The Denver Broncos have made massive moves in recent weeks in an attempt to get under the cap. The Broncos parted ways with quarterback Russell Wilson, who only played two years of his massive five-year, $242.5 million contract. They also cut their longest-tenured player, Justin Simmons, who has established himself as one of the best safeties in the league.
These moves signified one thing: the Broncos are in the process of a rebuild. With the Broncos rebuilding, they may be hesitant to re-sign some of their free agents. However, some of their free agents might be too good to part ways with and could potentially be re-signed on a team-friendly deal.
Let's take a look at some of the best players the Broncos should re-sign.
Wil Lutz
Prior to the start of the 2023 season, Denver parted ways with kicker Brandon McManus. Prior to being released, McManus was the longest-tenured Bronco and was the last remaining member of the Super Bowl 50-winning squad. McManus' release was a bit of a shock, but it became clear the Broncos were looking to save money.
Denver would go through a flurry of kickers in the preseason, but none of them impressed. The Broncos made the decision that they needed to make a move for a better kicker. So in late August, they sent a 2024 seventh-round pick to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for kicker Wil Lutz. Lutz was familiar with head coach Sean Payton during their time in New Orleans together.
Lutz had a bit of a shaky start to his time in Denver, but he would eventually find his footing. He would even be named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November.
Kicker Wil Lutz makes the 36-yard game winner as the clock hits zero to give the #Broncos the win over the #Bills by the score of 24-22pic.twitter.com/YIeJW8SIV8
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) November 14, 2023
In 2023, Lutz posted a field goal percentage of 88.2% and an extra point percentage of 93.5%. Lutz' longest field goal on the year was from 52 yards out. With 119 points, he proved to be a reliable scorer for the Broncos when their offense would stall out in the red zone.
While Lutz's numbers don't exactly jump off the page, having a reliable kicker is insanely helpful for an NFL team. Is Lutz reliable? Let's say reliable enough for Denver. Not exactly a security blanket like Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, but good enough to keep. With the Broncos dealing with a carousel of kickers last preseason, they probably don't want to go through that again. Lutz has proven himself, so why not bring him back on a team-friendly deal?
Lloyd Cushenberry
As a rookie in 2020, Cushenberry was named the Broncos' starting center. Hard to blame Cushenberry, because during his time in Denver, he has endured three different coaching staffs. In 2023 under the direction of former NFL lineman and new Broncos offensive line coach Zach Strief, Cushenberry put together one of his best seasons.
PFF gave Cushenberry a solid 73.2 overall grade for the 2023 season. He graded even higher as a pass blocker with a grade of 76.4. One of the biggest knocks against Cushenberry in 2023 was penalties, as he drew five of them. He also allowed one sack, four quarterback hits, and 14 pressures.
While Cushenberry having a good year makes Denver more intrigued to sign him back, it also could have put him out of their price range. As mentioned before, the Broncos are working with very limited cap space. Cushenberry is set for a large payday and might have priced himself out of Denver. According to PFF, Cushenberry is projected to get a four-year, $58.1 million contract. With Cushenberry making the top 100 impending free agents list, center-desperate teams might end up overpaying for him.
Regardless, the Broncos should still attempt to re-sign him.
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