Broncos To Give DT Mike Purcell Second-Round Tender
Mike Purcell‘s ascent into the Broncos’ starting lineup midway through last season paid immediate dividends, and the team will proceed accordingly.
Denver will place a second-round tender on the restricted free agent defensive tackle, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Purcell went from the Alliance of American Football to the NFL’s top run-stopping interior defender, in the view of Pro Football Focus, in 2019 and will be in line to stay on as the Broncos’ nose tackle.
A Colorado native, the soon-to-be 29-year-old Purcell joined the Broncos in 2019. Prior to last season, when he made seven starts and played in 13 games, he had started just eight games since coming into the league in 2014. He made 48 tackles — eight for loss — last season.
The Broncos entered free agency with each member of its season-opening starting defensive line from last season — Derek Wolfe, Shelby Harris and Adam Gotsis — set for free agency. Purcell replaced Gotsis in last season’s starting lineup, and the Broncos’ run defense immediately improved. Denver has Purcell, 2019 third-round pick Dre’Mont Jones and now trade acquisition Jurrell Casey up front.
While the Broncos still have some degree of a D-line need, they do not intend to let their RFA nose tackle go anywhere.
Titans Trade Jurrell Casey To Broncos
The Broncos have landed Jurrell Casey, and it didn’t cost him much. On Wednesday, the Titans agreed to send the defensive tackle to Denver in exchange for a seventh-round pick. 
Casey is on the books for $11.85MM in 2020, with $5.45MM of that sum becoming fully guaranteed this weekend. The Titans were likely to release him, but they found a taker and a small bit of compensation instead.
Casey, 30, missed the final game of the 2018 season with a knee injury and was held out of training camp as he recovered. He passed his physical in time for 2019 and managed to appear in 14 games, all starts. Casey has been first-string for his entire Titans tenure; he has 139 career games and has started in all but two of them.
With this deal, the Broncos have added a five-time Pro Bowler to their defensive line on the cheap. Casey has 51 career sacks from the interior under his belt and an impressive track record of disruption on the line. Last year, Pro Football Focus gave him a 74.3 score – a notch below his usual work, but still good enough to place as the No. 24 ranked interior defender in the NFL.
Broncos Expected To Trade Or Release QB Joe Flacco
It sounds like Joe Flacco‘s stint in Denver will end after one season. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the organization is expected to release or trade the veteran quarterback by the end of the week.
We heard back in February that the organization was confident the veteran could play next season. However, his 2020 contract calls for $20.25MM in base salary, so it would have required a pay cut for him to stick around Denver. That boat apparently sailed when the organization added quarterback Jeff Driskel earlier this evening to serve as a backup to Drew Lock.
Barring a new deal, the Broncos can release Flacco to save $10MM+ against the cap with $13.6MM left in dead money. Clearly, the team would prefer to find a trade partner, but that’s probably easier said than done.
Injuries have hampered Flacco throughout his career. He missed time in 2015 and 2018 and also played through back pain in 2017, but his latest neck injury was especially serious. In early November, the Broncos shut the signal caller down for the second half of the season. Up to that point of the campaign, Flacco had completed 65.3% of his passes. While that was an impressive number, he also threw just six touchdown passes against five interceptions.
The 35-year-old will be entering his 13th NFL season in 2020. The veteran has appeared in 171 games, tossing 218 touchdowns vs. 141 interceptions. He’s also started 15 career playoff games, including four during the Ravens’ 2012 run to a Super Bowl championship.
Broncos Expected To Sign QB Jeff Driskel
Jeff Driskel is expected to sign with the Broncos, reports Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter).
The 49ers bailed on Driskel after selecting him in the sixth round of the 2016 draft, but he ended up finding a home in Cincy. He spent three-plus years as one of Andy Dalton‘s backups, and he started five of his nine appearances in 2018.
He was let go by the Bengals last September, but he ended up catching on with the Lions, where he started three games filling in for Matthew Stafford. Driskel finished the campaign having connected on 59-percent of his passes for 685 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also added 151 rushing yards and one score on 22 carries.
In Denver, he’ll be backing up starter Drew Lock. It’s uncertain how the organization will proceed with veteran Joe Flacco.
Bills Expected To Sign DE Quinton Jefferson
Quinton Jefferson is heading up to Buffalo. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the defensive end is signing with the Bills. It’s a two-year deal for the 26-year-old.
We learned yesterday that the Seahawks were hoping to retain the lineman. However, Jefferson’s market was described as steady, so it’s not a total shock to see him move on. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos made an offer yesterday but ultimately moved on.
