Report: Broncos ink Freeman to 4-year deal, draft class under contract
Jul 5, 2018, 12:11 PM | Updated: 12:29 pm
The Denver Broncos wrapped up the final piece of its 10-man 2018 draft class, reportedly signing rookie running back Royce Freeman on Thursday.
Mike Klis from 9News reports Freeman inked his four-year deal with the Broncos on Thursday and will earn a $997,020 signing bonus.
Buzz surrounding the dynamic back out of Oregon has steadily been building since Denver drafted him 71st overall in the third round of the draft.
Just this week, “The Drive” host Alfred Williams said Freeman is the guy who he believes will “power this team” in terms of improving the running game.
“I don’t know who can win this running back competition early on, but some point, Royce Freeman is going to be our starting running back,” Williams said Monday.
Late last month, NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks said Freeman could be an “upgrade” at the position, a year after C.J. Anderson rushed for 1,000 yards.
Said Vance Joseph about Freeman during OTAs: “It’s hard to evaluate a running back without pads, but you can see the cutting ability. You can see the vision he has when he’s carrying the football. He catches the ball well, also.
“His evaluation won’t be complete until we put pads on, but he’s a very detailed player. He knows what to do, and that’s half the battle with runners.”
Freeman’s deal gets done two weeks after the Broncos top pick, No. 5-overall pass rusher Bradley Chubb, signed his rookie deal worth $27.27 million.
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