7. The Denver Broncos make a huge defensive free agency signing
George Paton spoke to the Denver media recently and did say that they weren't going to be in the first wave of free agency this year, but I am respectfully disagreeing with him. Paton does not have the final roster authority; that belongs to Sean Payton.
Secondly, the Broncos have a first-wave free agency need along the defensive front. My astute analysis is that the run defense and pass rush stunk it up in 2023. Both units were among the worst in football, and simply put, the Broncos just do not have much talent along the front seven. Well, this free agent class on defense is too good for Denver not to dip into.
Guys like Danielle Hunter, Brian Burns, Josh Allen, Leonard Williams, and Chris Jones are all free agents. While Josh Allen might just get franchise tagged, I think someone like Danielle Hunter makes a boatload of sense for the Broncos. Hunter was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015, and George Paton was in their front office.
Hunter has also played along the defensive line and as a stand-up pass rusher. Brian Burns would be a great signing as well, but I think the Carolina Panthers put the franchise tag on him. Either way, I think the Broncos will have the financial capacity to make one splash signing in free agency, and it'll be on defense.