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Broncos, Garett Bolles Agree To Extension

December 12th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Uncertainty is no longer in place with respect to Garett Bolles‘ future. The longtime Broncos left tackle announced on Thursday he and the team have reached agreement on a new deal.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero adds this will be a four-year extension. Bolles was on track for free agency, but now he will remain on the books with Denver through 2028. Colleague Ian Rapoport notes this pact has a base value of $82MM, with upside for $86MM. The Broncos’ longest-tenured player, Bolles will collect $42MM guaranteed.

This marks the second time the Broncos have extended Bolles during the second half of a season. The first such instance came in November 2020, during the former first-round pick’s fourth season. Denver had circled back to paying its longtime LT that year despite passing on his fifth-year option. While Bolles has been somewhat inconsistent, he has been a better player over the course of his second contract than he was on his rookie deal.

Bolles, 32, had pursued an extension for a while now. After completing a rehab effort on a broken leg, Bolles had expressed a desire for a third Broncos contract. The team let him play out the 2023 season unsigned and let him enter his contract year without a new deal. Between those points, the team had signed Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey and extended Quinn Meinerz. While it looked for a stretch like Bolles would be allowed to hit the market in 2025, the Broncos will continue their run of high-end O-line payments. Four of their five starters up front are now attached to deals worth at least $13MM per year.

At $20.5MM per year, Bolles is once again the Broncos’ highest-paid O-lineman. McGlinchey’s 2023 deal had bumped him down to second, but with left tackle remaining the NFL’s top O-line market, it was expected a third deal would need to be in this range. That said, Bolles did not secure top-five money at the position. His AAV will check in fifth among left tackles, just ahead of Bills blindsider Dion Dawkins but south of Jordan Mailata‘s $22MM-per-year accord agreed to earlier this year.

The Broncos have an interesting situation in terms of near-future commitments. While their O-line deals now overlap with Bo Nix‘s rookie contract, the team still has the second half of the Russell Wilson dead money bill due in 2026. Though, Denver took on the larger portion of the penalty ($53MM) this year. A $30MM-plus dead cap hit is still on tap for 2025, but the team will be free of it in 2026. Nix cannot be extended until 2027.

Bolles has excelled this season, ranking in the top 10 in both pass block (seventh) and run block (10th) win rate at tackle. Pro Football Focus slots the Utah alum 16th among tackle regulars. He has done well to protect Nix, with Denver’s high-paid O-line ranking first in pass block win rate and fifth in run block win rate. After the sack-prone Wilson was dropped 45 times last season, Nix has only taken 19 this year.

Returning to make all 30 regular-season starts since a broken leg ended his 2022 season, Bolles has made the most starts by a Bronco left tackle (112) left tackle. He will now proceed to create more distance between himself and the field.

This contract will at least cover the 2017 first-rounder through the 2026 season, and it would stand to reason — due to Bolles’ age — the team will reassess at that point. McGlinchey’s deal runs through 2027, while Powers’ goes through 2026. Meinerz’s pact extends to 2028. While the team’s ascending right guard had profiled as the cornerstone piece, this Bolles agreement ensures he will continue to be the leading man on this unit for a while.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Broncos Assistants To Receive Interest From Other Teams?

December 11th, 2024 at 9:20pm CST by Ely Allen

The Broncos are surpassing expectations as they’ve rattled off three straight wins to match the Chargers’ 8-5 record to draw even with them in the AFC West. While the players are taking care of business, their success is in no small part due to the coaching staff put together in Sean Payton‘s second head coaching tenure, as well. That fact hasn’t gone unnoticed in league circles.

According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, the team’s winning ways could result in a good amount of turnover on the coaching staff. Klis points out that the team hasn’t had a coordinator hired away for a head coaching job since former defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio left to coach the Raiders in 2015. Similarly, no one has left the front office for greener pastures since 2005, when then-director of pro personnel Rick Smith left to become the Texans general manager.

This year, Klis has identified a few staffers who could get offered bigger jobs. First, he notes that defensive coordinator (and former head coach) Vance Joseph‘s work has been impressive enough to perhaps earn him a second look at a head coaching gig. While the loss would sting the Broncos, Denver could possibly benefit from the compensatory picks they would receive for letting go of a minority coordinator.

