How would you grade the Denver Broncos moves in the first week of free agency? Let’s share.
The Denver Broncos have had a quiet, yet rather eventful, first week of free agency. The biggest news came from their signings around the league, but they also brought some key players back into the fold. To recap all of their moves, check out our Broncos free agency tracker post.
Today, we’re going to give an overall grade to the Broncos opening moves. It was intensely debated here with a very wide range of opinions. Please share your thoughts on free agency so far in the comments section below.
Here are our grades.
Tim Lynch: Solid B.
The Broncos went out and added premier talent by signing former San Francisco 49ers defenders Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw. What keeps those from being A+ signings for me is the injury concerns both will bring to Denver. If they stay healthy, look out!
While I’m excited about the Evan Engram signing too, he is 30 and fast approaching whatever age wall is out there for him. However, I think he should have two good seasons level in the tank, so I definitely love this move.
The biggest surprise of this first week was how much money was being thrown around for interior defensive lineman, which made the re-signing of D.J. Jones such a huge move. He got a bit of a raise and the Broncos didn’t have to break the bank for an inferior talent like other teams had to do. The rest of the re-signings were decent, but not game-changing.
Overall, I’d have to stick with a solid B with a potential for an A+ depending on injury outcomes.
John Holmes: D+
Denver entered free agency with 38 million honestly to spend. Anything above that and it eats into their ability to sign, extend, and cut players in the future. Having not banked cap money from previous years, Denver also had one of the lowest total caps in the league.
I love the Greenlaw signing, though it is high risk, and lots of money: B.
Denver re-upped DJ Jones when the draft is stacked, at a high price and as he exits his prime: D Sherfield is a downgrade from Tremon Smith, and leaves Denver with a hole at KR/PR: F.
Engram has averaged half or less the impact of a top tier receiver, is into the decline phase of his career, and is expensive: FHufanga has upside, but injury risk. I will be writing about unexpected long-term value of injuries, but in the short term I do not see an incredible value for the cost: C.
Not extending any current Broncos (Zach Allen, Nik Bonitto): F. This is where the money should have been spent.
D+ overall.
Mike DeCicco: B-
Our two big defensive signings have health concerns, and there’s no guarantee we’re getting the players they used to be. But if they are the grade jumps to an A. Engram is a vast improvement over anybody we’ve had since Julius Thomas but I hope we still take a young guy in a good draft for TEs. But all three signings were the ones a team like Denver needed to make. Now play 17 games please.
B-.
Chris Hart: B+ ish
The Broncos’ first big moves in free agency bolstered their defense. Former San Francisco 49ers Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw are significant upgrades on paper. The big issue is whether or not they can stay healthy. They’ve missed a lot of games over the past few seasons, but when they do play, they are top-rated players in the NFL. Graded together, I’d put those at a B- simply due to the risk relative to injury. But I can’t fault the Broncos too much for taking high-upside swings here with some significant risk. Having a quarterback on a rookie deal and a healthy cap situation affords them that flexibility. Moreover, I was a huge fan of retaining D.J. Jones. The $13 million dollar a year value might be high to some, but he’s been a quality player for the Broncos the past three seasons. I give that signing a B+. Overall, the defensive signings get a “B” when averaged. Not too shabby!
On offense, keeping Matt Peart around as a swing tackle was a sound decision. That gets an A simply because of the fair contract and keeping the offensive line strong. Trent Sherfield will be an adequate replacement for Tremon Smith on special teams. I don’t know much about him, but it appears he is well-respected in that regard, so I’ll give him an A too. Evan Engram was the big splash on offense. He’s a versatile player who can play inline, in the slot, and on the outside. He gives Bo Nix a battle-tested veteran presence as a receiver and should really help them move the chains and be more efficient. Offensively, the Broncos ‘aced’ the free agency period.
Adam Malnati: A-
The Broncos went out and addressed 3 areas of need with 3 players that were near the top, if not the top of the list of available players at those positions. Raiding the 49ers for Hufanga and Greenlaw was incredible. A legit safety and a legit LB who can control the middle of the field? A+ right there without doing anything else. Evan Engram makes the TE position a thousand times better, and gives Bo Nix another great option. Still an A+. The concern comes in the form of extensions, which I get, so not extending Bonitto, or Allen, for example, is a bit of an issue. So knock the grade down slightly, because there is more time to get those things done. Let’s call it an A- and believe that extensions will be the next priority.
Scotty Payne: A+
Evan Engram is gives you a short term Joker option. He’s a target monster and will give the offense an element they were missing. I’m not worried about the shoulder injury and he’ll be a key part of the Broncos offense next year.
