Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos SEARCHING For Veteran WR2 | Keenan Allen The Answer?

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos were connected to yet another big name wide receiver Broncos country. Could wide receiver maybe be the most likely position we see in round one of the 2025 NFL draft? We're going to be talking about that and much more on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos. Your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. The Denver Broncos brought back starting full back Michael Burton.

Starting point is 00:00:35 going to talk about what that means for some other players on the roster as well as other phases of the game as well as could potentially happen here in the first round for the Denver Broncos. It seems like everything is wide open at this point. Does the team's interest or at least kind of checking around sniffing around the veteran wide receiver market, does that maybe indicate where they might go in the first round of this draft? And our big story of the day, the Broncos reportedly checking in on Stefan did. The veteran wide receiver formerly of the Buffalo Bills and, of course, the Minnesota Vikings, now a New England Patriot.

Starting point is 00:01:11 But Denver's interest or potential interest or even just sniffing around, Stefan Diggs, speaks to this team's apparent desire or want for a veteran receiver to come into the building. We're going to talk about all that. Coming up on today's episode of Lockdown, Broncos, but Broncos country, thanks so much for making us your first listen of the day, however, and whenever you choose to do so. today's episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by our friends at Fanduil right now. New customers, they get $200 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. And Broncos country, there's a lot to be excited about right now when it comes to the offseason.

Starting point is 00:01:51 Obviously, it is officially very much so into mock draft season, but free agency is ongoing until the draft, which is less than a month away at this point. And Adam Schaefter of ESPN on a recent episode of NFL Live said that before Stefan Diggs, the veteran wide receiver coming off an ACL injury, played a little bit last year in Houston before the injury and just recently signed a three-year $69 million deal with the New England Patriots worth $26 million in guarantees. Before that deal was consummated, the Denver Broncos allegedly checked in on Diggs. And this is not the first veteran-wide receiver that the Broncos have been connected to this off-season. Remember, earlier in the off-season, Debo Samuel, before he was traded by the San Francisco 49ers, was asked, who do you think is one of the most up-and-coming teams in the NFL? And Debo said the Denver Broncos. And it came out after Debo was traded to the Washington

Starting point is 00:02:51 commanders that the Broncos were one of just two or three teams that he wanted to be traded to. it was reported during the Cooper Cup sweepstakes before he ended up signing with the Seattle Seahawks that that Cooper was connected to the Denver Broncos and that the Broncos might have had some interest depending on the price, but certainly that from Cooper Cups side of things, he was interested in coming to Denver. And now we find out that the team checked in on Stefan Diggs. In recent years, the Broncos have been sort of sniffing around veteran wide receivers without actually pulling the trigger on signing. anybody. A couple of years ago, they looked into signing Alan Lazard, Adam Thielen. There had been rumors, you know, in recent years that they looked into potentially, you know, taking offers or at least listening to offers on Cortland Sutton. Last year, they ended up trading Jerry Judy to the Cleveland Brown.

Starting point is 00:03:44 So there's been a lot of moving parts and a lot of different levels of interest in certain guys at wide receiver for the Denver Broncos who ultimately just recently watched Lil Jordan Humphrey goes sign for the veteran minimum with the New York Giants. And that's not necessarily the most significant development other than the fact that Lil Jordan Humphrey leaves behind the second most snaps played at wide receiver in 2024. So we know that Sean Payton told Kay Adams early in the 2025 offseason. Like, I don't know if wide receiver is as big a position of need as maybe people perceive

Starting point is 00:04:20 it to be. While that's nice of him to say, based on the young guys this team has, it's tough. tough to believe that the Broncos will go into the 2025 season with status quo at wide receiver. They were one of the worst teams in the NFL last year when it came to dropped passes. And certainly you need somebody that can take a little bit of pressure off of Cortland Sutton. Now, do you have that guy currently on the roster? It is possible, right? Marvin Mims played a big role down the stretch, showed some big stuff down the stretch,

