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Published on 02/07/2013 at Thu Feb 07 16:30.
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Should the Broncos go after Ed Reed in 2013?

Posted Thu Feb 7th by

(Getty Images)

Heading into the 2013 NFL offseason, the Denver Broncos could use some leadership at the safety position.  Could Baltimore’s Ed Reed fill in the gap?

The Broncos have a veteran in Mike Adams, but Adams is not the type of play-maker that Reed has been throughout his career.  At least one Broncos insider, CBS4’s Vic Lombardi, could see the Broncos pursuing Reed in free agency.

Reed would come at a reasonable price (a much better bargain than another free agent defensive back, Darrelle Revis).  The Broncos have had veteran safeties including John Lynch and Brian Dawkins finish their careers in Denver, Reed may be next.

If Reed does in fact land in Denver, it will probably be awkward when he meets Knowshon Moreno.  Reed and Moreno have, of course, met on the field.

More notes and links after the jump.

  • Last season, Denver’s Champ Bailey and Chris Harris combined to allow 929 yards through the air, the lowest total among any cornerback duo in the league.  Revi$ who?
  • Fullback Jacob Hester says losing in the playoffs hurt, but the team has to refocus and begin working towards a successful 2013 season.
  • The Denver Post‘s Mike Klis touches on the subject of Denver going after Reed, mentioning that Rahim Moore does not necessarily need to be replaced (but how about an upgrade over Adams?).
  • According to ProFootballTalk, the Broncos are going into the offseason with around $14.1 million in addition to the unadjusted cap number, which is expected to be in the vicinity of $121 million.
  • While we’re on the topic of Revis and Reed, why not throw Wes Welker into the conversation?  Welker, like Revis, will demand a lot of money. For that reason, it seems unlikely that either will land in Denver.  Reed, on the other hand, seems to be a possible target.
  • The Broncos are continuing their push to host either Super Bowl LI or LII, as the team is expected to “bid” to host the game in the coming years.

What are your thoughts, Broncos fans?  After re-signing Ryan Clady, should the Broncos go after Reed?  Revis?  Welker?  Give us your thoughts in the comments below!

  • http://www.facebook.com/shane.johnson.10236115 Shane Johnson

    I say dont worry about Welker… Go for Danny Amendola.. I would also be for trying to get Ed Reed!!

  • TheTroglodyte

    There are VERY few defensive players in the NFL that can, for all practical purposes, single handedly change the outcome of a game. Ed Reed is one of those players. If there is any shot in hell of him coming to Denver, we need to pursue it!

  • Jim_Jebow

    no, he is old. Rahim is going to be a star next year. Next story

  • http://www.facebook.com/toxik.zine Toxik Zine

    if you can get him cheep, go for it. He still snags balls, something that is needed in Denver.

  • http://twitter.com/TimLynch1978 Tim Lynch

    Reed could be a solid contributor in the box…

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

    I would be all for going after Amendola. He’s the type of player that QBs like Brady and Manning turn into Welkers…

  • Pete Baron

    If you think Moore fucked up that long bomb to end our season, just imagine how badly Ed Reed would have been in that situation. Moore just fucked up… Ed Reed would have been equally burned. Not because he fucked up, but because he is so damn slow, he’d be even more out of position than Moore was.

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

    I don’t know about that. Reed still knows how to play the ball. I’ve seen him pick off deep throws in his later years.

  • TheTroglodyte

    There is a 0% chance Reed would have been out of position on that play.

  • Pete Baron

    He’s a liability in the passing game. Everyone knows this. Even announcers like Gruden know this (and it takes a lot for him to say that all 53 people are anything short of sure fire first ballot hall of famers). With the NFL changing rules to make it more and more of a passing league, you can’t have a safety who is a liability in that aspect of the game.

    John Lynch didn’t retire because he couldn’t hit anymore, or stop the run anymore… Instead, he retired because he was a liability in the passing game. The same can be said for Ed Reed. Even though he has a bit more in the tank than Lynch did in his final year, the gas light is on, and until there is an anti-aging pill, the gas station isn’t anywhere in sight.

  • Pete Baron

    More like 100% chance he would have been. It isn’t because he wouldn’t have known what to do, it’s because his 1 minute 40 time would have put him about 10 yards away from Jones (about 8 yards further than Moore was).

  • Cheyenne Kid

    I think he still has a couple of good years left and with the right price could fit into the overall db scheme. What he may give up in speed will be made up in superior positioning. And he.is tenacious pass rusher when called upon and an above average tackler. And Amendola would be a great addition to the recieving corps!

  • Pete Baron

    Sorry Trog, I’m still bitter.

    ya know, after the 1996 debacle, I joined the military and we won back to back the first 2 years in…. Maybe now that I’m out, I should join back up to see if lightening can’t strike twice? I’m seriously tempted to do it as ridiculous as that sounds.

  • Pete Baron

    I 100% completely agree with you. Moore will be a STUD someday soon. We need to keep that talent on this team, not watch it flourish on the enemy’s team.

