The Broncos took a first step toward fixing the offensive line on Thursday when the team signed Ronald Leary, the team announced Thursday. Leary’s deal covers four years and is for $35 million with $20 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Broncos make 1st attempt to fix their offensive line by giving Ronald Leary 4-year deal
Leary priced himself out of the Cowboys’ range, and he’s headed to Denver.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
Last season, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch struggled behind a Denver offensive line that allowed 40 sacks last season. The Broncos are also in the market for a veteran quarterback, and Tony Romo could be a good fit. Perhaps signing a familiar face in Leary may help attract the veteran quarterback to Denver.
Leary was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Memphis by the Cowboys following the 2012 draft. He went undrafted due to a degenerative knee condition, but the Cowboys took a chance on him.
The Cowboys offensive line has been dominant, but Leary was expected to leave in free agency.
Leary requested a trade prior to the 2016 season, but the Cowboys wouldn’t grant one. He held out during training camp and was inactive for the first two games of the season, but an injury to La’el Collins got him back in the starting lineup, where he remained until an injury sidelined him for the final game of the season.
Dallas restructured the contracts of center Travis Frederick and left tackle Tyron Smith to free up $17 million in cap space, but Dallas still has just over $9 million to work with at this point. Leary priced himself out of the Cowboys’ range, especially with Collins ready to step back in for next season.
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