PFF Ranks 4 Broncos Among 2022 Top-75 NFL Free Agents

The Broncos are poised to dump four of the NFL's most coveted free agents on the 2022 open market.

With the conclusion of the NFL regular season rapidly approaching, and just five weeks to go, it’s not too early to turn an eye towards the future for the Denver Broncos. Sure, the team is currently sitting at 6-6 with a path towards making the playoffs for the first time since 2015 but with questions stretching from the head coach to the quarterback, no one should fault the fans for pondering what the future looks like.

GM George Paton finds himself in an odd position entering this offseason. While the Broncos are currently projected to have the 10th-most cap space of any NFL team next season at just over $48 million according to Over The Cap,  as well being as one of five teams in the NFL with five selections in the top-100 in the 2022 NFL draft, the team is still wandering the proverbial desert in search for a franchise quarterback.

Until the Broncos find a franchise guy, hovering around .500 (at best) is the most likely outcome. It is a quarterback-driven league, after all.

Paton’s tenure in Denver will likely be defined by whether he can find himself a quarterback that gives the Broncos a puncher’s chance in the AFC West with such heavyweights under center like Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert (and Derek Carr is no slouch either). However, just as important as finding 'The Guy' at quarterback is building up a quality roster surrounding that passer with ample talent so the team is ready to go. 

Quarterback remains the big question mark for Denver, but what Paton does surrounding that position will be of great importance as well. A large step in crafting a roster worthy of contention in 2022 will depend on who the Broncos decide to bring back from their current roster. 

According to Pro Football Focus, the Broncos have four of the top-75 pending free agents for the 2022 offseason (prior to roster cuts). The Broncos would have had seven, in all likelihood, if not for the Von Miller trade to Los Angeles (Miller is listed as fifth-best free agent on this list), as well as retaining receivers Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton.

No. 48: Bryce Callahan | CB

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The first pending free agent that cracks PFF’s top-75 list is nickelback Bryce Callahan at 48th overall. Callahan was brought over by the Broncos from the Chicago Bears in 2019 when Vic Fangio was hired to play the slot corner role. 

Callahan has struggled to stay healthy over a full season for most of his career but when on the field, he has proven to be an exceptional defensive back. With a projected contract of two years, $10 million ($5M per year with $5M guaranteed) the Broncos should consider retaining Callahan to reinforce the secondary if Fangio is to return as the coach in 2022.

If the Broncos move on from Fangio and his scheme, Paton should consider a younger, healthier, and cheaper option for the slot defensive back position than Callahan. However, with Callahan’s slot current replacement in Kyle Fuller also set to hit free agency, perhaps a defensive back that has the ability to play the slot is one of the sneakiest big-time needs for the Broncos this offseason considering the slot corner plays approximately 80-90% of the team’s defensive snaps any given week.

Weeks 9 & 12 Snap Count for LB2 & CB3
*excludes Week 10 due to Browning injury*

@ DAL and percentage of total defensive snaps
LB2: Young: 41/62: 66.1%
CB3: Fuller: 60/62: 96.8%

vs LAC:
LB2: Young: 43/71: 60.6%
CB3: Fuller: 68/71: 95.8%

— Nick Kendell 🏔 (@NickKendellMHH) December 3, 2021

No. 52: Teddy Bridgewater | QB 

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The second highest-ranked Broncos' free agent in PFF’s list is one that will likely cause a large portion of the fanbase to squint at the screen. Sitting at 52 overall Bridgewater is listed as the second-best available quarterback this offseason behind only Jameis Winston (who is coming off of a torn ACL and MCL). 

Bridgewater is a limited quarterback who doesn’t tend to stress defenses in space vertically with his arm or horizontally with his mobility, but he probably is overall a league-average starting quarterback on the whole — not a franchise quarterback but also not completely incompetent. With a solid roster, a QB of that caliber can put a team almost squarely where the Broncos are right now… floating around .500 and battling for a playoff spot late into the season.

Teddy was never likely to become a long-term franchise-caliber quarterback option for the Broncos. That said, with his cost of $4.5M against the cap for just one season, and Denver only having to give up a 2021 sixth-round pick to acquire him, Bridgewater is exactly what you want your quarterback to be if he isn't truly your long-term solution; cheap and short-term.

Bridgewater was extremely cheap for the Broncos this season but PFF doesn’t expect that to be the case come free agency. Projecting Bridgewater to command a contract at approximately two years, $40M with $20M average per year and $27.5M guaranteed, the Broncos should stay away from that level of financial commitment even if it is short-term. PFF’s bottom line on Bridgewater hammers home exactly why Denver should be frugal if he commands this much on the open market. 

“An accurate passer who teammates and coaches love, Bridgewater is a viable starter but nothing more. Any team chasing better than that will view him as a backup or a stopgap.” 

If Bridgewater does indeed command $20M per year on the open market and Denver can’t trade for a surefire veteran, Paton may be smarter to consider cheaper stop-gap options such as Andy Dalton, Tyrod Taylor, Marcus Mariota, or someone of that nature, regardless of potential quarterback plans in the draft, as painful as that is to consider.

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No. 67 & 68: Alexander Johnson & Josey Jewell | LBs

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The final two Broncos to qualify as one of PFF's top pending free agents are that of the team's day-one starting linebackers, both of whom have spent the majority of the season on injured reserve. With Johnson ranking as the 67thbest free agent and Jewell as the 68th, it will be interesting to see if Denver decides to retain either backer this offseason to pair with Baron Browning going forward.

PFF currently projects Johnson to receive a two-year, $13M contract with $6.5M average per season and $8M guaranteed this offseason with Jewell commanding a projected one-year deal worth $6M and $4.5M guaranteed. Personally given his age and relatively low cost, Jewell seems like he might be the best option to retain. 

The former Iowa Hawkeye has been underrated for this Broncos’ defense especially in coverage, as PFF noted in the article. 

"From Week 9 of 2020 through Jewell’s injury in week 2 of this season, his 79.8 overall grade ranked fourth among off-ball linebackers and his 79.5 coverage grade ranked fifth.”

Also of note and missing from PFF's top-75 list is Denver’s current starting linebacker Kenny Young whom the team acquired from the L.A. Rams in exchange for a seventh-round pick. With Young not ranking, perhaps there is more of a conversation to be had (than is currently being discussed in Broncos Country) on which of the Broncos' three pending free agents at off-ball linebacker would be best to retain. 

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