Broncos sign OT Matt Peart to 1-year contract

The Broncos are signing Matt Peart, a backup swing tackle who can provide cover on the offensive line.

The Denver Broncos are signing offensive tackle Matt Peart to a one-year contract, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Terms of the deal are not yet known.

Peart (6-7, 318 pounds) entered the league as a third-round pick out of UConn with the New York Giants in 2020. He dressed for 43 games over the last four years, earning seven starts.

Peart (26) started five games for the Giants in 2021. He was credited with allowing four sacks and was penalized three times in 421 snaps that season, according to Pro Football Focus. Peart served mostly as a backup from 2022-23.

Peart seems like a backup swing tackle candidate for the Broncos this year behind left tackle Garett Bolles and right tackle Mike McGlinchey. It remains to be seen if this means Denver won’t be re-signing backup swing tackle Cam Fleming, who remains a free agent.

We are tracking all of the team’s free agency moves on Broncos Wire.

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6 in-house free agents Broncos should re-sign in 2024

The Broncos should make re-signing safety P.J. Locke a priority during NFL free agency.

The NFL’s free agency negotiating window will open on March 11. If the Denver Broncos do not give contract extensions to their in-house free agents before that date, other teams will be allowed to negotiate deals with Denver’s looming free agents.

The new league year and the official start of NFL free agency will kick off on March 13 and all signings can become official on that date.

The Broncos seem likely to lose center Lloyd Cushenberry. Denver has to clear salary cap space and Cushenberry is expected to get a big deal on the open market.

Broncos inside linebacker Josey Jewell is another in-house free agent to keep an eye on. Jewell had a $7.22 million salary cap hit last year and Denver might not be willing to commit that much cap space again in 2024.

While losing both Cushenberry and Jewell seems possible (maybe even probable), the team has a few other contributors who should be easier to re-sign. Here’s a quick list of six in-house free agents the Broncos should try to re-sign in March.

Broncos Wire podcast: Suspensions, Dalvin Cook, injuries and more

On the latest Broncos Wire podcast, Ryan O’Leary and Jon Heath discuss whether or not Denver should try to sign RB Dalvin Cook. Listen in!

As the slowest part of the NFL offseason drags on, the Broncos Wire podcast has returned for a mid-summer catchup episode.

The Denver Broncos have cut and signed several players since our last episode, so I joined host Ryan O’Leary to discuss the big news items that have happened since we last talked, including running back Dalvin Cook becoming a free agent.

You can listen to episode No. 81 below:

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Our unedited notes for this week’s pod can be seen below. 

Eyioma Uwazurike suspended indefinitely for gambling 
  • Name: E-yoh-mah Ooh-WHA-zah-REE-kay (He’s fine with “Innie”)
  • Innie was a 4th-round pick last year and played in eight games. He was a rotational defensive lineman and would have had a chance to compete for a larger role this summer.
  • He will miss at least the entire 2023 season and can’t apply for reinstatement until next year.
  • The Broncos were already thin on the defensive line.
Injury update: Good news for Javonte Williams, Tim Patrick
  • Broncos put WR KJ Hamler and DL Mike Purcell on non-football injury list
  • Denver put OLB Baron Browning and WR Kendall Hinton on PUP list
  • Javonte Williams (ACL) and Tim Patrick (ACL) were NOT placed on an injury list, a sign that they’ve been cleared for the start of training camp.
Brandon McManus was cut in May
  • McManus, 31, ranked 29th among kickers in field goal percentage (77.8%) last season. He was set to have the sixth-highest cap hit among kickers in 2023. Denver saved $3.75 million in salary cap space by releasing him.
  • McManus will be remembered for going a perfect 10-of-10 on field goal attempts during the 2015 playoffs, including 3-of-3 in Super Bowl 50. He was the last remaining player from the Super Bowl roster and he ends up second on the team’s all-time scoring list (946 points), only trailing Jason Elam.
  • It’s sad to see team legends get cut, but it’s understandable that the Broncos wanted to save salary cap space after McManus’ disappointing 2022 season.
So what’s the plan at kicker now?
  • Elliott Fry was signed in May, then the team added vet Brett Maher this month.
  • Fry had a good season in the AAF but he has only appeared in three NFL games in his career. Maher went 29-of-32 on FGs last season but got the yips in the playoffs and went 1-6 on extra point attempts in two postseason games.
  • Sean Payton has shown little patience for poor kicker play in the past — he burned through nine different kickers in his first ten years with the Saints before landing on Wil Lutz. (Maher kicked for Payton in 2021.)
OLB Frank Clark was signed and OT Cam Fleming was re-signed 
  • Fleming started 15 games last season. He will now serve as the team’s top backup swing tackle behind Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey.
  • Clark spent the last four years with the Chiefs, totaling 23.5 sacks and winning two Super Bowls. He’s a big-game player with 13.5 sacks in 13 playoff starts, including 2.5 sacks in the playoffs last year.
  • In an ideal world, Clark, 30, would be an excellent rotational pass rusher. With all the injuries Denver has had at OLB, though, he might start a bunch of games this season.
  • Randy Gregory is currently healthy, but Baron Browning underwent offseason knee surgery and will begin training camp on the PUP list. If Browning misses time early in the season, Gregory and Clark will start at OLB.
Dalvin Cook was cut by Minnesota — should Denver sign him?
  • Cook, 27, was drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the 2017 draft when George Paton was serving as Minnesota’s assistant GM and VP of player personnel.
  • George Payton likes to add RBs and Sean Payton has invested in the position in the past as well. If they can afford him, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Broncos try to sign Cook., but reports have downplayed the possibility.
  • Denver has the fourth-best odds to sign Cook behind the Pats, Dolphins and Jets.
  • Of note: Cook is set to go to trial next year for domestic abuse allegations from 2021.
We will return later in the offseason with new podcast episodes as news pops up. If you enjoy this podcast, you can check out previous episodes on Apple PodcastsSpotify or on your podcast service of choice. Please consider giving the podcast a positive rating and review!

