ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — With his newfound financial commitment to quarterback Russell Wilson, both in real current dollars and future expectation, Broncos general manager George Paton may have to settle for bargain shopping in free agency next week.
>>Video above: Klis & Tell: Could Von Miller return to Denver?
There are many needs, and the Broncos seem to be flush in cash, although there is a new owner to think about, and one price the Broncos had to pay for their epic Wilson trade was a 33 percent reduction in salary cap space.
Still, with no draft picks until the last selection in the second round, Paton has to come out of free agency with a quality pass rusher.
"I think when you watch these teams late in the playoffs, they all had guys who could come (get the quarterback)," Paton told 9NEWS in a sit-down interview last week. "You need three or four. Because you wave those guys."
Never did the Broncos wave edge pass rushers any better than in 2015, their Super Bowl 50 year. The Broncos were so prolific at the position, they had two future Hall of Fame starters in Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware and the 2019 NFL sack champion, Shaq Barrett, as their No. 3 pass rusher.
In a perfect world, Malik Reed would be the Broncos’ No. 3 pass rusher behind Bradley Chubb and whomever Paton signs from free agency. But because of injuries, the undrafted Reed has started more games at outside linebacker the past three season (34) than Chubb (25) and Miller (22).
Chubb had 0.0 sacks in 7 games last year as he was greatly hindered by surgeries to both ankles. Miller had 4.5 sacks in 7 games, then was traded to the Los Angeles Rams, where he rekindled his pass-rush mojo in the postseason.
Miller may be headed back to the Rams. The Broncos leader in sacks last year was defensive tackle Shelby Harris. He’s gone, too, traded to Seattle in the Wilson deal. There are some quality pass rushers available in free agency, though. The trick is to find the one who is going to be just as productive in 2022-23 as he was in 2020-21. A look at the top free-agent pass rushers with their 2021 team, age this season, and 2021 sack totals:
Chandler Jones, Arizona, 32, 10.5 sacks
A long, standup edge rusher at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, Jones wouldn’t work well in the lateral assignments the Vic Fangio system likes to put on his edge rushers, but he’s as good as it gets at the vertical pass rush. While Denver’s new defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will operate the Fangio-like system, it would be a surprise if he’s not more aggressive in bringing pressure than Fangio.
Jones was at Syracuse for two years in 2010-11 when Nathaniel Hackett and Tyrone Wheatley were Orangemen offensive coaches.
Uchenna Nwosu, Chargers, 25, 5.0
The youngest of the quality free-agent pass rushers. And Nwosu played for Brandon Staley, whose defensive system mimics Fangio’s system. Shaq Barrett had 3.0 sacks in his last season for the Broncos in 2018, then had 19.5 in his next year with Tampa Bay. Nwosu makes perfect sense for the Broncos.
Haason Reddick, Carolina, 27, 11.0
In 2020 with Arizona, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph moved Reddick from inside linebacker to outside linebacker and Voila! Reddick has had 23.5 sacks the past two seasons. Built similarly to Malik Reed at 6-foot-1. 235 pounds.
Randy Gregory, Cowboys, 29, 6.0
A defensive end in Dan Quinn’s 4-3 system but a natural edge linebacker at 6-5, 255 pounds. Had some pot problems earlier in his career, but the NFL has since eased its marijuana testing laws.
Emmanuel Ogbah, Dolphins, 28, 9.0
A bit like Chubb in that he’s 6-5, 275 and more a defensive end than an outside linebacker. But Ogbah had career-best 9.0 sacks each of his past two seasons so he could offer the Broncos an upgrade without breaking the bank.
Von Miller, Broncos/Rams, 33, 9.5
Added 4.0 more sacks in the postseason so he finished with 13.5 combined sacks in 19 games last season. Make no mistake, Miller is the best pass rusher available. But the Broncos may not want to run it back with Miller, and his $18 million per year salary expectation is a lot for a Broncos’ team that also has needs at right tackle, tight end, defensive line, inside linebacker, cornerback and safety. The Broncos gained cash in the Wilson swap but its cap space is currently down to $26.2 million. And that’s without a new contract for Wilson that assumingly would come before the start of the season.
Jadeveon Clowney, Browns, 29, 9.0
May not fit the Broncos as he’s better coming off the right side, and so is Chubb. Tennessee tried him on the left side in 2020 and he had 0 sacks in 8 games.
Melvin Ingram III, Chiefs, 33, 2.0
Has fallen off as he had just 2.0 sacks his past two seasons with three teams, although he did ramp up in the postseason with a sack each against Josh Allen and Joe Burrow.
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