BRONCOS

Mile High Monday: Derek Wolfe and Chris Harris Jr. could be back

Mar 2, 2020, 6:42 AM

It’s good to be home after the week at Indianapolis, Ind., for the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine and all the festivities around that event. From the early morning hours at the media workroom to the late nights out at Indy’s best steakhouse (or hotel bar), the Combine is a non-stop whirlwind of activity and information. After going through the gauntlet for over a decade, it is nice to be back in Roxborough enjoying my family and mountain views.

I like covering the NFL in the offseason. It’s my favorite time of year; it’s not the Broncos versus the Raiders, but rather it’s John Elway versus Mike Mayock, etc. The decisions made during this part of the offseason will help or hurt the team when it comes to the playing season in the fall. That’s why everything done, said, heard and speculated during this time is so very interesting because it’s so worth contemplating what is best for the Broncos moving forward.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ – even in early March! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Two Outta Three Ain’t Bad

The Broncos have begun talking with the representatives for three of their top free agents. We got word during the Combine that Denver has approached the agents of Derek Wolfe, Chris Harris Jr. and Shelby Harris. All three of these veterans were key starters for the Broncos in 2019 and it would be nice – although highly unlikely – to keep all three.

There is a chance the Broncos could sign two of those three players. So, who are those two most likely to be? The Broncos have quite a bit of money to spend in free agency (maybe up to $80 million), but tough decisions must be made.

I think Wolfe and Chris Harris might be the two the Broncos can most likely keep.

Wolfe could stick around with the Broncos because he might not get a ton of interest on the open market – mainly due to his age and injury history. I’ve heard the Cardinals could have interest in Wolfe if the Broncos let him hit the open market, but they don’t have as much money as the Broncos and would not break the bank to get him. Wolfe is not going to make the $9 million like he did last year, but if he were to accept a deal around the $6-7 million range, I think something could get done. Perhaps it’s only a one-year deal, but maybe the Broncos would make it a two-year deal just to sweeten the offer.

Chris Harris might stay, but there will be no hometown discount for the star cornerback. The Broncos may have Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones as their top free-agent target, but he’s going to get a ton of teams after him and could be the highest-paid player at the position when all is said and done. A team like the Eagles would love to add a talent like Jones (and they are interested in Harris, too) and they would love to also pluck high-quality talent like Jones away from a division rival. The Broncos know Harris and how he fits in the Vic Fangio system. With a healthier cornerback corps, Harris could move around more in 2020 – something he wasn’t able to do as much last season.

Shelby Harris is going to get paid this offseason. I’ve heard the Colts love his game and are going to make a strong push to add him to their defense. Harris is going to get much more than Wolfe on the open market, and that inflated price tag could force the Broncos to let him move on.

If the Broncos can get two out of three of these players, that would not be a bad thing.

***

D.J. Lethal – Bring It On!

There is a ton of help available on the defensive line this offseason. One of the players the Broncos may have an interest in is defensive tackle D.J. Reader.

A fifth-round pick out of Clemson in the 2016 NFL Draft, Reader is a big-bodied nose tackle who can eat up blocks on the middle of the defensive line. I had him graded as a late-round pick that year, but a strong performance at the Senior Bowl in one-on-one drills turned some heads in the scouting community.

Reader was a rotational player in college and he didn’t produce big numbers for the Tigers. He needed to be coached up at the pro level and get more tackles. Reader could eat up space, but he needed to find the ball-carrier quicker and get after the quarterback with more frequency.

He’s done a good job of working hard at the pro level to improve his game. Each of the last two seasons, Reader has played more than 600 snaps each year and has snared 51 tackles and 4.5 sacks during that time. The Texans met with Reader’s agent during the Combine to see if they could retain him, but the price tag might be too much. Many expect Reader to get $11–13 million annually on his next contract.

We’re nearing the start of free agency, so expect to hear more about players who the Broncos have interest in. It sounds like even with an inflated price tag, the Broncos are considering the hefty nose tackle.

***

Basketball Trade?

Some basketball tendencies have infiltrated the National Football League during the last few years. One of those NBA-like moves is trading away a contract – and paying the team taking on that cap hit to do so. We saw that a couple of years ago when the Texans got out of the Brock Osweiler contract by trading his rights and a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick to the Browns. It was all just to get his $16 million fully-guaranteed salary off the books in a move that has been called one of the most creative trades in NFL history.

Could that same move happen this offseason with Cardinals running back David Johnson?

I don’t think the Broncos would have an interest in doing this type of deal. That being said, it would be an interesting move by the Broncos provided that Johnson could stay healthy.

He’s one of the best receiving backs in the game and Johnson could be a fantastic fit in the Pat Shurmur offense. Johnson would not take over the starting job from Phillip Lindsay, but he’s a much better receiver than Lindsay and would be an improvement over Royce Freeman as a primary pass-catching back for the Broncos offense.

***

Knights of the Roundtable

I had an interesting idea last week at the Combine and it all started with the apartment I rented in downtown Indianapolis. Everyone goes out on the town after the day of work is done, but I was going to be on the air from 9p-11p Eastern Time. Thus, I decided to invite friends over to my apartment each night to do a “Combine Roundtable” on the air.

It was a great way to catch up with friends and talk football. I was able to create some fantastic football conversation that you just can’t hear anywhere else. We got a great response from the roundtable and it’s certainly something I want to do again next year.

Alexis Perry from Broncos TV and I became fast friends last year during training camp. I’m on her show, “Broncos Beat with Alexis Perry,” each week which you can watch on DenverBroncos.com. It’s great talking football with her and picking her brain when it comes to the direction of the Broncos in 2020 and beyond.

Chad Reuter from NFL Network is one of my best friends – media or otherwise. I met him around 15 years ago when we were some of the only media covering the now-defunct Texas vs. The Nation game. I knew Chad was a hardcore draft analyst, and he’s been a staple for NFL.com for the last decade and he’s a behind-the-scenes secret weapon on NFL Network.

Mike Tanier might be one of the funniest (and best) writers I know. We’ve forged our friendship over the years, likely starting at the Senior Bowl but also extending to the times we’ve gotten to hang out at the Super Bowl and the NFL Draft. His work on Bleacher Report is must-read material that every football fan can enjoy.

Matt Stopsky from Pro Football Focus and I are super nerds who love football and Star Wars. I met him at the Shrine Game years ago through mutual friends and I’ve followed his media career closely. He’s a great dude who cares a lot about this game and has been a fine asset for PFF as they continue to build their brand as one of the strongest in all of football.

Eric Edholm (not pictured) has to be one of the best draft analysts out there. He’s not only knowledgeable about the game, but he is one of the hardest workers in the industry. Many people say they want to do this (cover football), but many don’t realize the countless hours and tireless work ethic one must have to make it in this business. There are no shortcuts for a guy like Edholm. He is everywhere and puts in work that few can match.

I have a great group of friends in the media, and I’m glad I was able to assemble some of the best and brightest minds to talk about the Broncos and the Combine on my show. Did you catch the roundtables? If so, what did you think of the format? If not, listen to them in our podcast section at 1043TheFan.com and let me know your thoughts on social media!

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Mile High Monday: Derek Wolfe and Chris Harris Jr. could be back