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View Full Version : Broncos reportedly interested in free agent DT Okoye!!



Broncomarkie
03-27-2012, 05:44 PM
http://www.milehighreport.com/2012/3/27/2906849/broncos-reportedly-interested-in-dt-amobi-okoye-again Thoughts???

SmilinAssasSin27
03-27-2012, 07:09 PM
yes. sign me up. Not the star some thought, but very capable and very young. A nice 5 year deal would be great for our future.

slim
03-27-2012, 07:11 PM
Coach and Dogfish told me he sucks.

hotcarl
03-27-2012, 07:15 PM
worthless

hotcarl
03-27-2012, 07:16 PM
Please move thread to some other forum tia

slim
03-27-2012, 07:17 PM
HC, I saw the ghost of Bill today (or maybe it was yesterday).

SmilinAssasSin27
03-27-2012, 07:20 PM
I like him. 3 sacks per season as a DT and is only 24 years old. We need some sort of pass rush up the middle. He's better than what we have. He had no quality coaching in Houston and then they switched to a 3-4...hence his move to Chicago.

MOtorboat
03-27-2012, 07:20 PM
HC, I saw the ghost of Bill today (or maybe it was yesterday).

It was yesterday.

And about Okoye...only at a minimal price.

SmilinAssasSin27
03-27-2012, 07:20 PM
Anyone else think that MAYBE Fox and Del Rio can coach him up a bit?

hotcarl
03-27-2012, 07:26 PM
HC, I saw the ghost of Bill today (or maybe it was yesterday).

I'm pretty sure he died, I'd we ign Mobutu then we have a flawed defensive staff

slim
03-27-2012, 07:26 PM
I agree with you SA.....seems like he is still young and worth taking a look at.

DenBronx
03-27-2012, 07:27 PM
Got to go with plan B at this point and Okoye would help a bit.

Hopefully Warren is healthy for next year and we sign Okoye. We should draft a DT in rounds 1 or 2 as well.

HORSEPOWER 56
03-27-2012, 07:27 PM
Let's be honest... ANYONE is better than Vickerson, Unrein, McBean, and an unknown health, downside of his career Ty Warren.

Seriously, is there a team in the NFL with worse players at DT than the Broncos? I honestly can't think of any.

Bring in Okoye. Bring in someone... and draft a DT in the first round!

slim
03-27-2012, 07:32 PM
Let's be honest... ANYONE is better than Vickerson, Unrein, McBean, and an unknown health, downside of his career Ty Warren.

Seriously, is there a team in the NFL with worse players at DT than the Broncos? I honestly can't think of any.

Bring in Okoye. Bring in someone... and draft a DT in the first round!

St. Louis, Cleveland, Indy?

Denver Native (Carol)
03-27-2012, 07:35 PM
Bryan B ‏ @BBofLA

@VicLombardi are the Broncos done in the FA Market? How much do they have remaining to spend ?
Vic Lombardi Vic Lombardi ‏ @VicLombardi

@BBofLA Still shopping for DT's. Working on Marcus Thomas, among others.

5:54 PM - 27 Mar 12 via TweetDeck · Details

Cugel
03-27-2012, 07:40 PM
Got to go with plan B at this point and Okoye would help a bit.

Hopefully Warren is healthy for next year and we sign Okoye. We should draft a DT in rounds 1 or 2 as well.

THAT would be a plan that has a chance of working! Okoye is still young, this is his 6th season. He'll probably never be an elite pass-rusher. But, he did have 4 sacks for the Bears despite only starting one game. He's healthy too and has played every game the past several seasons.

At least he'd be better than Vickerson or McBean. If they're going to lose Thomas and Bunkley they need to sign somebody quick. And Okoye, as limited as he probably is, is still a much better option than crossing your fingers and hoping Ty Warren comes back after 2 seasons off.

If they re-signed Thomas, signed Okoye and drafted a DT to go with Warren, and CUT the useless scrubs, that would totally solidify the DT position for the first time in many years. I'd be deliriously happy if that happened! :beer:

Of course they would probably use this signing as an excuse NOT to draft a DT. :tsk:

Cugel
03-27-2012, 07:44 PM
I wouldn't hold my breath about his signing here though. Denver has a lot of competition:


Adam Caplan ‏ @caplannfl
Follow

In addition to the Bengals and Bears, Amobi Okoye has received interest from the Bucs, Pats, and Broncos, according to sources. #freeagency


That's five teams that want him. And he might just re-sign with Chicago which has offered him a new contract.

