The Denver Broncos have acquired defensive lineman Jurrell Casey in a trade with the Tennessee Titans, according to multiple reports. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver was first with the news. The compensation heading back to Nashville, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, is just a seventh-round draft choice.
Given that Tennessee only received a late-round pick in return for Casey, this seems to largely be a salary dump. The 30-year-old is due around $11.7 million in 2020 (via Spotrac), and $5.45 million of that becomes fully guaranteed this weekend. By moving on from him now, the Titans get out from under playing that guaranteed money and clear all of that $11.7 million off their cap. Still, considering that Casey has been named to five straight Pro Bowls, one would think that Denver could have received more for the 6-foot-1, 305-pounder, who is signed through the 2022 season.
Casey was taken by Tennessee in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of USC and has started in 137 of his 139 games played for the Titans. According to Pro Football Focus, he's turned in a 70 or higher grade in all nine of his season in the NFL. In 14 regular season games last season, Casey totaled 44 tackles and five sacks.
Now, he joins a Broncos front seven that is headlined by fellow perennial Pro Bowler and star outside linebacker Von Miller as well as recent top-five overall pick Bradley Chubb.
The Casey deal is the latest move in a busy offseason by Denver to shore up their biggest areas of need. The Broncos also landed cornerback A.J. Bouye in a trade with the Jaguars, then agreed to a big deal with one of the premier interior offensive linemen on the market in Graham Glasgow.
