The Denver Broncos exceeded expectations in 2024, finishing 10-7 and ending their nine-year playoff drought. The future looks bright under Sean Payton, which makes Denver’s 2025 offseason one of the most important ones in recent history.
Denver enters the offseason with $34 million in cap space. They can easily raise that number to $50 million with some roster cuts. Outside of the roster cuts, Denver has some big decisions to make on who to resign and who to let walk.
D.J. Jones
The biggest hole in Denver’s defense was their rushing defense. In Denver’s wildcard loss to the Bills, James Cook ran all over the Broncos. But that wasn’t because of D.J. Jones. Jones is one of the best interior run defenders in football. This season he was ranked second among all defensive tackles with a 45% run stop win rate.
Jones is projected to receive anywhere from $9-$12 annually this free agency. Bringing him back on that price tag should be a no-brainer for Denver’s front office. While their may be some bigger names available at the position, Denver has much bigger needs and should make resigning Jones a top priority.
Ja’Quan McMillian
Ja’Quan McMillian had an up-and-down 2024. He made plenty of big plays for Denver, including a game-sealing pick-six against the Browns on primetime. But he was also the corner that was picked on the most by opposing passers.
McMillian was targeted 100 times this season but only allowed 6 yards per target which was 18th in the NFL. He rarely gave up big plays, but consistently needed help in coverage. If McMillian wants to return on a very team-friendly deal, then Denver should do it. But they have Kris Abrams-Draine, who had a promising rookie year, waiting in the wings and could take over that nickel spot next season.
McMillian was just too much of a liability for Denver to seriously consider bringing him back on a long-term deal, despite his big-play ability.
Javonte Williams
Unfortunately, it already seems like Javonte Williams hitting the open market is a done deal. Williams had a spectacular rookie season but tore his ACL, LCL, and suffered ligament damage in 2022, and was never really the same.
Williams did have the most carrier for Denver this season but racked up just 513 yards and four touchdowns on 3.7 yards per carry. He was somewhat of a reliable receiving back for the Broncos, as he had 52 catches this season, but it still seems like George Paton wants to move in a different direction.
It seems like the best move for both sides is for Javonte Williams to find a new home in 2025. The Denver Broncos will look to find a new lead back.
Cody Barton
Cody Barton stepped up big time in 2024. When Alex Singleton went down with a season-ending injury after week three, Denver was thin a linebacker. Barton came in a picked up right where Singleton left off, and at times played even better than Singleton.
With Alex Singleton being a cut-candidate, Denver should bring back Barton. It won’t be on the veteran minimum deal they got him on. But for a solid veteran linebacker, the Denver Broncos should certainly be willing to pay him the $6 million annually he’s projected to receive.
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