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Denver Broncos News & Rumors

Broncos WR Tim Patrick Signs RFA Tender

May 18th, 2021 at 6:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite the Broncos drafting wide receivers with their first- and second-round picks in 2020, they gave former UDFA Tim Patrick a second-round RFA tender in March. Patrick signed that tender Tuesday.

Patrick will make $3.384MM on this tender, barring an extension. He is expected to be a key option — be it as a starter or the top wideout off the bench — for Drew Lock and/or Teddy Bridgewater this season.

A Utah alum, Patrick became Lock’s most reliable target in 2020. The Broncos lost Courtland Sutton for the season in Week 2, and K.J. Hamler battled injuries during his rookie campaign. The 6-foot-4 Patrick more than doubled his previous career-high marks for receptions and yardage, hauling in 51 passes for 742 yards. His six touchdown grabs doubled the next-closest Bronco.

Both Patrick and Sutton are entering contract years, with the latter doing so after an ACL tear. Sutton would profile as an extension candidate for a Broncos team that has been the main suitor connected to Aaron Rodgers thus far. One of Denver’s receivers may factor into such a trade, should this saga reach the negotiation stage, and Patrick could play a part there. It would be unlikely the Broncos part with 2020 first-rounder Jerry Jeudy, who can be kept on his rookie contract through 2024.

Denver just waived DaeSean Hamilton, after the supporting-caster suffered an ACL tear last week. Barring any Rodgers offer that includes a receiver, the Broncos are set to go with a Sutton-Jeudy-Hamler-Patrick quartet in 2021. Patrick is due for unrestricted free agency next year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/18/21

May 18th, 2021 at 5:33pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Waived: OL Najee Toran

New Orleans Saints

  • Placed on reserve/retired list: OL Alex Hoffman
  • Re-signed: S Eric Burrell

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: OT Casey Tucker

Washington Football Team

Broncos, Patrick Surtain II Agree To Deal

May 18th, 2021 at 4:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The second cornerback off the board in this year’s draft, Patrick Surtain II signed his rookie contract Tuesday. Surtain and the Broncos agreed on the four-year slot deal (feat. the fifth-year option), Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This year’s No. 9 overall pick is set to make $20.9MM over the course of his rookie pact.

Denver certainly held Surtain in high regard, passing on a glaring quarterback need to land the former Alabama standout at No. 9. The Broncos did not speak with Surtain during the pre-draft process, but new Denver GM George Paton was with Miami when the Dolphins employed Surtain’s father — Patrick Surtain, a Pro Bowl cornerback in the 2000s.

The younger Surtain became the most significant piece of this year’s Broncos cornerback overhaul. Having seen their Super Bowl-winning No Fly Zone secondary splinter in recent years, the Broncos were thin at corner last season. By the end of the 2020 slate, the Broncos were without their top two corners — A.J. Bouye and Bryce Callahan. They were thin here in 2019 as well, with Callahan missing the season due to injury. Surtain and free agent signings Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller now join Callahan in Denver.

A 6-foot-2 cover man, Surtain started 38 straight games for the Crimson Tide and finished as a consensus All-American as a junior in 2020. Scouts Inc. slotted Surtain as this year’s top cornerback prospect, just ahead of Jaycee Horn, who went eighth overall to the Panthers.

Despite not yet being under contract, Surtain attended Denver’s rookie minicamp last weekend. Here is how the Broncos’ rookie class looks:

Round 1: No. 9 Patrick Surtain II, CB (Alabama) (signed)
Round 2: No. 35 (from Falcons) Javonte Williams, RB (North Carolina)
Round 3: No. 98 (from Saints): Quinn Meinerz, OL (Wisconsin-Whitewater)
Round 3: No. 105 (from Saints) Baron Browning, LB (Ohio State)
Round 5: No. 152 Caden Sterns, S (Texas)
Round 5: No. 164 (from Bears via Giants) Jamar Johnson, S (Indiana) (signed)
Round 6: No. 219 (from Falcons) Seth Williams, WR (Auburn) (signed)
Round 7: No. 237 Kary Vincent Jr., CB (LSU) (signed)
Round 7: No. 239 (from Giants) Jonathon Cooper, LB (Ohio State)
Round 7: No. 253 (from Browns) Marquiss Spencer, DL (Mississippi State) (signed)

