Tried as they might, the Broncos were not able to lock down Billy Turner prior to the new league year.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the team has tabled extension talks with Turner, an unrestricted free agent who can agree to terms elsewhere once the clock strikes midnight on Monday — the start of the two-day tampering period which precedes free agency.

Rapoport's wording suggests Turner's reps walked away from the negotiating table after weeks of informal discussions. This suggests Denver wasn't meeting Turner's wants, and his camp feels another team will.

Addressing the state of the offensive line, which could lose three players to the open market, general manager John Elway confirmed at last week's Scouting Combine that he had dialogue with Turner and fellow UFAs, center Matt Paradis and right tackle Jared Veldheer.

"Yeah, there’s no question," Elway said. "I’d love to bring all our guys back, but there’s only so much we can do. That’s why until you get to the market and see where everything is. That’s where everything becomes realistic. We can talk about it and evaluate and say what we’d like right now, but until we see what’s out there and what’s involved, it’s hard to be concrete with which direction.”

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News of the Broncos' interest in retaining Turner first surfaced on Feb. 19, when 9News' Mike Klis reported "he might be the one guy from the Broncos’ group of 14 unrestricted free agent players the team would like to sign back."

A seventh-year veteran, Turner is coming off his third season with the Broncos. He appeared in 19 games over that span, working primarily as a swing lineman kicking between tackle and guard. Turner hit unrestricted free agency last offseason for the first time in his career, and after three days, the club re-signed him to a one-year contract.

He made Denver's 53-man roster in training camp in 2018, returning to his familiar backup role. But injuries to Veldheer and fill-in starting guard Max Garcia forced Turner into the gameday lineup. He made 11 starts last season, surrendering 3.5 sacks and grading out as Pro Football Focus' No. 33 OG among 77 qualifiers.

By year's end, the Broncos' offensive line devolved to Garett Bolles, Turner, Connor McGovern, Elijah Wilkinson and Veldheer — four natural tackles and a guard playing center, a combination that improved the collective production.

Turner can play both OT and OG spots and is invaluable depth for new position coach Mike Munchak. But if he fancies himself a starter and the organization doesn't share that sentiment, the parties will go their separate ways, at least temporarily. Sometimes it's best to walk and come back with a clearer head.

As the Broncos continue to haggle with Turner and Veldheer, they'll sniff around potential veteran replacements at RT, such as Ja'Wuan James and Trent Brown. Recent mock drafts also have the club using its first-round pick (No. 10 overall) on a tackle.