Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Pro Bowl pass rusher and pending free agent Josh Allen has an early connection with a member of the Carolina coaching staff.
Unlike their staff on offense, the Carolina Panthers didn’t need to touch their defensive coaches going into 2024. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have connections to a few intriguing free agents.
Here are 14 pending defensive free agents, in areas of need, who have ties to Carolina’s coaching staff:
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.
ESPN’s list of the top upcoming NFL free agents does not include any Broncos players.
Late last month, ESPN’s Matt Bowen released his ranking of the top 50 upcoming NFL free agents. No Denver Broncos players made the list.
Center Lloyd Cushenberry and inside linebacker Josey Jewell are among Denver’s most notable looming free agents this spring. Neither of them cracked the top 50 on Bowen’s list.
Miami Dolphins lineman Connor Williams (No. 43) is the only center on the top 50 list. Four linebackers — Patrick Queen (No. 33) Frankie Luvu (No. 42), Devin White (No. 44) and Lavonte David (No. 48) made the cut.
Perhaps of note to the Broncos: Kirk Cousins (No. 3) and Baker Mayfield (No. 13) were the only quarterbacks to make the list. Gardner Minshew, Jameis Winston, Sam Darnold, Ryan Tannehill and Jacoby Brissett did not make the list. Denver will likely be in the market for a QB this offseason.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones is ranked No. 1 and Cleveland Browns edge rusher Za’Darius Smith is ranked No. 50. The full list can be viewed on ESPN.com with a subscription.
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“Uce” leads the way for this year’s free-agent linebackers.
As they do with pass rusher Brian Burns, the Carolina Panthers have another top defender ready to hit the open market in linebacker Frankie Luvu. And also like Burns, “Uce” may be sticking around for 2024.
But until we find that out, here’s Luvu and the very best of his free-agent contemporaries:
We’re looking at 15 early 2024 NFL free agents that the Baltimore Ravens could potentially target
We’re less than a month away from NFL free agency, which begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. But the legal tampering window opens two days before that on March 11 at noon ET, where teams can negotiate with free agents before the official start of the new league year.
The 2024 salary cap hasn’t been set yet, but it’s expected to land north of $240 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
The Ravens are among several NFL teams that have some work to do over the next month to rebuild their roster, and they’ll work to free up cash with two All-Pros set to hit free agency.
The biggest question for the Broncos: What’s the plan at quarterback?
Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton went 8-9 in his first season with the club. That was a notable improvement from the team’s 5-12 record in 2022, but Payton arrived with playoff expectations and failed to deliver.
Now entering his second season in charge, Payton will aim to take another step forward in 2024, and there are several big questions facing the club. Here are five key storylines we’ll be watching going forward.
We’re looking at the top 30 potential NFL free agent targets for the Philadelphia Eagles
The 2024 NFL offseason is officially underway after the Chiefs’ 25-22 win over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII from Las Vegas.
The league will take the next month to catch its breath, but the slowdown won’t last long, as potential free agents will face the franchise tag, and all 32 teams will head to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February.
The 2024 cap is expected to exceed $240 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, and where things currently stand, Philadelphia is expected to have roughly $20,284,984 in cap space.
The Birds are set to have 20 pending free agents, and with another likely retool schedule on defense, the organization could conjure up a scheme for more flexibility.
According to Over the Cap’s potential transaction chart, the Eagles can easily create $35.4 million in cap space by making these five moves.
With the new league year fast approaching, we’re looking at 30 potential free-agent targets for Philadelphia.
The Broncos have 14 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next month. We rank them here.
NFL teams can begin negotiating with pending free agents from other teams beginning on March 11 ahead of the official start of free agency on March 13. So if the Denver Broncos do not give extensions to their in-house free agents before March 11, those players will be allowed to negotiate with other clubs.
OverTheCap.com lists 16 upcoming in-house free agents for the Broncos, 14 unrestricted free agents and two restricted free agents. (It should be noted that wide receiver Michael Bandy was listed as a free agent on our previous list, but OTC now says he is under contract for the 2024 season.)
The most notable free agent for Denver this year is center Lloyd Cushenberry. He will likely draw a big contract, perhaps one the Broncos will not be able to afford. Consequently, the team seems to be preparing for life without Cushenberry in 2024.
Another notable free agent for Denver is safety P.J. Locke. With Caden Sterns coming off a serious injury, the Broncos will be very thin at safety if Locke does not return this season.
Denver linebacker Josey Jewell has been a key starter on defense, but it remains to be seen if the Broncos plan to re-sign him. Denver’s kicker, Wil Lutz, is also set to become a free agent next month, as is No. 1 tight end Adam Trautman.
Here is the full list of the Broncos’ upcoming free agents, ranked 1-16.
PFF projects Broncos inside linebacker Josey Jewell will be offered $6.25 million per season in free agency.
Denver Broncos inside linebacker Josey Jewell is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent when the NFL’s new league year begins in March.
Pro Football Focus has projected a two-year, $12.5 million contract for the linebacker in free agency, an average of $6.25 million per season. That would represent an increase from his previous two-year, $11 million deal.
Jewell was healthy for 16 games last season. He had a salary cap hit of $7.22 million and totaled 108 tackles, three sacks, three fumble recoveries and three pass breakups in 2023. The 29-year-old linebacker is now entering his seventh season in the NFL.
The Broncos are projected to be $24 million over the salary cap this offseason, so they might not be able to re-sign all of their in-house free agents. Denver general manager George Paton said earlier this month that the team views linebacker Drew Sanders as a starter, perhaps a sign that the club is preparing to lose Jewell in free agency.
NFL free agency will begin on Wednesday, March 13.
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Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton led the team with 177 tackles in 2023, setting a new single-season franchise record.
We’re continuing our look at the Denver Broncos’ statistical leaders from the 2023 season today with a list of the team’s leading tacklers.
Broncos inside linebacker Alex Singleton led the team with 177 tackles, setting an official single-season franchise record. It should be noted that Singleton has the benefit of playing in the 17-game era, but he holds the record nonetheless.
It’s also worth noting that it’s an official record because unofficially, the team credits Randy Gradishar with 2,049 career tackles. Gradishar played 10 seasons so if that total is accurate, he would have averaged more than 200 tackles per season. The NFL did not begin fully tracking tackles until after Gradishar retired, so stats from his era can be unreliable and even if they are accurate, they are not official.
With all of that said, here’s a quick look at Denver’s leading tacklers from the 2023 season. Check out previous lists of the team’s passing, rushing, and interception leaders.