49ers Were Preparing To Trade For DaeSean Hamilton

May 18th, 2021 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Had DaeSean Hamilton not suffered a torn ACL while training Friday morning, he was set to be traded to the NFC West. The 49ers were the team negotiating a deal for the fourth-year wideout, Troy Renck of Denver7 reports (on Twitter).

Plenty has transpired since those talks heated up, with Hamilton’s knee injury scuttling that trade. This would have been the second trade between the Broncos and 49ers involving a wide receiver in the past 19 months; Denver sent Emmanuel Sanders to San Francisco at the 2019 trade deadline.

The Broncos have since waived Hamilton with an NFI designation. The former fourth-round pick was working out away from the team’s facility. The 49ers will have the opportunity to claim the former Penn State pass catcher, but he is set to miss the 2021 season. Hamilton’s rookie contract expires after the 2021 season as well.

The 49ers ran into some notable injury trouble last year. Both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk missed time, while former third-round pick Jalen Hurd has missed two full seasons. Slot receiver Trent Taylor battled extensive injury trouble; he has since signed with the Bengals. Hamilton primarily played in the slot for the Broncos but could not establish himself as a consistent target, leading the team to draft two wideouts high in 2020.

San Francisco did not draft a receiver this year, though Kyle Shanahan did opt to reunite with Mohamed Sanu. Ex-Hamilton Broncos teammate River Cracraft also remains on the 49ers’ roster.

Broncos Waive WR DaeSean Hamilton

May 18th, 2021 at 3:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Last week, reports indicated the Broncos were ready to waive DaeSean Hamilton. But the team found a trade taker for the fourth-year wideout. Hamilton’s subsequent ACL tear nixed that deal.

The Broncos are making Hamilton’s exit official Tuesday. They waived the former fourth-round pick, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This transaction will come with a non-football injury designation, with Hamilton having suffered the serious knee malady Friday morning.

Denver was prepared to move on because of its depth at receiver. The Broncos became the first team since the 2003 Cardinals to use first- and second-round picks on receivers in the same draft last year, taking Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler. That duo joins contract-year talents Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick, and the Broncos drafted Auburn’s Seth Williams in this year’s sixth round.

Hamilton was not able to become a consistent target in Denver, failing to surpass 300 receiving yards in any of his three seasons. He is expected to miss the rest of this season due to injury, one that could become a point of contention.

Like Ja’Wuan James, Hamilton was working out on his own — during the time the Broncos going through Phase 1 of their offseason workouts. James and Hamilton were following the NFLPA’s recommendation for veterans to boycott teams’ voluntary offseason programs. The Broncos are not expected to pay James his $10.58MM base salary, setting up a potential grievance. While Hamilton was set to make far less in 2021 ($2.183MM), it will be interesting to see if the team takes the same stance with its second player who suffered a major injury working out on his own.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/17/21

May 17th, 2021 at 9:42am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Patrick Surtain Working As Slot, Boundary CB

May 16th, 2021 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • Despite Justin Fields remaining on the board, the Broncos selected Patrick Surtain II at No. 9 overall. After seeing the last of their Super Bowl-winning No Fly Zone cogs depart in 2020 (Chris Harris) and Bryce Callahan encounter another injury, the Broncos moved aggressively at corner this offseason. Surtain, Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller now join Callahan. With the three veterans perhaps in line to be Denver’s top corners in Week 1, Surtain may be eased in gradually. However, he is viewed as an impact prospect who should be expected to help in 2021. Vic Fangio said the Broncos will train the 6-foot-2 cover man on the outside and in the slot, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/21

May 16th, 2021 at 2:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Sunday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: T Evin Ksiezarczyk

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: QB Case Cookus

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

New Orleans Saints

Former Broncos OL Ja’Wuan James Considering Grievance

May 15th, 2021 at 12:48pm CST by Ben Levine

The Ja’Wuan James/Broncos battle could get messy. A source tells ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the former Broncos offensive lineman is “strongly considering filing a grievance through the NFLPA over potential lost wages of up to $10M” (Twitter link).

