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Some Broncos Players To Attend Workouts

April 17th, 2021 at 3:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos became the first team to take NFLPA president J.C. Tretter up on a proposed boycott of the voluntary offseason program. But some within the team’s ranks do intend to report.

Third-year guard Dalton Risner has trained at the team’s facility this offseason and plans to be there Monday, when the Broncos’ offseason program is set to begin.

“I’ve stayed quiet through this whole process, but yeah, I’m showing up Monday,” Risner said, via Mike Klis of 9News. “I know there’s some other guys who are showing up as well. I’ve been at the facility all offseason. … If there wasn’t an offseason bonus, it wouldn’t matter. I’m coming off my second year. I have a lot of work to do. I want a second contract with the Broncos. I have a lot to prove. I respect my teammates’ decision; I really do. I love all my teammates. But for me personally, I was already in there, and I wanted to continue to work out there.”

Denver’s other starting guard, Graham Glasgow, also plans on reporting at some point. The 2020 free agency addition has a $100K workout bonus tied to his offseason attendance and said he will report when necessary to collect that. Risner and Drew Lock have $75K workout bonuses this year. Von Miller has a $500K workout bonus in the final year of his contract. Several other Broncos are undecided on attending, Klis tweets, and union rep Brandon McManus indicated multiple team calls have taken place since the NFL announced its offseason schedule.

The NFL and NFLPA have not agreed on terms for this year’s offseason. Citing COVID-19 concerns, the latter has pushed for a fully virtual program for a second straight year. While just more than half the league’s teams have released statements indicating all or many of their players will not report, some teams — like the Chiefs, who have 21 players who can collect workout-based incentives — have not. This is set to create an unusual imbalance, and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith has advised players with workout bonuses to report.

No on-field work can take place until May 17, when Phase 2 of the offseason program begins. How teams’ respective attendance figures look will be interesting.

Texans Sign DL DeMarcus Walker

April 16th, 2021 at 9:03am CST by Zachary Links

Defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker took to Instagram to announce that he has signed with the Texans. The former second round pick will fight for an uptick in playing time after spending the last four years as a rotational player for the Broncos.

[RELATED: Texans Add Lane Taylor]

Walker has spent some time at outside linebacker, but he’s done his best work as a 3-4 defensive end. Last year, he notched 4.5 sacks, giving him 8.5 combined over the past two seasons. He saw time on 35% of the Broncos’ snaps last year, but the Broncos chose to replace him with former Viking Shamar Stephen this offseason. Meanwhile, Shelby Harris has been re-upped to reprise his role on the line.

Walker will be joined by ex-Broncos teammate Phillip Lindsay in Houston, plus a host of other defensive newcomers like Derek Rivers and Maliek Collins. For his career, Walker has appeared in 36 games (five starts), notching 51 tackles, 10.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Broncos May Trade DaeSean Hamilton

April 15th, 2021 at 2:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Broncos have Courtland Sutton coming back from an ACL tear in 2021. They also drafted Jerry Jeudy in the first-round last year, and K.J. Hamler in the second. They also have Tim Patrick coming off a breakout 742-yard season.

Needless to say, the receivers room is a bit crowded at the moment. That surplus of wideouts could lead to a trade around the draft, and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network says to keep an eye on DaeSean Hamilton (Twitter video link). The Broncos have “gotten inquiries” on Hamilton, Garafolo reports, and he believes Denver “would move him for the right price.”

Considering Hamilton was a fourth-round pick in 2018 and hasn’t done a ton in the league, it likely wouldn’t take more than a Day 3 pick to get a trade done. As Garafolo points out, new Broncos GM George Paton also has no ties to Hamilton, making him more easily expendable.

Penn State’s all-time leading receiver has had between 23-30 catches and 243-297 yards in all three of his pro seasons. He’s set to enter the final year of his rookie deal in 2021.

