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Top 3 restricted free agents the Broncos should bring back for 2021 - Mile High Sports

Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay (30) carries the ball in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Empower Field at Mile High.
Dec 22, 2019; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay (30) carries the ball in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

This off-season has the potential to be devastating for the Broncos, with a lot of key players having expiring contracts. In fact, there’s so many high-end players, we had to break up our lists of the top restricted and un-restricted free agents.

So, without further adieu, enjoy this list of the players Denver must bring back on high-priced tenders, before we look at players set to hit the open market, like Justin Simmons and Shelby Harris, next week.

3. Tim Patrick

The fact that Tim Patrick comes in at No. 3 on this list, should raise the eyebrows of every member of Broncos Country. Having your best receiver from this season as your third-best player with an expiring contract means you run the risk fo suffering a massive exodus of talent this year.

Patrick has been “Mr. Reliable” for the Broncos this season as K.J. Hamler and Jerry Jeudy have had high peaks and low valleys. Having a consistent, chain-moving, red-zone dominating receiver like Patrick will be huge for Drew Lock in a do-or-die year three. Fortunately for Denver, he’s a restricted free agent, which should make it easier to bring him back.

The only reason Patrick isn’t higher on this list, is that K.J. Hamler and Jerry Jeudy are the future at that position opposite Courtland Sutton, and Sutton does a lot of the same things Patrick does, but he does them better.

2. Phillip Lindsay

Of all the players on this list, Lindsay is easily the most talented, but it’s also worth noting that he plays the least valuable positon of the three. Over the last half-decade, almost every running back around the league that signed a second contract, didn’t live up to it; and even those that arguably did live up to it, barely did so, as is the case with Melvin Gordon.

Speaking of Gordon, Gordon has outplayed Lindsay by a wide margin in the second half of this season. Fumbles plagued him early on, but in recent weeks, he’s emerged as the clear No. 1 back with Lindsay as the No. 2. With Gordon on the roster for next season, and making good money while doing so, can the Broncos really run the risk of having two high-priced running backs? Especially considering how deep that position should be in this year’s draft class and that the salary cap is shrinking this season for the first time in a long time.

That’s the argument against bringing Lindsay back, but there’s an equally-convincing argument to bring him back.

First, he’s an excellent presence in both the locker room and the Denver community, and he’s also a fan-favorite. Second, when healthy he might’ve been the offense’s best and most-explosive offensive weapon, and this is an offense starving for explosiveness and weapons. Gordon only started out-performing him once he was playing through several injuries. Until then, the roles were reversed and Lindsay was blatantly superior. Lastly, Lindsay’s best performances this season (home against the Chargers, Patriots, and Dolphins), almost perfectly correlate with Lock’s best performances of the season.

1. Alexander Johnson

You might be surprised to see Alexander Johnson in this top spot, and although he might not be as lauded as the two names listed before him, one could argue he’s much more valuable, especially in Vic Fangio’s defensive scheme.

Without Johnson, you would need Jewell to step up as your top dog inside, and he’s an average to below-average No. 2 as it is. Then, behind Jewell you have nothing other than 5th-round pick Justin Strnad, who is immensely intriguing, but also hasn’t even be able to practice this season due to injury.

That’s an ugly spot to be in, especially for a Vic Fangio defense that thrives with elite play from its inside linebackers. Even with Johnson on the roster, the Broncos would probably love to add a premium player like Micah Parsons in the draft to upgrade that position, and that demand for an upgrade would only become greater if they were to lose him.

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