6 pending free agents Broncos should re-sign this offseason

The Denver Broncos should strongly consider re-signing these six players during the NFL offseason.

The Denver Broncos, coming off a disappointing 7-9 2019 season, have a lot of work to do this offseason in order to get back to being the regular contenders many fans have come to expect.

But like with any team looking to rebound from a poor season, the first questions that have to be asked are those concerning the players already on the roster.

The Broncos have several key players set to become unrestricted free agents. Recently, we discussed a handful of those players the team should allow to move on, but here, the focus will be on the players to sign.

Each of the players listed below is a player that the team should recognize as one that is integral to the team’s future success.

1. Connor McGovern, center

The last time the Broncos had their center hit free agency, Matt Paradis signed with a new team.

The offensive line needs to have continuity and having a long-term starter at the center position is important to any offensive line. In addition, if the Broncos are going to add pieces along the offensive line, the team should concentrate on depth at the tackle and guard spots rather than having to look around for a new center.

McGovern should be brought back.

2. Theo Riddick, running back

Bringing Riddick back into the fold has been talked about before, but it must be reiterated. The Broncos saw something in the shifty running back and signed him after he was released by the Detroit Lions last year but a preseason injury forced him out the entire regular season.

The Broncos can move forward with Phillip Lindsay as the feature back and Royce Freeman as the guy to spell him. But Riddick, who is a fantastic receiver out of the backfield, can add a dimension to Denver’s offense that no one has had a chance to see yet.

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3 Broncos defenders make list of top 50 NFL free agents

The Broncos have three defenders on PFF’s list of top NFL free agents.

Pro Football Focus, a website that tracks advanced NFL stats, has released a list of the top 50 players who will become unrestricted free agents in March. Three Denver Broncos defenders made the list.

Denver defensive end Shelby Harris has been productive over the last three years, totaling 122 tackles, 13 sacks and one interception. He has also broken up 16 passes. Harris is ranked No. 42 and he “represents a valuable addition to some teams and likely won’t cost a fortune,” PFF wrote.

Broncos safety Justin Simmons is ranked No. 12 after earning second-team AP All-Pro honors in 2019. “Even if he can’t duplicate his All-Pro season, Simmons still brings a solid all-around safety who can line up all over the field,” PFF wrote. Expect Denver to make Simmons a high priority on their offseason to-do list.

Broncos cornerback Chris Harris is the team’s highest-ranked defender on the list (No. 5). Harris is coming off a down season but PFF attributed that to him being played out of position as an outside cornerback.

“Harris is an intriguing candidate for teams looking to put him back in the slot, where he excels in both man and zone coverage,” PFF wrote.

To view Pro Football Focus’ complete list of top free agents, click here.

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Broncos awards: End of season edition

Despite a 7-9 finish, the Denver Broncos had some great plays and performances in 2019. Here are the team’s highlights from last season.

The Denver Broncos finished the 2019 season with a 7-9 record, missing out on the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

But it wasn’t all bad, particularly for a team that started the season 0-4. The Broncos began to learn how to win tough games as the season went on and with a new, confident quarterback in Drew Lock leading the show, there is plenty to be excited about.

The focus now will turn to the 2020 season with the start of free agency and the draft, where the Broncos can begin to find the pieces to becoming a force next season.

But first, here is one final look at the 2019 season with some awards for the team.

Best offensive player: Courtland Sutton

It was great to see Phillip Lindsay become the first undrafted running back in league history to eclipse 1,000 yards in each of their first two seasons, but the offensive player that really stepped up for the team this season was Sutton.

Sutton stamped himself as a true No. 1 receiver for the team following the trade of Emmanuel Sanders and routinely made big plays for his quarterback.

Sutton finished the season with 72 catches for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns. As a rookie last year, he caught 42 passes for 704 yards and four touchdowns — his numbers ballooned in a big way in Year 2.

His star is bright and it seems the team has definitely found its top pass catcher for years to come.

Defensive player of the year: Justin Simmons

This was a tough category to make a definitive call, because Shelby Harris absolutely deserves some votes after having an incredible year. But the year Simmons had could not be ignored either.

Simmons led the team with four interceptions and 15 pass deflections. He also tied for second on the team with 93 tackles while also adding 2.5 tackles for losses.

When the defense needed a big play, Simmons was there to make one more often than not and now, he’s put his name on the board with the best young safeties in the league.

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4 takeaways from Broncos’ 16-15 win over the Raiders

The Denver Broncos closed out the 2019 campaign with a thrilling victory over the Oakland Raiders. Here are takeaways from the game.

Wow, what a wild finish to the season for the Denver Broncos, who handed the Oakland Raiders a loss in their last game before heading to Las Vegas. Though other results sealed the Raiders’ playoff fate, the Broncos ending the season with a win over their bitter rivals starts the offseason off on the right foot.

With the win, the Broncos finish the year 7-9, which isn’t bad after an 0-4 start. There is a lot for Broncos fans to be excited about heading into the offseason.

Here are four takeaways from Sunday’s season finale.

1. Phillip Lindsay makes history… barely

With 53 yards rushing on the day, Lindsay becomes the first undrafted player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. But it didn’t come easily.

He needed 42 yards entering the game, meaning he finished at 1,011 yards on the season. He was sitting at 1,002 late in the fourth quarter and was tackled for a one-yard loss while the Broncos were trying to run out the clock.

Luckily, he was able to finish above 1,000 yards on the season. He becomes the first Broncos running back to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons since Clinton Portis back in 2002-03.

