Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are reportedly preparing to trade or release quarterback Joe Flacco after signing Jeff Driskel to serve as the backup to Drew Lock. 

Mike Klis of 9News reported Tuesday that the roster move is expected by the end of the week.

The Broncos acquired Flacco in a February 2019 trade with the Baltimore Ravens.

He struggled mightily during his first year in Denver, completing 65.3 percent of his throws for 1,822 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions across eight starts.

Flacco didn't establish himself as a franchise quarterback after Baltimore took him in the first round of the 2008 draft. His 84.1 career passer rating ranks 24th among active QBs, per Pro Football Reference.

His shining moment was the 2012 playoffs when he suddenly transformed into the world's best quarterback for a month. He threw for 1,140 yards with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions in four games to lead the Ravens to the Super Bowl XLVII title.

He's otherwise never been able to match that elite level of production.

A trade or release would leave $13.6 million in dead salary-cap space for the Broncos, but it'd still represent $10.05 million in cap savings for 2020, per Spotrac.

Denver will move forward with Lock, who showed promise while posting an 89.7 passer rating as a rookie, as its starter for the foreseeable future.

At best, Flacco may land with a team where he can compete for the starting job during training camp, but he's nothing more than a short-term stopgap option at this stage of his career.

Backup is on the way for quarterback Drew Lock and the Denver Broncos.   

More specifically, Jeff Driskel is on the way. The former Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions backup is set to join the Broncos, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver. 

Driskel, who turns 27 in April, most recently finished a season in Detroit, where he started three games, racking up 685 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions with a 75.3 quarterback rating.

Terms of the deal have not yet been announced. 

Between college and the pros, this is now Driskel's sixth team since 2014.

After starting his NCAA career with the Florida Gators, he transferred to Louisiana Tech for his final year of eligibility before the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Coincidentally, the Niners traded tight end Vernon Davis to Denver for the right to select the quarterback 207th overall.

Driskel lasted one summer in San Francisco. After he signed a four-year, $2.45 million deal, the team cut him in September. The Cincinnati Bengals picked him up on waivers a day later. 

The Florida native didn't make his regular-season debut until 2018. He started the final five games of the season for the Bengals, passing for 1,003 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for another two touchdowns. 

Unfortunately, health has remained a concern for the quarterback. Driskel has been placed on injured reserve three times in his four NFL seasons. But the Broncos felt he was still worth the risk.

And there certainly is a risk.

Lock began last season on injured reserve due to a thumb injury suffered in the preseason. While Joe Flacco is still on the roster, the expectation, per Klis, is that the Broncos will trade or release the veteran by the end of the week.

According to Klis, Denver initially tried to land Driskel in a potential trade involving Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. and Detroit cornerback Darius Slay. 

There are 17 undrafted NFL players who have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. has his eye on becoming the 18th. The former Kansas Jayhawks star sat through all seven rounds of the draft in 2011 without hearing his name called before he became a Pro Bowl defender with the Denver Broncos. 

As he prepares to enter free agency Wednesday, Harris knows his resume needs a bit more work to make sure he gets a call from Canton. 

"I think I probably need about, probably like, 15 more picks," Harris Jr. told TMZ Sports. "Probably get about two more All-Pros, Pro Bowls, and I think I should be solidified from there."

Harris, 30, thinks he'll play for at least five more years. 

In his nine NFL seasons, Harris has tallied 20 interceptions, six forced fumbles, four defensive touchdowns, 86 pass deflections and 518 tackles—including 4.5 sacks. That's made him a four-time Pro Bowler, a one-time First-Team All-Pro and a Super Bowl champion. 

As he looks for his next team, Harris has at least outlined his personal objective. 

"That's my goal, man, is just to be solidified in there, no question," Harris said. "Make it no question."

The Denver Broncos reportedly bolstered their offensive line Monday when they agreed to a four-year deal with Graham Glasgow.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the deal is worth $44 million and features $26 million in guarantees.

Glasgow played the first four seasons of his career on the Detroit Lions after they selected him with a third-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft.

The University of Michigan product appeared in all but two games during his four years with the Lions and has experience playing center and offensive guard.