To review: James suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon while working out away from the Broncos’ team facility, leading to the player’s release yesterday. The front office will likely move to void James’ $10.58MM salary, something that wouldn’t have been feasible had James suffered the injury at the Broncos’ facility. The NFL recently reiterated these risks in a memo, mentioning James by name and noting that teams “would have “no contractual obligation” to pay players like James who were injured away from the team facilities” (via ESPN).

Following fellow Bronco DaeSean Hamilton‘s offsite ACL tear on Friday, James tweeted the NFLPA needs to have players’ backs after advising them to boycott voluntary offseason workouts. The NFLPA had previously sent out a memo noting that it was “gutless” of the league to use these injuries as scare tactics in an attempt to lure players back to team facilities.

Denver had previously placed James on its reserve/NFI list, laying the groundwork for yesterday’s move. The remaining $9MM in prorated signing bonus money will be due. Fowler notes that the organization does have the option of throwing him some extra cash on the way out, so the two sides could still theoretically come to an agreement before James officially files a grievance.

After spending the first five years of his career in Miami, James inked a four-year, $51MM deal with Denver in 2019. James was ticketed to be the Broncos’ long-term starter, but knee injuries in 2019 limited the former first-round pick to only three games. Because of his 2020 opt-out and this Achilles development, the 29-year-old lineman’s Denver career will be capped at 63 snaps. James underwent surgery yesterday and is now officially a free agent.

Broncos Release T Ja’Wuan James

May 14th, 2021 at 4:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ja’Wuan James revealed Friday he underwent surgery to repair his torn Achilles’ tendon (Twitter link). He is also now a free agent. The Broncos released the veteran tackle late this afternoon, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

This will be a post-June 1 cut, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. The transaction will allow the Broncos to spread out the dead-money hit caused by James’ signing bonus. What may well become a contentious matter, however: James’ $10.58MM base salary. James suffering the injury while working out away from the Broncos’ facility leaves him vulnerable on this front.

The Broncos will likely move to void James’ salary, Klis adds (on Twitter). This will likely precede an NFLPA grievance, though that is not certain. Following fellow Bronco DaeSean Hamilton‘s offsite ACL tear Friday, James tweeted the NFLPA needs to have players’ backs after advising them to boycott voluntary offseason workouts. This figures to set off a bigger-picture issue, with Hamilton’s 2021 salary — worth more than $2MM — now in jeopardy as well. Both would have been protected had they been training at the Broncos’ facility, which the NFL reiterated in a memo following James’ injury.

Denver had previously placed James on its reserve/NFI list, laying the groundwork for Friday’s move. The remaining $9MM in prorated signing bonus money will be due. The Broncos could go after James’ 2021 prorated amount ($3MM), but Klis tweets that is unlikely. The post-June 1 move means the Broncos will be docked less than $5MM in dead-money charges. That number would have been considerably higher had James, whose salary was guaranteed for injury (an onsite injury, that is), opted to attend the team’s voluntary workouts.

James’ injury will mean the Broncos’ run of different Week 1 right tackle starters will reach nine. The team has moved on and is set to hold a Bobby Massie–Cameron Fleming competition come training camp. Both veterans signed earlier this week. Each worked as a starter last season, Massie for the Bears and Fleming with the Giants. Signed to a four-year, $51MM deal in 2019, James was ticketed to be the Broncos’ long-term starter. But knee injuries in 2019 limited the former first-round pick to three games that season. Because of his 2020 opt-out and this Achilles development, the 29-year-old lineman’s Denver career will be capped at 63 snaps.

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