Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos Signing Talanoa Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw BOOSTS Defense Drastically In NFL Free Agency

Episode Date: March 11, 2025

The Denver Broncos made two splashes during NFL Free Agency on Monday, signing Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw away from the San Francisco 49ers. What does Hufanga and Greenlaw bring to a Broncos defense that was already strong in 2024? Could it allow Vance Joseph to call his scheme differently? Plus, is it a concern the Broncos let Evan Engram walk out of the facility without a deal? Cody Roark is a credentialed beat reporter for Mile High Sports and covers the Broncos daily in person. Sayre Bedinger is the site expert for Predominantly Orange. Both bring Broncos Country the most in-depth and objective coverage of the Denver Broncos. WANT MORE DAILY DENVER BRONCOS CONTENT?For all of the latest Denver Broncos news today -- Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBroncos?sid=YouTube Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL Follow on Twitter: @CodyRoarkNFL and @SayreBedingerFollow the show on Twitter: @LockedOnBroncos Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BetterhelpDiscover your relationship “green flags” with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/lockedon today to get 10% off your first month. Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Denver Broncos made two big splashes on day one of NFL free agency to boost the biggest needs that they have on the defensive side of the ball. How does it move for the needle for the Broncos as they look to win the AFC West in 2025? We'll share our thoughts and much more on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. You are locked on Broncos. Your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's happening in Broncos country?

You know what time. It is. It's time for another episode, Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day for all your Broncos news, content coverage analysis and more. Make sure you become an everydayer. And thank you to everyone in Broncos country for making us your first listen. Make sure you get that subscriber with that follow button down below. So you never miss out on what's going on with your favorite team, especially with NFL free agency officially being here. The Broncos being active here early on.

I'm Cody Rourke. was beat reporter for Mile High Sports. Join as always by Sarah Beninger, site expert of their predominantly orange.com. And here's what we got in store for you here today. On day one of the legal negotiating period, the Denver Broncos, to make two big splashes.

We're going to wrap up today's episode show by talking about Evan Ingram, who came into the building on Monday and spent some time at the team facility almost all day, but he left without a deal. Is that a sign for concern here for this Broncos team? We'll talk about Denver, adding Drake Green Line to the mix at linebacker.

securing a very, very big need for them here in the offseason. But we're going to kick things off by talking about how the Broncos boosted the back end of the secondary with the addition of Talanoa Hufanga, who comes over from the San Francisco 49ers. And see, really, Monday, it was almost a trifect of former Broncos. I mean, former San Francisco 49ers detackled DJ Jones re-signs with the Broncos. You get Talanoa who Fongas, your first major move of free agency. And then you get Drake Greenlaw. More importantly, Denver taking care of, you know, a big need on the back.

end of the secondary, which really kind of paints a picture, Hufanga, probably going to be the starter here next to Brandon Jones based on the money. 100%, which is very exciting. And hat tip to you, Cody, for obviously calling the Drey Greenlaw signing. I know we'll get into that in a little bit here. But yes, for Tala Noah, Hufanga, three years, $45 million from the Denver Broncos, but only $20 million in guarantees, which I think speaks to maybe his recent injury history, right? obviously had the ACL in 2023, a wrist injury in 2024, but finished the year strong and looks good.

And so, Cody, I feel like there was a report out there that said the 49ers wanted Hufanga back in the mix, but obviously just cap-wise couldn't figure it out. That to me is a great indicator of the fact that he's healthy or he's going to be very soon if he's not already. And I'm encouraged by that. And I think when you pair him up with Brandon Jones, you've given the Broncos now, of the best young safety duos in the league. And of course, this kind of signing is totally on brand for us as far as sign younger guys that are coming off of their rookie contracts as opposed to aging players who you're

signing for short-term deals. The Broncos need more core players on this team. And what I love the most about these two signings, Cody, is that both of these guys have a bone to pick with the Kansas City Chiefs, right? Because the Kansas City Chiefs beat these guys in the Super Bowl. Bowl when they were with the 49ers. And so Hufanga had an all-pro season that year. Drake Greenlaw, obviously an exceptional piece of that 49ers defense.

That was so good for so long. So I'm excited about this. I think this is the most athletic linebacker the Broncos have had in how long. I mean, this is one of the most proven safeties they've had alongside. When's the last time the Broncos other than Justin Simmons? Like they haven't had this kind of a duo on the back end, a young duo. So I'm pumped for Hufanga to come in, bring the wood. He brings the wood, doesn't he?