Pro Football Focus gave him an impressive 74.1 overall player grade during the 2019 campaign.

Denver was just 7-9 last year and needs to make strides along the offensive front if it is going to compete with the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. According to Football Outsiders, the Broncos were a solid 10th in the league in run blocking but a mere 25th in pass protection.

The Broncos were 28th in the league in passing yards per game.

Glasgow should help Denver stabilize the offensive front as it looks to return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season.

Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. went from an undrafted gem in 2011 to a four-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro defender over a nine-year span with the Denver Broncos. Now that all appears to be behind him. 

The impending free agent went on NFL Network on Friday night to all but confirm he was moving on.   

"I think it's pretty much that door has been closed," Harris said, via The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala. "So it's just trying to move on to the next situation that's best for me and trying to figure out who's excited to have me in the building and have me a part of the team." 

Harris was part of the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers and has been a shutdown defender for the better part of the last decade. As he prepares to enter free agency, Spotrac predicts he could earn as much as $11 million per season (or $33.3 million over three years).

Free agency officially opens March 18, but players can begin negotiating with clubs at noon ET on March 16.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are one team that would certainly be excited to have Harris. 

They have a need at cornerback, and safety Tyrann Mathieu already started recruiting Harris earlier this offseason. 

Kansas City is expected to have $19.2 million in salary-cap space, which would make acquiring Harris a bit tricky. He could be interested in making it work, though, given his ties to the area. He played college ball at the University of Kansas, which is only 45 minutes from K.C.

Of course, having the chance to play the Broncos twice per season in the AFC West might be additional motivation to sign with the Chiefs.              

Pass-rusher Von Miller is staying with the Denver Broncos in 2020.

On Friday, Ryan O'Halloran of the Denver Post reported the Broncos picked up the contract options on Miller, kicker Brandon McManus and linebacker Todd Davis. According to Spotrac, Miller's club option for 2020 carries a $25.6 million cap hit.

Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic noted this decision also guarantees $6 million of the Texas A&M product's salary.

Miller is a franchise icon at this point.

The Broncos selected him with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2011 NFL draft, and he developed into an eight-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro selection and the 2011 Defensive Player of the Year. He helped lead Denver to the league title during the 2015 season and notched 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles during the Super Bowl win over the Carolina Panthers.

Miller turns 31 years old this month but was still productive in 2019 with 46 tackles and eight sacks. He also isn't far removed from a dominant 2018 campaign that saw him tally 48 tackles, 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and an interception.

Denver is looking to make strides after finishing with a 7-9 record in 2019.

Its defense was a solid 10th in the league in points allowed per game despite the lackluster record and will still have Miller leading the way into a new season.

The Denver Broncos announced Friday they will use the franchise tag on safety Justin Simmons.

"We remain focused on reaching a long-term contract agreement with Justin, and he's a big priority for us," general manager John Elway said in a statement. "This is a placeholder in that process and our goal is the same—to make sure that Justin is a Bronco for a long time."

If the two sides can't agree on a long-term deal ahead of the 2020 season, the franchise tag would come with a one-year tender worth $11.545 million for safeties, per Mike Klis of 9News. 

Simmons has started all 32 games for Denver over the past two seasons, totaling 190 tackles in this stretch. He tied for second on the team with 93 tackles in 2019 while leading the squad with four interceptions and 15 passes defended.

The 26-year-old joined the team as a third-round draft pick in 2016. Though he mostly came off the bench during his first year, he impressed enough for the squad to move on from the more established T.J. Ward the next offseason.

Simmons moved into the starting lineup and has become one of the most reliable defenders in the NFL:

The safety was named second-team All-Pro this past season and has apparently made just as much of an impact for the team off the field.

"Really a good football player, a really good person and a really good teammate," Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said in January, per Aric DiLalla of the team's official website. "He's everything we want in a player."

Denver will now have until July 15 to sign Simmons to a long-term deal.  

The arrival of A.J. Bouye in Denver reportedly means the likely end of Chris Harris' run in the Denver secondary. 

Troy Renck of Denver7 reported Harris, a free agent later this month, is "unlikely" to return after the Broncos sent a fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Bouye. Harris made $13 million in 2019, the same sticker price Bouye reportedly will cost Denver the next two seasons.

