Broncos place 2nd-round tender on DL Mike Purcell

The Broncos have placed a second-round tender on defensive lineman Mike Purcell.

The Denver Broncos have placed a second-round tender on defensive lineman Mike Purcell, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

This year, second-round tenders are worth $3.25 million.

Purcell (6-3, 328 pounds) entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Wyoming with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013. After spending the first three years of his career with the 49ers, Purcell joined the Los Angeles Rams in 2017 but failed to make their 53-man roster.

Purcell then spent time on the practice squads of the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs before joining the Salt Lake Stallions of the now-defunct Alliance of American Football last spring.

After the Broncos had multiple defensive linemen go down with injuries last offseason, the team signed Purcell as an emergency option. Purcell went on to win a starting job midway through the season and finished the year with 48 tackles in seven starts.

After the Broncos acquired five-time Pro Bowler Jurrell Casey in a trade with the Tennessee Titans, Denver’s starting defensive line at the moment projects to be Casey, Purcell and Dre’Mont Jones, a third-round pick in last year’s draft.

Though he entered the league seven years ago, Purcell is considered a fifth-year player because he was not on an active roster in 2017 or 2018.

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Report: Broncos trying to re-sign nose tackle Mike Purcell

The Broncos are trying to re-sign nose tackle Mike Purcell.

The Denver Broncos are trying to re-sign restricted free agent nose tackle Mike Purcell, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

If the Broncos are unable to reach a deal with Purcell, the team will tender him, according to Klis. It’s unclear if Denver would use a second-round tender or an original round tender on Purcell.

If the Broncos used a second-round tender, the team would have to pay Purcell about $4.667 million. Other teams would then be allowed to make offers to Purcell and if Denver opted not to match an offer, Purcell’s new team would have to trade their second-round pick to the Broncos.

If Denver used an original-round tender on Purcell, he would be set to earn about $2.144 million. Because Purcell entered the league as an undrafted free agent, using an original-round tender would be a little risky. If he receives an original-round tender, a team wouldn’t have to trade a draft pick to the Broncos if they made Purcell an offer that Denver was unwilling to match.

Note: The tender numbers used above were calculated before the NFL set the salary cap for the 2020 season. The figures might not be exact but the ratios are similar: a second-round tender would likely be worth about double an original-round tender.

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What are RFAs and how do NFL tenders work?

What is a restricted free agent in the NFL and how do tenders work?

The start of the new league year and NFL free agency is just over a week away, so teams will soon begin placing tenders on restricted free agents. What exactly does that mean?

In the NFL, a restricted free agent (RFA) is a player with three accrued seasons (playing in at least six games a year) who has an expiring contract. Teams have several options with RFAs.

The first option is to not tender them, allowing them to become an unrestricted free agent. The Broncos are not expected to tender cornerback De’Vante Bausby this offseason (he is one of the team’s six RFAs).

The other option is to use a one-year tender with either a first-, second- or original-round designation. The original-round tender is worth exactly what it sounds like — the round that the players was originally drafted in.

A player with a tender tag can negotiate with other teams but his original team has the right to match any offer he receives from another team.

If the original team chooses not to match a contract offer from another team, the team signing the player must trade their corresponding draft pick (either a first-, second- or original-round pick) to the original team.

For example, if Denver places a second-round tender on nose tackle Mike Purcell and he signs an offer sheet with the Cowboys, the Broncos would have the option to either (a) match that offer or (b) acquire Dallas’ second-round draft pick in exchange for losing Purcell.

This year, first-round tenders are expected to be worth $4,667,000, according to OverTheCap.com. Second-round tenders are expected to be worth $3,278,000 and original-round tenders are expected to be worth $2,144,000.

If Denver uses a second-round tender on Purcell and he receives no other offers from other teams, the Broncos will owe him $4.667 million in 2020. To view Denver’s complete list of RFAs, click here.

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Broncos expected to place 1-year tender on OL Elijah Wilkinson

The Broncos are expected to place a second-round tender on offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson this offseason.

With the new league year — and the start of NFL free agency — drawing closer, the Broncos will soon begin making decisions on their six restricted free agents.

Denver will not place a tender on cornerback De’Vante Bausby but that doesn’t mean they’re not interested in bringing him back. The Broncos should be able to re-sign Bausby for less than what a tender would cost.

Denver is expected to place a second-round tender on offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Wilkinson is a versatile lineman and the team plans to have him work at right guard and left tackle this offseason, according to Klis.

Second-round tenders are expected to be worth $3,278,000 this year, according to OverTheCap.com. If Wilkinson receives the tender and another team signs him to a better offer, that team would have to send its second-round draft choice to Denver.

Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic believes the Broncos will also place a second-round tender on nose tackle Mike Purcell. He has drawn interest from “many teams,” according to Jhabvala.

Wilkinson and Purcell are talented players but it’s hard to imagine any team being will to give up a second-round draft choice for either of them.

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Broncos 2019 positional grades: Defensive line

The Broncos ranked 16th in the league against the run and received 20.5 sacks from the defensive line in 2019. How do their d-linemen grade?

The defensive line for the Denver Broncos did not stand out in 2019, but the group as a collective unit certainly held its own.

The Broncos ranked 16th in the league against the run. The defensive line also accounted for 20.5 sacks for the Broncos, a group that could be even better in Year 2 under Vic Fangio.

Much of that will depend on how much of the unit the team can keep intact as three of the team’s top players are set to become unrestricted free agents.

That will be a topic in the weeks ahead but right now, let’s look back at the performance of these players this past season.

Note: Deyon Sizer, Jonathan Harris and Kyle Peko were not included due to minimal stats and games played.

Derek Wolfe

(Mark Reis/Colorado Springs Gazette/TNS)

Stats

Tackles: 34

Sacks: 7

Tackles for loss: 8

Forced fumbles: 1

Wolfe played quite well and posted nice numbers in 2019, including a career-high seven sacks. Those numbers might have been even better if he was able to finish out the season.

A dislocated elbow in Week 13 shut Wolfe down for the year and potentially, for his Broncos career, as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

In eight years with the team, Wolfe has played a full 16-game season just three times. Still, most fans would likely prefer he returns.

Wolfe’s big sack numbers help his grade out, despite only playing in 12 games.

Grade: B

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Broncos DL Mike Purcell returns after injury scare against Vikings

Broncos defensive lineman Mike Purcell suffered a rib injury during Sunday’s game against the Vikings.

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Update: Purcell returned to the game in the second quarter. See our original post below.

Denver Broncos nose tackle Mike Purcell suffered a rib injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Purcell was able to walk off the field and went into the medical tent for more evaluation. After being evaluated, the defensive lineman was then carted back into the locker room.

The team announced that Purcell is questionable to return.

Purcell was replaced at nose tackle by Shelby Harris.

Looking to bulk up the defensive line, the Broncos recently made Purcell (6-3, 328 pounds) a starting nose tackle and moved Harris from tackle to defensive end. Purcell has been in the lineup over Adam Gotsis, totaling 18 tackles in six games.

Denver leads Minnesota 3-0 midway through the first quarter.

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