The Denver Broncos need to sign the wide receiver the rest of the NFL forgot about during the first wave of free agency
The Denver Broncos have taken a patient approach during the first wave of NFL free agency.
Every team in the NFL signed an outside free agent this week before the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos have re-signed several of their pending free agents, but they’ve yet to make an outside “splash” signing.
On one hand, the Broncos clearly like the team they had last season that finished with the best record in the AFC and broke the Kansas City Chiefs’ streak of nine straight AFC West division titles.
But on the other hand, the Broncos still came up short of their ultimate goal last season. And with every other team in the NFL looking to improve their roster this offseason, shouldn’t Denver be doing the same?
The good news for the Broncos is that there are plenty of difference-makers still available in free agency.
Broncos need to sign the wide receiver the rest of the NFL forgot about during the first wave of free agency
Denver, specifically, could stand to add a free agent tight end or a wide receiver.
And there’s one wide receiver available that the rest of the NFL apparently forgot about.
Free agent wide receiver Jauan Jennings would be an ideal fit for the Broncos.
Jennings, who spent the first six seasons of his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers, isn’t a burner who is going to take the top off of defenses. But he provides value in multiple ways. For one, he’s a great intermediate route runner who is so adept at moving the chains that he earned the nickname “third-and-Jauan” in San Francisco.
The former Tennessee Vols standout is also a fierce run blocker — he consistently plays through the whistle, no matter the situation.
“Jennings is a useful player and thrives on third downs and inside the red zone, where teams really need their wide receivers to make plays,” wrote ESPN’s Bill Barnwell this week. “He can win on contested catches and in tight quarters, making him a reliable target for young quarterbacks with a habit of putting the ball (or their receivers) in danger. Jennings is also tough; the 6-foot-3 wideout famously told reporters last year that he was playing through five broken ribs and both low and high ankle sprains.”
Jennings’ physical and competitive play style impressed his superstar teammates in San Francisco.
“Anyone that watches tape, they look at Jauan’s tape and go ‘holy cow, this guy is one of one,’” said 49ers tight end George Kittle in 2024. “His mindset and his attitude when he’s on a football field is completely different. He goes to that dark place that Coach (Kyle) Shanahan talks about…he is just very violent in the way that he plays the game — which you don’t see in all receivers.
“He will hit defensive ends as hard as he can. He will hit linebackers as hard as he can. He’s not scared of anything. And if you need him to win a one-on-one rep, he’s going to win that one-on-one rep. Incredibly strong hands. For a guy that does it all, he runs the routes, he does the run game, he shows up every day loving the game with a great attitude. And then you get to game day and he makes all those plays. That’s someone that you want to be in your building. That’s someone that you want to pay. That’s someone that you want to reward because he’s just going to keep bringing it every day and it’s just going to raise the standard around him. When you have a guy like that that does everything, it’s great for us.”
49ers linebacker Fred Warner called Jennings one of the best football players he’s ever played with.
Jennings is likely looking for a deal worth around $15 million annually. That seem like a lot to pay for a player whose best statistical season was 77 receptions for 975 yards in 2024, but Jennings brings much more to the table than just stats. He’s a winning football player, and he would be a perfect fit in Denver.
The Broncos need to sign him before the rest of the NFL realizes their mistake.
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