I mean, he's just a hard hitting heat-seeking missile. I love this move for the Denver Broncos. Yeah, I mean, when you look at what 49ers fans and even 49ers, media members, beat reporters are saying about Hufanga. They're like, wow, this is a big loss for that defense because when fully healthy, this is a guy who plays with his hair on fire. And that's one thing you notice about him when you watch him on the field. Like you see his hair.

A lot of people said he's like, Paul Lalu Light. Man, I remember his all pro season. I mean, Sarah, that year, we got to see him play against the Denver Broncos. This is a guy. I mean, you want to try to run the football. Good luck. This is a guy who, if you're trying to run to the outside, he's tracking downhill at a very good angle. And he's maybe getting you behind the line of scrimmage.

He's getting you at the line of scrimmage. You're not getting a lot of yards when you're running in a way where Fonga is chasing after you. And I like that. You need a safety that can do that. And I think one of the things that people are talking about, they're like, well, you know, he's not necessarily a great coverage guy. What was the narrative about Brandon Jones last year, Sarah, you know, coming over to Denver. Well, you know, he's more of a box guy.

He's going to play in the run, is not going to really play in the middle of the field, can't cover really well? Is that a product of the scheme that those players played in or ability? And I think who Fonga coming to Denver is in a position. I think he's got underrated ball skills. I think he's got the ability to have explosive plays. He had four interceptions in 2022. Heck, in 2023, the year he tore his ACL. He had three interceptions.

He was trending towards having another ridiculous season before he suffered that injury. I think it was in week 10 there. A freak non-contact ACL injury that derailed him for the rest of the season. Obviously, he would have been an important piece for them in the Super Bowl going into that year. So that would have been, you know, maybe big to have him. And obviously, we'll talk about Drake Greenland later who left that game in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs with a freak non-contact Achilles injury here. So Denver taking a little bit of a gamble on, you know, a player who's coming off of an injury. but I also want us to highlight here getting rid of the mentality.

Okay, a player was injured. He missed some time. Okay, he's injury prone like that. That's not like one of the biggest things that drives me nuts here because when we talk about Talanoa Hufanga, people are like, well, he's often injured. Oh, let's take a look at this. 2022, he played 17 games, started 17 games for them. Okay. 20, 23, first 10 games in the season, he's rocking and rolling, suffers the non-contact, misses the rest of the season.

So obviously when you miss however many games San Francisco played the remainder of the season, including getting into the postseason, people count that against him. And then, you know, he suffered a wrist injury as well, a ligament injury that forced him to go on injured reserve for the 49ers this past season. So he missed seven games in that regard. But here's the thing that people are ignoring, Sarah. They're just looking at games played, games missed. They're not looking at the fact that he came back and finished the five final regular season games for the 49ers and that defense down the stretch last season. here. I obviously wanted to get some insight from our good friends over there at Lockedon

49ers, a good friend Croc and Brian Peacock. They shared their thoughts on Hufonga, signing with the Denver Broncos. Telling the Funga, a guy that, you know, he had the torn ACL after a stellar season. And even when you go back to the all pro year, I don't think it finished as strong as it started. And then you got into the next year and it still was a little iffy. Then he had the torn ACL. But when he came back it was like man you know it was good to see him flying around you see that hair you see the instincts and you know i think he's a he's a good football player for denver i think he's very specific with how you have to use him and that's something that the denver broncos are going to have to have a plan for but if they use him right he's a guy that clearly can play at a very high

level and i think the the broncos will obviously have a plan of vision as sean Peyton always says Cody with a guy like this coming into the defense because of course you're signing somebody to effectively replace a starter right I mean money talks and this is a clear sign that all right PJ lock is being demoted from his starting job next to Brandon Jones and that's where who Fonga is going to have to come in and play a substantial role and we know the Broncos they they've been trying to find guys that can I'm not saying this is like hockey where you have an enforcer right but like you know similar types of vibes where a guy like this is going to come in.

At times, I remember watching the 49ers with this guy, Cody. There were times when it felt like they had 12 guys out there playing defense, right? Because he just, he plays in the box. He flies around like wherever the football is, he's going to find it. That's exactly the type of guy that this Denver Broncos defense needed on the back end.