Harris congratulated Bouye after the move while also hinting at things to come:

Harris, 30, has spent his first nine seasons in Denver, making four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams. He recorded 56 tackles and one interception in 2019. While he wasn't in Pro Bowl form, Harris played in all 16 games for the seventh time in his career.

Harris said last month he expected to test the free-agent market. 

"I think that's the direction right now," Harris said in an interview with Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic and Justin Adams on 104.3 The Fan. "I think everybody deserves to see what they're worth, and I deserve it at this point. I think I worked my tail off for nine years, I gave the city every ounce of effort that I could give and, shoot, it's time to see what everybody else thinks about me."

Given his production and consistent availability, Harris should not struggle to find teams interested in signing him to a long-term contract. The short-term deal he signed with Denver last offseason came in large part because he was recovering from a fractured fibula; he'll go into March with a full bill of health.

The Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets and Houston Texans are expected to express interest, per Renck. 

The Denver Broncos announced Wednesday they have acquired cornerback A.J. Bouye from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a fourth-round pick.

"We're excited to be able to announce a trade with Jacksonville for A.J. Bouye," Broncos President John Elway said of Bouye. "He's a great fit in [head coach] Vic [Fangio]'s system with his instincts, ball skills, toughness and ability to play in a defense that mixes coverages.

"In addition to having the size on the outside to match up against larger receivers, A.J. is an excellent tackler. He's a complete cornerback who gives us what we need in both pass coverage and against the run."

According to Mike Klis of 9News, the Broncos intend to honor the remainder of Bouye's contract. He's owed $13.4375 million in 2020 and $13.5 million in 2021.

Per Klis, the Jaguars had other options on the trade market but the player preferred Denver and the team honored that.

Bouye started all 43 games he's played in since he joined the Jaguars in 2017.

The former undrafted free agent spent his first four seasons with the Houston Texans before breaking out in 2017 with Jacksonville, totaling six interceptions and earning his first Pro Bowl selection.

With Jalen Ramsey earning first-team All-Pro honors that year, the Jaguars had one of the best cornerback duos in football as the squad went all the way to the AFC Championship Game.

Ramsey has since been traded to the Los Angeles Rams while Bouye is off to Denver, continuing a major rebuilding process in Jacksonville after a 6-10 season. ESPN's Adam Schefter noted the team at least had a lot of draft capital to add talent:

Meanwhile, Denver adds a reliable cornerback who could potentially replace Chris Harris Jr. if the free agent leaves this offseason.

After finishing 11th against the pass last season, the Broncos could be even tougher after adding Bouye.

Free-agent cornerback Chris Harris Jr. is going to have a big market this offseason. 

According to Troy Renck of TheDenverChannel.com, the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Texans, New York Jets and Detroit Lions all have interest in Harris. Per that report, the Denver Broncos' "stance continues to be to let Harris test market. There will be a market for him."

Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News added that Harris reportedly met with 24 teams at the NFL Scouting Combine last week. 

The 30-year-old is a four-time Pro Bowler and was a first-team All-Pro selection in the 2016 season. He posted 56 tackles (one for loss), an interception and a forced fumble in the 2019 campaign. The undrafted free agent out of Kansas would be an upgrade for plenty of teams and likely would come cheaper than a player like Byron Jones, who is younger (27). 

The Broncos fielded trade offers for Harris before the deadline in October, though he ultimately remained with the team.

"I'm definitely happy," he said about remaining in Denver at the time, per Mike Klis of 9News. "Now I can just play ball and get this behind me and focus on finishing strong the rest of the year. Try and get some wins."

Free agency may be a different story, however.

"I think everybody deserves to see what they're worth, and I deserve it at this point," he said about testing the market in an interview with Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic and Justin Adams on 104.3 The Fan in February. "I think I worked my tail off for nine years, I gave the city every ounce of effort that I could give and, shoot, it's time to see what everybody else thinks about me."

When asked about returning to Denver, however, he added: "If they want me back, then I'll be back."

And if they don't, it appears plenty of teams will have interest in signing the veteran cornerback.