PFF Reveals Favorite & Least Favorite Broncos Free-Agent Signing

The splashy waves of free agency are over, and the Denver Broncos made a handful of new additions and re-signed a few players. The Broncos have mostly been lauded this free agency period, although, some have criticized their moves.

Overall, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic, but the concerns from around the NFL are valid. 

Pro Football Focus' Mason Cameron recently named his favorite and least favorite signing from each team. For the Broncos, the favorite signing was tight end Evan Engram.

"After voicing his want to add an impact player to man the 'Joker' position in his offense, Sean Payton gets a splash signing in Engram following his release from Jacksonville," Cameron wrote. "Injuries limited Engram’s time on the field in 2024, but his last full season in 2023 — where he hauled in the second-most receptions by a tight end (114) in the PFF era — proved he could be an impact player."

Cameron's least favorite signing was one of Denver's most praised moves: bringing back defensive lineman D.J. Jones. 

"Although Jones showed improvement in his third season with the Broncos, a deal worth $13 million annually comes in significantly over projections," Cameron wrote. "During his time in Denver, Jones has struggled defending the run, having totaled just a 54.0 PFF run-defense grade."

Cameron also gave PFF's contract projection for Jones, which was two years, $18 million, with $10 million guaranteed. That's significantly less than the three-year, $39 million with $26 million guaranteed the Broncos gave Jones. Add in that Jones plays 41% of the defensive snaps, and it's easy to understand the skepticism. 

Free-agent defensive tackles Poona Ford, B.J. Hill, and Bobby Brown III all got lower contracts than Jones and are similar players. So, using the PFF run defense grade, Jones' lowest grade, makes the signing even worse. It isn’t like he offers up more as a pass rusher than the others to make up for it. 

However, Jones purportedly helped recruit safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw to Denver. Can you put a value on that?

Jones is also well-liked in the locker room and can be described as the glue that holds the unit together. There are no metrics to measure such impact or his familiarity with the defense that also comes with keeping him. It's understandable not to be high on the signing, but it shouldn’t be viewed as the worst. 

As for Engram, PFF didn’t have a projected contract because he was a street-free agent, someone who was released from their contract. His injury history and age provide some pause, but his two-year deal isn’t a team-killing contract if things don’t work out.

Adding Engram also gives the Broncos that pivotal piece that Payton has been looking for to try and complete his offense. It was a good signing.  

There is a case to be made for Greenlaw to be Denver's best free-agent move. He's younger, has a different type of injury history than Engram, fills the Broncos' most significant defensive need, and comes with a highly team-friendly contract. Unlike with Engram, if Greenlaw doesn’t pan out, Denver can get out of his deal after one year, but there isn’t much of a reason to be concerned about it at this stage. 

The bottom line is every signing the Broncos made was good. Picking the favorite and least favorite can be difficult. Like anything, the devil's in the details. There's an argument for any one of the signings to be the 'favorite' and least favorite.