Over the past four days, the Broncos' three exclusive rights free agents signed their respective tenders. Paul Cornick and Ben Garland ($510K each) signed on Friday, while Brandon Marshall ($585K) signed on Monday. These moves are mere formalities, as the players were essentially stuck with the team the moment they were tendered on March 6.
The Broncos have added yet another player familiar to Gary Kubiak, agreeing to a one-year deal with fullback/tight end James Casey. Originally drafted by Kubiak's Texans in 2009, Casey played four seasons in Houston, parlaying his most productive season into a free agent deal with the Eagles in 2013.
Gino Gradkowski passed his physical on Thursday to complete his trade from Baltimore to Denver. The Broncos sent their 2016 fourth-rounder to the Ravens in exchange for Baltimore's fifth-rounder that year.
The Broncos agreed to a one-year deal worth a reported $2M with defensive lineman Antonio Smith (6-3, 290) on Thursday. Smith was cut by Oakland on Tuesday and was reportedly also pursued by Houston, his previous team.
In Denver, Smith will be reunited with Gary Kubiak, Wade Phillips, and line coach Bill Kollar, and figures to rotate in along with Vance Walker and behind starting ends Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson.
Continue reading "Broncos agree to one-year deal with Antonio Smith"
According to multiple reports, the Broncos are set to acquire guard/center Gino Gradkowski (6-3, 300) from the Ravens via trade, pending a physical. The fourth-year player figures to compete for Denver's starting center job; he turned 26 in November.
The Ravens have announced that the trade will include a swap of 2016 draft choices. According to Ed Werder, Denver will send their fourth-rounder and receive Baltimore's fifth-rounder. At first blush, this seems a slightly steep price.
Continue reading "Broncos acquire guard/center Gino Gradkowski from Ravens"
The Colts announced that they've agreed to terms with former Broncos linebacker Nate Irving. According to Josina Anderson, it's a three-year deal worth "up to $9.25M." Of course, all that matters there are the guarantees and the base value, but either way, Irving is gone, and probably for far more than Denver would have paid him.
Denver agreed with a presumable replacement for Irving on Thursday, to the tune of a minimum-salary one-year deal with Reggie Walker.
The Broncos have agreed to a one-year deal with free agent linebacker Reggie Walker, it was announced on Thursday. In four seasons with Arizona and two more with San Diego, Walker (6-0, 244) has 98 career tackles, along with 3.5 sacks, four passes defensed, and a fumble forced.
According to Mike Klis, Walker got a $50K signing bonus, $745K (veteran minimum) salary, and can earn another $200K in playing time incentives.
Continue reading "Broncos agree with linebacker Reggie Walker"
Jacob Tamme has indeed opted to join the Atlanta Falcons over re-signing with Denver, where he spent his last three seasons:
I'm thankful for my @Broncos teammates & coaches and very much enjoyed my time being in Denver. A great organization and city.
— Jacob Tamme (@JacobTamme) March 19, 2015
The Chargers signed former Broncos defensive tackle Mitch Unrein to a two-year deal, it was announced on Wednesday evening. Unrein played a significant role for the Broncos in 2012 and 2013, but saw only 46 defensive snaps in 2014.
A native of Eaton, CO, Unrein is the fifth Bronco to depart via free agency, and the second to join the Chargers, following Orlando Franklin. Julius Thomas, Rahim Moore, and Terrance Knighton were Denver's prior losses.
Let's get caught up on what's been going on with the rest of the AFCW teams, which is to say, quite a bit.
Much of this is stale news, but my OCD nature won't allow me to entirely skip mention of all of it. Apologies for the recent sporadic nature of posts.
Here's what's new (and old):
Continue reading "AFCW update: Everyone else has been pretty busy"