He only just turned 26 and has flashed some potential while being buried on the depth chart, so it wouldn’t be surprising if a team that misses out on a receiver in the early rounds of the draft pulls the trigger here.

Contract Details: Conner, Cockrell, Stephen

April 13th, 2021 at 9:20pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve compiled a handful of details on recent contracts, including the newest member of the Cardinals offense:

  • James Conner, RB (Cardinals): One-year deal. Deal is worth $1.75MM, including $500K signing bonus and fully guaranteed $1.25MM salary. Via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter.
  • Ross Cockrell, CB (Buccaneers): Two-year deal. Contract is worth $2.11MM. League-minimum salaries in both 2021 ($990K) and 2022 ($1.12MM). Up to $450K in playing-time incentives each season. Via Greg Auman of The Athletic on Twitter.
  • Shamar Stephen, DT (Broncos): Signed. One year, $2MM deal, including $750K guaranteed. $415K signing bonus, $1.075MM base salary (of which $335K is guaranteed), $30K per-game roster bonuses (up to $510K max). Via Mike Klis of 9News in Denver on Twitter.

Falcons, Broncos, Jets, Panthers To Attend Justin Fields’ Second Pro Day

April 13th, 2021 at 7:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

7:05pm: The Panthers will be there as well, per Joe Person of The Athletic (on Twitter). Carolina holds the No. 8 overall pick and represents a key domino for this draft. Although the Panthers acquired Sam Darnold from the Jets, GM Scott Fitterer said they will still consider a quarterback in Round 1. Carolina brass considered trading up for a quarterback but deemed the price too high. Fitterer was there for Fields’ pro day, when the Darnold talks heated up.

5:02pm: The key figures in the Falcons’ new power structure each attended Justin Fields‘ initial pro day late last month. The team will send three staffers to Columbus for the quarterback’s second pro day Wednesday, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets.

GM Terry Fontenot, HC Arthur Smith and OC Dave Ragone each trekked to central Ohio to watch Fields throw two weeks ago. The Falcons are set to join the 49ers and Patriots at the second Fields showcase, though select other teams should be expected to be represented as well.

The Jets and Broncos will also have reps on hand in Columbus, Breer adds (via Twitter). Gang Green’s presence may be academic, with the team locked on Zach Wilson with its No. 2 pick. The Broncos, who hold pick No. 9, pose as a more interesting team regarding Fields. But the Falcons will have first dibs for the decorated passer.

Both Fields and Trey Lance moved to schedule second pro days, doing so after 49ers bigwigs Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch did not attend their first workouts. The 49ers did not have the No. 3 overall pick when Lance threw early last month, and Lynch and Shanahan opted to attend Mac Jones‘ workout instead of Fields’ two weeks ago. Holding pick No. 4, the Falcons will continue to be linked to quarterbacks as well. They could go in a few directions with their highest draft choice in 13 years.

The Falcons could also use their No. 4 pick to draft this year’s top non-quarterback prospect. Several execs around the league expect them to do just that and grab Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. They could trade the pick or select Ryan’s successor. With the 49ers linked to Jones or Lance at No. 3, Fields is expected to be available at 4. Atlanta, however, restructured Matt Ryan‘s contract earlier this offseason. That decision will make moving the 13-year starter’s contract in 2022 difficult.

Like Trevor Lawrence, Fields is a Georgia native. He transferred from Georgia to Ohio State and succeeded Dwayne Haskins as the Buckeyes’ starter, enjoying a dominant two-year run in this role. The Falcons have not picked in the top five since drafting Ryan in 2008, and a recent report indicated Fontenot was in favor of drafting his successor while Smith preferred to add an impact talent to complement Ryan. The head coach and GM are now believed to be in agreement on how the team will proceed at 4.