2. Denver dodged some terrible decisions at the end of the game

With 1:41 remaining on the clock and holding a 7-point lead, the Broncos faced a fourth down from Oakland’s 39-yard line. The Raiders were out of timeouts.

Vic Fangio could have brought in Colby Wadman to punt it and try to pin the Raiders deep in their own territory, but he instead brought out Brandon McManus for a 57-yard field goal attempt. He missed.

Now, the Raiders had excellent field position and plenty of time to go down the field and get a touchdown. They did.

That score was helped by unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against Garett Bolles and Isaac Yiadom, which almost cost them the game.

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Shelby Harris on Drew Lock: ‘He reminds me of Brett Favre’

“I grew up a Packer fan and he just reminds me of a gunslinger,” Broncos defensive lineman Shelby Harris said of quarterback Drew Lock.

Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock has been dubbed a “gunslinger” by many fans and pundits in Denver. The QB has an exciting style — he’ll run around and then bullet a pass to a receiver, bringing back memories of a legend to Packers fans.

“Drew is going out there and proving himself every week,” nose tackle Shelby Harris said after Sunday’s win over the Lions. “He has the whole locker room behind him, everyone loves him here.

“I swear, he reminds me of Brett Favre. I grew up a Packer fan and he just reminds me of a gunslinger. But we all love Drew and we’re all behind him. We just can’t wait to see his progression.”

Favre was a Super Bowl champion, 11-time Pro Bowler and three-time league MVP during his time in the NFL. Broncos fans would love to see Lock have that kind of success. The rookie’s off to a pretty good start.

Lock is 3-1 as a starter and will look to improve that record against the Raiders on Sunday. Denver is considered a 3.5-point favorite.

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Broncos defenders Justin Simmons, Shelby Harris snubbed by Pro Bowl voters

Broncos safety Justin Simmons and nose tackle Shelby Harris should have received more votes for the 2020 Pro Bowl.

Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller is the only Denver player that was voted to the 2020 Pro Bowl, the league announced Tuesday evening. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton, safety Kareem Jackson and returner Diontae Spencer are alternates for the AFC at their respective positions.

Miller has now been voted to eight Pro Bowls in his career. John Elway is the only player in franchise history that was voted to more (nine). While that’s great achievement for Miller, fans in Denver can’t help but feel upset about the team’s big snubs: safety Justin Simmons and nose tackle Shelby Harris.

Simmons ranks second among AFC strong safeties with four interceptions and his 84 tackles rank third. Simmons was diplomatic when talking about his Pro Bowl candidacy on Tuesday but the fact that the safety is not even an alternate is absurd.

“When it comes down to it, whether I make it or not, I’ve just got to keep fighting the good fight and keep stacking up good seasons,” Simmons said.

Harris should have made the AFC roster as well, or at the very least made the alternate list. Harris ranks first among all defensive linemen with seven pass breakups and second among interior AFC defensive linemen with six sacks this season. He is a nose tackle but Harris believes being viewed as a defensive end hurts his chances of reaching the All-Star game.

“You’ve got all those outside rushers out there — you’ve got Von, Joey Bosa,” Harris said Tuesday. “That’s what I feel like needs to change when it comes to Pro Bowl, but other than that you’ve got three, four ends who aren’t really ends, but we get considered like we’re Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram and those guys.

“If anything, I think three or four ends should be classified as tackles. That’s just the way it is. You have to think about it, [Derek] Wolfe’s never made it in, but look — J.J. Watt. J.J. Watt is specifically outside now. It sucks, but that’s not really what we play the game for anyway. It’s just an added bonus.”

That’s a valid point from Harris. Players like him and Wolfe who play in a 3-4 defense should not be viewed the same way traditional defensive ends are viewed. Harris was one of the AFC’s best interior defensive linemen this season and he should have been rewarded with a Pro Bowl nod.

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Broncos DE Shelby Harris on pace for career year

Broncos defensive end Shelby Harris is on pace to total career highs in tackles and sacks under new coach Vic Fangio.

Denver Broncos defensive end Shelby Harris is having a career year at just the right time. Harris (6-2, 290 pounds) is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2020 and his 2019 stats will partially determine how much he earns on his next contract.

Harris has totaled 36 tackles through 10 games, which is three tackles shy of a career high. After notching three sacks on Sunday, Harris now has four sacks on the year, just 1.5 sacks shy of his career high of 5.5 sacks.

Harris has benefited from an in-season position switch. He started the year as a nose tackle but was moved to defensive end in Week 5. Harris is better suited to play as an end and he’s taking advantage of the switch.

“He’s just playing good,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said of Harris on Nov. 18. “I think he’s feeling more comfortable playing within the defense. He had some good opportunities [Sunday] with the way the plays played out.

“He had the nice caused fumble on the one sack where he came from the blindside. He’s just been playing better. If you keep playing good, the opportunities come.”

Harris will earn $3.095 million this year before free agency in 2020.

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WATCH: Shelby Harris strip-sacks Kirk Cousins

Broncos defensive lineman Shelby Harris strip-sacked Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in Week 11.

Denver Broncos defensive lineman Shelby Harris strip-sacked Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins late in the second quarter of Sunday’s game and inside linebacker Alexander Johnson recovered the ball.

Here’s video of the play, courtesy of Denver’s official Twitter page:

SHEESH, @ShelbyHarris93 😳#DENvsMIN pic.twitter.com/92V9W0FOWN

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 17, 2019

After taking over at Minnesota’s 17-yard line, the team had to settle for a short field goal attempt, which Brandon McManus converted.

The Broncos lead the Vikings 20-0 with halftime seconds away.

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