Broncos 2022 Offseason Acquisition Tracker: Trades, Free-Agent Signings, & Departures

Broncos Country's head is still spinning after all the roster moves that have been made since the 2022 offseason began.

George Paton has been a man possessed. The Denver Broncos general manager has been on fire, kicking off 2022 with the fateful decision to move on from head coach Vic Fangio. 

That domino falling knocked loose an avalanche of moves as the Broncos' board was reset in a very meaningful way. Paton started with an exhaustive and painstaking search for Fangio's replacement — jet-setting across the fruited plain to hold palaver with (count them) 10 head-coaching candidates. 

After nearly a dozen interviews, Paton's final decision was Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Once hired, Hackett set about the process of filling out his coaching staff, bringing in young, hungry, up-and-coming coaches that have sprung forth from coaching trees the likes of Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Sean McVay, Wade Phillips, and even Fangio himself. 

Then, Paton broke the NFL world by orchestrating the biggest blockbuster trade in modern history, landing a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback still in his prime years at age 33. That move alone reshaped both Conferences and seemingly sparked an unprecedented arms race in the AFC West. 

Who's out? Who's in? This article serves as Broncos Country's one-stop-shop for all the personnel acquisitions Paton has made since the 2022 league year opened on March 16. 

Let's dive in. 

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Trade: Russell Wilson | QB | Seattle Seahawks

DenverBroncos.com

When Seattle GM John Schneider came calling, Paton wisely picked up the phone. When the dust settled, Paton had dealt two first-round picks, two seconds, a fifth-rounder, and QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, and DL Shelby Harris to the Seahawks in exchange for Wilson and a mid-round draft pick. 

Wilson was introduced as Denver's new quarterback on Wednesday, March 16. He's already planned and executed a four-day throwing session with his new Broncos receivers, including wideouts and tight ends. The icing on the cake is Wilson's $24 million cap number this year, which is a drop in the bucket relative to his actual value on the open market as a top-10 QB in the NFL. 

Re-Signings

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The Broncos entered the new league year with multiple free agents of their own. Paton quickly worked to re-sign a few before things got too heated.

• Andrew Beck | FB/TE (one-year deal)
• Josey Jewell | LB (two-year deal)
• Calvin Anderson | OT (one-year deal)
• DeShawn Williams | DL (one-year deal)

ERFA Tenders

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The Broncos tendered the following exclusive rights free agents. 

• Brett Rypien | QB
• Jonas Griffith | LB
• P.J. Locke | DB

RFA Tenders

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The Broncos had multiple restricted free agents but have only tendered one, instead choosing to negotiate a one-year deal with the others that were brought back (not all were). 

• Malik Reed | OLB

Over the past two seasons, no Bronco has more sacks than Reed's 13. He led the team in 2020 with eight sacks and posted five last year in relief of the injured Bradley Chubb and the traded-to-L.A. Von Miller. 

Two other RFAs were allowed to hit the open market: OG Austin Schlottmann and WR/PR Diontae Spencer. 

Free Agent Signings

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The Broncos have signed a handful of outside free agents, a couple of whom were tier-one players. 

• D.J. Jones | DT | San Francisco 49ers (three-year, $30M deal)
• Randy Gregory | OLB | Dallas Cowboys (five-year, $70M deal)
• Josh Johnson | QB | Baltimore Ravens (one-year deal)
• Ben Braden | IOL | Green Bay Packers (one-year deal)
• J.R. Reed | S | Los Angeles Rams (one-year deal)
• K'Waun Williams | CB | San Francisco 49ers (two-year, $7M deal)
• Alex Singleton | LB | Philadelphia Eagles (one-year, $1.85M deal)
• Tom Compton | OL | San Francisco 49ers (one-year deal)
• Billy Turner | OT | Green Bay Packer (one-year deal)
• Eric Tomlinson | TE | Baltimore Ravens

Free Agent Departures

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The Broncos had several unrestricted free agents entering 2022. Here's the list of players who've either officially signed with an outside team or who remain available. 

• Teddy Bridgewater | QB | Signed with Miami Dolphins
• Melvin Gordon | RB | Unsigned
• Bryce Callahan | CB | Unsigned
• Kareem Jackson | S | Unsigned
• Kyle Fuller | CB | Unsigned
• Alexander Johnson | LB | Unsigned
• Kenny Young | LB | Unsigned
• Stephen Weatherly | DE | Unsigned
• Bobby Massie | OT | Unsigned
• Cameron Fleming | OT | Unsigned
• Shamar Stephen | DL | Unsigned
• Eric Saubert | TE | Unsigned
• Mike Ford | CB | Unsigned
• Nate Hairston | CB | Unsigned
• Brett Jones | IOL | Unsigned
• Adrian Killins | RB | Unsigned
• Natrez Patrick | OLB | Unsigned

There have been reports of the Broncos' interest in re-signing both Callahan and Jackson but no deal has been reached with either. Meanwhile, Denver has signed outside players at their respective positions. 

It's possible the Broncos could bring back a few of these outstanding free agents. The longer each free agent languishes on the market, the more favorable terms Denver can negotiate to bring them back. 

That's assuming Paton is of a mind to. A new coaching regime changes things for most of these free agents. 

Note: Keeping checking back as Mile High Huddle will update this article with any new acquisitions. 

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