Despite cracking Pro Football Focus' list of the top impending 2024 NFL free agents, Denver Broncos starting inside linebacker Josey Jewell again is projected to garner modest value on the open market.
PFF analyst Brad Spielberger predicted Jewell — who checked in at No. 79 among 100 unsigned players — will sign a two-year, $12.5 million contract with $7 million in guarantees. Spielberger did not specify which team, including Denver, could be cutting the check.
"Jewell may not be great in any one facet of linebacker play, but he’s good in all of them," he wrote last month. "And a well-rounded linebacker is an asset to any defense. Jewell covers well in zone, with good spacial awareness to get proper depth, and has the ability to come forward and blitz up the middle on occasion.
"Jewell wears the green dot on defense and gets everyone lined up, and he rarely seems out of position. A team looking for a field general with several years of starter experience could do much worse."
Drafted in 2018, Jewell has been among the few defensive constants during the turbulent post-Peyton Manning era, revered by teammates and fans alike. A 58-game starter and elite run defender, he's tallied 453 combined tackles (263 solo), 21 tackles for loss, 15 pass breakups, 14 quarterback hits, nine sacks, five forced fumbles, and two interceptions across 3,388 career snaps.
In 2023, Jewell played out the final season of his two-year, $11 million extension which featured $6 million guaranteed — remarkably similar to his latest free-agent forecast. The Iowa product finished second on the club in total tackles (108), grading as PFF's 43rd-ranked linebacker out of 83 qualifiers.
"Hopefully, I come back here, but we'll see where it takes us," Jewell said on Jan. 8 of the league's signing period, set to officially begin March 13.
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