Not even 48 hours into free agency, and the Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos are already down two quarterbacks, a running back, a defensive end and a linebacker. Rather than trying to fill one of these newfound needs with a big signing or a blockbuster trade, the Broncos opted to strengthen their offensive line.
With Evan Mathis considering retirement, and Ryan Clady and Ty Sambrailo recovering from serious injuries, the offensive line was shaping up to be a weakness that could dwarf the loss of Malik Jackson or Brock Osweiler. The Broncos signed Donald Stephenson, an offensive tackle who can play on either side or even in the middle, to a three-year deal.
The Broncos do not know who their QB will be next season after Peyton Manning retired and Osweiler took a four-year contract with the Houston Texans. Stephenson said he does not care.
"I put a little bit of thought into it," Stephenson said. "But I feel like anytime you've got a [general manager] that you do here, quarterbacks are going to come running. I'm not worried about that. I'm pretty sure they're going to find somebody that can play."
The Broncos do not know if they will re-sign Clady, as they are trying to renegotiate his contract, nor do they know if Mathis will want to play another year. If both do depart, that leaves offensive line holes at guard and tackle previously filled by veterans. In that case, having a versatile, athletic lineman like Stephenson would be exactly what head coach Gary Kubiak needs.
"I'm pretty versatile. You know how the season goes - a lot of injuries," he said. "I can play guard, I can play left [tackle], I can play right [tackle]. I'm ready to go."
The losses of Jackson and Danny Trevathan will deplete the Broncos' outstanding defense of last season, but the team may have put itself in a tough salary cap situation if they pushed harder to keep them. Regardless, Jackson took a parting shot at the Broncos after signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"They could have gotten me done, could have gotten Danny done, could have gotten Brock done for less than nothing," Jackson said, implying the team waited too long to negotiate with its free agents.
To deal with the losses of Manning and Osweiler, and the potential loss of running back C.J. Anderson, the Broncos may try to go in a different direction at QB next season. The team has been linked to pursuing Colin Kaepernick via trade and Robert Griffin III in free agency.
The Broncos are still deep at wide receiver and could set up whatever QB comes in to be successful if they have an offensive line that will keep him upright.