I'd say this news merits about 2 fewer !! than the thread title has!!!!!!!!!!!! :coffee:

G_Money
03-27-2012, 07:48 PM
I'm glad Okoye has come down to the bargain bin where the Broncos shop for DTs? :huh:

That's what I'm thinkin.

He's still only 24. I'd love to add him and let him play in this defense. That would be terrific. Hopin' Denver isn't too cheap to make that happen. Curtis Lofton cost 6 mil a year, Joe Mays cost 4, so we went with Mays. Except Lofton is twice the player Mays is.

So here's hoping we spend that extra cash on someone who is twice the player of, say, Unrein.

Okoye might be 5 times the player Unrein is.

I'm sure Chicago will be satisfied when they re-sign him and we double-down on Unrein.

~G

Cugel
03-27-2012, 07:55 PM
http://www.rotoworld.com/recent/nfl/4174/amobi-okoye
Only the Bengals are believed to have lined up a visit, however. Okoye isn't known to have had contract talks with the Bears since the beginning of free agency. The former first-round bust will likely be a part of a three-technique tackle rotation wherever he ends up.


The Bengals have scheduled a meeting with free agent DT Amobi Okoye.
Okoye could spell three-technique tackle Geno Atkins in Cincinnati. The free agent visit will take place after this week's Owners Meetings. Okoye, who's still only 24, tallied four sacks in 16 appearances with the Bears last season.

He might never get out of Cincinnati if they make him an offer he can't refuse.

CoachChaz
03-27-2012, 09:35 PM
Cincy still has a ton of money. He'd be fine as a pass rusher, but so would Derek Landri. Maybe youth is on his side and he improves, but 290 is a bit small for my liking. Id be happier with Landri and 2 rookies

Cugel
03-27-2012, 11:15 PM
Cincy still has a ton of money. He'd be fine as a pass rusher, but so would Derek Landri. Maybe youth is on his side and he improves, but 290 is a bit small for my liking. Id be happier with Landri and 2 rookies

At this point I'd be satisfied with them just signing SOMEBODY DECENT! Landri last started for the Panthers in 2010. 43 tackles and 3 sacks. In 2011 he didn't do much for the Eagles. Only played in 12 games and didn't start; 21 tackles, 2 sacks.

Still anything average is a step up for the Broncos!

Northman
03-28-2012, 05:27 AM
I would take a look at him.

CoachChaz
03-28-2012, 06:15 AM
With Philly, Landri was in the wide 9 rotation with Laws, Patterson and Jenkins and his numbers suffered. I think he's a cheap option as a pass rusher from the inside...but I think he is a bit light to play the run effectively as well

Cugel
03-28-2012, 04:05 PM
With Philly, Landri was in the wide 9 rotation with Laws, Patterson and Jenkins and his numbers suffered. I think he's a cheap option as a pass rusher from the inside...but I think he is a bit light to play the run effectively as well

I noticed that he's a bit light. Philly's DT rotation is obviously much better than Denver's so he would start here, unless they put Thomas and Warren ahead of him. Even so he'd play substantial minutes.

He might not be as strong as Bunkley though. Bunkley could stuff the run pretty well, he just wasn't much of a pass-rush threat (which is why the Eagles got rid of him).

sneakers
03-28-2012, 04:48 PM
Is he Nigerian?

dogfish
03-28-2012, 04:49 PM
Is he Nigerian?

yes, but please try to restrain yourself and not use it as a platform for bad racist jokes, 'kay?

HORSEPOWER 56
03-28-2012, 07:55 PM
St. Louis, Cleveland, Indy?

St Louis has Fred Robbins, Cleveland has Phil Taylor (BEAST), Indy just signed Cory Redding... All of them are better than anyone we have - by far.

Buff
03-28-2012, 08:30 PM
Any warm body would be a welcomed addition. I remember watching Okoye play a couple games with Louisville and thinking he was going to be a monster. Not sure why it hasn't worked out for him thus far.