So I'm excited about this move. I feel like he offers so much potential for this already top five, top 10 defense to take it. to the next level in 2025. He's going to make everybody around and better. Well, now I get to bring back the term that I love when I describe a player who plays like whofonga. He is a piss missile the way that he plays downhill, man.

I'm excited to see and look, I think another thing, too, to bring back the medical stuff, the Broncos would not have made this move if his medicals did not pan out with Bo Lowry. And obviously, I think we go back to Sean Payne's end of the year press conference. He made it a point to go out of his way to talk about the amount of games lost. due to injuries and how the Broncos were first and second in his first two seasons in Denver at keeping guys on the field or having players remain healthy all throughout a season. That was a selling point there. I think that's going to be a big part as to what appeals here to Denver.

And look, I think Denver is not done in that regard as to who they're going to add. Still expect maybe a couple of splashes here or there. Are they going to be big, big ones like these two ones? Probably not. But you never know. We could be surprised here as the NFL free agency frenzy continues here. on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. We talked about Tala Noah Hufong and what he's going to bring to the table on that

back end part of the secondary here. But the Broncos, they reunited him with one of his teammates. Drake Greenlaw is coming to Denver to boost the Broncos defense. We'll tell you what he's going to bring to the table exactly here on today's episode of the show. This show is sponsored by Better Help and taking care of your mental health can feel like a big investment. But it's just as important as taking care of your body. Traditional in-person therapy can cough.

anywhere between $100 to $250 per session, but with Better Help, you can save up to 50% per session. Better Help offers a flat fee for weekly online therapy sessions, making professional support more accessible and affordable with over 30,000 therapists and over 5 million people helped. It's the world's largest online therapy platform. And look, self-care is so important. We spend a lot of money on going to the gym to make sure our body stays in shape. It's just as important to invest in our mental health as well. And look, therapy isn't just for tough times.

It's just for making sure that you have all the tools that you need to continue to grow as a human being. I've utilized better help therapy before in the past. I've used it. I find therapy to be very beneficial and I highly recommend it to anybody, not just in bad times, but even when, hey, things are going steady. Check in with yourself. Check in with someone who has an unbiased perspective on your life. Your well-being is worth it.

Visit betterhelp.com slash locked on today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, help.com slash locked on. The Denver Broncos officially have a new starting linebacker next to, we think, Alex Singleton this coming year. But what does Drey Greenlaw bring to the table that the Denver Broncos previously lacked at the linebacker position? Well, Cody and I are going to talk about exactly that. And the Evan Ingram situation coming up here on today's episode,

Locked on Broncos. But Broncos country, as we celebrate some new players coming on to the team, don't forget, if you haven't done so already, we want you to become an everyday listener of the show. So hit subscribe so you don't miss a single episode of Locked on Broncos, especially now that we are into the thick of the offseason where things happen like the Denver Broncos signing Dre Greenlaw to a three-year deal worth $34 million. According to our friend Mike Cliss over there at 9 News, Cody, this deal was originally reported by Diana Rusini of the athletic. Very exciting. We'd been kind of monitoring all throughout

the day on Monday. Is Dre Greenlock going to sign on day one of free agency? And are the Broncos going to be able to outlast the other bidders in this competition to get him? And this is a competition that I think last year, Cody, the Broncos would have lost because they're competing with the likes of, I mean, the Miami Dolphins, the Houston Texans, both of which have significant substantial connections to Dre Greenlaw in Mike McDaniel and then obviously Damico Ryan's. The Broncos won. The Broncos won this free agency bidding war after missing out on Nick Bolton, et cetera. What are your thoughts initially on this Drey Greenlaw move?

What does he bring to the table that the Broncos previously were missing? Yeah, I mean, I think he brings good height to the table, athleticism. I mean, Sarah, he played in two games last year for San Francisco. And what happened was like obviously you tear your ACL, I mean, not your ACL. your Achilles in February. And you go through that process of recovery. Well, he came back and there were some signs. There was optimism.

Okay, hey, you know, he's going to be rocking and rolling. But then when you watch the games he played in, Sarah, it's exciting. It's exciting. But then he started to experience calf tightness, right? Which anytime you hear calf tightness, you hear anything like that after you're coming off of an Achilles, that's a big caution sign for a lot of teams. So the 49ers, they shut him down just to be on the safe side. And they were hoping that they were going to retain him in free agency,

especially with Robert Sala being hired as a team's defensive coordinator in the offseason, kind of reuniting. I mean, he was the architect of that really, really good defense there. And so for I think Denver at this point, you go out there and you make sure that the medical is on Greenlaw checkout, which they absolutely did. The 49ers keeping him out for the remainder of those last couple of games there was only just to protect Greenlaw and also to protect them as maybe like, hey, we want you back. We also want you to be able to be fully healthy, calf tightness.

