with Alex Singleton leaving, and on the defensive line.