The Denver Broncos are losing Julius Thomas to the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason and that makes Jordan Cameron, Owen Daniels and Jermaine Gresham potential targets in free agency and they could be options for Peyton Manning moving forward and this comes as the Broncos may also lose Terrance Knighton.
The Broncos had a feeling they were going to lose Thomas, as he likely was going to get big money on the market and the team would not be able to match. The Broncos are focused on keeping Demaryius Thomas and that is why Julius Thomas was allowed to walk. According to ESPN.com, the team may be interviewing his replacement, as Owen Daniels is set to visit with the team. Other free agent TEs on the market include Jordan Cameron and Gresham, while the Broncos own tight end Jacob Tamme is also available.
The team is bringing back Virgil Green, but they could use depth with Thomas going and Daniels could be a good fit after previously playing for head coach Gary Kubiak. According to recent updates from ESPN, Owen Daniels is signing with the Broncos.
The Broncos used the franchise tag on D. Thomas, which is one reason why Thomas is leaving. Last season Thomas set career highs with 111 catches and 1619 yards and he also had 11 touchdowns. Thomas has put together three dominant seasons and over that time he has had 35 touchdown catches. In 2012-13 Thomas had back to back 92 catch, 1430 yard seasons and that has put him in the upper echelon of players and now he is expecting to get paid. Thomas and the Broncos could be talking for a while, as the two sides now have until July to reach a long term deal.
The franchise tag is a one-year, $12.823 million tender for wide receivers and Thomas joins Dez Bryant as another WR that was tagged. The Broncos have both Thomas and Julius Thomas hitting free agency and the Denver Post reports that the tight end is likely to leave. Thomas is likely going to be targeted by teams like the Browns, Jaguars and Raiders, as they have tons of cap space and a need at tight end. Thomas has been a steady target for Manning at tight end, making 24 touchdown catches in the past two seasons combined. If Thomas leaves, the Broncos may look at free agents, like Daniels and they kept Virgil Green.
