Report: Broncos 'Expressed Early Interest' in Vikings OL Brett Jones

The George Paton Pipeline.

As anticipated, new Denver Broncos general manager George Paton is taking a low-key approach to NFL free agency, which unofficially began Monday with the opening of the legal tampering window.

No Bill Belichickian spending sprees. No egregious splashes. No major headlines.

After four hours of the tampering period, as of this writing, Denver has barely registered a blip on the news cycle. But, while no doubt negotiating the respective futures of Von Miller and Kareem Jackson, Paton is developing the predicted pipeline to Minnesota, and it could soon yield an acquisition.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Broncos have "expressed some early interest" in Vikings offensive lineman Brett Jones, whose unrestricted market appears to be robust. The Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, and Houston Texans are also sniffing around Jones, per the report.

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A native of Canada, Jones (6-2, 215) went undrafted in 2013 and spent the following two seasons with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. The 29-year-old landed in the NFL in 2015, joining the New York Giants, for whom he would make 30 appearances (14 starts) through 2017.

Jones, able to play guard or center, was traded to the Vikings in 2018 and functioned primarily in a backup role. His 2019 campaign was marred by injury, and he yo-yoed last year between the team's active roster and practice squad, starting two games at the pivot.

The Broncos presumably have their long-term center in Lloyd Cushenberry, who played every offensive snap as a 2020 rookie and generally showed well. The starting guard spots are also locked up with Dalton Risner and Graham Glasgow.

If added, Jones likely would compete with Cushenberry or slide in as a direct backup to Risner or Glasgow, joining Netane Muti and Austin Schlottmann, an exclusive-rights free agent.

Players are permitted to agree to deals during the 48-hour tampering period but cannot formally sign with their new teams until 2 p.m. MT Wednesday, the official start of the 2021 league year.

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