We don't want to play around with that. The Broncos kind of did the same thing with Josh Reynolds from time to time when he had calf tightness, Achilles tightness, you know, throughout the training camp and even parts of the regular season. So for Greenlaw, man, you're getting a guy who's instinctive. He reads the run really well, does a good job reading guard pole play, but also a guy that he's active in the passing game at the second level, right? You need him to drop back to that middle hook and see for anything crossing. He's going to locate that and he's going to stick on a guy there. He's a guy I feel like you can blitz. He's going to be effective in that regard.

But I also feel like you're not going to line him up one-on-one against a tight end. That's not how the Broncos scheme works, especially if they're going to play out of that too high shell. But he is a guy that can cover running backs out of the backfield. He could be that guy that prohibits maybe running back scoring on a wheel route for a touchdown in a game where that happens several times to the Broncos. But he also get a sideline-to-sideline guy that can compliment Alex Singleton, where I think the Bronco's plan is to play Singleton a little bit more downhill this season. and you pair him with a guy who can run, that is the biggest priority.

And look, he was the best remaining linebacker available in free-in-so. You and I did the shows on obviously Zach Bond before he re-signed, Nick Bolton before he re-signed. And it's like, all right, now that these guys are off the board, linebacker, probably the most important need for the Broncos to address, who's the best available, Dre Greenlaw. Luckily, the Broncos, they all bit a couple of other teams, including the 49ers who were interested in bringing him into the mix.

This boost the Broncos defense instantly. Like we talked about Tala Noah Hufanga against the run. Okay, let's think about it from this perspective here. The Broncos run defense as improved as it was in 2024. Let's say they continue to play at a high level there. But now you had a linebacker who's really good like Greenlaw against the run and you had a safety who can come up in the box and play like an absolute dog there. This is going to be fun here for the Broncos where they can just play,

lock up man-to-man coverage with Pastor Tan, Riley Moss, Jayquan, McMachman, and Chris Abrams, Drain, who's probably going to get in the mix a lot more this upcoming season. these two signings right here massively, massively boosts the Broncos defense. And I think what they can do on paper at least. I think Dre Greenlaw is the best all-around linebacker. The Broncos will have had since Danny Treveith when he was fully healthy. And I know Broncos fans who know how good Danny was back in the Super Bowl 50 days.

And that's with all due respect to guys like Brandon Marshall, Todd Davis. I feel like this guy has the best combination of skills in terms. terms of coverage ability, in terms physicality, aggressiveness. Like you mentioned, Cody, the athleticism. At just 27 years old as well, I mean, he's going to be around for the foreseeable future, which

we also love to see. It's not going to be a, all right, well, next year he turns 30, so what's going to be happening? No, we've got a few years here to kind of find out what the Broncos can do at the linebacker position. And I saw on social media, Cody, that Alex Singleton is also running at full speed.

And of course, the Denver Broncos have not made a single roster cut. They haven't done any sort of that stuff, like to clear up any cap space. So far as I could tell, they're planning on all these guys coming back. And so Singleton's going to be in that mix. If people are wondering, like, well, does this signing mean that Singleton's going to get cut? No, it absolutely does not. And I think it also frees the Broncos up to figure out what they've got a little bit more

in Drew Sanders and maybe just kind of see what happens there over the course of the next handful of months, which is a nice luxury to have because that was not the case this past year, right? I mean, when you were running into the season with just Singleton and then, you know, we had Cody Barton in the mix and you didn't know what else was going to be there. So I'm excited about this just as much, if not more so than the Talanoa Hufanga move. And like I said, what I really love is that these two guys have a bone to pick with the Kansas City Chiefs.