We've had some limited success with former first round busts here with Gerard Warren, Courtney Brown and Broderick Bunkley.

Rick
03-28-2012, 08:46 PM
Might come down to money but you would think playing time wise Okeye should want to come here...because at the moment who the hell does he have to compete with.

warren who might still be solid but hasn't played in years? Vikerson? The other guys who are not really worth mentioning? Thomas who isn't even signed?

HORSEPOWER 56
03-28-2012, 08:55 PM
Might come down to money but you would think playing time wise Okeye should want to come here...because at the moment who the hell does he have to compete with.

warren who might still be solid but hasn't played in years? Vikerson? The other guys who are not really worth mentioning? Thomas who isn't even signed?

Exactly. He'd instantly be our most talented interior lineman. I have no doubt he'd win the starting spot at 3-technique over the scrubs we currently have and would only then have to compete with whomever we draft (God willing! :pray:)

Cugel
03-28-2012, 10:06 PM
Any warm body would be a welcomed addition. I remember watching Okoye play a couple games with Louisville and thinking he was going to be a monster. Not sure why it hasn't worked out for him thus far.

We've had some limited success with former first round busts here with Gerard Warren, Courtney Brown and Broderick Bunkley.

I'd say very limited:

Courtney Brown was only a "bust" because of his knees. He had one good season, 2005, when he was able to play and then both knees blew up and he had to retire.

Warren put on a salary drive in 2005, got a big contract, missed most of the next season, did nothing, and then was cut. He only ever played hard when he wanted to. He had a monster game the first time he played against the Broncos for the Raiders.

When a last second FG appeared to give the Raiders the win (Shanahan had called timeout though) he ran out onto the field pointing at the Broncos bench. I remember thinking - "He's obviously angry at the Broncos but if that ******* played like that the whole time he would still be here."

Bunkley was a "bust" because he was a top 10 pick, and top 10 picks are supposed to be able to rush the passer. He couldn't so they got rid of him. But, he was the best Denver DT since Trevor Pryce.

Of course they didn't want to "overpay" him so they let him go.

Well, if they're never going to draft DTs in the first 2 or 3 rounds what choice do they have? FA DTs are ALWAYS "overpaid" because few good ones become FAs in the first place!

The alternative to "overpaying" a FA DT is to DRAFT one and groom him for 3 years, something Denver has never been willing to do so they stumble from year to year trying out one group of underachieving FAs and marginal backup players cut from other teams after another.

DenBronx
03-28-2012, 10:09 PM
THAT would be a plan that has a chance of working! Okoye is still young, this is his 6th season. He'll probably never be an elite pass-rusher. But, he did have 4 sacks for the Bears despite only starting one game. He's healthy too and has played every game the past several seasons.

At least he'd be better than Vickerson or McBean. If they're going to lose Thomas and Bunkley they need to sign somebody quick. And Okoye, as limited as he probably is, is still a much better option than crossing your fingers and hoping Ty Warren comes back after 2 seasons off.

If they re-signed Thomas, signed Okoye and drafted a DT to go with Warren, and CUT the useless scrubs, that would totally solidify the DT position for the first time in many years. I'd be deliriously happy if that happened! :beer:

Of course they would probably use this signing as an excuse NOT to draft a DT. :tsk:

I think Okoye shines when he has guys like Peppers on the line. He did have Mario Williams but keep in mind he was only 21 or 22. If he came to Denver he would have Dumervil and Miller rushing in where Okoye could miximize his strengths of rushing inside. At age 24 there's alot of upside to him and he seems to have finally caught on with limited time in Chi-town. Low risk, high reward. Hopefully we bring him in to compete and maybe just maybe he ends up being a poor mans Bunkley.

Cugel
03-28-2012, 10:09 PM
Exactly. He'd instantly be our most talented interior lineman. I have no doubt he'd win the starting spot at 3-technique over the scrubs we currently have and would only then have to compete with whomever we draft (God willing! :pray:)

It's going to be about the guaranteed money though. This is Okoye's one big chance for that pay-day in the sky and he's not going to pass it up. By the next time he becomes a FA in perhaps 3 years he'll be over-the-hill. NOW is his time to cash in.