Broncos GM George Paton was at both Lance and Fields’ first pro days. After insisting the Broncos will add a notable QB this offseason, Paton has shown considerable patience. The Broncos made an offer for Matthew Stafford and inquired about Sam Darnold. But Stafford, Darnold and Carson Wentz went elsewhere, joining the top free agent passers available in that regard. This would seemingly point the Broncos to a first-round QB pick, but given the way this draft is shaping up, the team may need to trade up from 9 to even land the fifth of this year’s coveted passing prospects.

Broncos, Seahawks, Bucs To Skip Onsite Offseason Workouts

April 13th, 2021 at 6:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

6:33pm: Add the Buccaneers to this list. The defending Super Bowl champions will follow the Broncos and Seahawks, with players voting to skip onsite workouts (Twitter link). They will move forward virtually.

6:01pm: Absent an agreement between the NFL and NFLPA on how this offseason will be structured, teams can begin holding voluntary workouts April 19. As of Tuesday, at least two teams are not on track to do so.

Broncos and Seahawks players voted to skip the voluntary portion of this offseason’s workouts — which covers everything except the yet-to-be-scheduled June minicamp — due to COVID-19 concerns.

“With offseason programs starting in less than a week and without adequate protocols in place in order for us players to return safely, we will be exercising our right to not participate in voluntary offseason workouts,” Broncos players said in a statement (Twitter link); Seahawks players’ statement can be read here (Twitter link). “COVID-19 remains a serious threat to our families and to our communities, and it makes no sense for us as players to put ourselves at risk during this dead period.”

[RELATED: NFL Mandates COVID-19 Vaccine For Team Employees]

This comes shortly after NFLPA president J.C. Tretter urged players to boycott OTAs. Broncos union rep Brandon McManus notified Vic Fangio of this decision to begin the offseason virtually Tuesday morning, Troy Renck of Denver7 notes. Thus far, 22 Broncos players have worked out at the team facility this offseason, per several reports, though McManus added most of the players that have done so are rehabbing injuries. Broncos players have not received an outlined plan regarding protocols for an onsite offseason program, according to McManus. Testing is an issue for many players, per ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold, with workouts going Monday through Thursday and players receiving the other three days off.

The league and the union have spent several weeks negotiating offseason parameters, as the sides did last year, but no deal has been reached. Suspicion exists in NFLPA ranks that the NFL is running out the clock until April 19 to create a scenario where teams can begin holding workouts with no agreement in place, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Last year, the NFL conducted an entirely virtual offseason. Some onsite work is expected this year, but barring an agreement between the league and the union, the Broncos, Seahawks and perhaps other teams may hold fully virtual offseasons again.

It will be interesting to see how other teams proceed. (Raiders players will discuss how they plan to navigate this issue Wednesday, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore.) Hundreds of players have workout bonuses at stake, and the prospect of certain teams conducting onsite workouts while others meet virtually would create a historically unusual dynamic that could create a potential advantage for certain squads.

Latest On Broncos’ QB Plans

April 12th, 2021 at 2:43pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Several teams have already made big splashes under center this offseason, but the Broncos have been mostly quiet. That could change soon.

Denver “isn’t sitting still at the position,” Albert Breer of SI.com writes. Breer lays out details of the Broncos’ pursuits we haven’t heard before, including the previously unreported full offer they made for Matthew Stafford. The Broncos apparently did in fact offer the ninth overall pick to the Lions, but they wanted a second-rounder back in return which quelled those talks.

Breer thinks they’ll add competition for Drew Lock in one form or another, and he mentions the Panthers’ Teddy Bridgewater as a potential option. As he points out, new Broncos GM George Paton was in Minnesota when the Vikings drafted Bridgewater in the first-round. On that note, Breer has some interesting thoughts on the makeup of Denver’s new front office.

The fact that the team isn’t committing to Lock is “a pretty decent sign that John Elway has truly moved into the background,” Breer writes. He also thinks Denver’s lack of real interest in Sam Darnold is a telling sign that Elway isn’t calling the shots, since Elway was infatuated with Darnold coming out of college in 2018.

