The Broncos still have three things left on their offseason to-do list
Denver has upgraded their roster through trades, free agency and the draft, but they have a few moves still to make before the 2020 season
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The Broncos have had a good offseason so far. They made some strong moves and additions in free agency and were very active when it came to trading for top-notch players and new starters for the 2020 season.
Broncos general manager John Elway then crushed it in the 2020 NFL Draft. He added so much speed and playmaking ability to this offense that they could see a huge difference in how many points they can score in 2020.
Even after all they’ve done over the first few months of the year, Elway and company are not yet done making moves – at least they should not be.
Here are three things still left on their to-do list before the season starts.
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July 15 Looming
The Broncos placed the franchise tag on Justin Simmons earlier this year. That tag gives Simmons a one-year, fully guaranteed contract around $12.7 million for the 2020 season. It does come with a deadline of July 15 to get a new long-term deal done.
Simmons has been a pro’s pro during his time with the Broncos. He has developed into one of the best safeties in the league and is a leader in Denver’ locker room in addition to being a model citizen off the field. Simmons is the type of player every team wants on their roster, and the Broncos should work on signing him to a long-term contract – just like they have with every player they’ve franchise tagged before the deadline.
Earlier this week, fellow Broncos safety Kareem Jackson had nothing but praise for Simmons.
“Justin is one of the guys that I talk to pretty much every day. We have a great relationship outside of football. With the franchise tag, hopefully they get a deal done before the deadline. It just has stability with having that long-term deal as opposed to playing on a one-year under the tag. He’s definitely one of those guys that’s the heart and soul of our defense. I just hope they get a deal done for him,” Jackson said.
We are roughly two months away from the deadline to get something done with Simmons. As they say in the NFL, “deals get done at deadlines,” so don’t expect any movement until we get to the month of July.
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Look at Lindsay’s Contract
Earlier this year at the Scouting Combine, Elway said that he was going to look at Phillip Lindsay’s contract after free agency and the draft. Well, it’s after both of those events and we’ve heard next to nothing in terms of an update.
Elway did say in his pre-draft press conference that there has been some talks with Lindsay’s agent, but then he made the target date even more enigmatic.
“I’ve talked with Phillip’s agent. We’ll see what happens (with) what we can do later on. That’s not a guarantee either way, but we’ll see what we can do later on,” Elway said.
So, when is “later on?” Nobody knows, but we do know how Lindsay feels about the team’s addition of free agent running back Melvin Gordon. The Broncos made Gordon the sixth-highest paid running back in the league by signing him to a two-year contract near the start of free agency. In a recent interview with Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis, Lindsay had shared his honest insight about how he felt after the Gordon signing.
“It caught me off-guard because it was like, ‘Okay, I’ve put in the work and done all this’ and it makes it seem like they don’t respect you enough to know the work you’re putting in,” Lindsay said.
The team didn’t need to motivate Lindsay any more than he naturally is. The deal with Gordon has done just that, and that move has left fans wondering what the future holds for Lindsay and his playing days with the Broncos.
Lindsay is set to be a restricted free agent in 2021, so the Broncos would be able to tender him in order to keep other teams away next offseason. We’ll see if the team assuages the fears of the fan base and gets Lindsay a new contract that keeps him around for the next few years. Here’s hoping “later on” isn’t too far in the future.
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Find Another Cornerback
There is unfinished business in the Broncos secondary. The team traded the Jaguars for cornerback A.J. Bouye before the start of free agency, and he should be the No. 1 player at the position. Veteran Bryce Callahan, signed in free agency last year, is best suited as a No. 3 cornerback and that leaves the No. 2 job wide open.
Bouye is a great addition, and Jackson played with him earlier in their careers when they were both with the Texans.
“I played with A.J. for four years. I know what he’s capable of. I’ve seen him since day one when he got in this league as a young kid out of UCF. He was always talented. I’m just looking forward to reuniting with him on the field. I haven’t played with him in a while. I haven’t been able to prepare with him. I’m just looking forward to seeing how much he has progressed in those two categories and seeing him on a day-to-day basis and see how much we can help each other and learn from each other and help the younger guys,” Jackson said.
There is one player the Broncos must sign if they truly want the secondary to be complete. Former Titans cornerback Logan Ryan is on the free-agent market and is still quite capable of playing at a high level. In a recent post on Twitter, Ryan made it clear his time with the Titans had come to a close.
My chapter in Tennessee has come to a close.
To the @Titans fans: Thank you for all the love. The energy and support this past season is what led to an epic run.
— Logan Ryan (@RealLoganRyan) May 5, 2020
He’s open to signing a short-term contract and would likely not cost that much money for the Broncos to sign. If the Broncos truly want to compete at the highest level in 2020, they cannot let the secondary remain incomplete. They need another quality starter on the outside and Ryan would be another great addition if the Broncos signed him.
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