While Denver Broncos GM George Paton and Sean Payton have built up a solid roster, there are still a few areas where they could use additional help. Fortunately, there are still some veteran free agents who could help the Broncos in exactly those areas.
Of course, if the Broncos were to sign a free agent, that would mean cutting someone from the 90-man offseason roster. But there is some fat that could be trimmed. There is a good number of undrafted free agents and young talent, but many of them won’t provide the same level of help that these veterans could.
These veterans wouldn't be significant additions, but they would help raise the floor in their respective position groups, which is needed for a team like the Broncos, which is aiming for a playoff victory. With eyes set high this year, this team needs to raise the floor, even if it's to protect against injuries.
Eric Kendricks | LB
The Broncos took a significant risk with their linebacker unit by adding Dre Greenlaw, who is recovering from a serious injury, and pairing him with Alex Singleton, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL. Lacking proven depth behind Greenlaw and Singleton, the Broncos would be wise to protect themselves in case of injury.
While Kendricks might be 33 years old, he's still playing good football and could be a significant addition to the unit, which currently has Justin Strnad as its primary depth piece. Kendricks would be an upgrade over Strnad and would allow the Broncos to have a battle for the fourth spot.
Last season, Kendricks played nearly 1,000 snaps for the Dallas Cowboys and did well as a run defender for them, though there were issues in coverage. He also performed well in blitzing, generating 14 pressures on 52 blitzes, making him a better option for depth behind Singleton than anyone else on the roster.
Kyzir White | LB
There aren’t any linebackers available who do well in coverage, so White is like Kendricks, as insurance and depth behind Singleton and not Greenlaw. White played over 1,000 snaps for the Arizona Cardinals last season and did well as a blitzer and run defender, with issues in coverage.
The Broncos demonstrated last year that they can compensate for issues with their linebacker corps' coverage, to an extent, but they lack depth to fill the roles of either of their two starters should misfortune arise. White or Kendricks would be a significant upgrade over Strnad, Drew Sanders, Levelle Bailey, and Denver's three undrafted rookies.
Noah Fant | TE
Even with Evan Engram in the fold, the Broncos' tight end room is severely lacking in talent. While Fant isn’t a good blocker, he can still contribute more to the passing game than any of the tight ends on the roster not named Engram.
If Engram goes down, the Broncos would be in a bad position with their current roster, so Fant would upgrade the floor while providing insurance. Engram has an injury history that includes two last year, causing him to miss eight games. Fant can be used as the primary receiving tight end if Engram misses time.
While Fant wouldn’t help the blocking in the room, Payton needs to have that receiving talent at the position. Nate Adkins and Adam Trautman, though neither is a great blocker, can provide enough there, but neither is the receiving threat to make up for Engram if he misses time.
Amari Cooper | WR
The only way the Broncos should consider adding a veteran wide receiver is if their newer players don’t take the necessary steps forward or suffer an injury at the position. Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims Jr., and Pat Bryant should be given every opportunity to develop and succeed first.
If they don’t take those steps, if Vele’s injury is worse than being made out to be, or another injury happens, then adding a veteran would be a must. The Broncos can’t go into the season relying on undeveloped youth, with Courtland Sutton accounting for most of the receiving room's clout.
Amari Cooper had a rough 2024 season, starting with the Cleveland Browns before being traded to the Buffalo Bills. In the end, he put up 588 receiving yards and four touchdowns on teh season. However, he is only a season removed from a 1,000-yard season.
While Cooper isn’t the player he once was, he can still contribute to the Broncos' offense and give them another veteran option outside of Sutton. However, this would only be if Denver's other options don’t step up or an injury occurs.
Keenan Allan | WR
The same applies to Allen as it does for Cooper in terms of when the Broncos should look to add a veteran receiver and why it's a situation to monitor. Allen is coming off a better season than Cooper, with almost 750 yards and seven touchdowns in a terrible Chicago Bears offensive scheme with rookie Caleb Williams leading the way.
-1750039764-q80.webp "Mika Zibanejad's Fate with Rangers Emerges Following Major Report")