Day 2 of the NFL’s negotiating period didn’t bring any further blockbusters for the Broncos, but it did deliver some backfield help.
Denver on Tuesday agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million contract with Cincinnati running back Samaje Perine, a league source confirmed to The Post, adding a veteran back to the stable of players general manager George Paton and company have added in the first two days of de-facto free agency.
The league year doesn’t begin officially until 2 p.m. Wednesday, but when it does the Broncos now have six new players expected to sign contracts — Perine, offensive linemen Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers, tight end Chris Manhertz, quarterback Jarrett Stidham and defensive lineman Zach Allen — in addition to agreeing to a three-year deal with returning linebacker Alex Singleton.
Perine checks another box Denver figured to try to fill via free agency considering running back Javonte Williams is attempting to return from a serious knee injury sustained Week 4 against Las Vegas. Paton said at the NFL Combine that the expectation is Williams will be ready by the beginning of the season, but if he’s not, Perine provides 76 games worth of experience as the next man up.
The 27-year-old spent the past three seasons with the Bengals and averaged 4.4 yards per carry in that span. In 2022, he carried the ball 95 times for 394 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Perhaps just as noteworthy: He caught 38 passes on 51 targets for 287 yards and four more scores.
Perine, 5-foot-11, 235 pounds, served primarily as a third-down back in 2021 and saw his playing time tick up from 27% that year to 41% in 2022. A 2017 fourth-round draft pick of Washington’s, Perine also logged 844 special teams snaps over the past three seasons for the Bengals, according to Pro Football Reference data.
Perine has played in seven career playoff games and jumpstarted Cincinnati’s comeback win in the 2022 AFC title game against Kansas City with a 43-yard touchdown reception.
The Broncos are also signing fullback Michael Burton, a ninth-year player who’s spent the past two seasons with Kansas City and played for Payton in New Orleans in 2020, multiple sources confirmed to The Post.
Burton in his career has appeared in 113 games for five different teams, spending time before the Chiefs and Saints with Detroit, Chicago and Washington.
Over his two seasons in Kansas City, Burton, 31, has also played more than half of the Chiefs’ special teams snaps.
Salary cap status. One day after the Broncos dropped more than $128 million in guaranteed money on six players, the salary cap ramifications are starting to come into focus.
Though the numbers are best considered preliminary until the paperwork is formally filed with the NFLPA, a combination of Post reporting, other reports from around the country and Over the Cap data shows Denver is likely south of $7 million in remaining cap space as of late Tuesday afternoon.
Here are the known 2023 cap numbers for Denver’s free-agent crop so far:
Allen: $7.25 million
McGlinchey: $6 million
Powers: $5.25 million
Stidham: $3.51 million
Singleton: $3.33 million
Those five combine to bring Denver down to about $11.46 million in cap space, according to OTC. Perine, Manhertz and Burton will all have reasonable cap numbers in 2023, but they will likely lop off another $5 million or so combined.
The Broncos can clear a lot more cap room if they restructure some contracts for players currently on their roster. That’s not free money — it all counts against the cap at some point — but it’s an avenue to explore if Denver is going to keep adding players.
Otherwise, Denver may be content for now to mine the free agent ranks for more backups.
Anderson to New England. Broncos tackle Calvin Anderson is off to New England where he is set to sign a two-year deal.
Anderson played in 41 games for Denver over the past three seasons, including seven starts in 2022.
He wrote on Twitter, “To #BroncosCountry: Thank you so much for embracing me. I’ve always been counted out, but you gave me a chance to flourish and develop myself as a player. I’m forever grateful to George Paton, Mike Munchak, and so many others. I will always be proud of my time as a Bronco.”
Wire happenings. The Broncos on Tuesday waived wide receivers Freddie Swain and Victor Bolden, according to the NFL’s transaction wire. Swain was signed off Miami’s practice squad in December and appeared in three games, logging four catches for 74 yards. Bolden did not appear in a game for Denver.
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