ESPN analyst thinks Broncos signing was a 'head scratcher' move
The Denver Broncos' offseason has been just about as busy as it can get. They had to find a new head coach and did so with Sean Payton. They had to hire his new staff, and then got even busier when March hit, as free agency kicked off with a boom. Their free agency was […]
The Denver Broncos' offseason has been just about as busy as it can get. They had to find a new head coach and did so with Sean Payton. They had to hire his new staff, and then got even busier when March hit, as free agency kicked off with a boom.
Their free agency was hectic, but not in a bad way. They made moves that should make this team better, at least it should on paper. They addressed several of their needs, including bringing back Alex Singleton, their best linebacker last year, they addressed the backup quarterback situation, added wide receiver depth, and fixed an offensive line that allowed the most sacks in the league last year.
But, one ESPN analyst thinks somewhere along those lines the Broncos made a head-scratching move.
Jeremy Fowler: OT Mike McGlinchey to the Denver Broncos. It's hard to knock a team for securing quality offensive line help, but McGlinchey's contract ($87.5 million over five years) got a little steep, considering Atlanta signed Kaleb McGary — a comparable player — for a more reasonable three years and $34.5 million. The Broncos now have Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, and McGlinchey making a combined $47.5 million per year on average.
This, to me, is a bad take, for really one big reason. Let's just state the obvious real quick – the Broncos and the Chicago Bears had the worst offensive line. Well, when you are a team as bad as the Broncos were, and your problem is a pretty big one, you usually have to overpay a bit for some of the players you want in free agency.
The market for the players on the offensive line that they needed wasn't great, so to get the guys that are good, the Broncos had to overpay, especially because other teams want those guys too.
I think the Mike McGlinchey signing was a good one. He played every game last season for a good San Francisco 49ers offensive line. He allowed 27 pressures last season, but for a guy who played over 560 pass-blocking snaps, I'd say that isn't too bad.
He was one of the best tackles in the free agency market. The Broncos may have overpaid a bit, but sometimes you have to do that to get better.
You can read the rest of the ESPN article here.
