Broncos Finally Sign Defensive Tackle To Break A Logjam Of Unsigned Third Round Picks

The Denver Broncos have had most of their draft picks signed for some time now, but the exception was Tyler Onyedim, the defensive tackle they took in the third round. The Broncos finally signed Onyedim, but getting him in the fold was part of a much larger story, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. 

That story revolves around the status of third-round picks around the league. Specifically, they're looking for more guaranteed money, and Onyedim’s contract is for four-years, $7.38 million with a $1.8 million signing bonus. 

The issue at hand here is about agents trying to get a guaranteed base salary for their clients. That didn't happen for Onyedim, however, has the Broncos held firm and only guaranteed his signing bonus. That also happened with defensive end Keyron Crawford of the Las Vegas Raiders, who signed his deal just before Onyedim’s was confirmed.

The quarterback who prompted this battle is still unsigned, however. Carson Beck was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round, and he remains unsigned. 

Not all of the other players in Onyedim’s position have caved, however. According to Smith, those include Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Markel Bell, Chicago Bears tight end Sam Roush and San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Romello Height.

As for Onyedim, part of the reason he gave ground probably had something to do with the Broncos’ defensive line and the overall strength of the defense as a whole. The Broncos have plenty of players who are established as key players on one of the best defenses in the NFL, so his negotiating position wasn’t exactly great here. 

Crawford also faces an uphill battle to earn a spot with the Raiders, as they already have defensive end Maxx Crosby and multiple pass rushers they signed in a free-agent spending binge. 

Onyedim fills a fairly unique need for the Broncos. They see him as a player who can play up and down the defensive line, and if he develops well he could be a replacement for John Franklin-Myers, who left Denver to sign with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent. 

Onyedim was already in minicamp, so there was little doubt that this would get done eventually. His contemporaries who were drafted in a similar slot are probably disappointed about his decision and Crawford’s, but the third round is where things start to get tenuous for players trying to carve out a role for themselves. Onyedim will now get a chance to do that, and he’ll be doing it with a team that has a successful track record with this sort of thing.