They've got some unsettled, unresolved business there to get taken care of. And so I really like this, Cody. I feel like this guy brings just like Hufanga brings another level of attitude to this Denver Broncos defense. Part of me is wondering as well, like with them bringing in Dre Greenlaw and Hufanga, is the emphasis are the Broncos going to be as blitz heavy as they were last season? Because I think you have guys that can play coverage well, can plug against the run. But do you want to blitz all the time? Like a big issue for the Broncos last season down the stretch was they kept blitzing the inside linebackers

and Joe Burrow and Justin Herber and other quarterbacks, Josh Allen. They were just dink, ding, dinging right across the middle of the field there, right in front of the safeties. But it was behind the linebackers, getting those guys in space. So is this a move where the Broncos believe in their front seven? We're like, hey, our down linemen, our pass rush, we believe they're good enough to get after the quarterback. Of course, from time to time, we'll blitz a linebacker or safety. But primarily, let's just have these guys read run, drop back into coverage when necessary.

Do they believe that these guys can cover to the point? it's going to make it to where they don't blitz as much, which I think will benefit the Broncos down the stretch of the season, which did not benefit them in any way, shape, or form here in those final stretch of games here. Luckily, the Broncos were able to make the playoffs. But, man, I think Talanoa, Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw, these are needle movers here for the Broncos. But now a question kind of remains here. The Broncos had one key player in on Monday for a visit at the team facility,

but he left without a deal. Does that mean that Evan Ingram to the Broncos is off the table? We'll share our thoughts on that and much more here on today's episode of the show. This is a message from our sponsor. Intuit TurboTax and Broncos country. Taxes was waiting and wondering and worrying if you were going to get any money back, then waiting, wondering, and worrying some more. Now, Taxes is matching with a TurboTax expert who can do your taxes as soon as today.

An expert who gives your taxes, their undivided attention, as they work on your return while you get real-time updates on their progress so you can focus on your day. an expert who will find you every deduction possible, file every form for you in every investment, every everything with 100% accuracy. Also, you can get the most money back guaranteed. No waiting, no wondering, no worries. Now, this is taxes.

Get an expert now at turbotax.com only available with TurboTax Live, full service, real-time updates, only in iOS mobile app. See guaranteed details at turbotax.com slash guarantees. The fourth quarter action of today's episode, Lockdown Broncos, is here. And Monday's free agency legal negotiating period proved to be a big one for the Broncos with two big splashes from the out-of-market free agency hall in Talaoa, Hufanga, and Ray Greenlaw here. But they also had Evan Ingram in for a visit here.

Broncos country real quick. I want to say thank you so much for tuning in, making us your first listen. Thanks to all the everydayers out there for making the show exactly what it is. Free Agency frenzy is the place to be here. And lockdown Broncos is your go-to for all you need to know. And the biggest reactions possible as to how this makes the Broncos either better, worse, or moves the needle for them. That's what we analyze here.

Sarah, really the big item news here, because we're also going to get into some former Broncos who ended up signing with other teams here in Free and C. Evan Ingram in on Monday, according to our friend Mike Cliss, in for a visit, came to Denver initially on Sunday, had dinner at Shanahan's, with Broncos personnel, spent most of Monday at the team facility. Was there a pretty long time, but he left without a deal. Now, when people see that and they hear left without a deal,

Mike Cliss, our good friend says they're still working through it. Anytime you leave without a deal, that language right there kind of is like a red flag in the ears of football fans because they're like, wait a minute, why would he leave without a deal? Now that opens up opportunities to have meetings to have meetings with other teams here, are you worried that Evan Ingram will not be a Bronco after Monday? Yes, I'm very worried about it. I mean, and am I losing sleep over it?

No, because I know we have the NFL draft still upcoming, and I've been on this show preaching patience, so I've got to practice what I preach there. But at the same time, look, my attitude towards the Broncos adding playmakers is not going to change. Like, I just, you see what the commanders are doing with Debo Samuel, now swinging a big trade for Laramie Tunsell. And I'm not saying the Broncos have to trade a bunch of draft picks

to go get whatever guy is out there and available. But you see all these other teams taking swings. It sounds like Chris Godwin left $20 million on the table to return to the bucks and had a chance to go to the Patriots for over $80 million in total money. And when I hear that kind of stuff and I think about the Denver Broncos, the defensive moves are very exciting. but the lack of movement on offense, and I know there's not a lot of guys available,

and there's no running backs that would move the needle for me. Just in general, it's really frustrating. It's really disappointing. And the lack of aggressiveness, I guess, so to speak, if they do let Evan Ingram go and say potentially sign with a division rival, like that would tick me off. And I think Broncos country would have every right to be upset because Bo Nix needs playmakers around him.