The 2016 fifth-round pick joined Seattle during the 2017 season, and he quickly evolved into one of the team’s top pass rushers. Jefferson has started 12 games in each of the past two seasons, combining for 51 tackles and 6.5 sacks through those two years.
The Bills have been active in revamping their defensive line. Earlier today, they agreed to a three-year deal with defensive end Mario Addison. The two new additions should partly help to soften the blow after the Bills lost Shaq Lawson to the Dolphins.
Lions Interested In DB Will Parks
We haven’t heard a whole lot from Will Parks‘ camp this week, but Troy Renck of Denver7 reports (via Twitter) that the market has “been consistently strong” for the safety.
Further, Renck notes that the Lions have been “most aggressive” in trying to sign the versatile defensive back. We’ve been hearing throughout the day that Detroit was in the market for a cornerback or safety.
Parks, a 2016 sixth-round pick, has spent his entire four-year career with the Broncos. That includes a 2019 campaign where he compiled 35 tackles, one sack, two passes defended, and one interception in 14 games (seven starts). In total, Parks has appeared in 62 games throughout his career.
We heard earlier this month that Denver could have a tough time retaining Parks. At that time, it was reported that 10 teams could have interest in the 25-year-old.
Browns To Acquire Broncos FB Andy Janovich
Day 2 of the tampering period will produce a fullback trade. The Broncos have agreed to trade Andy Janovich to the Browns in exchange for a 2021 seventh-round pick, Mike Klis of 9News reports (on Twitter).
Janovich has been one of the league’s top fullbacks, but many NFL systems do not make use of this diminishing position. New Denver OC Pat Shurmur does not intend to use fullbacks regularly, per Klis, leading to the Broncos shipping Janovich out for little value.
While the Broncos extended Janovich in October of last year, he only played 13% of the team’s offensive snaps. With another new offensive coordinator set to take over, the fifth-year fullback will relocate to Cleveland. Janovich, 26, is under contract through the 2022 season.
Janovich will join Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the Browns’ backfield on Kevin Stefanski‘s first Cleveland offense.
Broncos Interested In Kevin Johnson
The Broncos are targetting free agent slot cornerbacks in free agency with a particular focus on Kevin Johnson, according to Mike Klis of 9News. Denver has remained quiet on the defensive side of the ball thus far in free agency.
Johnson was a key part of the Bills strong defense this past season. Serving as the team’s slot corner, Johnson graded as the 23rd best corner (out of 113 qualified players), per Pro Football Focus, last season. Johnson previously played with the Texans from 2015-18.
Denver’s top cornerback, Chris Harris, remains a free agent himself. It will be worth watching whether Johnson is viewed as a fallback to failing to retain Harris or if the organization views Johnson (or another corner) as an upgrade.
Broncos Pulled Offer To Connor McGovern
Several Broncos starters remain free agents, but the team had one of its expiring-contract players in its offensive line plans.
Denver made an offer to center-guard Connor McGovern, per Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter), but retracted it when Graham Glasgow agreed to terms Monday. Glasgow agreed to a four-year, $44MM deal. McGovern remains unsigned but profiles as one of the top interior linemen on the market.
A 2016 fifth-round pick, McGovern started 31 games for the Broncos from 2018-19. He played a key role in helping Phillip Lindsay become the first UDFA to start his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Glasgow, though, appears to have taken up a financial slot up front.
The Broncos plan to use Glasgow at right guard, opposite Dalton Risner, and have Ja’Wuan James on a top-market right tackle contract. This configuration would still leave the Broncos lacking a center, so it may not be out of the question McGovern could return. But with other O-line-needy teams likely interested, it would seem unlikely the ex-Mizzou product (and elder of the NFL’s two Connor McGoverns) will re-sign and reprise his role.
Broncos Targeting DL D.J. Reader
The Broncos are eyeing D.J. Reader, but it sounds like they’ll have some competition. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos “continue to be in discussions” with the defensive lineman.
However, Klis cautions that Denver is probably “not the only team” pursuing Reader. Meanwhile, NFL.com’s James Palmer tweets that the Broncos are “still very interested” in the lineman.
The 25-year-old has spent the first four seasons of his career in Houston, and he’s started each of his 45 games over the past three years. That includes a 2019 campaign where he compiled a career-high 52 tackles and 2.5 sacks. The 2016 fifth-rounder has appeared in 61 regular season games during his career.
The Broncos have been relatively busy today. Most notably, they inked offensive lineman Graham Glasgow to a four-year, $44MM contract.