Pro Football Focus has identified the Denver Broncos as a "potential landing spot" for one of its top-ranked pending free agents.
The sports analytics giant believes the Broncos should pursue San Francisco 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga when the NFL's signing period opens in March. Hufanga is PFF's No. 23 overall free agent for 2025.
"After seeing limited run the past two seasons due to injury, Hufanga enters the open market mostly playing off the promise he showed in his full season of action back in 2022. That year, he clocked a 78.5 PFF coverage grade in closed coverages," analyst Mason Cameron wrote Wednesday.
"The Broncos possessed one of the strongest coverage units in the NFL this past season but had a clear weak link in P.J. Locke, whom the Bills exposed in the wild-card round. Hufanga projects as an upgrade over Locke in Denver’s single-high coverages, if the former can stay healthy."
A fifth-round pick in 2021, Hufanga exploded onto the scene as a sophomore, notching 66 solo tackles, nine pass breakups, four interceptions, and two forced fumbles across all 17 starts en route to first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.
Injuries, however, have limited the 25-year-old to just 17 combined appearances over the last two seasons. But Hufanga's playmaking ability and upside are evident and likely will warrant considerable interest in free agency; Spotrac projects a deal worth roughly $11.9 million annually.
The Broncos currently have four safeties (Brandon Jones, P.J. Locke, JL Skinner, Delarrin Turner-Yell) under contract for next season, with one (Devon Key) an exclusive-rights free agent. They also have more than $39 million in available salary-cap space.
Locke, ailing an otherwise stout defense, would give the club another $4.19 million if released — money that could go toward paying his replacement.
