The Broncos had a very good defense last year. They’ve added multiple key pieces to it this year.
So does coach Sean Payton think this will be the best defense he has ever coached?
“We’ll see,” Payton told reporters on Tuesday. “We’re sitting here in June talking about the best. We have a chance to be a real good defense, and time will tell. Lucky enough, I’ve been a part of some really good defenses. We just have to keep improving. Really all of this is in preparation for training camp.”
Recently, NBC’s Devin McCourty dubbed Denver’s defense as the best in the league.
In free agency, the Broncos signed linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga from the 49ers. They also added cornerback Jahdae Barron with the 20th overall pick in the draft.
Even if it’s close, the Broncos will become a serious contender in the AFC. And they’ll possibly be good enough to keep the Chiefs from winning their 10th straight division championship.
On Tuesday afternoon, word emerged that running back J.K. Dobbins has signed with the Broncos. Not long thereafter, coach Sean Payton met with reporters.
And Payton was mum about the situation.
“I’m not going to answer to any reports,” Payton said. “I think we’re close. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
Dobbins likely will be in the fold on Wednesday, and he potentially will be talking to reporters. It’ll be interesting to hear what he has to say about his prior team’s decision to apply the rarely-used unrestricted free agency tender on Dobbins.
The goal wasn’t to keep him, not after signing Najee Harris and drafting Omarion Hampton in round one. The objective was to extend the window for having Dobbins’s departure count toward the compensatory draft pick formula.
As we understand it, Dobbins’s Denver salary was held to $2.065 million in order to minimize the impact of the signing on the compensatory pick calculation both for the Chargers (as to UFA losses) and for the Broncos (as to UFA gains).
He most likely would have gotten more if the Chargers hadn’t played the UFA tender game. And while it’s a right the Chargers had under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the specific application of it worked to Dobbins’s disadvantage.
That’s fine. But keep this in mind the next time a player takes full advantage of his rights under the CBA. If it’s fair game for the teams to take full advantage of its CBA rights, it’s fair game for the players to do it, too.
Quarterback Desmond Ridder has found a new gig, at least for the moment.
Multiple reporters noted on Tuesday that Ridder is participating in Colts minicamp on a tryout basis.
Ridder, 25, was a Falcons third-round pick in 2022, spending most of the 2023 season as Atlanta’s starter.
While the Falcons traded him to the Cardinals last offseason, Arizona put him on the practice squad at the start of the season. The Raiders then signed him to their active roster in October and he appeared in six games with one start for the club.
In 25 career games, Ridder has completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 4,002 yards with 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Ridder was slated to take part in Broncos rookie minicamp on a tryout basis last month, but that plan fell through.
With Anthony Richardson sidelined by a shoulder issue, the Colts have Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard, and Jason Bean (cross-listed as a QB and receiver) healthy for minicamp on their active roster.
Running back J.K. Dobbins visited with the Broncos last week. This week, it became more than a visit.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Dobbins has signed a one-year deal with the Broncos.
It’s a $5.25 million deal. We’re trying to confirm whether that’s the base value or the maximum compensation.
Given Dobbins’s injury history, it’s likely the maximum value. And it’s likely that the base package will include not-insignificant per-game roster bonuses.
In his only season with the Chargers, Dobbins had a career-high 905 rushing yards in 13 games. He added 153 receiving yards and scored six touchdowns. He missed four games last year due to an MCL injury.
Dobbins began his career as a second-round pick of the Ravens. As a rookie, he rushed for 805 yards on 134 carries, an average of 6.0 yards per attempt. He tore an ACL in the 2021 preseason, gained 520 rushing yards in eight games in 2022, and then tore an Achilles tendon in Week 1 of the 2023 season.
The Broncos now have five running backs on the roster: Jaleel McLauglin, Audric Estime, Tyler Badie, Blake Watson, and rookie RJ Harvey. It remains to be seen where Dobbins fits on the depth chart.
UPDATED 4:05 p.m. ET: Per a source with knowledge of the deal, he gets $2.065 million fully guaranteed. He also has $680,000 in per-game active roster bonuses. The remaining $2.5 million comes from incentives based on yards from scrimmage.
The Broncos re-signed defensive tackle D.J. Jones to a three-year, $39 million contract in March, and he says that gives him a freedom to focus on football that will improve his play on the field.
The 30-year-old Jones, who has been in the NFL since he was a sixth-round pick of the 49ers in 2017, has signed four contracts in his NFL career. He says this one, which is the most lucrative of his career and should keep him in Denver through his prime, changes his outlook.
“Somebody asked me about money. I was like, I’ve been there before. I’ve thought about money. And it slowed me down. So I mean, a free mind on the football field is a dangerous player,” Jones said.
Jones is glad the Broncos prioritized continuity on the defensive line.
“I think it speaks volumes of the room and who’s coaching us,” Jones said. “So I think that’s a special thing for this organization to have, bringing everybody back.”
