Dre’Mont Jones and Courtland Sutton could both be former Broncos soon

We are past the NFL Combine, and now pro days are happening across the country at different college campuses during the month of March. The NFL Draft is at the end of April, so this month will be about further evaluation through pro days as NFL teams make their draft boards final.

I like it when I think about the team Broncos head coach Sean Payton will put on the field. He needs general manager George Paton to be much better this year in the draft, but I believe Payton can make the Broncos more competitive than some think.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Just Want to be Wanted

The Broncos are not shopping wide receiver Courtland Sutton. However, every GM is going to answer the phone if a team calls about his players. That may be what is happening with Sutton right now. This is not a great wide receiver group in free agency, so teams are looking for players to acquire via trade who could be better options. Sutton could clearly be that guy.

Signed to a new contract in 2021, Sutton has yet to regain the potential he showed back in 2019 when he recorded over 1,000 yards receiving. Sutton injured his knee in 2020, and he’s been working to regain his form since then. The Broncos decided to get him a new deal before he hit free agency even though Sutton was still returning from injury.

Sutton has been good since the injury, but he was looking great in 2019. Over the last two seasons, Sutton has just four touchdowns and around 1,500 yards receiving combined. Compare that to the six touchdowns and over 1,100 yards receiving in 2019 alone, and you can see why Sutton has not looked the same. Perhaps a change of scenery would do his some good. I still believe in his talent, but with the return of Tim Patrick and the emergence of Jerry Jeudy the Broncos might move Sutton if the price was right.

I just want to be where I’m wanted and appreciated.

— Courtland Sutton♠️ (@SuttonCourtland) March 10, 2023

I’m not sure the Broncos would get much in return for Sutton. He’s still got upside, and his contract is not that bad, so I feel he’s a value. However, the risk might be too much for a team out there. The Broncos might be lucky if some team offers a day-three pick for Sutton. We’ll see if any movement happens this week as the free agency frenzy begins (which could prompt teams to start trading as well).

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Hometown Hero

I wish the Broncos would keep DE Dre’Mont Jones around. A couple of weeks ago, there was positivity about the Broncos keeping Jones. It seemed like the two sides were getting close to a deal. Then, the NFL Combine happened and teams got a better feel of the upcoming free agent market. That’s when the numbers for Jones really seemed to come more into focus – and perhaps out of the range of the Broncos.

Jones is a player I felt was tremendous value for the Broncos when they drafted him in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft out of Ohio State. I have him ranked as my no.50 prospect that year, and over the last few years Jones has become a force for the Broncos on the defensive line. He was somewhat raw coming out of college, but Jones had the physical skill set and instinct to be a disruptive player on the line. Now entering free agency, Jones is going to earn somewhere around $20 million annually.

The most recent buzz is that his hometown Cleveland Browns are the most interested in his services. While the Broncos have around $33 million in cap space, the Browns are effectively over the cap by over $14 million. To sign Jones, the Browns would have to do some salary cap gymnastics to free up the money to get a deal done. Teams always have the money, so if the Browns want to bring Jones back to Cleveland (he went to high school there and grew up a Browns fan) then they’ll make it work.

Dre'Mont Jones can win with quickness, bull rush. He can two-gap and disrupt upfield.

He's just scratching the surface of his potential, which could be a scary word in free agency. Sounds like he'll get a massive deal though. pic.twitter.com/PrXW9CByeb

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) March 12, 2023

The Browns would be wise to get a player like Jones. Playing opposite of All-Pro DE Myles Garrett, Jones could thrive with his new team. If the Broncos get back in the sweepstakes for Jones, it’s going to cost them – and the fact they have not gotten a deal done or used the franchise tag on Jones means he’s likely gone elsewhere in 2023.

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More Saints, Please

It’s easy to connect New Orleans Saints players with Payton. Any time a player becomes available that has a history with Payton I get interested. Payton did a good job with the talent that Saints GM Mickey Loomis acquired, so looking at former Saints is just good business for the Broncos.

A Saints player that most aren’t talking about is going to be available for the Broncos, and I think they should pick him up. Veteran WR Marquez Callaway is a restricted free agent, but the Saints are not going to give him a tender offer. That means Callaway is going to be an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team. Why not the Broncos?

Undrafted out of Tennessee in 2020, Callaway was seen as a one-trick player who was just a speed guy to take the top off the defense. He’s done that in the pros with the Saints, with his best season coming in 2021 – Payton’s last year in New Orleans. Callaway has a great size/speed combination, and I think he does a better job getting open now than he did as a younger player in the league.

The #Saints are not expected to tender RFA wide receiver Marquez Callaway, per source. Returning to New Orleans is still an option. But he’s set to hit unrestricted free agency. Had 1,069 yards and 7 TDs in three years with N.O.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 12, 2023

The Broncos need to be open to signing a player like Callaway. He’s more than a one-trick pony as a receiver, and I appreciate the way he’s worked on his route-running in the pros. Callaway’s versatility to play special teams makes him an intriguing addition – and a huge upgrade over second-year pro WR Montrell Washington. We’ll see if Callaway wants to follow Payton to the Mile High City.

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Born Again

I am a fan of the Marvel anti-hero “The Punisher.” Ever since I read my first “Punisher: War Journal” comic book, which was much more violent and real than other comics published at the time, I’ve liked the character. First appearing in Amazing Spider-man No. 129, Frank Castle is a former soldier who lost his family to mob violence and now seeks revenge on the criminal elements in New York City.

On Netflix, we’ve seen actor Jon Bernthal play the role of Castle. We got to see him as a near-perfect casting in two seasons of “The Punisher” and in some episodes of “Daredevil.” Now, Disney+ is going to unveil their version of Daredevil with an epic 18-episode season based on the “Born Again” storyline. This week, it was reported that Bernthal was reprising his role as Castle for the series. Now that we’ve seen Bernthal as the Punisher, I can’t imagine anyone else in the role, so I was obviously over the moon with this news.

I won’t give too much away from the comics, but “Born Again” was one of the best Daredevil stories ever written. Frank Miller had the best run on Daredevil as a writer, and “Born Again” was one of many great story arcs. Daredevil descends into madness at the hands of the Kingpin as he tries to rebuild his life. The Punisher is there to make things even more interesting, and the fact this is going to be nearly 20 episodes of a streaming show I have full confidence they’ll do their best to tell a complete version of the story.

Jon Bernthal is returning to his most punishing role. The actor will reprise Frank Castle, aka anti-hero The Punisher, in Marvel Studios’ 'Daredevil: Born Again' https://t.co/hE3IC9Nbu8 pic.twitter.com/1kJbT5BaKu

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 7, 2023

Are you excited about Daredevil: Born Again? Hit me up on social networking and let me know!

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