Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has been vocal in recent weeks about his intent to find what he calls his ‘joker’. The primary target positions coach Payton has been focusing on are at wide receiver, running back and tight end.
Despite Denver’s success in the draft over the past several years including last season’s draft class, Payton understands that he needs a veteran player who will have an immediate impact on the game while allowing his young draft picks an opportunity to develop.
On Monday, wide receiver and free agent Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals was franchise tagged by the Bengals taking one of the best free agents at the position off the table. Over the weekend the Washington Commanders pulled the trigger on a trade that brought San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel to Washington, giving quarterback Jayden Daniels a top target for next season.
While the Broncos are stacked at the wide receiver position, a veteran receiver would be a great help in a fairly young receiving corps. With both Higgins and Samuel off the board, the Broncos still have an opportunity to grab, Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or Stefon Diggs from the Texans.
Other notable free agents like Elijah Moore of the Cleveland Browns and Marquise Brown of the Kansas City Chiefs who don’t have the same value as Godwin or Diggs are still in the peak of their careers and can still offer teams great production as veterans at the position.
The Broncos could try and draft a tight end since the free agency lacks star-studded talent other than Juwan Johnson of the New Orleans Saints who could potentially be a target for Payton, who’s kept his pipeline with New Orleans open since becoming coach of the Broncos.
With Denver running back, Javonte Williams at the end of his contract with Denver, the Broncos will likely move on from him in search of a new face in the backfield. There are plenty of notable free agent running backs who are looking to jumpstart their careers. Names like Najee Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers), Aaron Jones (Minnesota Vikings), and J.K. Dobbins (Los Angeles Chargers) all jump off the page of running backs looking to restart their careers with a fresh new squad.
Whoever ends up being Payton’s ‘joker,’ they will have an opportunity to build with one of the most promising quarterbacks in Bo Nix and the future of the Denver Broncos.
In other sports the Denver Nuggets have lost two of their last five after winning 9 straight before the All-Star break. Their most recent loss came in Boston to the Celtics while closing out a four game road trip. The Nuggets return to the court this week at Ball Arena to host the Sacramento Kings (Wednesday at 7 p.m.) and again on Friday to host the Phoenix Suns (Fri. March, 7 @ 8 p.m.).