Davis Webb has only been coaching for two years, barely removed from the end of his playing career, but he has been impressive as a quarterbacks coach helping Payton coach Russell Wilson through a bounce back season last year and rookie quarterback Bo Nix to an 8-5 record and potential Offensive Rookie of the Year consideration. Webb’s success could lead to some extremely early coordinator looks for the 29-year-old.

Another former player turned coach, defensive back coach and pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard could certainly be getting some defensive coordinator looks. Following the end of his playing career as a crafty safety, Leonhard went back to his alma mater to coach defensive backs at Wisconsin. After only a year coaching the position, he was promoted to defensive coordinator and seemed destined for the head coaching job after Paul Chryst was fired. He was passed over for the gig and, after a year as an analyst at Illinois, rejoined the ranks of the NFL with the Broncos. It’s only been a year, but Leonhard could be a popular name when jobs open up.

Lastly, Klis gives credit to assistant general manager Darren Mougey. Hired as a scouting intern 12 years ago, Mougey has quietly climbed the ranks in the personnel department, working alongside former general manager John Elway and current general manager George Patton. His impact and longevity over the years could put him in a prime position once interviews start for open general manager jobs.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/10/24

December 10th, 2024 at 8:46pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: LB K.J Cloyd

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins has made just 64.0% of his field goal attempts this season, which includes two misses from inside 40 yards. Patterson kicked for Cleveland when Hopkins was injured at the end of last season, and his addition to the practice squad indicates that head coach Kevin Stefanski is considering a similar change this year.

The Titans signed Narveson as insurance for starter Nick Folk, who is dealing with an injury, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Narveson began the season as the Packers’ kicker, but after missing five of his 12 field goal attempts, all of which came inside of 50 yards.

Broncos Host CB Jerry Jacobs

December 9th, 2024 at 6:58pm CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos are eyeing some potential cornerback depth. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the team hosted veteran CB Jerry Jacobs on a workout today. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver notes that “are no plans to sign him at this time,” although things could change as the Broncos get through the week.

That’s because Riley Moss is currently dealing with an MCL issue that will surely put his status in doubt for Week 15. The starting CB suffered the injury back in Week 12, and he was inactive for Week 13. Even with the Week 14 bye, the Broncos seem to at least be planning for another absence.

Jacobs would represent some experienced depth for Denver. The former UDFA had a consistent role in Detroit between 2021 and 2023, starting 29 of his 40 appearances while compiling 131 tackles, four interceptions, and 23 passes defended. Jacobs never graded out as an above-average CB by Pro Football Focus, and he’s gone unsigned since a brief offseason stint with the Rams.

The Broncos currently have an open practice squad spot and could easily bring Jacobs on, but the team may simply be eyeing a contingency in case they lose more depth at the position throughout the week. Levi Wallace was the main beneficiary of Moss’s recent injury, with the veteran earning more snaps alongside Patrick Surtain II and Ja’Quan McMillian. The rest of the team’s positional depth consists of Damarri Mathis, Tremon Smith, and Kris Abrams-Draine.

AFC West Notes: Moss, Raiders, Chargers

December 5th, 2024 at 3:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Broncos were able to contain Jerry Jeudy when they opted to use All-Pro Patrick Surtain on their former receiver, the first-year Browns contributor otherwise preyed on the team’s primary Riley Moss replacement during a dominant Monday-night showing. Free agency addition Levi Wallace struggled mightily, leading to a late-game benching and exposing an issue for a Broncos defense that had entered the game as one of the NFL’s best. The Broncos have seen Moss deliver quality play in his first season as a starter, but an MCL sprain sidelined him for Week 13. It is not certain Moss will be ready to return after Denver’s bye week.

The 2023 third-round pick is slated to need “a couple” weeks to return, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler pointing to a re-emergence against the Colts next week being in play but perhaps not a certainty. A two-week absence from an MCL sprain would be on the short end as far as recoveries go. A long-term lens reveals the Broncos nabbing an important contributor in Moss, given the looks the team’s non-Surtain corners see, but a woeful coverage effort Monday exposes a short-term issue for the wild-card contender. Denver used fifth-round rookie Kris Abrams-Draine, making his season debut, late in the game, playing him ahead of third-year cog Damarri Mathis.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

