Sunday, March 12, 2017

Broncos Sign Ronald Leary and Menelik Watson

The Broncos started off free agency by adding to their offensive line. They signed Guard Ronald Leary from Dallas and they signed Right Tackle Menelik Watson from the Raiders. Both moves are designed to add some beef and some toughness to our offensive line, and we needed to improve both of those positions desperately this offseason.

Leary is widely considered one of the top guards available in free agency and his signing was praised by many experts around the league. He will come in and start at guard with Max Garcia at the other side.

Watson will come in and play RT, and if he stays healthy, he can be a solid pickup. He battled some injuries in his career, but late last season he came in started for the Raiders down the stretch. He could be an upgrade over Donald Stephenson at RT.

Nose Tackle Sylvester Williams signed a three year deal with the Tennessee Titans. Williams was open to return to Denver for a one year deal, but Denver balked, so Williams left and signed with the Titans. Williams will always have a special place because he was a member of the 2015 Broncos defense and Super Bowl 50 championship team. We'll see how he fares in Tennessee, but I would have liked for him to return to the Broncos.

Denver also added two new members to their defensive line on Saturday. First, they signed NT Domata Peko, formerly of the Bengals. Peko was a stalwart of that defense in Cincy for years, but last year was actually his worst year. I would be a little hesitant to say this stops the Broncos run defense problems, but look for him to be a starter or at least a rotational guy come the fall.

The Broncos also added DL Zach Kerr of the Colts. Once again, he is a marginal player, who wasn't ranked in Pro Football Talk's 100 Best Free Agents, but he should fill a void as a possible starter at DE, and probably a rotational guy as well. Low-risk move for the Broncos on that defense.


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