The team hired Paton to be GM earlier this offseason, with Elway getting elevated to President of Football Operations. At the time there were murmurs about how much power Elway would actually be ceding and how much he would still control the organization, but it sounds like he truly has relinquished the reins.

Broncos Re-Sign Nate Hairston

April 10th, 2021 at 4:58pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s officially official. The Broncos have re-signed defensive back Nate Hairston, according to the league’s transactions wire.

Hairston, 26, was released by the Broncos on Thursday, but he wasn’t gone for long. The Broncos released him only as a procedural move — likely in order rework his contract.

Hairston, a 2017 fifth-round pick out of Temple, appeared in 27 games with the Colts through his first two seasons in the NFL, compiling 65 tackles, two sacks, and an interception. He was traded to the Jets for a conditional sixth-rounder in 2019 He wound up starting six of his eleven appearances for Gang Green that season.

The 26-year-old saw two games with the Jets last year before being dropped in October. He went to spend time with the Ravens’ practice squad before coming to Denver towards the end of the season. Hairston suited up for the Broncos’ final three games, primarily on special teams. Now, he’ll battle for his spot in camp behind newcomers Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller. Of course, the cornerback group could also get more crowded between now and the fall — especially if the Broncos tap Virginia Tech Hokies cornerback Caleb Farley with the No. 9 overall pick.

Broncos Loom As Trade-Up Candidate?

April 9th, 2021 at 10:40pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • Washington looms as a team that appears interested in trading up for a quarterback, but the team may have company. The Broncos and Patriots loom as other candidates to move up the board for a passer, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (video link). A trade-up maneuver would not cost the Broncos (No. 9) what the Patriots (No. 15) would have to pay. New England is usually big on trading back and accumulating picks, but the franchise zagged by splurging in free agency this offseason. And its QB situation is considerably different from what it was when Bill Belichick trade-downs were commonplace. Both teams would benefit from the run of quarterbacks pushing non-QB prospects down the board, but neither appears to have a viable long-term answer. The Broncos are planning to add to their Drew Lock-centered QB room and discussed Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold. But Lock may remain unchallenged going into the draft.

Broncos Expressed Interest In Sam Darnold

April 8th, 2021 at 8:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Add another team to the list of organizations that apparently expressed interest in Sam Darnold. Albert Breer of SI.com writes that the Broncos had touched base with the Jets about a potential trade for the quarterback. However, the reporter described Denver’s interest in the former third-overall pick as “tepid.”

[RELATED: 49ers, Washington Expressed Interest In Sam Darnold]

We heard last month that the Broncos weren’t interested in Darnold, although that report indicated that the organization’s lack of interest was more about the asking price (a second rounder) than the player. The Jets were presumably eyeing Denver’s pick at No. 40; Darnold was ultimately traded to the Panthers for a deal that was highlighted by a 2022 second-round pick.

Of course, in hindsight, it’s not a huge surprise that the Broncos reached out to the Jets. For starters, going into the 2018 draft, previous Broncos GM (and current president of football operations) John Elway was interested in selecting the quarterback. Further, the organization has seemingly been on the hunt for a quarterback all offseason; the team reportedly showed interest in Matthew Stafford, Deshaun Watson, and Andy Dalton.

Breer provided another interesting note on the Darnold trade, writing that the Jets received an intriguing offer for the quarterback in early March, but the team wasn’t yet convinced that they were going to take a quarterback with the second-overall pick.

“It was a strong offer,” GM Joe Douglas told Breer. “We told them, Look, there’s still a lot of boxes left to check. And we just don’t feel comfortable, in case something happens with one of the top two guys, we don’t want to get caught in a bad situation, like one of two guys fails a physical and then we don’t have Sam. So we didn’t do anything.”

Douglas noted that eight teams ultimately inquired on Darnold, with the Panthers offer eventually emerging from the pack.

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