And I doubt the Broncos are willing to pay him the most of all 6 teams. They never have been for the last 12 years and I don't expect anything to change now. :coffee:

jhildebrand
03-28-2012, 10:17 PM
Anyone else think that MAYBE Fox and Del Rio can coach him up a bit?

I was just going to say the same. IIRC he was extremely young his rookie year. DT's take time to grow in this league. He would be better than McBean and Hunter.

Cugel
03-28-2012, 10:26 PM
I was just going to say the same. IIRC he was extremely young his rookie year. DT's take time to grow in this league. He would be better than McBean and Hunter.

He's 25 now and this will be his 6th season. He's not so "young" anymore and there are no more excuses for what has been a BUST career so far. He had 5.5 sacks his rookie year and never approached that level again. He's been quite mediocre.

Could anybody coach him up? He didn't do much for the Bears last year when he started one game. They have a pretty good set of defensive coaches but got nothing out of him. Would it be better here? Who knows. But, don't expect him to improve on what he's shown so far because this will be his 3rd team. At some point you are what you are.

I still hope they sign him because once again mediocre is a huge step up for the Broncos!

Canmore
03-29-2012, 04:04 AM
...I still hope they sign him because once again mediocre is a huge step up for the Broncos!

Brutal assessment. I don't know if this is a good risk or not. The problem is, the cupboard is bare.

HORSEPOWER 56
03-29-2012, 07:40 AM
It's going to be about the guaranteed money though. This is Okoye's one big chance for that pay-day in the sky and he's not going to pass it up. By the next time he becomes a FA in perhaps 3 years he'll be over-the-hill. NOW is his time to cash in.

And I doubt the Broncos are willing to pay him the most of all 6 teams. They never have been for the last 12 years and I don't expect anything to change now. :coffee:

I don't necessarily think his back is to the wall for his "big payday" just yet. He still hasn't quite established himself, yet. Last year was an improvement over his previous years in Houston, but he was still a part-time player. I really see him as a potential one year rental just like the Bears did last year and just like we're doing with Tracy Porter this year.

As far as the money goes, I agree we won't offer him the most. Okoye is coming into a crucial time in his career and hopefully he understands that. He should know that now is the time to get in with a good coaching staff and a playoff-caliber team and really start to cement your place in this league as part of that team. It's time for him to finally develop into the guy people thought he would be with all the potential. He's got to ask himself, where do I want to play, where do I have the best chance to start, and who will help me be the best player the most? We've become a pretty enticing landing spot for defensive FAs, IMO. You've got John Elway, John Fox, and Jack Del Rio as your bosses combined with the fact you have a HOF QB to play with and a team that obviously is making a huge push to win now. You'd think it would be a really tempting place to play, even for less money.

Cugel
03-29-2012, 10:45 AM
According to today's Denver Post:


Broncos Likely To Draft A DT In The First Round. (http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_20275702/look-broncos-draft-defensive-tackle-first-round-this)Last year, the Broncos thought Brodrick Bunkley and Ty Warren would strengthen that position. Bunkley had a productive season, but Warren suffered a season-ending arm injury in training camp.

Warren's return — he signed a two-year contract last summer — is one reason the Broncos haven't done anything at defensive tackle in free agency this year. They still believe Warren can be a productive starter. But he has played only one game the last two seasons because of injuries, so they're rolling the dice on his availability.

The Broncos thought they would be able to keep Bunkley, but he accepted the Saints' offer of a five-year contract worth $25 million, including $9 million guaranteed.

Other good free agents at the position — Red Bryant, Paul Soliai, Sione Pouha and Aubrayo Franklin — were signed by other teams while the Broncos were pursuing quarterback Peyton Manning.

So they still need help at defensive tackle.

The problem with this theory is that they desperately needed a DT LAST year, and the year before that, and the year before that! The Broncos have needed to draft an elite DT since 2005 (really since Trevor Pryce switched to DE back in 2002).

Yet they've NEVER done it! They've drafted 2 QBs, a RB, LBs, OT, CBs, DEs, you name it. EVERY damn thing BUT DT!

And last year they had the #2 pick which assured them the right to grab the best defensive player in the draft. And there was Marcel Dareus sitting right there. A monster pass-rushing DT. And he had a monster year for the Bills too -- started 15 games his rookie season, and had 43 tackles and 5.5 sacks. That's a great performance seeing as it normally takes DTs 2 or 3 years to mature enough to be considered really GOOD at their position. Yet he had a performance worthy of a five year veteran right out of training camp.

