NFL free agency is almost here and the Denver Broncos will be in for a busy and turbulent off-season. Much like last season, Elway will have to look around the league to gain talent at some crucial areas in order to improve.
Three players in particular that are set to hit the free agent market March 7th could help the Broncos immensely. Bryan Bulaga, Devin McCourty and Stefen Wisniewski are arguably the best available at their positions and will be highly sought after in the coming weeks. If the Broncos can land one or two of these proven players it would immediately shore up huge areas of concern.
Bulaga is coming off of a dominant season as the right tackle for the Green Bay Packers and has proved that the ACL tear he suffered in 2013 is behind him. Bulaga finished the season ranked on Pro Football Focus (PFF) as the fourth best right tackle in the NFL. The 25-year-old’s pass protection in particular has been remarkable, allowing just four sacks in 2014.
The Broncos are coming off of a season in which they shuffled the offensive line several times and could not find a consistent combination up front to keep Peyton Manning upright and the running game going. Multiple reports have said that the Broncos are only interested in retaining the services of left tackle Ryan Clady and Louis Vasquez, who played multiple positions but would likely be returning to right guard.
Bulaga is undoubtedly a top-ten right tackle and will command a big price tag. He is coming off of a five-year, $13.2 million deal and that sum will likely more than double. He will probably be asking for a deal around five-years, $30 million with somewhere around half of that in guaranteed money. Clady will be guaranteed an $8.5 million salary in 2015 if he is still on the roster March 14th.
It would be difficult for the Broncos to sign another lineman to that amount of money but the importance of improving the offensive line should get the Broncos in the conversation for Bulaga’s services.
Free safety is possibly the only serious need for the Broncos on defense heading into the 2015 season. A stacked defensive line, multiple linebackers with experience and possibly the best group of cornerbacks in the NFL are on the roster. Rahim Moore seems to be the weak link in the secondary and as an unrestricted free agent; he will likely be moving on.
McCourty is by far the best free safety available in free agency this year. The New England Patriot is coming off of a Super Bowl victory and his second year in the top ten on PFF at the safety position. After making the transition from cornerback to safety McCourty has shown a knack for covering a lot of ground. He is coming off of a season in which he had 64 tackles and a PFF ranking of 11.2 in coverage. His great year will boost his next contract dollars and he will likely be looking for a deal that pays him around $6 million per season.
Getting McCourty may prove difficult and there is a possibility that the Patriot place the franchise tag on him but a lot will depend on their negations with Darrelle Revis. The Broncos will already be paying $16.5 million to DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward in combined salaries, guaranteed by March 14th. Paying McCourty what he will be asking is going to be tough but the free safety position’s role cannot be understated. Denver has showed last year they are willing to pay big bucks in order to gain talent.
Another major concern for the Broncos is the center position. Multiple players have started there in recent seasons and some stability could go a long way. Journeymen, Will Montgomery played admirably at center most of the season but a change is clearly needed.
Stefen Wisniewski has been nothing but reliable since his arrival in the league in 2011. He has only missed three starts in the last four seasons for the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders were unable to come to an agreement with Wisniewski before the 2014 season and it seems that they will let him test the open market come March 7th.
The center position has little to offer in the way of free agents, which may work in Wisniewski’s favor but the asking price should not exceed $3 million per season. Wisniewski is also coming off of his worst season according to PFF which could help the Broncos during negotiations.
The biggest selling factor for the Broncos to consider is Wisniewski’s consistency and health, something that has been sorely lacking at center for several years. The Broncos could shore up an area of major concern if they could convince Wisniewski to accept a three-year deal around $7.5-8 million.
The Broncos contain a great deal of talent on their team but not much of it is at right tackle, free safety or center. Those areas will demand that Elway take a long, hard look at the free agents available and money should be of little consequence considering the pressure he has placed on his team. Signing Bulaga, McCourty and Wisniewski could help the Broncos take a huge step forward in preparing for success in 2015. Options are abound and only time will tell if they make the right moves.
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