Dre Greenlaw is an excellent signing. He looked like his former self when he returned from the Achilles but dealt with soreness. He’ll have entire offseason to heal and the Broncos conditioning team to work with. He’s a stud and gives the Broncos a huge upgrade on defense.
Hufanga plays with his hire on fire and his play style does come with some injury concerns, but he’s an All-Pro talent. He had a wrist injury last year so it’s nothing that should be an issue moving forward and he’ll add some attitude to the Broncos defense.
Sherfield is a special teamer and I’ll trust the process there.
Re-signing DJ Jones is a good move and keeps the defensive line intact from last year. He’s an elite run defender and will do the same once again.
Stiddy re-signing made sense, Strnad is a special teams stud, and Peart is a fine swing tackle.
Overall, they’re a better team on paper than they were last year which is what you want to do in free agency. They have extended multiple players already so I’m not worried about them getting deals done with Sutton, Allen, and Bonitto. They’re loaded in cash, the cap explodes each year and they have a track record of paying their guys.
Free agency so far has been a major win. Can you believe that D+ grade? Nah nah.
Go Broncos!
A+.
Taylor Kothe: A-
I think an A- overall is about where I’m at.
The Pa(y)tons addressed most of the team’s biggest needs in FA, with the remaining big need being one of if not the deepest position in the draft. I cannot overstate how much I like that. The Broncos have positioned themselves to take on the draft with a BPA-focused approach instead of a needs-focused approach, which is the furthest thing in the world from where this roster was for the previous year or two.
What brings this down to an A- for me is the injury aspects of the signings. George Paton has a long history at this point of betting on injured guys, and we all know that doesn’t pan out as often as we’d like. That said, there’s more to this topic than just “Player X has missed Y games over the last Z years”. It deserves a closer look than that.
S Talanoa Hufanga. One hell of a player, and I love that he’s a Bronco. And his name is so fun to say, I think he may already be one of my favorite current Broncos for that alone. But regarding injuries: The ACL tear in 2023 is the only part that should cause Broncos Country any real concern. But it’s also an injury NFL players routinely come back from these days, at least when there isn’t additional damage such as what Javonte Williams experienced. Either way, Hufanga’s leg looked fine last year & the sprain to his opposite wrist that robbed him of half of his 2024 season is both unrelated and unlikely to repeat. This was a great bet on a guy who only just turned 26. A+
ILB Dre Greenlaw. Greenlaw is a better coverage linebacker than anyone we’ve had in a gross number of years. There’s a lot of value in that, but I do think this is the signing with the most legitimate injury questions. per DraftSharks.com’s injury tracking, since 2020 Greenlaw’s list of lower body injuries has included: a quad bruise in 2020 that cost him 2 games, two groin strains in 2021 (one of them a re-injury) that cost him 14 total games, both a hammy and a calf strain in the 2022 playoffs, another calf strain in the 2022 regular season that cost him a game, another hammy in the 2023 season that cost him 1 game, and the torn Achilles in the 2024 Super Bowl. That’s a heck of a list. And it means the Broncos still have work to do at ILB. Greenlaw will be great when he’s on the field, but it’s unlikely that he’ll be available for all of our 17-21 games. B-
TE Evan Engram. We’ve needed a TE of Engram’s caliber almost as long as we’ve needed an ILB of Greenlaw’s. I’m very excited to see what he allows this offense to do, and he’s exactly the kind of short to intermediate route veteran safety blanket that can help Bo Nix scoff at the idea of a sophomore slump. I’m going to disagree with a couple of John’s points here: the age wall for TEs isn’t 30 like it is for WRs, so Engram’s age shouldn’t be an issue for the duration of this contract. And if you’re going to insist on a TE with production in the same realm as a top tier WR, over the last decade that list begins and ends with Travis Kelce. Engram does have an extensive list of injuries across his career, but has had only one since August of 2021: the hammy in September 2024 that caused him to miss a handful of games. That’s something I think this Broncos’ training staff can help Engram avoid in 2025, so I don’t think he misses much time. A-
Extending DJ Jones is an A- in my book. And I love the continuity we’re building on the offensive line. And our smaller moves seem fine as well. Again, I really appreciate the approach of not having major holes when the draft rolls around. It means we can draft for talent, and in the end that will bear fruit in the long term for this franchise.
Ian St. Clair: A+
The Broncos had some “musts” when it comes to holes on their roster and they nailed filling them. Especially the three major signings of Hufanga, Greenlaw and Engram. All three are studs, upgrades over what this franchise has had in years, and instantly make this team better. Yes, injuries are a concern, but also remember Denver now has one of the best health and training teams in the league now. That should help not just these new signings stay on the field but continue to help the team as a whole. The extension of Jones is an added bonus. Now if they can top this off with a signing of Cooper Kupp, chef’s kiss heading into the Draft.