Denver Post Broncos writer Ryan O’Halloran posts his Broncos Mailbag periodically during the season. Submit questions to Ryan here.
Now that we know the roughly $28 million the team has been sitting on in cap space won’t be going toward Aaron Rodgers, do you think team is more likely to use that money to add a couple more impact veterans to help this season or hang on to it to invest in long-term deals for guys like Bradley Chubb and/or Courtland Sutton?
— Steve, Forks, Wash.
Steve, you’re right about the cap space — at the start of the week, the Broncos were at $28,496,120, second-most in the NFL, according to the union (Jacksonville $30,316,969). General manager George Paton has plenty of spending flexibility.
There aren’t a lot of veterans (if any) on the free-agent market right now that fit the Broncos and the same for players available on the trade market.
The best guess is that Paton uses some of that money — either mid-season or after the season — to address the contract situations of Sutton (free agent in March) and Chubb (free agent in March 2023 due to the fifth-year option). The Broncos can also roll over any space onto the 2022 cap to help account for the rising cap numbers of left tackle Garett Bolles ($5 million this year, $21 million next year) and safety Justin Simmons ($5.75 million this year, $18.85 million next year).
Who do you think was a better receiver in their prime: Demaryius Thomas or Brandon Marshall?
— George, Portland, Ore.
Let’s split this into categories: Broncos prime and NFL prime.
Broncos prime: Edge, obviously, to Thomas, who played 125 of his 143 regular-season games with the Broncos and had five 1,000-yard receiving seasons and three 10-touchdown years. Marshall played the first four years of his career for the Broncos (61 games) and had three 1,000-yard seasons.
NFL prime: Edge to Marshall, who had eight 1,000-yard seasons in a nine-year span and six years of at least 100 catches. For their careers, Marshall had 12,351 yards compared to 9,763 for Thomas.
Now that Peyton Manning, John Lynch and Steve Atwater have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who is the next former Bronco most likely headed to Canton? Is it Von Miller? Or is there another player out there who has a shot?
— Matt, East Colfax
Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware is first-time eligible in 2022 and he is already appearing on the list of players who could be selected. Ware would fall into the same category as Manning and Lynch — he built the foundation for his Hall of Fame resume with another team (Dallas) before finishing with the Broncos.
Manning and Lynch played four years apiece with the Broncos and Ware played three seasons, posting 21 1/2 sacks and winning a ring for Super Bowl 50. Ware twice led the league in sacks and had eight double-digit sack years.
What are the odds the Broncos look to pick up an inside linebacker after the final roster cuts? If not inside linebacker, is there another position you think they might go bargain shopping to add depth?
— Joe, Aurora
The roster churn has already started to help the Broncos get through the preseason games. Injuries have thinned out the defensive line and inside linebacker so additions have been made. Whatever they do this month, it will be bargain shopping via veterans cut by their teams and willing to sign for the minimum or young players off the waiver wire who are on their rookie contracts.
