It turns out the NFL Lockout may have worked in the Broncos' favor.
Under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams can rollover the money they were under the cap from one year to the next, seemingly endlessly building up a massive cap to use in a selective year.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Broncos are $27.88 million under the cap for the 2011 season, meaning when the 2012 cap is announced—likely between $121-125 million—it will really be a $150-million cap for Denver.
And while that's a huge number for EFX to play with, the reason they're so far under the cap for the 2011 season is due to their 19 free agents.
Of those 19 free agents, only four are restricted, meaning the Broncos wouldn't get a chance to match offers to the other 15 men, if they are offered deals from other teams. Even though Denver's list of free agents doesn't feature any stars, there are many play-makers and important role players on the list from offense, defense and even special teams.
Those players include Brady Quinn, Eddie Royal and Daniel Fells on offense, Brodrick Bunkley, Wesley Woodyard and Brian Dawkins on defense and superb kickers Matt Prater and Britton Colquitt (RFA).
Once the Broncos' brass decides on what they want to do with each of their own free agents, they can start sifting through other teams' free agents, looking for key pieces needed to build a winning team.
Yes, Denver made it to the playoffs and even beat the Steelers in 2011, but the team is in need of many players to truly compete for a championship.
They need another running back, another wide receiver (or three depending on who leaves), another beastly defensive tackle and some more young secondary help.
And with GM Brian Xanders declaring that Denver will build around Tim Tebow as their quarterback, there are almost certainly a litany of changes just around the corner for the Broncos.
If they get the go-ahead from Pat Bowlen to spend some of that massive amount of cap space, the Broncos could bring in some game-changing players.
Free agency starts in exactly one month from today, on March 12, and there's no doubt that Denver will definitely be busy creating a contender.
Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist actively seeking a career in journalism. Along with being your Denver Broncos Examiner, Rich is your CSU Rams Examiner and Kurtzman also writes for Blake Street Bulletin, Stadium Journey, Bleacher Report, and Mile High Hoops.
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