Starting point is 00:04:51 could be used as a variety of different roles offensively out of the back, field as kind of a gadget player almost in ways and certainly as a vertical threat. The team also expects more out of Troy Franklin and Devon Valey, two guys that they really like from last year's rookie class. And so while I do buy that Sean Payton and George Payton and this coaching staff, they do like the young wide receivers, I don't buy that they're going to be willing to go into the 2025 season with the same crew minus little Jordan Humphrey that they had last year. I do think a veteran is necessary. And I think

Starting point is 00:05:30 even as we're going to talk about today, you might even need to look early in the 2025 NFL draft. The Broncos have set themselves up really nicely to be able to have the flexibility to take a round one receiver if they want to. I think running back is really the only position on either side of the ball where you can legitimately say, hey, for 2025, we don't really have a start. right now. I think every other position has a player that you can pencil into the starting lineup. And if the Broncos had to play on Sunday this week, they could go into a game with a starter at pretty much every other position on the roster. So that's why we're seeing a ton of running back to Denver Broncos in round one. And the Broncos, by the way, they were represented by

Starting point is 00:06:15 running backs coach Lou Iiani at Ashton Genties Pro Day there at Boise State. They were not at the Ohio State Pro Day, but as we know, that doesn't necessarily matter. Sean Payton, George Peyton, these guys, they schedule private interviews. They have guys in for top 30 visits to the Broncos facility, things like that. So don't read necessarily too much into that stuff. But I do read into the Broncos checking in on veteran wide receivers like Stefan Diggs because what I think it indicates to me is that they would be willing to sign a player like Stefan Diggs if the price is right. And right now what we're seeing in NFL free agency is that the pool of players is significantly diminishing and dwindling by the day while the price doesn't necessarily seem to

Starting point is 00:07:01 be going down all that much. And so that is what I think is worth monitoring here. It's like this stare down that's happening where you have players who are seeing like, hey, spots are being filled around the league. I need to go secure myself a job before I am having to fight for. a job. Whereas on the team side of things, they're kind of waiting to say, hey, the price is way too high. Like Stefan Diggs at three years, $69 million, $26 million guaranteed, even with a relatively lower chunk of that $69 million being guaranteed, that's still a hefty price to pay for a guy who's in his early 30s and is coming off a major injury. Like, kudos to Stefan's agent for getting that done, obviously. But definitely when it comes to the remaining veteran wide receivers and

Starting point is 00:07:48 We're talking about like Amari Cooper, Kenan Allen, Elijah Moore, and then like there's a massive drop-off. It's like Nelson Agalore, DJ Chark, guys like that. Or maybe we see a trade made during the draft for somebody. And I don't know who that could be. You could open up a whole other can of worms there. But Broncos country, I feel like the team is really trending towards not just wanting a veteran-wide receiver, but maybe acknowledging the need there. And so it might not be.

Starting point is 00:08:18 a matter of time before we see this team pull the trigger on signing somebody at that position. And it might cost a bit more than anybody's really, you know, comfortable with. But at the same time, I think you could get guys like Amari Cooper or Kenan Allen or even potentially Elijah Moore on a one year deal to really just get that contract off the books after this year or add void years beyond this year to kind of just say, hey, we'll pay for this later. We want this guy in the building now. And I think that things are going to be structured in that way in order to fit it, not just under the salary cap where the Broncos have a little over 17 million on the cap, according to over the cap right now. And you only need about

Starting point is 00:09:02 3.1, 3.17, something like that, 3.18 million to sign this year's draft class on the top 51 overall. So wherever you've been hearing, hey, the Broncos need, you know, 12 million or 10 million or 15 million to sign their draft class on the cap. That is not the case. They only need about 3.2 million at most in order to sign their draft class under the cap while it's still a 90 player roster. So it's going to be fascinating to see what this team does. It just so happens that their renegotiation or the changing a roster bonus to a signing

Starting point is 00:09:37 bonus with Jonathan Cooper could help pay for the draft class there, which maybe they say, hey, we want to grab a free agent wide receiver and maybe even a running back before the draft to kind of just hedge our bets and make sure we're not going into the draft, giving away any of our strategy. But who do you think would really fit for that Broncos country? Because I think right now the options are, it's diminished significantly. There's a connection between Kerry Colbert, the Broncos wide receivers coach and Amari Cooper way back at their time at Alabama over 10 years ago.

Starting point is 00:10:08 So who knows how relevant that is anymore? I still personally love the idea of Keenan Allen coming to Denver with what we saw from him last year in Chicago. The dude still got it. And I like the idea of him coming back maybe for another shot at the bone he has to pick with other teams in the AFC West, including the Los Angeles Chargers. But does this interest the Broncos have been showing or at least been rumored to have interest over the course of this off season?

Starting point is 00:10:34 Does that potentially vault wide receiver to maybe the top of the 2025 NFL draft priority list? We're going to break that down and more coming up next on today's episode. Locked on Broncos. Today's episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by Fanduel. Hey, March Madness, it's here. And Fandual is giving you the chance to get in on the action like never before. Right now, new customers get $200 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins.

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Starting point is 00:11:49 even in the first round. We're going to discuss that and much more. Coming up on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos and Broncos Country. I want to say thank you. Give a mile high salute to every single one of you that makes Lockdown Broncos your first listen of the day. Every single day.

Starting point is 00:12:04 We appreciate you so much for rocking with us. You know your boys, Cody and Sarah. We're going to have you covered no matter what happens this off season. And of course, as we ramp up toward the NFL draft, hit subscribe so that you. You don't miss a single episode or any bit of news, content, coverage, analysis, and more for your Denver Broncos. We appreciate you so much for doing that and making us your everyday first listen. Let's talk about the Denver Broncos and the wide receiver position in round one, because right now,

Starting point is 00:12:34 it seems like things have kind of trended away from that, right? I mean, for a long period of time, it was the tight end position, which makes a lot of sense, quite honestly because I mean, Sean Payton, excuse me, said early in the off season that the number one must have for his team was a joker, which is a tight end or running back with elite receiving skills. That's what the criteria is for that position. Well, you got that guy. You got Evan Ingram, and he's going to have a huge ripple effect on the entire passing game. So I think a lot of folks are saying, well, the addition of Evan Ingram is enough, not only to push tight end, beyond the first round possibilities,

Starting point is 00:13:14 but also maybe even wide receiver, because he's going to impact the receivers. He's going to make life easier for the receivers. He's going to give your receivers more favorable matchups out there when the Broncos are throwing the football. But at the same time, you have to consider more than just this year when it comes to the NFL draft,

Starting point is 00:13:34 especially when you're talking about premium assets like the first round. And when you're talking about premium positions, positions that are getting paid a lot of money. As we saw, Jamar Chase getting over $40 million a year. Even T. Higgins getting, you know, $28, $29 million a year. A lot of wide receivers out there getting paid a lot more money than I think anybody's really realizing was possible for those guys. Even as the market has continued to grow the Denver Broncos, they could be poised to

Starting point is 00:14:05 potentially pay Cortland Sutton a lot more money than anybody really thought. and perhaps the market at wide receiver has caused them to rethink their strategy in terms of paying Cortland Sutton. It was reported by Chris Thomason a couple of days ago that the Broncos are not necessarily going to complete any contract extensions with currently eligible players until after the NFL draft. That is the Broncos leverage right now. Okay. So when we're talking about contract negotiations. If the price on players is going up, if there's serious inflation happening because of the salary cap and there is, now you have a situation to where the Broncos don't have as much

Starting point is 00:14:50 leverage. They're trying to keep up with the Joneses. Agents for players are seeing the deals that are being handed out in NFL free agency. And they're saying, look, the price on my guy, it just went up because of how this guy got paid. I mean, if you think Milton Williams getting paid a bunch of money by the Patriots has no impact, on Zach Allen negotiations, I think you're wrong. The same could be said for Stefan Diggs with Cortland Sutton.

