Mile High Report
The Denver Broncos and kicker Wil Lutz agreed to a three-year contract extension last week, but Head Coach Sean Payton told reporters they also had talks with other pending free agents. According to 9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis, those other players were center Luke Wattenberg and defensive linemen Malcolm Roach.
Sean Payton met with the media on Monday and was discussing the Wil Lutz contract extension when he dropped this interesting nugget. He told reporters that “There are a few other players that we know we’ve reached out to, and I think the key is the communication aspect of it all”. Now, we know that those other players were starting center Luke Wattenberg and run-stuffing defensive lineman Malcolm Roach.
Wattenberg is a former 5th-round selection by the Broncos in the 2022 NFL Draft and has become a consistent part of their offensive line. Over four seasons, he has appeared in 47 games for the Broncos, including 25 starts. He won the Broncos’ starting center competition last summer and has been quarterback Bo Nix’s center the past two seasons. While he may not be the best center in the NFL, Wattenberg has been solid overall and is a key part of the Broncos’ current top-ranked unit. It would make sense for the Broncos to keep him around.
Re-signing Wattenberg or signing him to an extension would be beneficial because it would keep the same five starters around for a third straight year. On top of that, Nix and Wattenberg have good chemistry and the reality is, it would be tough to improve the position if you let him go. The free agent is expected to be thin at center, and looking for a day 1 starter at center in the draft would be risky. So, if the two sides can find common ground and work out an extension, I think it would be a great outcome for the Broncos.
As for Malcolm Roach, he should be a priority. He’s a key rotational defensive lineman who excels at being a run stopper. We saw the Broncos’ run game struggle a bit while he was out, but ever since he returned, the run defense has been very good, and they rank among the league’s best at stopping the run. Also, with them likely losing John Franklin-Myers to free agency, you do not want to lose Roach as well and turn your strength into a potential weakness.
Roach shouldn’t break the bank and is very deserving of a bigger contract, and I hope the Broncos can hammer out a deal for him before the start of free agency.
Speaking of John Franklin-Myers, it doesn’t sound like he and the Broncos are going to hammer out an extension before the start of free agency. According to the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson, the Broncos have not expressed interest in a possible extension with JFM during the season.
While Franklin-Myers has been excellent since joining the Broncos, the reality is that, after paying Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen,...
