NFL Free Agency opens up on Wednesday, with the legal tampering period beginning on Monday. The top free agents usually all commit to a team during that period, so be ready to rock and roll to start next week.
Denver, CO
Disbarred Denver attorney Steven Bachar dies after “medical event” at Rifle prison
Disbarred Denver attorney Steven Bachar died Friday at the Rifle Correctional Center, where he was serving a three-year sentence for defrauding an investor of $125,000.
Bachar, 58, apparently had a medical event and became unresponsive, according to the Garfield County Coroner’s Office.
First aid and CPR were given and emergency medical responders arrived at the scene, but Bachar died at the prison. The coroner’s office was called to the prison Friday morning.
Bachar’s cause and manner of death are still pending, but it appears to be “most consistent with a natural death,” Garfield County Coroner Robert Glassmire said in a statement.
The Department of Corrections confirmed Bachar’s death on Friday but declined to release further information, stating his death was under investigation, “as is the normal course of action,” spokesperson Alondra Gonzalez said in an email.
Bachar had ongoing health problems, he told a Denver District Court judge during his sentencing hearing in November.
“As your honor knows, I have some significant health issues that focus me on the need to live a good honest life going forward,” Bachar said during the November hearing.
Before moving to Colorado in 2015, Bachar was an Army reservist, graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and worked in the U.S. Treasury Department and the White House under President Bill Clinton, according to his LinkedIn and previous reporting.
He also worked with Sen. John Hickenlooper, serving as counsel for Hickenlooper’s campaign for Denver mayor and on his transition team before moving to Denver to join the law firm Moye White’s business section.
He left the firm in August 2017, according to previous reporting.
Bachar was sued by two companies in 2020 for mishandling nearly $2 million earmarked for personal protective equipment purchases during the pandemic. He was later ordered to pay $4.5 million in the civil cases.
Bachar was then charged with three counts of theft and one count of fraud in June 2022 for defrauding an investor of $125,000 in December 2017, according to court records. He was also disbarred in June 2022.
According to the Denver District Attorney’s Office, Bachar misrepresented and omitted information in order to secure $125,000 in funding from an investor for his firm, Empowerment Capital. Bachar never invested or repaid the money, instead spending most of it for personal use.
Bachar pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft in a plea agreement with the district attorney’s office in September, six months after Denver District Court Judge Eric Johnson rejected a previous plea deal for being too lenient.
While prosecutors asked for two years of prison during Bachar’s November sentencing, Johnson sentenced him to 3 years in prison, stating during the hearing that he wanted to push back on the criminal justice system’s tendency to be more lenient on wealthy, well-connected and well-educated defendants.
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Denver, CO
Ranking the Broncos free agent needs on offense
I figured now would be a good time to do a little discussion around the Denver Broncos and where we think their top priorities should be on offense when free agency kicks off.
Broncos top FA needs on offense
Tim Lynch: For free agency, I’d say running back and tight end are the highest on my wish list.
I’d say pay big for a top free agent running back and ensure you have a monster two-headed backfield next season. They need a superior run-blocking tight end and, if they move on from Evan Engram, a pass-catcher too.
Christopher Hart: I agree with Tim. Those are the biggest needs for the offense. Getting a top-notch running back and a tight end capable of playing inline to replace Adam Trautman is a must. The two players I advocated a few weeks ago were running back Travis Etienne and tight end Cade Otton. Both would be fantastic additions and help take Denver’s offense to the next level in 2026.
Scotty Payne: Playmaker is the top and biggest need. That includes a RB, TE, and/or WR in that order.
Need to improve the run game regardless, need some sort of production out of the TEs as well as improved blocking, and if they can get a true WR1, that would be great too.
Ross Allen: I think we’re all in agreement.
Getting someone who can be the dominant running back and have RJ Harvey serve that glamorous “joker” role would be huge for this offense. And given that they also don’t have a legitimate playmaker at the receiving position hurts them. A TE or WR can fill that role.
Sadaraine: The #1 need for the Broncos on offense is a top-notch running back. I will be blown away if the Broncos don’t sign a top-tier free agent running back to upgrade the offense (and no, J.K. Dobbins wouldn’t be that guy…not with his injury history).
There’s a significant gap in need after that until we start talking about tight ends and receivers. I think we’re more likely to see more money spent on a tight end than a receiver, but this offense could use both to be sure.
Ian St. Clair: Not to beat a dead horse, but running back is the biggest need and priority for this team when free agency starts. Having a consistent and effective running game will make Nix and the offense exponentially better. It will make the team better. After running back, the Broncos need to figure out their tight end.
Adam Malnati: Give Bo a weapon. I don’t care which position. Yes, RB is a need. Yes, TE is a need (thanks a lot Evan Engram). Still, a weapon would be nice.
Predictably, we’re all heavily keyed in on running back and tight end. That was a big part of our free agent profile coverage too and for good reason. There have been many rumors around Denver looking to target both positions next week and where there is smoke there is usually fire.
The question really becomes: go big or go affordable? With the championship window open, I’m leaning go big on premium play-maker positions this offseason.
Where do you stand on this discussion? Give us your top free agent needs on offense and how you hope the Broncos address them next week.
Denver, CO
Denver area events for March 5
Denver, CO
Report: Broncos expected to ‘make a splash’ at running back
The Denver Broncos are in the market for a running back.
Just two days after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Denver wants to have the running back position addressed before the draft, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported that the Broncos are “poised to make a splash” at running back during NFL free agency.
“Denver is the reason why the Jets used the franchise tag on Breece Hall rather than the transition tag, according to sources, making sure Denver wouldn’t get the opportunity to put together an offer the Jets would refuse to match,” Jones wrote for CBS Sports.
Jones said the Broncos would be an obvious potential landing spot for Kenneth Walker, and he noted that Travis Etienne could be a cheaper alternative. The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider also reported this week that Denver is expected to “closely examine” the RB market, and he name-dropped Walker, Etienne and Rico Dowdle.
The Broncos also have an in-house free agent at RB in J.K. Dobbins, who has expressed his desire to remain in Denver. The Broncos can begin negotiating with pending free agents from other clubs on March 9, but no deals can become official until the new league year begins on March 11. In-house free agents can be re-signed at any time.
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