The Underrated Broncos Addition Worth Watching This Offseason

The Underrated Broncos Addition Worth Watching This Offseason

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The Denver Broncos didn't make many free-agent moves. The Jaylen Waddle acquisition was a trade, after all.

Besides the college free-agent class, which came after the NFL draft in late April, the only outside free agent the Broncos signed was safety Tycen Anderson. He was a 2022 fifth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals who never really found a role on defense, partly due to some early injury trouble, but he became a key special teams ace.

Anderson has zero career starts in the NFL, yet he could change things at the safety position. There's a reason Sean Payton is "anxious" to see how the safety competition shapes up this summer.

Allow me to explain.

P.J. Locke: No Promises

The Broncos couldn't promise P.J. Locke a starting job when he hit free agency in March, which is what he was looking for, so he departed for the Dallas Cowboys. The Broncos' No. 3 safety walked out the door, and now the team has to figure out what to do at that spot.

The safety starters are a lock, barring injury: the All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones. However, the third safety traditionally plays a lot in a Vance Joseph defense, whether it's as a dime-backer in sub-packages, or as a safety in big nickel situations.

That role has been Locke's, and now the Broncos have to figure out whether any of their safeties can step up and fill those shoes. Devon Key — Denver's All-Pro special teams ace — will get the first bite at the apple, but Anderson will factor into the competition as well.

More importantly, though, if Key lays claim to Locke's former role, the Broncos might not be as inclined to play him so much on special teams. The Anderson signing is a low-key preemptive move to account for that possibility if the stars align the way the Broncos expect.

Anderson: 'As Advertised'

Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi has been keeping tabs on Anderson since he was a draft prospect. Rizzi really likes how Anderson has matured the past two years, and the veteran coach clearly sees the safety as a key third-phase factor in 2026.

And so far? Anderson has been "as advertised."

"His first couple of years in the league were interrupted by injuries, but over the last two seasons I thought he played very consistent football," Rizzi said during mandatory minicamp in June. "When we looked at adding him to this group, I didn't think we had a lot of holes, quite frankly, but I felt he was a really good addition. He's a mature player with a high football IQ. I'm looking forward to seeing him in pads during the preseason, but so far he's been exactly as advertised."

Safety Roster Math

Now, when it comes to the roster math at safety, the Broncos usually only keep four out of camp. But beyond Key and Anderson, the club has two recent draft picks — JL Skinner and Miles Scott — gunning for a roster spot, as well as the undrafted rookie Parker Robertson.

Skinner enters a contract year and has been Denver's second-best special teams player behind Key over the past two seasons. He was a sixth-round pick out of Boise State in 2023 and part of Sean Payton's first draft class as Broncos head coach.

And yet, the Broncos still signed Anderson and drafted Scott. That's not so much an indictment on Skinner as it is the Broncos putting contingencies in place. Skinner enters the final year of his contract, but so does Jones, one of the club's two starters.

That means that two deserving safeties might find themselves on the outside looking in come roster cut-down time because, after throwing $1.5 million at Anderson on a one-year deal, the Broncos probably have him at least penciled into things. At the same time, it's not enough money to guarantee a roster spot for Anderson — if he either fails to impress in training camp and preseason, or if he's outshined by Skinner or Scott.

As it stands, though, Anderson would be taking the fourth and final roster spot, ostensibly. That is, unless the Broncos opted to keep five safeties this time around, which I doubt very much.

The Takeaway

Anderson's arrival serves as an insurance policy for Key, if he wins the No. 3 safety job. If Key starts featuring more on defense, the Broncos will have Anderson as a four-core special teams ace who can hopefully replace him.

It just so happens that Skinner is also quite good on special teams. So it's going to be a tough decision for the Broncos, but Anderson will definitely have to sing for his supper this summer.

I doubt that Skinner is going to go quietly into that good night. Scott is likely a practice-squad player as a rookie seventh-rounder, but he could factor into the 2027 picture. Meanwhile, Skinner has proven value.

It just so happens that the 'proven' element to Skinner's value is on special teams, not defense. That's why his roster standing is even in question. Skinner has seen the field a few times on defense, but he hasn't earned Joseph's trust there and has been eclipsed by Locke and Key.

The Anderson signing shakes things up at safety and if everything goes according to plan, it's going to put the Broncos in a tough position when it comes time to decide on the roster. If both Anderson and Skinner shine this summer, there's a chance, albeit a slim one, the Broncos keep five safeties.

More likely, that fourth spot will be fiercly contested by Anderson and Skinner. May the best man win.

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Chad Jensen is the Publisher of Denver Broncos On SI, the Founder of Mile High Huddle, and creator of the popular Mile High Huddle Podcast. Chad has been on the Denver Broncos beat since 2012 and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.