Only four teams asked fewer of their unrestricted free agents to re-sign than the Broncos

The Broncos’ focus in free agency was on retaining their own players, to the point that just two of their players were ultimately not asked to re-sign: fullback Michael Burton and center Sam Mustipher.

Just four teams had fewer players who weren’t asked to re-sign with their clubs this offseason: Cincinnati, Green Bay, New England, Seattle. Another club, the Philadelphia Eagles, matched the Broncos with two players not asked to re-up.

It’s worth noting that five of these six clubs with so few players asked to re-sign were playoff participants; Cincinnati was the lone exception. Their ranks also included both Super Bowl LX participants; with the Broncos, the group includes three of the NFL’s final four teams last season.

Burton spent last season on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in the preseason and landing on injured reserve.

The team subsequently signed former Saints fullback Adam Prentice, who flourished and even became a sneaky-effective yardage producer, averaging 5.8 yards on 17 touches, including postseason. The Broncos also moved the chains on 11 of those 17 touches, a whopping 64.7-percent figure.

MOST BRONCOS UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS RETURNED

Of course, much of the Broncos’ work to retain their own players took place last year, when the team completed contract extensions with defensive end Zach Allen, wide receiver Courtland Sutton, edge rusher Nik Bonitto and defensive lineman Malcolm Roach.

Denver subsequently kept inside linebacker Justin Strnad and tight end Adam Trautman from hitting the market, agreeing to new deals with the duo in the 24 hours before the start of the “legal tampering” period in early March.

After that period began, the Broncos re-signed Prentice, running back J.K. Dobbins, wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey and inside linebacker Alex Singleton. They also brought back three players who became unrestricted free agents after they were not given restricted-free-agent tenders: defensive end Matt Henningsen, tight end Lucas Krull and running back Jaleel McLaughlin.

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