With the Broncos season now over, let’s take a look at the Broncos pending free agents.
After the Denver Broncos fell to the Buffalo Bills in the wildcard round of the playoffs, let us waste no time looking forward to free agency. The Broncos have several players on the verge of free agency including a few notable and key starters on defense. These potential subtractions could leave some holes on the roster or the Broncos could let them walk and look to improve on them via free agency, the draft, or trade.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided us with a tweet that highlighted the Broncos, notable free agents, so let us take a look at these players and their chances of re-signing with the team.
Broncos key free agents this offseason: RB Javonte Williams, LB Cody Barton, LB Justin Strnad, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, DT DJ Jones, P Riley Dixon, OT Matt Peart, FB Michael Burton, CB Tremon Smith, LB Zach Cunningham, QB Jarrett Stidham, RG Quinn Bailey, QB Zach Wilson.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 12, 2025
Denver Broncos 2025 pending free agents
- NT D.J. Jones
- QB Zach Wilson
- QB Jarrett Stidham
- CB/ST Tremon Smith
- LB Cody Barton
- RB Javonte Williams
- P Riley Dixon
- LB Justin Strnad
- OT Matt Peart
- LB Zach Cunningham
- FB Michael Burton
- WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
- OL Quinn Bailey
- LS Mitchell Fraboni (RFA)
- TE Lucas Krull (ERFA)
- S Devon Key (ERFA)
- EDGE Dondrea Tillman (ERFA)
- IDL Jordan Jackson (ERFA)
- CB Ja’Quan McMillian (ERFA)
Notable Broncos free agents
RB Javonte Williams: The former second-round pick was in the final year of his rookie contract and is expected to hit free agency. His career looked promising early on but a serious knee injury derailed his career and he has been a below-average starter for the Broncos in recent seasons. The team needs to improve their backfield this offseason and I think Javonte Williams will be elsewhere next season.
NT D.J. Jones: Jones will turn 30 years old in a week and is set to be a free agent. The Broncos nose tackle had a solid season and is probably the most likely notable free agent to be re-signed. However, with Malcolm Roach on the roster, the Broncos could go with him and a cheaper veteran and/or rookie as depth. I think this will come down to money and how much either side wants to be back with the team.
LB Cody Barton: Barton signed a one-year deal this offseason with the Broncos and took over as their lead linebacker after Alex Singleton went down with a knee injury early in the season. He had his moments this season, but the Broncos linebackers as a whole were not great and could be improved on. I think the Broncos can and should make an upgrade here, but would not be upset if Barton came back as a depth piece next season.
QB’s Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham: This will be an intriguing one to watch this offseason. Wilson figures to have the most outside interest but could be viewed as a long-term project for Payton and the Broncos coaches. Meanwhile, Stidham is your typical veteran quarterback who knows the system and could be a solid number two for them moving forward.
It’s also possible the Broncos let both walk and sign a cheaper backup to be Bo Nix’s backup. It’s nice to be talking backup quarterbacks and not scratching our heads hoping for the Broncos to finally find their answer at quarterback this offseason.
P Riley Dixon: In his second stint with the Broncos, Dixon has been pretty solid for them this season. He routinely had good punts and flipped field position. I think he has shown enough to earn another contract from the Broncos but we shall see.
Other notable Broncos free agents
Both fullback Michael Burton and wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey seem to be Sean Payton guys. They fill roles on this offense and special teams and both contribute as run blockers. Burton will be 33 years old next season, so we’ll see if the run-blocking fullback decides to continue playing and/or if the Broncos want him back. Lil’Jordan Humphrey is a fine depth piece at receiver who has been with Payton with the Saints and now with the Broncos. He may not be worth a spot on the 53-man roster, but wouldn’t be surprised to see him brought back and stick around on their practice squad.
Linebacker Justin Strnad re-signed with the team and went from a special teams depth piece to a weekly starter. He struggled in coverage but if he was brought back to play special teams, I wouldn’t hate. However, I think the Broncos should overhaul their linebacker room. Tremon Smith is another special teams ace who could be back. I think he has a better shot of the two to return, but we’ll see.
OL Quinn Bailey was supposed to be their sixth offensive lineman this season but an ugly injury during training camp ended his season. If they felt this highly about him back in July, it makes sense that they would want to re-sign him, but it all depends on his recovery from that injury. If he’s good to go, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back, but again, it all depends on his status heading into the offseason.
As for the restricted and exclusive rights free agents, I think we’ll see all of them back with the team. These are generally cheaper contracts and all these players are depth pieces or starters in the case of McMillian and Fraboni.