Long after most major splashes in the free-agent market have dried up, the Broncos made another move to shore up depth and their special teams unit on Tuesday.
Denver is signing former Carolina Panthers safety Sam Franklin Jr. to a one-year deal worth up to $1.5 million, Franklin’s agent Harold Lewis confirmed to The Denver Post. Franklin’s been a key special-teamer for the Panthers for five years and profiles as another piece for new special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.
After going undrafted out of Temple in 2020, Franklin latched on with Carolina and embedded with the organization, despite seeing his defensive snaps fluctuate from one season to the next. In 2023, seeing his best opportunity at safety, Franklin racked up 30 tackles on a combination of ST snaps and defensive alignments. He played just three defensive snaps in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus, seeing a majority of his action on special teams.
In addition to helping Rizzi’s unit, the signing gives the Broncos some needed depth in the secondary. Franklin was solid in coverage in 2023, starting four games and recording a pick-six against the Minnesota Vikings, and Denver’s top-heavy at safety at the moment. Beyond new signee Talanoa Hufanga and returners P.J. Locke and Brandon Jones, the Broncos’ depth at safety has started a total of four games. The 29-year-old Franklin adds a veteran name.
The Broncos still have roughly $17 million in cap space in 2025, from estimations pulled from OverTheCap and Spotrac. Running back JK Dobbins, who was solid in 2024 for the Los Angeles Chargers, still remains on the market. But the Broncos’ brass was expressively firm on drafting a running back in April and have remained largely quiet since a spending spree in March.
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