Ahead of free agency, different publications have been playing matchmaker for the Broncos among the list of eligible free agents.
Recent articles from Pro Football Focus’ Seth Galina and NFL Network’s analytics czar Cynthia Freland paired the Broncos up with Joe Thuney and Shaquill Griffin, respectively, as their ideal fits.
Freland’s analytics model projects that if the Broncos signed cornerback Griffin, it would add 0.85 wins to their final total, which is a surprisingly-high value for a cornerback.
“Since entering the league in 2017, Griffin has pressed on 41.2 percent of snaps when aligned as an outside corner (No. 20 in the NFL),” Freland wrote. “Zero Broncos players pressed on more than 30 percent of snaps when aligned as a corner on the outside last season. The point here is, Griffin’s versatility drives exceptional value, when you take into account the combination of Denver’s pass rushers and the skill set of franchise-tagged safety Justin Simmons. (If the Broncos sign Griffin and complement that with a nasty rookie CB, they’ll be in great shape.)”
Some might worry over the transition Griffin would have to make, from Pete Carroll’s cover-three-or-die mentality to Fangio’s match-quarters-heavy, more versatile scheme. However, Griffin has shown he can play well in match-quarters and his lack of perceived versatility has more to do with what Seattle as asked of him than what he is capable of doing.
Signing Griffin truly would be a dream for the Broncos, but his price point might prevent that dream from becoming a reality.
Next up is Galina’s pairing of Joe Thuney, which is a bit more puzzling, considering the existence of Dalton Risner, Graham Glasgow, and even Netane Muti already on the roster at guard.
However, Galina isn’t impressed with what Denver showed at the position in 2020.
“The Broncos had major guard problems last season,” Galina wrote. “And considering that Drew Lock needs everything in front of him to be perfect to look like a competent NFL quarterback, upgrading at that position would be significant.
“Thuney has yet to miss a game since being drafted. He has graded above 74.0 in each of the past four seasons and has ranked among the 10 highest-graded players at his position in each of the previous three. He would represent a considerable upgrade over both Graham Glasgow and Dalton Risner.”
While Thuney might present an upgrade, it probably isn’t worth what it would cost to acquire him. If the Broncos were feeling truly desperate for an upgrade on the interior of their offensive line, it would make more sense to play Thuney at center to upgrade over Cushenberry.
