Following a season in which they once again failed to reach the NFL playoffs, the Denver Broncos have made some head-turning moves in the 2022 NFL offseason in hopes of not just getting out of the cellar in the AFC West division, but also winning the division title and becoming a legitimate threat to win the Super Bowl. For one, they landed superstar quarterback Russell Wilson, who knows a thing or two about bringing home the Vince Lombardi Trophy. On the other side of the ball, the Broncos added Randy Gregory to further fortify their pass rush. Gregory should play a critical role for Denver's stop unit, especially since the team plays in the AFC West — arguably the division with the best quarterbacks.
Rarely do NFL teams have perfect offseasons. The Denver Broncos so far have had a pretty good offseason. They made some good signings and trades, but there were also some moves that the team may end up regretting.
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Broncos Worst Offseason Moves
2. Signed LB Alex Singleton (1-year deal)
Since the departure of Alexander Johnson and Kenny Young, the Broncos found themselves alarmingly thin at the inside linebacker position. Josey Jewell returns to his starting role after missing a majority of the 2021 season to a torn pectoral injury. When healthy, Jewell has proven himself to be a solid inside linebacker.
Broncos GM George Paton made a bit of a head-scratching move when he signed LB Alex Singleton. Since 2015, Singleton has bounced between both the NFL and CFL. He spent the majority of his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles where he had the most impact on special teams. Singleton did get some starts at inside linebacker with the Eagles, even leading the Eagles in tackles in 2020. Unfortunately, Singleton has found himself demoted to backup after poor performances a few times in his career.
The signing of Singleton doesn't improve the Broncos' inside linebacker position. Is he good enough to start alongside Jewell? Most likely not. If he does end up starting alongside Jewell, the Broncos' most concerning position could quickly become the inside linebackers. Denver has to face scary tight ends like Travis Kelce and Darren Waller twice a year and having good inside linebackers certainly helps with the coverage against them. If anything, hopefully, Singleton can help reinforce the Broncos' special teams unit, which has really struggled the past few seasons.
1. Trading Shelby Harris to the Seahawks
Defensive lineman Shelby Harris was a part of the package deal to the Seattle Seahawks that helped the Broncos land Russell Wilson. Harris was having his best seasons along the Broncos' defensive line. On more than one occasion, Harris made plays that helped seal wins for the Broncos. Harris also had a knack for batting down balls, even joking around that he had “the best hands in the league.”
During the 2022 offseason, the Broncos signed former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman DJ Jones to a 3-year deal. This move was obviously made with the hopes that Jones could fill the void left by Harris. While Jones will probably get the job done, Harris will definitely still be missed, especially by the fans. His energy, personality, ability to stop the run, and his exceptionally great hands will certainly be missed.
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