Broncos Should Make Move for 2-Time NFL All-Pro Safety

The Denver Broncos have what seems like almost an entirely new roster in 2024. That’s on purpose.

The Broncos are trying to make it to the postseason for the first time since winning the Super Bowl following the 2015 season. They’re also trying to have a winning season for the first time since 2016.

“Overall, the makeup and chemistry to this team is entirely different from a year ago,” Denver head coach Sean Payton told The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider. “That is not a surprise, but it is something you notice and feel. That is encouraging.”

That’s going to be hard to do without some veteran talent to lead the way. In that vein, the Broncos could add free agent and two-time NFL All-Pro safety Micah Hyde to lift up one of their weakest position groups.

Even after NFL teams cut rosters down to 53 players on Aug. 27, Bleacher Report still had Hyde as the No. 4 available free agent.

Getting Hyde would take some convincing on the part of Payton — Hyde previously said he is contemplating retirement and inclined to only come back and play for the Buffalo Bills, where he’s been since 2017.

Broncos Can Take ‘Wait and See’ Approach

One advantage the Broncos have is that they don’t have to make a move right away.

Payton and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph can wait and evaluate the current group of safeties. If the Broncos start 0-4, for example, then it’s safe to say it’s a rebuilding year. If that turns into 2-2 or 3-1 … then maybe it’s time to contemplate a move.

Of the five safeties Denver kept on its roster, only P.J. Locke started for the Broncos last season. Locke started 8 games and had 53 tackles, 5 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles and 1 interception. Denver also signed Brandon Jones to a 3-year, $20 million free-agent contract after he started 6 games for the Miami Dolphins in 2023.

The Broncos open the regular season on Sept. 8 at the Seattle Seahawks.

Broncos Released 3-Time All-Pro Safety

All of this comes after the Broncos released safety Justin Simmons following his third consecutive NFL All-Pro selection in 2023.

Simmons was released in a salary cap move and eventually signed with the Atlanta Falcons on a 1-year, $7.5 million contract on Aug. 15. He was the longest-tenured player on the roster and a fan favorite but the 4-year, $61 million contract extension he signed in March 2021 combined with the Broncos’ $85 million dead cap hit spread over 2024 and 2025 made keeping him untenable.

Simmons’ contract could be a template for the Broncos signing Hyde or another defensive back of that caliber. Spotrac has Hyde’s market value on a 1-year contract at slightly over $8 million, which seems way too high.

If the Broncos were to make a move for Hyde, a reasonable starting point would be a 1-year, $5 million deal — a number that goes down the longer the Broncos wait.

“Payton emphasized after Sunday’s preseason finale that the Broncos could look to bring in outside help at a ‘handful of positions’ as they sort through the hundreds of players discarded by their teams this week,” Kosmider wrote.