The Broncos have interest in cornerback T.J. Carrie, according to CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora (on Twitter). Carrie entered free agency as one of PFR’s ten best cornerbacks available and one of the 50 best free agents overall.
Carrie has said that he doesn’t want to leave the Raiders, but it’s not clear whether new head coach Jon Gruden has him in their plans. Carrie did meet with the Raiders’ new staff, however. Ultimately, his market value could drive him away from Oakland and into the arms of a divisional rival.
The Broncos are in search of a No. 3 cornerback after agreeing to trade Aqib Talib to the Rams. Talib, Chris Harris and Bradley Roby formed probably the league’s best corner trio over the past four years, and Harris and Roby remain. But despite drafting Brendan Langley in last year’s third round, the franchise was said to be searching the veteran market for a cheaper option than Talib.
Carrie qualifies, but after a strong contract year where he proved to be a clear slot upgrade on D.J. Hayden, it’s unclear how cheap he will come. Both Harris and Roby are going to earn north of $8MM in 2018, so any Carrie deal would place the Broncos toward the top of the league in cornerback spending.
A perennial Pro Bowler, Harris has functioned as probably the game’s best slot cornerback over the past several years. But he recently expressed a desire to play more on the outside. His flexibility as a boundary corner in base sets and slot cover man in Denver’s nickel would allow the team to target a slot player or outside defender in free agency.