  • When Antonio Pierce fired OC Luke Getsy, the Raiders installed Scott Turner as the interim play-caller. They also brought veteran Norv Turner out of retirement, with Scott indicating (via ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez) he spearheaded that effort. Norv, a three-time HC and Super Bowl-winning OC, had been out of the NFL since 2020. The 72-year-old coach is currently staying with his son in Las Vegas, as the Raiders attempt to find solutions on offense amid a rough season.
  • Norv Turner makes three former HCs on Pierce’s Vegas staff, joining Joe Philbin and Marvin Lewis. The Raiders also kept DC Patrick Graham around from Josh McDaniels‘ brief HC run while adding Getsy — the team’s second choice for OC after Kliff Kingsbury backed out during negotiations — as the top voice on offense. Getsy’s quick firing and how Pierce pieced his first staff together has drawn some internal pessimism, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Not having much NFL coaching experience nor possessing any college HC seasoning made Pierce a historic outlier in terms of NFL HCs, and it limited his coaching tree’s reach. Pierce leaned on his former Giants HC, Tom Coughlin, for guidance in assembling his first staff. Thus far, the Raiders are 2-10, having lost eight straight. Regardless of players’ push to have Pierce move to HC, Mark Davis is likely considering making the former interim boss a one-and-done as the full-time leader.
  • Ladd McConkey is battling two sprains presently. The blossoming Chargers rookie has been playing through an AC joint sprain, with Fowler adding he picked up a knee sprain against the Falcons. Jim Harbaugh was vague about the second-round wideout’s status for Sunday’s Chiefs rematch, but McConkey did log a limited practice Wednesday. McConkey, whom the team traded up for in April, has 401 more receiving yards (815) than the next-closest Charger.
  • J.K. Dobbins will not be part of the Chargers-Chiefs rematch, being placed on IR due to a sprained knee. Prior to going down, however, the resurgent running back picked up a $150K bonus by clearing 600 rushing yards for the season, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. The injury-prone RB signed a one-year, $1.61MM deal this offseason. The team has Gus Edwards, tied to a more lucrative deal, and sixth-round rookie Kimani Vidal as its top backs on the 53-man roster.

Broncos Waive WR Josh Reynolds From IR

December 3rd, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rather than use one of their injury activations on Josh Reynolds, the Broncos are moving on. The team had a few options with the recovery wideout, and 9News’ Mike Klis notes he will be cut.

Denver, which has three injury activations remaining, had signed Reynolds to a two-year, $9MM deal this offseason. The veteran receiver, however, went down early with a finger injury and then suffered minor wounds in a scary shooting incident in October. That caused a longer-than-expected IR stint, but Reynolds was moving toward a return. The Broncos needed to activate him by Wednesday or place him on season-ending IR; the eighth-year WR now would be in line to return for another team.

[RELATED: Broncos Planned To Trade Jerry Jeudy Regardless Of WR’s Request]

The Broncos could conceivably circle back to Reynolds as a practice squad option, though that would be an interesting move considering the parties agreed on a $4.5MM-per-year contract in March. Reynolds is due just more than $500K in remaining base salary, so a waiver claim should not be considered out of the question in this case. This cut will ensure the Broncos take a $1MM dead money hit in 2025.

This continues a pattern for Sean Payton‘s team this year. Since early March, the Broncos have moved on from Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick and now Reynolds. This will keep snaps open for the batch of rookie-deal wideouts on Denver’s roster. Seventh-round pick Devaughn Vele has shown promise early, while the Broncos have seen increased contributions from 2023 second-rounder Marvin Mims. Ex-Bo Nix teammate Troy Franklin, whom the team traded up for in Round 4, has also played a regular role among this batch of Courtland Sutton sidekicks. It appears the Broncos viewed Reynolds as a potential progress-stopper. Ex-Payton Saints charge Lil’Jordan Humphrey also profiles as veteran insurance in Denver.

Like Zach Ertz last season, Reynolds is being waived from IR. The Broncos could have let Reynolds’ 21-day practice window close or activate him. They chose a somewhat unexpected third option, which will let the 29-year-old receiver catch on elsewhere before season’s end. Reynolds will wrap his season with five games played, having caught 12 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown.

Denver added Reynolds before Franklin and Vele were in the picture, with the longtime Jared Goff target effectively representing insurance for the Broncos. Seeing Vele move to the lead of the Broncos’ WR2 committee, the team apparently prefers not to have Reynolds around to take away snaps from its developing crop. As the Broncos will take a chance on using only rookie-deal cogs to support Sutton, this transaction adds an interesting name on the waiver wire for WR-needy teams in the process.

The Lions, who signed Patrick after the Broncos cut him in August, made Reynolds an offer to stay. Though, it came in south of the Broncos’ proposal. It will be interesting to see if Detroit shows interest, given Jameson Williams‘ volatility. The NFL could suspend Williams still, even though a gun charge was ultimately never filed after an October incident. Williams has been suspended twice already and missed most of his rookie season due to injury. Patrick has worked as Detroit’s No. 3 option, but Reynolds played ahead of Williams for much of last season, finishing with 40 receptions for 608 yards and five TDs. Multiple drops in the NFC championship game ended Reynolds’ Lions tenure on a sour note, but the ex-Rams draftee played with Goff in two cities.

The Broncos have now passed on activating both Reynolds and safety Delarrin Turner-Yell; the latter’s practice period closed and he reverted to season-ending IR. Denver does not have another obvious IR-return candidate, though running back Tyler Badie is eligible to be activated. The team, which is entering a bye week, will opt to save some activations for the stretch run.

Broncos Planned To Trade Jerry Jeudy Regardless Of WR’s Request

December 3rd, 2024 at 12:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Preying on a Broncos team that sorely missed its No. 2 cornerback (Riley Moss) during a historic revenge game, Jerry Jeudy‘s return to Denver went quite well — for the wide receiver, at least. Although the Browns were unable to hold on for an upset win, the fifth-year wideout’s 235-yard performance marked the most receiving yards anyone has compiled against a former team.

The Broncos sent Jeudy to the Browns for fifth- and sixth-round picks in March, cutting the cord after the talented but unreliable receiver had come up in trade rumors since the 2022 deadline. Jeudy said later in the offseason he requested to be dealt, but the Denver Post’s Troy Renck indicates the Broncos would have moved on regardless of the WR’s wishes.

Denver dropped its asking price considerably from 2023 to ’24. The team had hoped for a first-round pick in exchange for the wideout during the 2023 offseason, setting a second-round asking price for Courtland Sutton last year as well. The best offer that came in for Jeudy last year involved a package believed to include third- and fifth-round picks. The Broncos fielded that at the 2023 deadline but stood pat, doing so despite sitting 3-5 at the time.

Denver was midway through a five-game win streak at that point, and the team did not opt to sell. That midseason recovery (after a 1-5 start) dropped the Broncos out of the Caleb Williams–Jayden Daniels–Drake Maye sweepstakes, but the team has seen immediate promise from No. 12 choice Bo Nix, who has launched an Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign despite a receiving corps that has seen a drop-off from Jeudy at WR2.

Drafted during John Elway‘s final year at the controls, Jeudy showed high-end route-running chops but struggled to make a consistent impact in Denver. He topped out at 972 receiving yards in a season — a 2022 campaign that featured a wildly disappointing Russell Wilson–Nathaniel Hackett partnership. Much of Jeudy’s consistency issues can be traced to quarterback problems the Broncos experienced during the Alabama alum’s tenure. Jeudy said as much last week before lighting up a Moss-less secondary, albeit not faring especially well against Patrick Surtain when the two matched up. Jeudy (880 yards, three TDs) is on track for his first 1,000-yard season, one restrained early by the Browns’ refusal to bench Deshaun Watson despite woeful play.

The Broncos also may have received a better offer than what the Browns proposed this offseason, as the Jets are believed to have proposed a deal including a Day 2 pick for Jeudy, who was heading into his fifth-year option season at the time. During an offseason in which Woody Johnson is believed to have impeded then-GM Joe Douglas on a few occasions, the Jets owner reportedly nixed the AFC East team’s proposal. That led to the Broncos selling low, and the Browns now have Jeudy on what looks like a team-friendly contract. Days after the trade, Cleveland gave Jeudy a three-year, $52.5MM deal that came with $41MM fully guaranteed.

Jeudy’s issues in Denver aside, the team would appear to have finally found a quarterback capable of meshing with his skillset. The Nix-Jeudy partnership never was, of course. The Broncos opted to move on early — rather than wait to see how their QB plan shook out — by trading Jeudy before free agency and then assembled a low-cost WR corps alongside Sutton.

The Broncos have seen seventh-round rookie Devaughn Vele show early promise, with ex-Nix Oregon teammate Troy Franklin also integrated into the offense. The team added Josh Reynolds on a two-year, $9MM deal but saw him land on IR with a finger injury; Reynolds suffered minor injuries in a shooting soon after. The team had hoped Marvin Mims would rise into the Jeudy role, but the 2023 second-round pick has been more gadget player than regular starter. That said, Mims has displayed recent improvement — as evidenced most recently by his 93-yard score Monday night.

It can be argued the Broncos would have been wise to give Jeudy another chance, but the relationship had certainly soured by then. The Browns traded Amari Cooper in October, clearing the way for Jeudy to be their lead wideout to close this season. Denver will likely seek to upgrade its pass-catching group this offseason, as Sutton — who joined Jeudy as a trade-rumor mainstay — is 29 and set for a 2025 contract year while Vele is one of the older rookies in recent NFL history; the Utah alum will turn 27 this month.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/2/24

December 2nd, 2024 at 6:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Monday’s minor transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Falcons get the second-round rookie, Orhorhoro, back from injured reserve for the closing stretch of the season. The Clemson-product has seen minimal time in his first NFL season, rotating in for only four games so far, but Atlanta will take whatever help it can get on a defense that is dead-last in the league with only 15 sacks on the year.

Zappe was signed off the Patriots’ practice squad following Deshaun Watson‘s placement on IR. Jameis Winston has performed admirably in relief of Watson, and the team must have confidence in second-year backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson behind him.

Shenault continues to struggle to find a place on an NFL offense, but he did carve out a role as a strong kick returner in Seattle this year. That added ability may help him find another roster spot soon.

Gill is the second punter the Buccaneers have waived this year. Gill’s yards per punt average of 43.3 currently ranks for 33rd in the NFL.

Seymour has served the league’s six-game suspension for violating its performance-enhancing drugs policy and is now able to return to the field.

Lions To Sign LB Kwon Alexander Off Broncos’ Practice Squad

November 29th, 2024 at 1:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

In the wake of Malcolm Rodriguez‘s ACL tear, the Lions are in need of linebacker reinforcements. One is incoming by way of the Broncos’ practice squad.

Kwon Alexander is set to head to Detroit, per his agents (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). Alexander saw his 2023 season come to an end with an Achilles tear, the second of his career. Interest was still present once he was healthy, and in the end the 30-year-old took a deal with the Broncos in September after working out for other suitors.

Of course, that agreement allowed Alexander to reunite with Sean Payton as many former Saints have over the past two years. He has made three appearances so far in 2024, registering eight tackles and a fumble recovery. Rather than remaining in the Mile High City and awaiting the chance to sign to Denver’s active roster, though, Alexander has received the opportunity to do so with the Lions.

Detroit’s LB corps has been ravaged by injury this season, and Rodriguez will not return in 2024. Jalen Reeves-Maybin is on injured reserve, and the same is also true of Derrick Barnes; the latter will likely not be able to suit up unless a deep playoff run is made. Alex Anzalone, meanwhile, is recovering from a broken forearm and he will miss at least the next few games as the Lions look to remain atop the NFC.

Alexander has spent time with six teams in his career, logging 90 starts in 107 games. That experience will be welcomed on a Lions team lacking in healthy veterans in the front seven down the stretch. After playing only 65 defensive snaps during his time with the Broncos, the former Pro Bowler could be in line for a notable role relatively soon on his latest team.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/27/24

November 27th, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor transactions, including some standard gameday practice squad elevations for the Thanksgiving Day slate:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Designated to return from IR: CB Myles Harden

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Vikings’ release of Murphy is disappointing one for the organization for sure. The rookie pass rusher out of UCLA was not healthy enough to be on the active roster to start the season, but Minnesota liked him enough to dedicate one of their eight IR activations on him in August. He was activated yesterday but hit waivers today. If he clears the waivers, he’ll be available to sign to the team’s practice squad.

Adams has seen his biggest NFL roles during his time in Pittsburgh. Though he hasn’t gotten the same number of starts as he had in 2022 and 2023, he’s continued the same level of production. After missing the last four games, he’ll be looking to return to the field soon.

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