Dang it. Like, let's get the guy some, some players. Like, I'm so sick of the excuses being made of, you know, well, this guy's developing or this, that. Like, let the guys develop, but raise the floor in the meantime. So I would be really ticked off if Evan Ingram doesn't end up signing because he's kind of the only really good tight end that's out there right now. I went and I watched film on Evan Ingram because that was one of the first things reported on free and she frenzy before the Broncos made the Talanoa Hufanga move or the Dre Greenlaw move. I was like, you know what, in case Ingram signs, I'm going to do a film review on him. I spent two and a half hours watching film, narrating, doing my drops. And Sarah, I mean, even from 2023, he had his best season, 114-something targets in Jacksonville,

900-something yards, four touchdowns. But what I was watching from him at his size is 6 foot 3, 240 pounds. Man, he's big. He moves fast. He moves like Greg Dolsich could move, but I think he's significantly better than Greg Dolsich ever was. And I think he's a better blocker than Greg Dolsich ever tried to be here. But the thing that I see is a guy for his size to run routes either as an inline tight in working against linebackers one-on-one. You see that on the film. You see him as an offset

wing where he could be motioned underneath or he can just be offset next to the offensive tackle and then run a route from there where he can be on the outside. He can be flexed in the slot. He is a legit weapon. Like he would be, Sarah, a needle mover here for Bow Nixon, this Broncos offense. They haven't had a good tight. in that can receive or have a past catching ability the way I think Evan Ingram can since Julius Thomas. And Ingram, man, he made a couple of really tough contested catches at 2024 when he was healthy. He had the labrum injury. Obviously, he had a hamstring early on. To me, missing out on him, I think would be a massive blow because people are like, oh, you know,

even if Evan Ingram goes, it's Joanne Johnson. Joanne Johnson does not move the needle for me the way that Evan Ingram does. I think people, they look at stats and like, well, look what, But look what Joanne Johnson did in 2024, 2023. Watch him side by side. Like, Juan Johnson can play effective football. I don't think he's going to be as good as Evan Ingram would be, though. I think Evan Ingram would be a true needle mover here and instantly upgrade the Broncos tight-in position to something that they have not had in quite some time.

So I'm with you. I would be disappointed. We'll see what happens. Obviously, the Broncos. He left the facility without a deal. Maybe he's just going home to get family or something. Maybe he's going to come back to Denver. That's fingers crossed here.

especially after you have a Shanahan's dinner and you spend all day at the team facility here. But we'll keep you monitored on that here on lockdown Broncos. But Sarah, some former Broncos now on the move here in NFL free agency, some names that we did expect to move on elsewhere. Tremont Smith does not return to Denver. Broncos wanted him back, but he chose to sign a two-year deal with the Houston Texans where he's going to be a key special team's ace for them. But I'd say arguably the bigger ones here for the Broncos,

Zach Wilson signing with the Miami Dolphins. That's going to be a good situation for him. And former Bronco Javante Williams signing with the Dallas Cowboys. Your thoughts on some of the departures here from some Broncos from last season. Man, it hits to hear Javante Williams as now former Broncos running back Javante Williams. That's pretty sad considering how exciting it was after his rookie season to kind of dream of him potentially being one of the top five backs in the NFL. Injuries suck. That's the reality of things.

So excited for him to get an opportunity there in Dallas where, I mean, he's probably going to be competing with a first or second round pick. That's the reality. And so he's going to have to, he's going to have his work cut out for him. But I think the Cowboys also signed Royce Freeman back at one point in time. So they might be a little pipeline for former Broncos running backs. They've started a little trend there. So excited for him to get a deal there. I think Zach Wilson is going to play this year, Cody.

I mean, history will tell us that Tua Tango by Loa is not going to play the full year. And so Zach will probably get some regular season snaps to be able to showcase himself for a bigger deal in free agency next year, which is good for him. And then obviously, you know, you look up and down the list of guys that have gone. I mean, does anybody really, did you think that anybody was going to be coming back to the Broncos that they've missed out on bringing back? I mean, it doesn't feel that way to me. It kind of feels like they've let guys go that we all kind of thought, hey, these guys aren't going to be part of the team going to. and forward, Giovante even being one of those players. And so Cody Barton signing with the Tennessee Titans, I mean, for $7 million a year,

