Denver Broncos: Two-Day Free Agency Grades

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton (center) – Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports

The NFL Legal Tampering period officially ends March 15^th at 4 pm ET, and the Denver Broncos took this time to make some massive splashes. With an emphasis on MASSIVE, as they look to form their identity heading into the new season.

With that identity, it is pretty clear. The Broncos are going to protect Russell Wilson better, and run the football as often as they can. By signing two new starters along the Offensive Line, a Running Back, a Full Back, and one of the best blocking Tight Ends in the league Sean Payton made sure to let everyone know what his plans are.

 

Denver Broncos: Two-Day Free Agency Grades:

OG Ben Powers Four Years $52 Million: A+

            I mentioned the Broncos made massive signings, the first of which was OG Ben Powers. Standing at six foot four inches tall and 310 lbs. he certainly fits that bill. However, it isn’t just his size that makes this move great. He has the second-highest Pass Blocking Grade according to PFF at 86.5 while only allowing 12 total pressures.

He is also coming off a season where he played 100% of all offensive snaps for the Baltimore Ravens and had zero penalties called against him. What makes this move even sweeter was the fact that OG/C Graham Glasgow was going to be a $14 million cap hit this season. So, they saved money while getting a better player.

 

OT Mike McGlinchey Five Years $87.5 Million: A-

          Right after signing Powers, the Broncos got even larger by signing McGlinchey, finally solidifying their RT woes they have had for the last few seasons. One of the biggest reasons for this being such a positive grade is the fact they went out and got a long-term answer at RT, ending the revolving door at RT.

It made it even better when the Chiefs ended up signing Jawaan Taylor for more money per year, only to make him change to the left side. His eight penalties are eye-raising, but he has only missed 13 games in his five-year career and is coming off a career year in terms of blown block percentages. He only blew 2.3% of his blocks, and the fourth-best percentage in the run game only blew 1.1%.

 

QB Jarrett Stidham Two Years $10 Million: C

          This is the least newsworthy move of the offseason so far for the Broncos. After letting Brett Rypien walk in free agency, they needed to address the backup QB spot. Even though he only has two career starts, five million a year is a pretty solid deal for a backup QB that is known to have a big upside. The hope obviously is that Russell Wilson turns it around and Stidham never sees the field, but considering the amount other backups are going for, Denver got a good deal.

 

TE Chris Manhertz Two Years $6 Million: B

          Another minimal move by getting a backup TE, but it follows the theme of getting run support and protection for Russell Wilson. While it is clear the Broncos are anticipating second-year pro Greg Dulcich being their rising star TE, getting one of the league’s best-blocking TEs at six foot 6 inches for only three million a year is a solid move in terms of depth.

 

LB Alex Singleton Three Years $18 Million: B+

          While on the surface it looks like the Broncos overpaid for a limited LB, really they got their guy to help man the middle of their defense. Coming off a career-high 163 tackles and multiple 20+ tackle games, he deserved every penny of this contract.

Singleton next to Josey Jewell combined for one of the most consistent Linebacker duos in terms of not missing tackles. At the rate some LBs were going for, getting a tackling machine for basically market value, on a defense that needs two consistent players in that spot is huge.

 

DE Zach Allen Three Years $47.75 Million: B+

          This signing was almost an A grade. He fits everything the Broncos are looking for in a defensive lineman. He can play the EDGE as well as the inside. He also blossomed under Broncos’ new DC Vance Joeseph while they were both in Arizona. The reason the grade got knocked down a tad was that right after he was signed, former Broncos DT Dre’Mont Jones signed with the Seahawks for a very similar contract.

However, in reality, Allen has been just as productive in a lot of categories as Jones in the last couple of seasons. He also stands out heavily in the run game last season with a 5.5% Stuff Rate in the run game which is good for second in the NFL. He also had eight batted passes which are incredible.

Only playing in 13 games last season, he has never finished a full season in the NFL. That is a concern for this team, but it is a risk they are willing to make for a productive player that fits Joeseph’s system well.

 

RB Samaje Perine Two Years $7.5 Million: B

           This move may not wow anyone, but the Broncos may have gotten a steal with Perine at less than four million a year. He also fits the theme of protecting Russ as he was the fourth-highest graded pass blocker out of any Running Back in the NFL last season.

He can also make plays out of the backfield having five Receiving TDs over the last three seasons while behind Joe Mixon. They also did not go too huge for an RB which may have been the correct choice, and getting an all-around solid RB to fill in for Williams is really good.

 

Overall Grade: B+

          The Broncos may have overpaid for some players on the surface, but getting Ben Powers and Samaje Perine at their prices seems like possible steals. They also made it clear what their identity is, and after the first two days, they got better in a lot of areas they needed to improve desperately.

 

Possible Targets Next:

          While they made a ton of moves before Free Agency officially started, the Broncos are probably not done. There are still places this team could improve on and really talented players available. Two names to watch out for are Safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson who has a relationship with Sean Payton and had a career year last season and CB Darius Slay who is on the older side, but with Mathis rising as a possible CB NO.2 you may only need Slay for one or two seasons.