S Quinton Carter
This is, in my mind, easily the most likely addition the Broncos could make. Not only could Quinton Carter provide some logical depth while T.J. Ward is out with an ankle injury, but he’s a guy who could contribute on special teams, too.
Carter isn’t a long-term option by any means, and the only playing time he’d probably ever see is on kickoffs and punt coverage, but he’s a solid 53rd man on a team’s depth chart.
The biggest issue with Carter isn’t his talent, though; it’s his health.
Following a fairly impressive rookie season, Carter missed the majority of the next two years recovering from microfracture surgery, which is one of the worst things that can happen to any athlete. He returned last year, playing in 11 games for the Broncos, but was again shut down for the season after problems with his knee resurfaced.
Now, because of all that, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Broncos just weren’t willing to take a risk on the 27-year-old safety. But still, if Ward’s ankle injury continues to linger, maybe they do check in on the former fourth rounder to see how his knee’s feeling; it couldn’t hurt.