Starting point is 00:15:14 The same could be said with even T. Higgins for Cortland Sutton. Or you can go back to last year and really, you know, look at guys like Calvin Ridley. There's so many different examples that you can look at in terms of where the market value, where the guaranteed money is at with guys. I think it does change a little bit, at least, the first round discussion for the Denver Broncos. Because of that, I think we're going to see wide receiver considered maybe even more so now than it would have been a couple of weeks or even months ago. There was a pro day. Ohio State's pro day happened earlier this week.

Starting point is 00:15:50 A mecha egg buca posted a 9.3 on the Rast scale. So we're seeing certain guys really put some good numbers to the production that we've already seen from them at the college level. and when guys do that, it really just boosts their overall. Okay, now we now we can put like, it's almost like putting a face to a name, right? It's like, okay, we saw what he can do on tape. I need to know that he's this level of athleticism to justify a first round investment because you're not typically going to see guys get picked in the first round who aren't elite in their particular position category in terms of athleticism.

Starting point is 00:16:27 And so that stuff matters a lot and fit matters. a lot as well. I feel like a Mecca Egbuka and Cody and I actually did a mock draft scenario on Wednesday night where we at 20th overall, we kind of debated the idea. Do we pick a wide receiver here, D-line, do we take a running back that's still available? As happy as we would be with a Trayvion Henderson there at 20th overall or even some other players, potentially at 20th overall, not many guys make as much or more sense than a player like Emeka Egbuka. from Ohio State with that pick because you've got a wide receiver that can play, he can play inside, he can play outside, he's a good blocker, he's got size, he's got just fine

Starting point is 00:17:11 speed, he's got strong hands, good route runner. Ohio State's been a bit of a wide receiver factory under wide receivers coach Brian Hartline there for a handful of years now and Egbuka is just the latest guy and he's sort of the perfect inclusion to this Denver Broncos wide receiver room where you've got plenty of size with Cortland Sutton and Devon Valet. You've got plenty of speed with Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin, guys who can take the top off of the defense. But do you have that intermediate target,

Starting point is 00:17:40 somebody like Emeka Agbuka, who could really upgrade your entire wide receiver room, as well as upgrade you situationally. When you're talking about third downs, you need somebody to get open quickly or make a tough catch over the middle or in the red zone. You know, you need somebody to do the same things. Get open quickly.

Starting point is 00:17:59 Make a tough catch. this is a guy that can do that and he can create after the catch as well. Now, is he a perfect prospect? That doesn't exist at wide receiver in this class. There's no Marvin Harrison Jr. There's no Malik neighbors. But these guys are flying under the radar a little bit because they're not Marvin Harrison Jr.

Starting point is 00:18:19 Because they're not Malik neighbors. I think Emeka Egbuka is very much cut from a similar cloth to another former Ohio state Buckeye, Jackson Smith and Jigba. And Egbuka's bigger, but just like Smith and Jigba, I think he's going to be able to win consistently from the slot. Remember back in 2020, there weren't a lot of folks who really loved Jordan Jefferson or Justin Jefferson, excuse me. They didn't love Justin Jefferson coming out of LSU because he played a lot of slot at LSU. And he wasn't, you know, Jamar Chase. He wasn't the top guys on the outside, but he was dominating from the slots.

Starting point is 00:18:55 and didn't have the greatest, you know, pre-draft metrics, not compared to some of these other guys who are absolutely freakish in the athletic department. But just like Justin Jefferson, I feel like Emeka Ekbuka is sort of flying under the radar in a class where, man, he could be the perfect addition to this Denver Broncos team. Now, I'm not saying that he's going to be Justin Jefferson and getting 10,000 receiving yards within his first six NFL seasons. But what I am saying is that he could be. a very underrated go-to kind of threat playing primarily from the slot.