  • TheTroglodyte

    lol

  • TheTroglodyte

    Dude had 4 INTs (1 returned for a TD), 15 PD’s & 3 fumble recoveries.

    He is arguably the SMARTEST safety to ever play the game. To think he couldn’t be in position on that is sheer bitterness my friend. There is absolutely nothing to suggest otherwise. If you have proof that he is a liability for pass defense I’d love to see it.

    He may have lost a step the last couple of years but he is still a top 5 safety without question. There is no chance in hell he is out of position on that play.

    Besides that, there are likely only 3 landing spots for Reed. The Ravens want to resign him, the Patriots want him bad and he loves Billichick, and the Broncos.

    I’d much rather him be on my team than the other two biggest threats in the AFC.

  • Pete Baron

    I reject your reality and inject my nonsense. lol

  • Doom92

    LOL… Yeah Ed is such a burden, that is why he starts in the NFL and is a total leader… I have to agree with Trog, no way in hell he wouldn’t have been there. Doesn’t matter if he would have had to start running a week in advance, he’d been there. Moore made a youngster mistake and I say make no mistake he wont do it again.

    However, any chance of getting Ed we damn sure should go for it. I will say now thought I don’t see him leaving Bmore.

  • Doom92

    You’re high, Ed isnt a liability in the passing game. He is still a ball hawk and can come up with a pick on any play… Some times I wonder where you get this stuff…lol.

  • http://www.facebook.com/FredBedrock34743 Freddy Torres

    ed reed picks that ball off. And hes such a liability thats why denver didnt challenge him at all right? please man

  • TheTroglodyte

    LOL you’re awesome. I reject my own reality and accept your nonsense!

  • Pete Baron

    No, he is a liability in the passing game. It’s all that was talked about EVERYWHERE during the entire playoffs and super bowl. “The Colts might win because Ed Reed is a liability in the passing game…” “The Broncos will destroy the Ravens because Ed Reed is a liability in the passing game…” “The Patriots will make the Ravens look like High Schoolers because Ed Reed is a liability in the passing game…” “The 49ers should win because when it all comes down to it, Ed Reed is a liability in the passing game and won’t be able to make the necessary plays…” ….

    We’ve heard it throughout the entire playoffs. The thing is that this was apparently a “team of destiny”. I mean, how in the hell did Ray Ray play as good as he did? How did Flacco keep chucking up rainbows that nobody could ever seem to knock down? How did thier O-Line seemingly allow no sacks throughout the playoffs? It was just their year. For whatever reason, magic happened, but make no mistake, Ed Reed is too old and too slow to be better than Moore will be next year. He’s still probably better than Adams right now, but that is certainly debatable. One thing that isn’t debatable though is that he still offers the “fire power” that Dawkins and Lynch did, which certainly counts for something in the passing game (although not much anymore because tight ends will eat him for lunch).

    I think that people rank players at the end of their careers based off of the past, not the present. There is no denying that like Dawkins, like Lynch, like Atwater, that Ed Reed WAS an amazing safety…. Let me say that again, he WAS an amazing safety. However, as we stand today, Ed Reed is an average at best safety who can still head hunt. I’d much rather save the money on signing our own free agents and potential free agents/trades/rookies than chase players that are still playing off of name recognition. Moore is on his way up, Reed is on his way down. Adams is holding steady while Reed is still on his way down. I just see no upside to getting Reed at this point in his career and this point in the Broncos progression. If this was a few years ago, I’d say go for it without any question, but today, there is no way I spend more than what it would take to sign a Mike Adams on Ed Reed.

  • Pete Baron

    Denver didn’t challenge him at all in the playoffs because Manning literally froze in that game and only attempted 1 pass beyond 15 or 20 yards (you know, the area that Reed would be in). It isn’t because Reed was there, it’s because Manning was incapable of throwing anything beyond 5 yards that day. When the weather was warm, he destroyed Ed Reed. He picked on him as if he was an over-his-head rookie. The fact of the matter is simply that when the weather is 4 degrees at kickoff and 18 degrees during overtime, that coming off of 4 neck surgeries while sitting out an entire year, AND dealing with nerve regeneration was just too much for Manning to overcome in that type of cold. It had nothing to do with Ed Reed.

  • Doom92

    “The Colts might win because Ed Reed is a liability in the passing game…” “The Broncos will destroy the Ravens because Ed Reed is a liability in the passing game…” “The Patriots will make the Ravens look like High Schoolers because Ed Reed is a liability in the passing game…” “The 49ers should win because when it all comes down to it, Ed Reed is a liability”

    I feel left out… I never heard that once…

  • Doom92

    Perhaps you have not looked at his stats for this year either. He had one of the best years in years. He had 4 int’s, we had no one with more than 3. As well he had many big plays when they needed it. We needed a big play from our young fellow and he failed. I don’t think he will in the future but he did this time.

    I don’t think he is the superman he used to be but I don’t agree that he is a liability as you say and I don’t think he is done. He is still every bit as good as Dawkins was when he came here and better than his last two years and Dawkins still helped a bunch.

