Written by: Sean Baldwin - 5280 Contributor
Wow. What a start to free agency. Broncos Country, come take a walk with me. The Denver Broncos made two big splashes for the defense in Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw signings. They also had Evan Engram in the building all day, however, he left the building last night without a deal. Look for a Juwan Johnson signing if Evan decides to not sign with us. We also brought back Jarrett Stidham as backup QB and Mitch Fabroni, our long snapper. There’s a lot to unpack here so let’s go through it.
First, let’s address the elephant in the room. Hufanga, Greenlaw and Engram all suffered the injury bug. There’s no denying that this may have played a factor in each of them being available in the first place. I would be remise if I didn’t mention that Hufanga and Greenlaw are coming from the 49er’s, one of the most injured teams in the last few years. The Broncos, inversely, have been one of the least injured teams since Payton and Paton did a complete overhaul of the Strength & Conditioning coaches as well as the training staff. It’s my opinion that they are betting on the staff we have being able to limit or even eliminate their injuries going forward.
Second, let’s look at the resume of the big defensive additions. This is not going to be a deep dive so stick with me here. Hufanga, just 25 years old, in 2022 he had 66 solo tackles, nine pass breakups, two forced fumbles, four interceptions and played in all 17 games. The season culminated in a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl. Since then, he has only played 17 games. 2023 ended prematurely with a torn ACL and 2024 with a wrist injury. Despite the injuries, he still ranks 12th in run stops and 13thin interceptions among all active safeties in the league since 2022. When he is on the field, he is an absolute game wrecker,and the Broncos training staff should have him healthy and ready to be on the field. Greenlaw, 27 years old, has notched 295 solo tackles and 455 combined tackles since he was drafted in 2019. If you asked me who in Broncos history I would compare him to on a personal level, I would say Aqib Talib. Greenlaw is known for playing hard, hitting hard and creating emotional responses from the opposing team. He is a tight end eliminator, something Mile High hasn’t had in years. We have all watched Travis Kelce and other tight ends have their best games against the Broncos for far too long. Dre Greenlaw comes to put an end to it.
Third, Evan. From the reports I’ve seen, he was in the Broncos facility early in the day and left in the evening. A long time for a player to be in the building and not sign a deal. He may have failed a physical on his way out of Jacksonville after shoulder surgery in December. It’s likely they wanted a close look at his shoulder before offering him a contract, but even scrutinizing a recent injury doesn’t take all day. So why was Evan in the building so long? Well, reportedly he was touring the facility, meeting with coaches and even was taken out to dinner by various personnel. All in an attempt to convince him to sign with the Broncos. Yet, he still left with a deal unsigned. If rumblings around the internet are true, he has a meeting with another team today. If you were a free agent and had multiple teams asking you to come meet with them, would you sign with the first one you meet and never go to the others? It’s unlikely anyone would say yes to that question, and it appears Evan agrees it’s unwise to sign with the first team that offers. That being said, a deal could still happen, and the Broncos are still interested in making that happen.
The Broncos are not playing around this off-season. While the cap penalties from releasing Russell Wilson are still present this season, it is less and does not appear to be hindering attempts to round out this team. With such a hard push for defensive free agents, I think it’s an inevitability to have a focus on offense in the draft. Personally, I think the defense has the potential to be one of the best of all time with Vance Joseph leading them. He was a master at scheming to hide the weaknesses in the defense last season and now those weaknesses are strengths. This Broncos team just got a whole lot better on the defensive side as long as Hufanga and Greenlaw are healthy and on the field. If Day 2 free agency is as good as Day 1 was, Denver Broncos fans are in for a treat in the 2025 season.