You can listen to every past episode below or at this link.

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Broncos roster series: No. 73, OL Cam Fleming

Entering his 10th season in the NFL, Cam Fleming is a valuable backup swing tackle for the Broncos.

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Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at 10th-year offensive tackle Cam Fleming, No. 73.

Before the Broncos: Fleming (6-5, 320 pounds) played college football at Stanford and was picked by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He went on to dress for 47 games in four years with the Patriots, earning 20 starts and winning two Super Bowls.

After his rookie contract with New England ended, Fleming joined the Dallas Cowboys and started six games for them in two seasons. After that, he joined the New York Giants and was a 16-game starter in 2020.

Broncos tenure: Fleming signed with the Broncos in 2021 and started four games that season. He was expected to serve primarily as a backup last year but ended up starting 15 games as an injury fill-in. Denver re-signed the 30-year-old veteran to a one-year extension this spring.

Chance to make the 53-man roster: Fleming is essentially a lock to make the roster as the team’s top backup swing tackle behind starters Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey. With 61 career starts on his resume, Fleming is a valuable backup for the Broncos.

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Broncos cut offensive lineman, host 3 kickers for workouts

The Broncos worked out three kickers on Wednesday and they cut OT Hunter Thedford to make room for OT Cam Fleming on the roster.

After cutting kicker Brandon McManus on Tuesday, the Denver Broncos quickly filled his former spot on the 90-man offseason roster by signing defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster.

After that, the Broncos agreed to terms on a one-year deal with backup swing tackle Cam Fleming. That signing became official on Wednesday. To make room for Fleming, Denver waived offensive tackle Hunter Thedford with an injury settlement.

Thedford had suffered a hip flexor injury and he will get a week of offseason pay as part of his release, according to the Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson.

Tomasson also reported Wednesday that the Broncos brought in three kickers for workouts: Brett Maher, Parker White and Elliott Fry.

Denver is not expected to sign a kicker on Wednesday as the team continues to assess its options, according to Tomasson. Maher did take a physical, though, so that might be a sign that he could be in line to sign once the team opens up a spot on the roster.

Broncos re-signing OT Cam Fleming to 1-year contract

Cam Fleming is returning to the Broncos as a backup swing tackle.

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Denver Broncos general manager George Paton had a busy Tuesday.

In addition to releasing kicker Brandon McManus and signing defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster, Paton also brought back veteran offensive tackle Cam Fleming on Tuesday.

Fleming is returning to the team on a one-year deal worth up to $4 million, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Once the deal becomes official, Denver will have to make a corresponding move to make room for Fleming on the 90-man offseason roster.