No! I'm not knocking Von Miller, but if they weren't going to take Dareus, then I don't see them ever drafting a DT in the first round.

Cugel
03-29-2012, 10:55 AM
I don't necessarily think his back is to the wall for his "big payday" just yet. He still hasn't quite established himself, yet. Last year was an improvement over his previous years in Houston, but he was still a part-time player. I really see him as a potential one year rental just like the Bears did last year and just like we're doing with Tracy Porter this year.

As far as the money goes, I agree we won't offer him the most. Okoye is coming into a crucial time in his career and hopefully he understands that. He should know that now is the time to get in with a good coaching staff and a playoff-caliber team and really start to cement your place in this league as part of that team. It's time for him to finally develop into the guy people thought he would be with all the potential. He's got to ask himself, where do I want to play, where do I have the best chance to start, and who will help me be the best player the most? We've become a pretty enticing landing spot for defensive FAs, IMO. You've got John Elway, John Fox, and Jack Del Rio as your bosses combined with the fact you have a HOF QB to play with and a team that obviously is making a huge push to win now. You'd think it would be a really tempting place to play, even for less money.

If I'm Okoye's agent I'm shaking my head to all this and saying "Show me the Money! Show ME the money!" :laugh:

If he signs a one-year deal to "prove himself" that's great for the team but not so great for Okoye. If he's injured or just doesn't have a great year his stock plummets and he has to sign for some marginal amount.

If he signs a 3 or 4 year deal he has more protection if he's hurt or if he simply under-performs, but he'd be 30 years old at the end of his contract. Past 30 is getting old for a DT. The wear and tear on their bodies is enormous and that would be his 10th season in the NFL. He's still young, but he'd have a lot of miles on those tires by then. He's definitely going to be on the down-side of his career by that point, so that huge pay-day could elude him.

NOW is his big chance! Cha-Ching!

http://securecloudreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/show-me-the-money.jpg

Cugel
03-29-2012, 11:02 AM
I think Okoye shines when he has guys like Peppers on the line. He did have Mario Williams but keep in mind he was only 21 or 22. If he came to Denver he would have Dumervil and Miller rushing in where Okoye could miximize his strengths of rushing inside. At age 24 there's alot of upside to him and he seems to have finally caught on with limited time in Chi-town. Low risk, high reward. Hopefully we bring him in to compete and maybe just maybe he ends up being a poor mans Bunkley.

The Broncos one advantage is that they have virtually NOBODY under contract except Ty Warren and could promise Okoye a chance to start. They could tell him he'd be one of the two starting DTs come training camp (which would be true even if they draft a rookie). Okoye signed with the Bears but they never gave him a chance to start (only 1 game). He clearly isn't happy and hasn't re-signed with them and doesn't look like he's going to return there.

Problem is other teams could make the same promise. Then it just comes down to money.

BigDaddyBronco
03-29-2012, 11:02 AM
I will fall out of my chair if they draft a DT in the first 3 rounds. Last year they could have had Dareus or Paea, but picked Von Miller (who has been great), Franklin and Rahim Moore. I was ok with Miller and Franklin, but Moore pissed me off. I really don't think this franchise values the DT position enough to make it a priority. They think later round picks and cheap FA's are the way to go. Any pass rush will be on the edge or from a blitz. Maybe they are right, but I still think an interior pass rush to destroy the pocket is the single most disruptive thing to a QB. Stopping the run might not be as big of a deal as it was in the past if Manning can get some points early, but it would be awesome to have an interior pass rush.

Cugel
03-29-2012, 11:10 AM
I will fall out of my chair if they draft a DT in the first 3 rounds. Last year they could have had Dareus or Paea, but picked Von Miller (who has been great), Franklin and Rahim Moore. I was ok with Miller and Franklin, but Moore pissed me off. I really don't think this franchise values the DT position enough to make it a priority. They think later round picks and cheap FA's are the way to go. Any pass rush will be on the edge or from a blitz. Maybe they are right, but I still think an interior pass rush to destroy the pocket is the single most disruptive thing to a QB. Stopping the run might not be as big of a deal as it was in the past if Manning can get some points early, but it would be awesome to have an interior pass rush.

