NFL Free Agency: Should the Broncos sign Richard Sherman to replace Ronald Darby?
Veteran cornerback Richard Sherman is a possible target for Denver after ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that Denver Broncos cornerback Ronald Darby was placed on the injured reserve because of a hamstring injury. In doing so, the talented CB will miss three weeks at a minimum.
Hamstring injuries can be hard to get a handle on and because of the three-week timeline, that is borderline, the normal return time for this type of injury. However, if he aggravates it and it gets worse before it gets better, then the Broncos could be a little short in the cornerback department.
That means rookie Patrick Surtain II is going to be thrust into starting in Week 2. The first-round pick has been seriously impressive throughout the offseason, although he did get beat on Sunday against the Giants, which led to a touchdown.
So, with that being said, who could the Denver Broncos sign to help out while Darby is missing through injury?
Should Denver sign Richard Sherman?
One name that has been floated around is the former Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49er cornerback in Richard Sherman.
Hearing this name might make Bronco fans cringe as Sherman is certainly an acquired taste, but he is immensely talented, despite being 33 years old.
So, would he be a good fit for the Broncos? In short, yes. He would provide cover for the defense and could also mentor Surtain and who better to learn from then one of the best cornerbacks to ever do play.
Sherman would also give some much-needed beef to the Broncos secondary and would essentially shut down one side of the field for opposing quarterbacks to throw to. This in itself is a great reason to sign Sherman.
But for all the good that signing Sherman would bring, there are some downsides. First of all, his age. Being 33, can he play at an All-Pro level that would validate his signing and be able to produce those kinds of performances when he was a member of the Legion of Boom in Seattle.
The other is his impact on the locker room. As we all know, Sherman is a colorful character and wears his heart on his sleeve, sometimes to his detriment. However, that is just who he is as a person and football player.
If Denver can justify both of those issues, then Sherman could prove to be a good piece of business in the short term to replace Darby.
However, the Broncos could miss out on Sherman if they do not act quick enough. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said post-game via CBS on Sunday after Jason Verrett went down with an ACL that re-signing Sherman is possible.
"We've discussed it. I've talked to Sherm about it, too," Shanahan said after the game. "Sherm's always a possibility."
So, while the Broncos might be interested in Sherman, he could be snapped up before they get the chance.