Fleming, 30, joined the Broncos in 2021. He started four games that season and then emerged as a 15-game starter in 2022. Fleming was penalized four times and allowed five sacks last fall, according to STATS LLC.

This season, Fleming will likely serve as the team’s backup swing tackle behind Garett Bolles (left) and Mike McGlinchey (right). The list of candidates in contention for backup tackle spots this summer also includes Quinn Bailey and Isaiah Prince.

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6 in-house Broncos free agents remain unsigned

Six in-house Broncos free agents are still available, including guard Dalton Risner.

The Denver Broncos have seen a host of their in-house free agents join other teams this offseason, most recently including cornerback Darius Phillips signing with the Houston Texans earlier this month.

Denver has also re-signed several in-house free agents, most recently bringing back safety Kareem Jackson on a one-year deal.

While players have been coming and going, six remain unsigned. The most notable name on the Broncos’ list of in-house free agents still available is guard Dalton Risner.

Risner, 27, was picked by Denver in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft out of Kansas State. A local player who grew up in Wiggins, Colorado, Risner started all 62 games he was available for over the last four seasons.

It’s a bit surprising that Risner still hasn’t found a home. Perhaps he will get an offer once teams start suffering injuries during training camp.

Here’s a quick recap of Riser and the five other Broncos players who remain available as free agents going into mid-May.

2 Broncos make list of top free agents still available

Touchdown Wire lists Broncos in-house FAs Dalton Risner and Cam Fleming among the NFL’s top free agents still available.

With the 2023 NFL draft now in the review mirror, teams have mostly finalized their offseason rosters, but there will be several notable additions across the league between now and training camp.

The league’s biggest free agents signed weeks ago, but there are still some starting-caliber free agents available, including two Denver Broncos.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar recently published a list of the best free agents still unsigned, and offensive tackle Cam Fleming, guard Dalton Risner and safety Kareem Jackson made the list. Ex-Denver QB Teddy Bridgewater and ex-Broncos DL Shelby Harris are also still available.

Below is the full list of Denver’s in-house free agents who remain unsigned. (View the list of the top overall free agents still available on Touchdown Wire.)

Update: Kareem Jackson has re-signed with the Broncos.

After NFL draft, Broncos should consider these 12 free agents

With the NFL draft now complete, should the Broncos sign any of these free agents who remain available?

The Denver Broncos improved their roster over the weekend by selecting five players in the 2023 NFL draft and adding a tight end via trade.

While the new arrivals should help, the Broncos did overlook a few positions during the draft, most notably including running back and the defensive line. Denver could also still use more depth at guard and tackle, and a Week 1 starting-caliber center wouldn’t hurt.

After signing their draft class, the Broncos are expected to still have around $7 million worth of salary cap space available. That’s not much — and Denver will want to carry some of it into the season — but it is enough to make another budget signing or two.

With the above positions (and a few others) in mind, here’s a quick list of 12 free agents who are still available and could provide more depth for the Broncos as the team prepares to go into organized team activities in May.

Dolphins hosted free agent OT Cam Fleming on Monday

He was coached by Miami’s new offensive line coach last year.

While most of the NFL world has shifted their focus to the upcoming draft, the Miami Dolphins are still considering veterans to address their needs.

On Monday, Miami hosted offensive tackle Cam Fleming on a visit to the facility.

Fleming, 30, was a fourth-round selection of the New England Patriots back in 2014. After the completion of his rookie deal, he spent two years with the Dallas Cowboys, one year with the New York Giants and the last two with the Denver Broncos.

The former Stanford Cardinal has played in 111 games and stated 61 of them. 63% of his snaps have come at right tackle while 28% have come at left tackle.

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During the 2022 season with the Broncos, he was actually coached by new Dolphins offensive line coach Butch Barry, so there’s already a bit of a connection there.

Miami has the starting left tackle job solidified, but the right side is a bit more of a question, despite general manager Chris Grier saying that Austin Jackson is expected to be the starter. Both Jackson and left tackle Terron Armstead dealt with injuries in 2022, so even if they’re both penciled in the lineup, the Dolphins need to consider some quality depth.

At this point, Fleming, if he were brought in, would likely compete with Geron Christian, Kendall Lamm and Kion Smith for backup duties.

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