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Published on 02/15/2013 at Fri Feb 15 17:35.
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Should the Broncos go after Dwight Freeney?

Posted Fri Feb 15th by

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The Indianapolis Colts informed Dwight Freeney today that they will not re-sign him, and thus, he is free to sign with whoever he wants.

The Broncos have a lot of money tied up in the younger Elvis Dumervil (Freeney is 33; Dumervil is 29), and not much on the other side of the line, where Freeney plays.  Sure, the Broncos have Derek Wolfe, but he’s better inside.  Robert Ayers plays Freeney’s position, but only has one year left on his contract.

Should the Broncos make a push for Freeney?  If they had to let Ayers go to do it, would you? What if they had to let Doom go? Would you still go after Freeney?

Lets hear it in the discussion below!

  • Pete Baron

    As crazy as it sounds, I’d much rather have Freeney than Dumervil… I know, I know… Sacrilege you say!

    Freeney is very versatile when it comes to rushing the passer, which is something Doom is not. Dumervil has exactly 1 move, and it’s the bull rush. This is why he is a feast or famine type of pass rusher. If he can bull rush past his opponent, then Doom feasts. If he can’t, then he is invisible. Freeney can get to the QB in a plethora of ways, which is why I would give Doom up if it meant we got Freeney. Ayers is expendable either way, so that’s a no brainer. Wolfe will play in the middle where he belongs, and prove to the world that he is a beast. I think Freeney is more important to our Defense than Ed Reed or Darelle Revis would be. A great secondary starts with the front 7. Bolster that front 7, and the rest is gravy!

  • http://www.facebook.com/jonmark93 Jon Broncos Heath

    Pete, I have to disagree with you on Dumervil, but I would not mind if the team went after Freeney.

    Or Ed Reed. Or Charles Woodson. Or Steven Jackson. Or all four.

    Wait, this isn’t Madden. Never mind. One or two will do.

  • Doom92

    Damn I used to like you…lol.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.koch.5 Jeffrey Koch

    does doom really rely on the bull rush that much

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Hawkins/100002321643891 Mike Hawkins

    I don’t think that Dumervil is just a bull rusher. Yes, that’s a bigger part of his game, but I think he’s got pass rushing talent. Would Freeney look good in a Bronco uniform? Yes….OPPOSITE Doom. Ayers came on stronger at the end of the season. I’m one of the few that isn’t ready to write him off, so I’d swap Freeney and Ayers out on that line. If one had to go, yes, I’d pick Ayers. The Colts cut Freeney. He isn’t the mega stud he once was, but I think he would still be a major asset to this team.

  • Pete Baron

    Yes, turn on the film. He is a 1 trick pony when it comes to rushing the QB. To say he is ineffective when rushing with anything but a bull rush would be doing a discredit to that term. He has about as many non-bull rush sacks as I do. Lol

  • Pete Baron

    Lol. It hurt me to type that, especially cause he’s your boy, but honestly, he really is a 1 trick pony. While he’s really good at that trick, he’s becoming less and less effective as linemen catch on. Go back and watch film on him. Bull rush is all he can do.

  • Pete Baron

    I wish I could disagree with myself, but turning on the game film shows the harsh reality that we all try to ignore.

  • Pete Baron

    I should add that I’d love to retain Doom and add Freeney, but I just don’t think it’s possible unless they both give the Broncos deep, deep discounts. That’s why I posed the “if you were forced to choose” question.

  • Pete Baron

    Hey, I’d love to have Freeney opposite of Doom, but unless Freeney signes for $1-2 Million per year, and Doom restructures his almost $11 Million per year deal, it isn’t going to happen.

    Besides, I’m telling you, all Doom can do is bull rush. I’m not making this up. Turn on Broncos games and watch. Sure, sometimes he tries to spin move or something, but when he does, he pretty much embarrasses himself and is completely out of position for either a sack, a swing pass, or the run. It’s pathetic.

    I think that because Doom is so 1 dimensional that it’s easier for linemen to shut him down (as we saw far too often last season). When you have only 1 move, it’s easy to stop it… Just ask the Jets with their wildcat package ;) haha

    Because he’s so 1 dimensional, if I HAD to choose between Freeney and Doom, especially considering the cost, I’d choose Freeney. I think for the next 3-4 years, Freeney would be better on our line than Doom. He’s more versitile and has less gun charges filed against him. I think Doom’s production will keep going down as linemen start realizing that they don’t have to brace themselves for anything but a bull rush. Doom’s strength will soon become his weakness. I love Doom, but I love the Broncos more. Because of that, I want what’s best for winning championships, and right now, if I had to choose, I’d choose Freeney.

  • dogheadbrew

    No matter how tantalizing an UFA might be, I still come back to the theory: Draft best available talent for depth and stability, then add FAs for holes and more depth.

    1)Reed

    1a) Woodson

    3) Jackson

    4) Smart lower cost moves (see Kopen, Brooking, Leohnard)

    5) Freeny

    We had a viscous line against the pass last season. This season Wolfe will be better, and a second (hopefully) season under the same DC will be great. Id rather find stalwarts/run stuffers in 4 above than feed a strength.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jonmark93 Jon Broncos Heath

    When were you watching film? I’ll look it up this weekend and keep an eye on Doom.

  • TheTroglodyte

    LOL

  • TheTroglodyte

    lol

  • TheTroglodyte

    With Freeney being 32 and having his sacks decline so badly the last 3 years 10, 8.5, 5… I’m just not sure there is much in the tank. At best we probably would get one good year out of him. 33 is ancient for pass rushing DE, especially one whose game was built on speed.

  • Pete Baron

    I agree 100% Trog. He’s no spring chicken, and his numbers have declined, but I don’t put that solely on him. I still see a guy who on our team could get double digit sacks. I see a guy who isn’t 1 dimensional and won’t fade into oblivion when the lights shine the brightest, and I also see a guy who won’t demand $14 million per year (Doom’s salary).

    I’d love to have Freeney on one side and Doom on the other, but I don’t think we have the cap space to get that done unless Doom restructures to more closely match is production. I think that with our current cap space, we do have room to be major players in free agency, but I also think that it would take players like Champ and Doom to restructure their contracts to more closely reflect their upcoming level of play (both in decline).

  • Pete Baron

    I lump bull rushing and flat out speed rushing into the same category because of the position he plays. On the line, he should be strong enough that any attempt at a speed/edge rush would seamlessly turn into a bull rush if someone got in his way. lol

    I hear what you’re saying, and I’m not saying I think Doom sucks or that I want him off the team. I’m just saying that he isn’t as complete of a player as we all (including myself) think he is. Freeney is more “complete”. He’s also older, which must come into consideration (and I think it will). I’d absolutely LOVE to see Freeney and Miller on 1 side and Doom on the other. Man, talk about 85 Bears dominant!!! Add Woodson into the secondary, and how in the hell would opposing teams even muster up the courage to get off the team bus? lol

  • Pete Baron

    How Rain Man smart did Elway look with the Kopen and Brooking moves last year? My goodness……

    The thing is that our defense is stellar already, so there aren’t a whole lot of holes to fill. I think Charles Woodson in for Mike Adams combined with Freeney in for Ayers would make our defense so ridiculous that your xbox/ps3 would shake it’s head and call you a cheater! haha. Draft the best middle linebacker available (or find a free agent), and honestly, our defense is set for a very long time (considering Carter and Boldin will ultimately replace Champ once Champ replaces Woodson at Safety). We’d be absolutely set for the next 5 years without having to tweak a thing.

  • TheTroglodyte

    I guess I’m just not as down on Dumerville as you. Doom did have double digit sacks last year. It was his 3rd highest in his career actually. And he had the most combined tackles in his career. And he had 6 FF which was the most in his career. 2012 was a highly productive year for him and certainly wasn’t indicative of a decline.

    Doom also has a really nice swim move to go along with the power rush and he plays the run better WAY than Freeney.

    Freeney hasn’t had more than 29 combined tackles since 2006. As a long time Colts fan, I can’t tell you how many times I saw Freeney get burned on a draw play mid spin move.

  • TheTroglodyte

    All that said I’m not opposed to grabbing Freeney. Just not at the expensive of losing a younger more productive Doom

  • Pete Baron

    Can’t argue with you there…

  • AZDynamics

    I’m not sure that Ayers is in the last year of his contract has any bearing on whether the Broncos should pursue Freeney. After all, Freeney is long in the tooth and in a precipitous downslide in production. He had, I believe, 5.5 sacks last year, as opposed to Ayers’ 2. However, he also participated in a substantially greater number of plays, so it would be interesting on how the number of plays per sack — and pressures and hits — would figure out.

    Moreover, it has been no secret that Freeney has been a liability in rushing defense, even in his prime, whereas that is Ayers’ strength. The Broncos already have players who are now superior to Freeney in rushing the QB. I can’t see jettisoning a younger, stronger, fresher Ayers for Freeney. I would rather re-sign Ayers, who is now the superior player, IMO.