I think you're right. But, if you missed my post above, here's their reasoning from today's Denver Post (link above).


Last year, the Broncos thought Brodrick Bunkley and Ty Warren would strengthen that position. Bunkley had a productive season, but Warren suffered a season-ending arm injury in training camp.

Warren's return — he signed a two-year contract last summer — is one reason the Broncos haven't done anything at defensive tackle in free agency this year. They still believe Warren can be a productive starter. But he has played only one game the last two seasons because of injuries, so they're rolling the dice on his availability.

The Broncos thought they would be able to keep Bunkley, but he accepted the Saints' offer of a five-year contract worth $25 million, including $9 million guaranteed.

Other good free agents at the position — Red Bryant, Paul Soliai, Sione Pouha and Aubrayo Franklin — were signed by other teams while the Broncos were pursuing quarterback Peyton Manning.

Last year they felt they could get by without drafting a DT. And they could since Bunkley solidified the line. They improved from beyond horrible to mediocre.

The problem with this approach as I pointed out before is that it's just not a long-term solution. They NEED to draft a DT or they're going to be scrambling around every year trying to find a one-year rental FA at a reasonable price.

And not all of them are going to work out -- like Ty Warren, sometimes you sign a veteran FA for $8 million on a 2 year contract and he gets hurt, or just decides to take a nap all season now that he's got his big pay-day.

Rookies can bust of course. But, if they're reasonably good they provide long-term stability for 5 or 6 years so you're not desperately trying to put the pieces together all the time.

BigDaddyBronco
03-29-2012, 11:16 AM
I think you're right. But, if you missed my post above, here's their reasoning from today's Denver Post (link above).


Last year they felt they could get by without drafting a DT. And they could since Bunkley solidified the line. They improved from beyond horrible to mediocre.

The problem with this approach as I pointed out before is that it's just not a long-term solution. They NEED to draft a DT or they're going to be scrambling around every year trying to find a one-year rental FA at a reasonable price.

And not all of them are going to work out -- like Ty Warren, sometimes you sign a veteran FA for $8 million on a 2 year contract and he gets hurt, or just decides to take a nap all season now that he's got his big pay-day.

Rookies can bust of course. But, if they're reasonably good they provide long-term stability for 5 or 6 years so you're not desperately trying to put the pieces together all the time.

No, I read it. I was just thinking that the philosophy might be to scramble around every year to throw together a DT rotation because they don't value the position. I thought it might change after McD and then Elway took over and they would start drafting and developing DT's, but so far it hasn't changed and looks the Shanny days. We'll see if it changes this year or not.

Cugel
03-29-2012, 12:16 PM
No, I read it. I was just thinking that the philosophy might be to scramble around every year to throw together a DT rotation because they don't value the position. I thought it might change after McD and then Elway took over and they would start drafting and developing DT's, but so far it hasn't changed and looks the Shanny days. We'll see if it changes this year or not.

In my pessimistic moments I think you're right. But, then I think that possibly they felt that "there are so many holes on this team after McD ran it into a phone pole that we can't fix them all in one year. So, let's get a fast pass-rusher in Miller."

Then they didn't like the DTs who were available in the 2nd or 3rd round so they didn't draft one. They didn't seem to like Paea for instance, yet I thought he'd be a good fit. They liked Nick Fairley but he went to the Lions at #14 so he was out of reach.

The obvious problem is that unless you're willing to use a top 15 pick you're not going to get one of the elite DTs in the draft. Drafting #25 you're probably looking at a guy who might be a bit of a project but with some pass-rushing skills. Maybe not even a first round grade. And they probably don't want to take that chance with their #1 pick.

Wait until their 2nd round pick and the top 5 or 6 DTs are all gone and maybe there's nobody left they would consider. So, they just miss out on another year. :rolleyes:

Even a top 15 pick is no guarantee of success: the Packers selected DT Justin Harrell in 2007 -- and he started exactly 2 games for them in his entire career. Shanahan was so upset when Harrell went off the board that he gave up his 3rd round pick to trade up 4 places to make sure he could grab that HOF player -- Jarvis Moss. :tsk: