Now, John Elway, Brian Xanders and Co. must just sit back and wait.
Hamstrung by the NFL lockout — at least for now — the Broncos front office cannot sign undrafted free agents or veteran free agents until either the league and the union reach a new collective bargaining agreement or the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals rules to uphold a U.S. District Judge’s ruling in favor of the players, whichever comes first.
Xanders, the team’s general manager, said Saturday night that the team is ready to jump right into free agency whenever that may start. The team has a list of targets in the veteran free agent pool and, now that the draft is over, knowledge of exactly what positions it needs to fill most (ahem, defensive tackle). Xanders and his scouting department will also go back over its college draft board to see which players didn’t get selected over the weekend and decide which of those undrafted players it wants to try to sign when they are allowed to contact players again.
“Once they tell us the rules, we are allowed to execute the plan,” Xanders said. “We have a plan for free agency. We are ready for two systems.”
Xanders is referring to the possibility that the league will end up operating under 2010 rules, which leave players in their fourth or fifth years as restricted free agents, or the possibility that those players will become unrestricted. For the Broncos, that most affects defensive tackle Marcus Thomas and right tackle Ryan Harris, who were both given original-round tenders in March before the lockout begins, meaning teams would owe the Broncos a fourth- or a third-round pick, respectively, for signing away Thomas or Harris. Elway said Saturday night that the team hopes Thomas returns, and that this front office and coaching staff views Thomas as a much better fit for the 4-3 defense.
The team seems ready to move on from Harris, who had a stellar season in 2008 but struggled through injuries and a system change in 2009-2010. The team drafted Orlando Franklin, a hulking 320-pound run-blocking specialists in the second round on Friday. Xanders said Saturday night that if Harris returns, he and Franklin would compete and “may the best man win,” Xanders said.