The Jets made Zach Wilson the No. 2 overall pick in 2021 to be their franchise quarterback. After three seasons, the Jets shipped him to the Broncos before last season.
Heading into his fifth NFL season, Wilson is with his third team, having signed with the Dolphins as a free agent.
He will backup Tua Tagovailoa in Miami.
Wilson, though, isn’t ready to embrace the “journeyman label.”
“I would like to view it differently,” Wilson said, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. “Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with being a journeyman, but I still believe I can be a starter in this league whenever the opportunity comes. And so, just trying to put myself in the best situation with the best team and coaches and do the absolute best that I can and then you know hopefully at some point you can get that opportunity to show what you can do.”
Wilson, 25, did not play last season with the Broncos, serving instead as rookie Bo Nix’s backup.
“Denver was a good opportunity for me to kind of allay the stresses of being an NFL quarterback and just trying to be perfect every day to spending more time with the guys in the locker room and growing that bond,” Wilson said. “I think that is always important. And just enjoying every single day of being there. So I think that’s always an important aspect, and then it carries onto the field of you just being more comfortable.”
Wilson started 33 games with the Jets and has completed 57 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. He said his understanding of the game is night and day from his rookie season.
That could serve him well this season behind Tagovailoa, who has missed 14 games the past four seasons.
“Luckily I’ve played in a lot of games in the NFL so far,” Wilson said. “And so it’s just the ability to step in and make the offense feel like nothing’s changed. From a leadership standpoint, just command of the huddle, getting guys the information they need on each and every play.”
The Broncos may not be done adding tight ends after signing Evan Engram in free agency.
Texas tight end Gunnar Helm went to Denver for a pre-draft visit with the Broncos, according to Mike Klis of 9 News. Helm was born and raised in Colorado, so he counts as a “local” visit for the Broncos and does not count toward the team’s limit of 30 draft prospects who can travel to the team headquarters for visits.
Helm had a rough performance at the Scouting Combine and it was later revealed that he had badly sprained his ankle at the start of the event but went through the workouts anyway. His Combine measurables won’t impress NFL teams, but his decision to tough it out on a bad ankle might.
Last year at Texas Helm caught 60 passes for 786 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Broncos have hired Jeff Schmedding as their inside linebackers coach, Bruce Feldman of CBS Sports reports.
Schmedding will replace Michael Wilhoite, who the Broncos fired after his arrest on suspicion of second degree assault of a police officer. Isaac Shewmaker will serve as the team’s outside linebackers coach.
Schmedding has never coached in the NFL, but he has 21 years of experience in the college ranks.
He was fired from Washington State in December after two seasons as the Cougars’ defensive coordinator. Schmedding also has served as the defensive coordinator at Eastern Washington (2015-18), Boise State (2019-20) and Auburn (2022).
The Giants have added some depth at receiver.
New York announced on Friday that the club has signed Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes Humphrey’s contract is for one year.
Humphrey, 26, entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2019. He spent his first three seasons with the Saints before heading to the Patriots in 2022. He reunited with head coach Sean Payton with the Broncos in 2023, staying on with the team in 2024.
In 2024, Humphrey caught a career-high 31 passes for 293 yards with one touchdown. He appeared in all 17 games with seven starts, playing 50 percent of the club’s offensive snaps.
The Broncos have found a new punter.
The agents for Matt Haack announced that their client has agreed to terms in Denver. Mike Klis of KUSA reports that it is a one-year deal worth $1.255 million.
Riley Dixon handled the punting duties for the Broncos in 2024, but he signed with the Buccaneers earlier this month.
Haack appeared in four games for the Giants during the 2024 season and had a net average of 39 yards per kick. He also spent time on the Jaguars’ practice squad, but was released before the end of the season.
Haack appeared in one game for the Browns in 2023 and spent 2022 as the punter for the Colts. He also played for the Bills and Dolphins earlier in his career.
The Broncos have found the upgrade at tight end they’ve been looking for in Evan Engram.
Engram agreed to a two-year contract with the Broncos on Wednesday afternoon.
After the Jaguars cut him, Engram made two visits, one with the Broncos and one with the Chargers. He apparently heard what he hoped to hear in Denver.
The 30-year-old Engram spent the last three years with the Jaguars after playing five seasons with the Giants. He had a career-high 114 catches for 963 yards in 2023 but took a step backward during an injury-plagued 2024 season and the Jaguars decided to move on. The Broncos hope to get him back to form.
The Broncos are bringing back a defensive player for 2025.
Per Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com, linebacker Justin Strnad has agreed to re-sign with Denver on a one-year contract worth $2.7 million.
Strnad, 28, was a Broncos fifth-round pick in 2020 and has spent his entire career with the franchise. While he played exclusively special teams in 2022 and 2023, he was on the field for 59 percent of defensive snaps in 2024. He played all 17 games and made eight starts.
He also played 43 percent of the club’s special teams snaps last season.
Strnad picked up 73 total tackles with eight tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, 3.0 sacks, and three passes defensed in 2024.
Free agent wide receiver has agreed to terms on a two-year, $8 million deal with the Broncos, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.
The Broncos gave free agent Josh Reynolds a similar contract last offseason but ended up cutting him before last season ended.
Sherfield, 29, spent last season with the Vikings. He played 17 game with one start and saw action on 179 offensive snaps and 221 on special teams. Sherfield caught eight passes for 83 yards and a touchdown and made eight tackles.
Sherfield has played three seasons for the Cardinals, one for the 49ers, one for the Dolphins, one for the Bills and one for the Vikings.
In his career, he has 86 catches for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns with 36 special teams tackles.
The Cowboys will see the return of punter Bryan Anger.
Mike Klis of 9News reports the Broncos “went hard” after Anger, but he is going back to the Cowboys on a two-year, $6.4 million deal.
The Cowboys earlier agreed to a three-year, $18 million deal with All-Pro returner KaVontae Turpin and long snapper Trent Sieg also will return on a three-year, $4.45 million deal. Kicker Brandon Aubrey is in line for a new deal.
Anger has averaged 49.0 yards per punt in four years with the Cowboys, with a 43.3-yard net, and has earned Pro Bowl honors twice.
The Jaguars made Anger a third-round pick in 2012, and he spent four seasons in Jacksonville. He then played three seasons in Tampa and two in Houston.
Included last week in a purge of veterans from the Jacksonville roster, veteran tight end Evan Engram is looking for a new team.
His search continued on Tuesday, with (per NFL Media) a visit to the Chargers.
Engram visited the Broncos on Monday.
A first-round pick in 2017 from Mississippi, Engram has spent five years with the Giants and three with the Jaguars. He made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2023.
His best season came in 2023, with 114 catches for 963 yards. Injuries limited him to nine games in 2024. He caught 47 passes for 365 yards in his final season in Jacksonville.
Will Dissly is the top tight end on the L.A. roster. He caught 50 passes for 481 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, his first year with the Chargers.
