There was a time in which Denver Broncos fans would argue that the defensive line was a major weakness and the team needed to find talent.

In recent seasons, that has no longer been the case. Thanks to Bill Kollar coaching up players, quality free-agent signings and a few solid draft picks, the defensive line is one of the Broncos' biggest strengths.

With that said, 2019 is a crucial year for the Broncos when it comes to the defensive line, because three players are eligible for unrestricted free agency after the season — Derek Wolfe, Shelby Harris and Adam Gotsis.

The Broncos shouldn't have a problem extending at least one of those three, but there is no chance that all three will be extended. Whether or not they can get two of three extended depends on circumstances. Before we get to that, let's examine each player and the pros and cons to extending him.

Derek Wolfe: He's been a quality starter for most of his time with the Broncos. He's coming off another solid season, stayed healthy and has indicated he would like to finish his career with the team. However, his health has been a question in the past, given the time he's missed with various injuries, and he'll turn 30 years old soon.

Shelby Harris: He's a favorite of Pro Football Focus and has shown he excels at creating pressure in the pass rush. Harris is also a favorite of many Broncos fans because he was one of those "finds," having signed a futures contract and becoming a quality contributor. The flipside is that he's mostly served as a rotational player and hasn't proven himself as a starter over a 16-game season. He's also older than people realize, as he's 28 years old.

Adam Gotsis: Though he barely contributed as a rookie, the former second-round pick has improved with each season, especially as a run defender. He's a favorite of Bill Kollar, who pushed hard for his second-round selection. But Gotsis isn't as good as a pass rusher as he may first appear — he has gotten his share of sacks, but tends to benefit more from teammates who create opportunities for him.

Pros & cons

So each player has a case for an extension and a case to let him depart after the season. But before we talk about who is likely to win out, let's consider what the cost will be.

First of all, none of the three are going to be signed at the rate for 3-4 nose tackles. That's because their skills don't equal a pure 0-tech or pure 1-tech player. All three can be lined up as a 0-tech, 1-tech or 3-tech. That flexibility they have makes them more valuable and, thus, the contracts to really look at are those for 3-4 defensive ends.

But there is a caveat that comes with this — the highest paid 3-4 defensive ends are the types that have proven to be the cream of the crop. For example, Aaron Donald gets $22.5M APY because he is an elite interior defender who truly transforms a defense. Therefore, you won't use Donald's contract as the measuring stick.

The same applies to J.J. Watt and Jurrell Casey, who are the next two in terms of APY after Donald. Though both signed their contracts years ago, they were both considered elite at their position at the time they got extended.

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Wolfe, Harris and Gotsis are all good players, but none would be elite, so you shouldn't expect elite money. However, that doesn't mean all three will come in at, say, what Wolfe got when he signed his last contract for a little more than $9M APY.

Instead, a better comparison might be players such as Stephon Tuitt, Brandon Williams and Michael Brockers (even though Brockers got his deal when the Rams played a 4-3 scheme). Those players fall into the $10.5M to $12M APY range.

That doesn't mean Wolfe, Harris and Gotsis will all get that kind of money. It's more about indicating the ceiling for these players in terms of APY salary. Details such as full guarantees matter, of course, as do other factors to consider with each of the three.

Projecting the cost

With Derek Wolfe, his age will come into play to some degree. That said, I don't think the Broncos can keep him at $9M APY. They may have to go up to $10M APY, but if he plays well in 2019 and stays healthy, it shouldn't be an issue.

Regarding Shelby Harris, it all depends on his level of play this year. He'll likely be a starter and, thus, get his chance to show he can make a bigger impact with increased playing time. If he can do that, he could push for $11M APY or more.

Adam Gotsis may be the one that comes at the cheapest salary. That's because he's not as good at pass rushing as the other two, and pass rushing is where the money goes. But that doesn't mean he'll come back on a cheap deal — I could see him staying for $8M APY, but he won't likely come in lower than that.

Bold predictions probabilities

So what's the most likely outcome? It all depends on how this trio plays this year. If all three play well and stay healthy, all three have a chance to stick around, but it will depend on what money they seek.

Let's say that Wolfe and Harris are both willing to take deals around $10M APY to stay. With Wolfe, you would want to keep the deal at three years, but you could go four years with Harris because he is a year younger than Wolfe.

You would want Wolfe's deal structured so that the Broncos could get out of the deal after one year if need be, but offer Wolfe at least some fully guaranteed money in year two. Harris would be a "two years then we'll see" type of deal.

However, if Wolfe has more injury issues come up, then it goes without saying that he'll be out of the Broncos' plans. That opens the door for Gotsis to join Harris in sticking around. And there's a chance that Gotsis could get a "two years then we'll see" deal, just not at the same amount of money that Harris would get.

Another possible scenario is if Harris either doesn't perform at a level expected for a starter, or does so and decides he wants the biggest possible payday. In that case, if Wolfe and Gotsis stay healthy and play well, chances are the Broncos will be keep both and move on from Harris.

Bottom line

I have no doubts that the Broncos will extend one of the three and, at this point, Wolfe appears the most likely. The only thing I see that would change that is his health.

With Harris, it's simply a question of how he performs as a starter and how big of a payday he wants. I would put him second behind Wolfe in terms of the likelihood of getting an extension, though.

But while I would put Gotsis third in terms of likelihood to stay, he's not guaranteed to be gone after 2019. If Wolfe's health becomes a concern, Gotsis will get more consideration. The same holds true if Harris either falters or wants a big payday.

The only safe thing that can be said is that at least one of the three will not be with the Broncos next year. With that said, money won't prevent the Broncos from keeping two of the three. I won't be surprised if two of Wolfe, Harris and Gotsis are still with the Broncos in 2020 — and I will be shocked if the Broncos don't retain at least one of them.