Starting point is 00:19:30 And so I think there's a fair kind of comparison to be made there in terms of these guys coming out, not necessarily where Justin is at right now, right? And so it's something to chew on at least Broncos country. And when it comes to going wide receiver in round one, of course, Justin Jefferson was the final first round pick that George Payton made as a member of the Minnesota Vikings front office before he came to the Denver. Broncos in 2021. So maybe he'll see the parallel there as well. But Broncos country, we've got to talk about the Michael Burton signing because the Broncos brought back a key member of their offense as well

Starting point is 00:20:07 as special teams. So Michael Burton comes back. What does that mean for guys like Nate Adkins? What does that mean for the overall outlook of the offense this coming year? We're going to talk about that and more on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Michael Burton is back on a one-year deal for the Denver Broncos and they call him Muscle Milk Mike. I couldn't help a laugh when Cody told me that. I love that nickname. Muscle Milk Mike is back for the Denver Broncos and Broncos country. Just want to say one more time, we appreciate you so much for tuning in and rocking with

Starting point is 00:20:42 us today and every day on lockdown Broncos where we told you, we tell you all the time, we have you covered for every move the team is going to make. Michael Burton is back. We know that Michael Burton is one of Sean Payton's guys dating back to his time with the New Orleans Saints. It's obviously, you know, Burton has carved out a long career for himself as a traditional fullback, which is, I mean, an outlier in and of itself in today's NFL. But the guy's really good at playing special teams.

Starting point is 00:21:09 And he's played for Darren Rizzy in the past. Darren Rizzi, of course, was hired by the Denver Broncos this offseason as their new special teams coordinator and assistant head coach. So he's got more influence and pull than I think maybe meets the eye for a lot of folks that are kind of wondering, hey, how much, how much does a special teams coordinator actually have say in terms of the roster? I think we've seen that this offseason in, you know, maybe even spades a little bit because we saw obviously the Broncos bring in Matt Hack or Matt Hawk as their new punter.

Starting point is 00:21:42 He has experience with Darren Rizzy, Trent Sherfield, one of the better special teams guys on the free agent market. The Broncos quickly pivoted from Tremont Smith to Trent Sherfield to bring him into shore up special teams. Justin Sernod. I guarantee you, Darren Rizzi had a little bit to do with that because Sir Nod is a good special teams guy and now Michael Burton coming back into the mix. But also, interestingly enough, I mean, like Lil Jordan Humphrey didn't play special

Starting point is 00:22:08 teams. Broncos let him go. So there's interesting moves like that to maybe read into a little bit. Michael Burton is going to be competing for snaps this year. You only played 15% roughly of the offensive snaps for Denver last year. but of course a very significant contribution on special teams. I do believe that the fullback still has a place in Sean Payton's offense. And until Burton was re-signed,

Starting point is 00:22:33 I think a lot of people just assume that maybe Nate Adkins could take over that role. But as we know, Burton is the more traditional style of fullback, while Nate Adkins is much more cut in that cloth of like a move player at the position. He can play in line tight end. He can float into the backfield. He can split out. He can do a lot of different things for you. And he will continue to do that as the Broncos brought him back as well.

Starting point is 00:22:59 Although he wasn't an unrestricted free agent or anything, team control for Nate Adkins. They bring him back as an exclusive rights guy. And that just makes a ton of sense. You've got Adam Troutman, Nate Adkins, and Lucas Crowell all coming back this year for the Denver Broncos. And now Michael Burton will be rejoining the fray as well. And Burton does do a tremendous job in terms of the Broncos. blocking game. And I feel like that's going to be a huge asset for anybody that the Broncos bring in to come and run the football as their lead back. And what's being reported right now by Mike

Starting point is 00:23:33 Cliss of 9 News in Denver there is that the Broncos are still looking for an RB1. They're still looking for their top running back in the offense. I think the Broncos do truly believe they have a variety of RB2 type guys to choose from. Jeluma Glawful. Audrick Estime, Tyler Badegh, Blake Watson, all of these guys should be considered as candidates to potentially play significant football for this team in 2025. But I don't think all of them are going to make the team. And I don't think the Broncos are okay with any of those guys being their lead back. I hope that the Broncos will draft two running backs. I kind of am getting the sense, the feeling that they might sign somebody as we get closer to the NFL draft.

Starting point is 00:24:19 and of course, J.K. Dobbins is still a free agent. Nick Chubb, still a free agent. There's still guys out there that they could justify signing who have played, you know, significant games in recent years. But at the same time, this NFL draft class is just so good that I don't know how you could possibly pass up on drafting multiple of these guys. And one of the scenarios that I've always liked is, hey, find a way to get both Ohio State guys. I don't think that's going to be possible for the Denver Broncos, but it's pipe. dream sort of status. What about this? What about going after a big back like Quinn Sean Judkins,

Starting point is 00:24:56 maybe in the second round if he's still there? And then in the fourth round, somebody like Jaden Blue, who ran a 427, 428 at the Texas Pro Day. That could be an interesting scenario to monitor. And of course, I think any running back that the Broncos ad is going to benefit from a guy like Michael Burton coming back into the fold because Burton, he'll crack some face masks out there. I mean, you watch some of the tape from last year of him in the running game.

Starting point is 00:25:22 I mean, the guy is physical. He doesn't add much in terms of being a dynamic receiving option or running option himself, but he can get the job done. And we saw the Broncos turn to him in a couple of situations last year to go get them, hey, go convert this third and short or fourth and one or whatever it might be. They did at times turn to Michael Burton to get that job done. And he's capable of that. He's been in the NFL since 2015.

Starting point is 00:25:49 It was drafted all the way back in 2015 by the Detroit Lions out of Rutgers. And he's really done a great job of proving his worth in offenses that do utilize that traditional fullback, including the Kansas City Chiefs for a time there. And so, I mean, Burton, he's just a pro's pro. And he's kind of everything that you need at that position with his physicality, his experience, his understanding of the offense. it's not a move that's going to move the needle for this team necessarily, but it's certainly one of those things that are,

Starting point is 00:26:23 all right, hey, when we're talking about the top 53 guys that are going to make up this team, when you look at numbers 50 through 53, it doesn't get much better than a guy like Michael Burton, who plays a top-level special teams, plays a core position in your offense that it's not used all the time, but when it is used, I mean, we saw how much the Broncos could benefit from that,

Starting point is 00:26:46 some of their best games running the football last year. And now, hopefully in 2025, he can pave the way for a 100-yard rusher, which the Broncos have not had since the 2022 season with Latavius Murray. We need to get somebody back there that can take advantage of Michael Burton cracking those face masks, right, Broncos country. And hey, we are very, very close, getting closer every day to the 2025 NFL draft where the Broncos will have a new running back. And the Broncos will have a lot of new players to be talking about.

Starting point is 00:27:16 You're going to want to be subscribed to Lockdown Broncos if you're not already. So go ahead, take a couple seconds, do that. And before you leave, I want to let you know that before the NFL draft, you're going to want to know these prospects that are coming in. And you want to listen to the top experts, talk about these guys, and give you the insight on what they bring to the table. Check out Lockdown NFL draft where you'll get all the information on all the different players that Broncos could be potentially selecting here in the month of April.

Starting point is 00:27:43 But Broncos country, we appreciate you so much. We'll have plenty to talk about coming up next week on Lockdown Broncos. We'll see, are the Broncos going to make any more free agency moves? We'll continue to take a look at different position overviews. Cody and I will have mock draft Monday coming up where we'll discuss maybe some of your picks as well. So make sure you're tuned in for that. And we appreciate you so much as always. We'll catch you on the next episode, Lockdown Broncos.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos SEARCHING For Veteran WR2 | Keenan Allen The Answer?

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