that's a pretty substantial move for him. So I guess good for those guys. Yeah, I thought if there was going to be anybody that was going to probably resign with Denver, at least in my head. As before the Drey Greenlaw signing, I felt like, okay, hey, Cody Barton probably could be one of those guys because the linebacker market, as we saw on Sunday, everyone was freaking out to like, oh, my God, it's just. drying up. Everyone's resigning with their teams. What does it leave for the Broncos? And we were concerned

about that here. So I was thinking, okay, maybe that opens the door for Cody Barton to return. For me, honestly, I was, I was expecting Tremont Smith to resign here in Denver just to be that special teams guy. But to me, I'm actually okay with him going to Houston because now it opens up the door for guys like Damari Mathis and Chris Abrams drain to take on more of a pivotal role on special teams. I think Chris Abrams drain is going to be very much in the mix to compete for some playing time on defense this upcoming season. So I think it just kind of opens a door for your guys. And maybe you can add some younger guys. Maybe you can add a corner in free agency, not as like a tier one, tier two movement more so as like a tier three, wave three type of move here

for the Broncos or maybe the NFL draft. They could add depth there. Just depends on what they identify with players. So Tramon Smith is probably the one surprise. Cody Barton as well. We all thought, as you mentioned, Zach Wilson, going to be in line. I thought he could have maybe ended up in Pittsburgh, you know, with the D.K. Metcalf on those guys. But he ends up in Miami where I actually do think he has a great chance to play there. We even talked about that after the preseason, after the Broncos kept Zach Wilson saying, hey, there might be a team that could trade for him. Then Tua has his injury.

And immediately we, you and I both thought, okay, Miami might be picking up the phone in here, a call about Zach Wilson or Jared Stidham. But now we know that, hey, Jared Stidham will be the backup to Bo Nix. Do they add another quarterback as an interesting question? I don't think that they do. Maybe they add a guy to the practice squad, but nothing of note, I think, going forward. Really, that was it for Denver. And then, hey, an under the radar move that the Broncos made that honestly was, I think, a big surprise.

So it's a complete turnaround. Better and offensive tackle Matt Parrott signing a two-year deal or $7 million can be up to $10 million with incentives. He's staying as the key backup offensive tackle behind Garrett Bulls, but also did a really good job as that jumbo reporting as eligible type of player. Yeah, I suppose we're going to hear 70. is reporting as eligible again in this coming season. So Matt Parrott coming back, the Broncos doing a good job of taking care of their own guys, Cody. I had seen a post out there on Twitter.

I know this is just one voice, but somebody was saying that the Broncos aren't taking care of their players. I think because John Franklin Myers posted, you know, maybe a little bit of discontent, and that's maybe a situation to monitor going forward. But just look over the last, you know, year. Just look over the last 12 months. The Broncos have been taking care of their guys,

who are performing. And so I don't think it's anything for these other players to be worried about. It's just, you know, why not me is sort of the situation that we're in right now. So I think the Broncos will figure it out. And I can't help but wonder how much maybe DJ Jones resigning played a factor in guys like Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw coming to Denver. I know it was only one year that they were all together there in San Francisco. But it seems like DJ is one of the most well-liked guys in that locker room. Easily, easily.

He's one of the funniest guys, too. I love I love getting a chat with DJ whenever we're in the locker room whenever he's in there. One of the funniest dudes you'll ever be around if you ever get it. Him and Malcolm Roach together. It's comedy. There's things I can't tell you that these guys joke around about. But they're considered the comedy guys inside that locker. Now for like for JFM, here's my approach on this, Sarah.

Look, I think for the Broncos, of course, you want to take care of your in-house guys. Oh, and free agency comes around, you know, you have to get those guys, those other additions from outside, they're going to make you instantly better. Then you can focus on your guys because you're not in a race against other teams to get a deal done as is out-of-market free agents. So I understand John Franklin Myers' frustration. I still think something gets done there on that side. So JFM, for listening, I think is coming.

And you deserve it. He deserve it 110% to be here in Denver, impact pass rusher in the Broncos. They want to continue to invest in those trenches, as George Payton said. So with that said, Monday, first day of NFL free agency, a wild ride around the NFL what will Tuesday have in store? We'll have it covered every step of the way here on Locked on Broncos. And hopefully by the time we do another episode, Evan Ingram, hopefully he signs with the Broncos.

Or if they miss out, where do they pivot to tight end? You can expect that on tomorrow's episode, Locked on Broncos.