Broncos' lack of replacement for $63M Titans signing might be a huge mistake

The Denver Broncos didn't have a ton of needs to address this offseason, but running back, wide receiver, tight end, linebacker, and defensive end were the clear areas of need.

George Paton and Sean Payton went out and added Jaylen Waddle, J.K. Dobbins, and made some smaller additions at linebacker and tight end to round out a solid offseason.

But, as ESPN's Bill Barnwell pointed out, the Broncos might've made one mistake: they didn't find an instant replacement for John Franklin-Myers.

"Worst: Failing to address the departure of John Franklin-Myers," Barnwell writes. "It wasn't a surprise that Franklin-Myers left for former coach Robert Saleh's Titans this offseason... But the Broncos haven't done much to replace the veteran..."

Denver losing Franklin-Myers is a very important loss that the team did not properly address. This lack of a replacement plan for Franklin-Myers is what's obviously the Broncos' worst move, or lack thereof, of the offseason.

Broncos plan after John Franklin-Myers' departure might be a mistake

This offseason, the only addition the Broncos made to address this departure was the drafting of Tyler Onyedim in the 2026 NFL Draft on Day 2.

Onyedim is not a bad player, and along with Sai'vion Jones and Eyioma Uwazurike, the Broncos have a few options to take on some of the workload Franklin-Myers is leaving behind.

But, as Barnwell noted, for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, it's a "surprise" that the Broncos didn't plan better to add a new defensive lineman who's a bit more of a sure thing than their three current options.

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This trio might end up working out just fine in replacement of Franklin-Myers, but considering how good the rest of the team is, it's odd that Denver didn't do more to replace him.

It might be too far to call this a disaster waiting to happen, but if none of these defensive linemen can replace Franklin-Myers this year, Denver might have to get aggressive in the trade market at the deadline.

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