Five Broncos who could be next in line for an extension, from John Franklin-Myers to Justin Strnad

Ever since sitting down with Sean Payton to talk shop before the bye week George Paton has given out new deals in Denver like Oprah giving out new cars Wil Lutz came first his agent calling him on the golf subject while the -year-old kicker was enjoying specific time off this past week Center Luke Wattenberg was the next domino to fall agreeing to a four-year million deal well before he could wade into free agency in a thin class And defensive tackle Malcolm Roach followed on Wednesday after negotiations had ramped up just the day before a source explained The Post with a three-year deal worth million in guaranteed cash There are a limited other players that we know we ve reached out to Payton stated on Monday and I think the key is the communication aspect of it all So is this week s run over There s a limited core players that remain on a collision unit with free agency and the Broncos still have ample cap room to work with particularly if they choose to move on from or restructure the deals for guard Ben Powers or tackle Mike McGlinchey after the season Payton noted Wednesday it was hard to say if Denver would look to extend any other players before the end of the year Here s a breakdown and an extension-temperature check on five key Broncos who are headed for free agency after the season s end from consulting sources over the past couple weeks J K Dobbins RB stats games carries yards YPC TD Outlook Dobbins was perhaps the the bulk critical piece of the Broncos offense through games in a true steal after inking a one-year contract with a base value of million in June A source communicated The Post in late October that the running back could seek around million yearly on his next deal That s likely off the table now after Dobbins suffered a potentially season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week against the Raiders Still the Broncos backfield looks as thin heading into as it does now even as rookie RJ Harvey will have this stretch run to assert himself as Denver s RB of the future Unless Dobbins is seeking legitimate starter-level money the Broncos could still look to bring him back as a veteran presence in the room Anything here apparently wouldn t get done until after the year though Likelihood of re-signing Cool John Franklin-Myers DL stats games sacks tackles QB hits Outlook Franklin-Myers indicated to The Post that he was looking ahead to free agency back before the first battle of the season and nothing s changed nearly three months later even as nearly every single impact defensive linemen around him has earned job prevention A source described The Post again this week that the Broncos haven t initiated extension talks as a cold front continues here despite another strong season for Franklin-Myers This is not for lack of belief in Franklin-Myers Teammates and defensive staff alike are fully aware of how valuable he is able to consistently create interior pressure and command defensive attention away from All-Pro Zach Allen Roach on the day of his extension issued a residents plea for the Broncos to extend him We just gotta find a way to keep our room together Roach disclosed Get my dog JFM right and then we gonna be good But Franklin-Myers might just be priced out of what Denver s willing to pay The Broncos didn t arrangement up in the third round in April to take Sai vion Jones for nothing and Franklin-Myers has a mighty reference deal in similar-framed Milton Williams free-agent contract with the Patriots this past offseason an average value of million for a participant with fewer sacks than Franklin-Myers Likelihood of re-signing Cold Alex Singleton ILB stats games tackles TFL sack Outlook This is out of sight and out of mind at the moment as Singleton s been working back the last insufficient weeks from a shocking testicular cancer assessment In the weeks before though Singleton was setting the Broncos up for an intriguing decision His issues in coverage have been well-documented but Singleton has had perhaps his best NFL season against the run in missing just three tackles across the last seven weeks according to Pro Football Focus Singleton is integral to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph s defense as the green-dot mike linebacker But Joseph could be gone for a head-coaching gig in and Singleton will be Likelihood of re-signing Cool Justin Strnad ILB stats games tackles sacks QB hits Outlook At this point Strnad could seek starter-level money He s proven for two seasons that he s not just a special-teamer and Strnad indicated in a -tackle effort against the Chiefs that he can play mike in addition to off-ball He s a valuable piece in Denver s system a stalwart in the George Paton era who s shown himself capable of adapting to any practicable role thrown in front of him But former Bronco Cody Barton just earned a three-year million deal in free agency after playing next to Strnad in and Strnad has priced himself well out of the -year million re-up he signed this past offseason This could depend on what Denver decides to do with starting ILB Dre Greenlaw quietly there s a probable out after this season in Greenlaw s three-year deal Likelihood of re-signing Lukewarm Ja Quan McMillian CB RFA stats games tackles sacks INT passer rating against Related Articles Broncos Vance Joseph calls head coaching talk flattering but focus elsewhere Broncos analysis How pivotal is being good up front million in extensions says plenty Fully cleared to practice after cancer assessment Broncos Alex Singleton says return will be special Broncos Sean Payton hints at possible J K Dobbins return this season Broncos agree to -year extension with DT Malcolm Roach Outlook There are no immediate alarm bells here McMillian is a restricted free agent meaning the Broncos can elect to place various levels of tenders on him that grant the right to match another group s offer in free agency Denver can well elect to slow-play this and match another squad s offer to McMillian or even let him walk with the presence of first-round rookie Jahdae Barron and receive draft-pick compensation McMillian though hopes the Broncos will make the commitment to keep him as agent Deryk Gilmore informed The Post Him and I in fact talked about this the day before having an opportunity to stay with the association that gave him his opportunity is something that he would dream about Gilmore commented Likelihood of re-signing Lukewarm Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis