Since John Elway became general manager of the Denver Broncos, it seems like he makes splash move after splash move during free agency.
With all of the news swirling at the end of the 2016 season that the Broncos were the frontrunner to land Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, it seemed that Elway would be in the limelight of free agency yet again.
However, this has not been the case thus far. The Broncos have been relatively quiet during the frenzy, while slowly filling holes and needs at a very cost effective clip. Ronald Leary and Menelik Watson were added at the beginning of free agency to bolster a very lackluster offensive line group.
On Monday, Elway tackled the defensive side of the ball, signing two defensive linemen, after Sylvester Williams split for a bigger paycheck in Tennessee.
6’3″ Domata Peko was signed away from Cincinnati, and as of now, would be the expected day one starter at nose tackle. He inked a two-year deal worth $7.5 million, with $3.8 million guaranteed, per the Denver Post.
https://twitter.com/DomataPeko/status/841410836061179905
Peko was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006, where he has played his entire career, until three days ago. During his time with the Bengals, he recorded 516 tackles, 18.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. The Broncos hope that he can be the run-stopper that they lacked last season.
Elway wasn’t done there.
Former Colts defensive linemen Zach Kerr agreed to a two-year deal as well worth $3.25 million, with $1.5 million guaranteed.
#Broncos DL Zach Kerr's 2-yr deal is $3.25M w/ 1.5M gtd. 250K in 46-man gameday incentives. 500K sign bonus. Could start at 3-tech.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) March 14, 2017
Elway and the Broncos hope that Kerr can be the steal of free agency. He joined the Indianapolis Colts in 2014 as an undrafted free agent. In his three seasons, he has recorded 64 combined tackles and 5.5 tackles.
He gained a solid reputation as a run stopper, and paired with Peko on the inside, could prove to be an extremely valuable signing.
As the roster sits right now, the expected front seven would be Peko at the nose tackle position, Kerr and Derek Wolfe as the defensive ends, Von Miller and Shane Rey as the outside linebackers, and Todd Davis and Brandon Marshall lining up at inside linebacker.
Elway has proven through the years that he values free agency in bettering the Broncos. The four names he has signed thus far are not splash moves, but they certainly fill very important needs.
