Getty Ahkello Witherspoon #44 of the Los Angeles Rams.
The Denver Broncos’ search for a quarterback has left some of their other needs flying under the radar in the late stages of free agency.
They have several questions on offense. Who will start at center, whether or not Marvin Mims Jr. steps up as WR2, and what they do at tight end are chief among them behind the quarterback quandary.
But their defense isn’t without holes of its own.
“While the Broncos have an excellent No. 1 corner in Patrick Surtain II, they could use an upgrade on the other side of Surtain,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder wrote on April 7. “Currently slated as the team’s other starting corner is Damarri Mathis, who allowed a 135.9 passer rating when targeted and earned a 36.7 coverage grade last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Meanwhile, PFF is projecting Witherspoon to receive just a one-year, $3 million contract after he posted figures of 76.7 and 61.6 in the same metrics during the 2023 campaign.”
What a pick by Ahkello Witherspoon 🔥
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The Broncos have shown interest in some of this class’ top cornerback prospects like Iowa’s Cooper DeJean. But they could look to add a experienced players like Witherspoon at the position given the lack of proven depth.
Witherspoon also has ties to the area, playing his college ball at the University of Colorado.
Ahkello Witherspoon Could Be Answer for Broncos in Free Agency
GettyAhkello Witherspoon #44 of the Los Angeles Rams.
Witherspoon was a third-round pick (No. 66 overall) of the 2017 draft San Francisco 49ers. The 29-year-old corner was a member of the 49ers Super Bowl squad in 2019. After four years in the Bay Area, Witherspoon signed with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency.
The Seahawks traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers before the 2021 season began.
Witherspoon spent two seasons with the Steelers before signing with the Los Angeles Rams in free agency last offseason.
Pro Football Reference credits him with allowing 48.1% completion against a career-high 106 attempts this past season. That is the second-best mark of his career and came with a career-high-tying three interceptions and a new career-best 17 starts.
After his late breakout season, Spotrac projects him to land a two-year, $20 million contract.
That could be too high of a price tag for the Broncos, who have $18 million in cap space. He already has $14 million in career earnings.
Draft Analyst Argues for DB With No. 12 Pick of 2024 Draft
GettyQuinyon Mitchell #DB27 of Toledo.
Sitting where they do in the draft makes it difficult to project the Broncos landing one of the top six quarterback prospects at an appropriate slot. While they could always trade up or back for one, ESPN’s Mel Kiper argued a similar line of thinking to Holder on what to do at 12.
He projects them to select Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell.
“I thought hard again about giving the Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (Oregon), but I talked myself out of it,” Kiper wrote on April 10.
“Instead, Denver can look to improve a defense that ranked 30th in yards per play allowed (5.8) last season and pair Mitchell with Pat Surtain. Mitchell, my top-ranked cornerback, had 46 pass breakups in four seasons at Toledo, and he ripped off an elite 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the combine. He’s ready to play early and often as a rookie.”
Mitchell logged five interceptions and two touchdowns in a stellar 2022 season.
He has risen up draft boards, reaching the top 12 after beginning the season outside Kiper’s first-round projections.