Broncos Sign Emmanuel Sanders

The Broncos made another big move in free agency over the weekend when they signed Steelers WR Emmanuel Sanders. The deal is a three-year deal worth $15M. The guaranteed portion of the deal is $6M. Essentially, the Broncos got a replacement for the departed Eric Decker for about $9M cheaper. Decker's deal with the Jets is worth $15M guaranteed. Sanders was high on the Broncos wish list for free agent receivers. There was a bit of controversy with this move because Sanders apparently had a verbal agreement with the Chiefs, but his agent supposedly then shopped him to other teams including the Broncos and the Bucs. Sanders said that Denver was the place he always wanted to end up with because of the Peyton Manning factor. That certainly makes a lot of sense. Sanders a nice year last year for the Steelers posting career highs with 67 catches 740 yards and 6 touchdowns. Anyone who has seen Sanders play knows that he can expand those numbers tremendously playing in Denver with Manning and that offense next year. This was a solid move for the Broncos because they replace Decker with a real threat, and it still gives them the chance to draft a wideout in May's NFL Draft. Good signing and good move by John Elway and the Broncos front office to swoop in and snag him away from going to KC.

In other free agency news, the Broncos lost LB Wesley Woodyard to Tennessee. Woodyards signed a four-year deal worth $16M. It sounds like he will step in and start for the Titans at MLB. It is sad to see Woodyard go because he goes back to the Mike Shanahan days in Denver. At times he was the heart and soul of the defense, but he fell out of favor with the coaching staff right around the time he got hurt against Dallas in Week 5. He was a captain for most of his term, but the writing was on the wall that he was on his way out of town because the Broncos replaced him at MLB with Paris Lenon around the middle of the season, and Danny Trevathan was solidly entrenched as the starting weakside linebacker.

Denver also saw both Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Trindon Holliday head off to the New York Giants. DRC turned down the Broncos offer that they essentially gave to Aqib Talib. He was in New Jersey meeting with the Jets on Saturday, but the two sides couldn't come to an agreement on a deal. DRC went over to meet with the Giants on Sunday and agreed to terms on a five-year $35M contract. Rodgers-Cromartie was an essential part of the Broncos defense last season. In his only season in Denver, he played really well in coverage all year long.

Trindon Holliday's story is a little interesting. We all remember the kind of impact that Holliday had once he came to Denver after Week 6 of the 2012 season. He scored six touchdowns on punt and kickoff returns in Denver and had that memorable game against Baltimore in which he scored on a punt return and a kickoff return. Holliday started 2013 in the same fashion with a punt return TD against the Giants in Week 2 and kickoff return against the Eagles in Week 4. After that his play seemed to fall off. Ball security issues were a concern, and his judgment on punts really seemed to take a turn for the worse. Many times this year the Broncos replaced him with Wes Welker on crucial punt returns. In the playoffs, Eric Decker even filled in for him on punt returns. Holliday was a lightning rod and a dynamic returner, and the Broncos need to address that aspect of their special teams next year. I know he came with many risks, but the rewards he provided were pretty high too. The return game will be an interesting subplot heading into the 2014 season.