Broncos add a linebacker to replace Josey Jewell

Cody Barton was a part of the draft class that came one year after Josey Jewell. And now Barton will be on the heels of Jewell once again.

The Broncos agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Barton, who broke into the NFL as a third-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2019. Barton agreed to a deal worth up to $4 million, according to KUSA-Ch. 9’s Mike Klis.

The agent of Barton, David Canter, first shared the news on social media.

Congratulations to @GSEworldwide client Cody Barton on agreeing to terms to sign with @Broncos pic.twitter.com/cyj0TpjvZx

— David Canter (@davidcanter) March 15, 2024

A product of the University of Utah, Cody Barton led the Washington Commanders in total tackles last year, even though he missed four games. It was his first and only season with the Commanders after four seasons in Seattle. Barton’s first season as a full-time starter came with the Seahawks in 2022.

The contract terms for Cody Barton are significant because they come in at barely half of the average annual value for Jewell’s new deal with the Carolina Panthers. Jewell agreed to a three-year contract in Carolina for $22.75 million.

Jewell’s average annual value of $7.583 million will be worth $3.583 million more than the maximum possible value for Barton in his one-year deal — a savings of 47.3 percent. It’s similar to how the Broncos got their putative starting safety combination of Brandon Jones and P.J. Locke for less than the amount of cap space saved by the decision to release Justin Simmons.

These are the decisions the Broncos must make as they navigate a $67-million dead-money figure. But in the case of Cody Barton, the Broncos might have found a player who can replicate the one they lost.

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