    Any way, we again don’t agree, you could write another 4 paragraphs and I still will disagree with the core of it. As I said before I’d be surprised if he came here but if he did I’d be glad to have the experience and leadership on the Broncos.

  • areferee

    Rahim will be OK after his baptism of hell-fire. He will build a better career on the scar tissue of one colossal mistake.

    What we desperately need is a blue chip, go-to WR.

    I am down as not being high on the good but not great Demaryius Thomas and the often awful and totally inconsistent, Jekyll and Hyde-Eric Decker; so we need to seriously look at free agency and the likes of Amendola, Wallace or Jennings.

    At 27, Amendola may make more sense, and although Jennings may be pricy, he is not too old to finish his career here with Peyton Manning and another SB or three.

  • TheTroglodyte

    Neither did I. I did read a few local Baltimore newspaper articles questioning Reed’s ability to be a dominate player but there were far more articles talking about how Reed’s area of coverage dramatically increased the 2nd half of the season due to all of the injuries which was why it appeared he was giving up more plays in the 2nd half of the season after a very dominating 1st half.

    Obviously any reports of his demise were silly though. The rest of the Ravens defense got healthy come playoff time and their defense and Reed absolutely shut everyone down.

    He may not be the same guy he was in 2008 but I certainly can’t think of 5 other safeties in the league I would rather have on my team in 2013.

  • TD30isMVP

    My problem with Moore is this, he has not made the strides he should have, here is his SI draft analysis:

    Positives: “Opportunistic safety with nice size. Plays faster than his 40 time and displays good range in center field with the ability to get outside the numbers to make plays. Plays with suddenness, flashes on the scene, and is smooth moving around the field. Has an aggressive style, gets up the field quickly and is tough defending the run. Lays his shoulders into ball carriers and has a physical style.”

    Negatives: “Slow moving in reverse. Is hesitant in coverage at times, falls asleep, and blows assignments. Inefficient, does not take proper angles to the action and gets caught out of position.”

    Analysis: Moore has been a productive safety the past three years but his statistics are misleading. He’s a solid college defender who does not do the little things well. Moore would be best in a zone system but must be protected from the occasional lapse in concentration

    Sound familiar? It does to me.

    Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/draft-2011/players/82087.html#ixzz2KKr07lSH

  • Will Neal

    I live in Baltimore andunfortunately I have had to watch these ratbirds for years….Ed while one of the top five safeties on the league isnt right for us at this time….one, he HAS gotten slow..there WAS a time he was brought in the box to pay run AND cover, but in recent years TEs and shifty receivers have made him look terrible…two, I think we have more than enough tackling liabilities…his shoulder injury has gotten worse every year and NOW he’s coming off a 20 game season…third and most important, we as Elway has said, are building around youth..we have a nice veteran/youth mix…Reed canalsobe a locker room cancer…for years, he was the “unconfirmed source” who leaked information…DO WE REALLY NEED THAT YOU’RE OF PROBLEM WITH TWO GOOD YEARS OF #18 LEFT?

  • Will Neal

    IF anyon was to pay attention…many of his pics are not amazing reads…but more so the product of overthrown or forced throws…he isn’t making Jarius Byrd type pays…..That’s who we need to target…we have the cap space

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Aaron-Jackson/100000008757314 Aaron Jackson

    I’m all for bringing Ed Reed to Denver. Safety isn’t really a position of need. Adams, while not an impact player, played well, and Moore had a big season overall, despite getting burned in the cold. Plus they’ll be getting Carter back. But you can always use a play maker like Ed Reed on your team. As long as they’re not sacrificing their ability to address the positions of actual need (DT, ILB, OT/OG, RB, CB in that order), then by all means!

  • Pete Baron

    I still say that I wouldn’t pursue him if it cost us any more than Mike Adams… C’mon Doom, it’s my birthday today, let me have this small victory, even if I am completely wrong ;) lol

  • Doom92

    WORD!!! Man I felt like I was reading something I wrote myself…lol.

  • Doom92

    LMAO… Happy B-Day brother-man. I hope you had a great day and have an even better night. Hell I turned 50 on my last B-Day and just not having to go to work is a freakin’ awesome day…lmao.

    OK if You don’t want to go after Ed you don’t have to ;-).

  • Pete Baron

    Yayyy… Pete 1, Doom 17
    About damn time!!! haha

  • Doom92

    LOL… No man you got more than one I assure you ;-).

  • Doom92

    Nice post Ref and I agree. BUT can Jennings stay healthy??? Tis the big question. Of course with old spice you can too…lmao.

  • Doom92

    I thought Adams for sure held his own and I am a fan, he put together a pretty decent year for himself… I wouldn’t take him over Ed Reed however!

  • TheTroglodyte

    HAHA

  • Pete Baron

    Seeing it’s no longer my birthday, the gloves can come off again. haha…

    Pro Football Focus says that Ed Reed isn’t what he once was (like I said). But what it reminded all of us is that Reed keeps hinting that he might retire early cause he doesn’t want to be in a wheelchair… Because of this, he missed 19, yes, 19 tackles this last year… Could he have botched that bomb with 32 seconds left? Not so 100% he makes that play anymore ;) lol