2021 Broncos' Season, Free Agency Week 2

 


It's been a big week for the Broncos and new GM George Paton, as the team made a number of moves to add teeth to its defense while seeing some key offensive contributors move on. Let's look at the big moves of the week.

In the secondary, the Broncos locked up three pieces that figure to give the team the potential to have one of the best secondary units in football. The first domino was signing safety Justin Simmons to a four-year, $61 million deal. Simmons is a rock on defense, and was Franchise Tagged for the second year in a row. Locking him up long-term makes sense for the defense as a whole. Then Paton went and got his running mate, Kareem Jackson, back on a one-year, $5 million deal. Jackson was released earlier in the off-season, but signing him back ensures the team has its starting safety tandem back. Jackson has three INTs, 15 passes defensed, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in two seasons with the Broncos.

But locking up Simmons long-term and bringing back Jackson weren't the Broncos' only moves. The team also made a splash by locking up former Bears' cornerback Kyle Fuller when he was released last week. The deal is for one-year, $9.5 million and reunites Fuller with former defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio. Fuller has played six seasons, all with the Bears, tallying 19 INTs, four forced fumbles and 82 passes defensed. That includes seven interceptions and 21 passes defensed in 2018, his last season with Fangio.

With Fuller and Jackson signed, and Simmons locked up, the Broncos pair those three with newly-signed Ronald Darby and returning starter Bryce Callahan to give the Broncos a fearsome top five in the secondary. 

While that was the good news, the Broncos also saw several key contributors on offense sign in new places. The Broncos decided to withdraw a tender offer to Phillip Lindsay, who moved on to sign with the Houston Texans for one-year, $3.25 million. The team also released tight end Nick Vannett after just a year with the team, and he signed with the New Orleans Saints.

In addition, the Broncos saw swing tackle Elijah Wilkinson sign with the Bears, as did linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu.

Though there were a few losses, the big signings in the secondary combined with other pieces give the Broncos the potential for a stout defense. Now it's just a matter of what the team can do in the rest of the off-season and the draft.

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