San Francisco 49ers radio analyst Tim Ryan spent four years perfecting the pronunciation of safety Talanoa Hufanga’s name and coming up with a nickname for him. And now he’s gone.

The Broncos on Tuesday reached agreements to sign a pair of 49ers free agents in Hufanga and inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw. They can sign after the NFL’s new league year begins at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

“Everybody just calls him, ‘Huff,’’’ Ryan, a former NFL defensive tackle, said about Hufanga. “I just call him the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ because he huffs and puffs and blows everything down.”’

Ryan lauded the play of Hufanga, who will sign a three-year, $45 million deal, and Greenlaw, who got a three-year, $35 million contract.

“I hate that they’re losing them,’’ said Ryan, who played for the Chicago Bears from 1990-93 and also has been an NFL game analyst for Fox. “They’re good pickups for the Broncos. … The best thing about them is that they’re not just really good players, but they’re really good people. They’ll be a great fit for (Broncos coach) Sean Payton and all those guys.”

The Broncos went into free agency seeking an inside linebacker to start alongside Alex Singleton, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury in Week 3 last season, and a safety to start alongside Brandon Jones, who had a top-notch 2024 after signing as a free agent last March.

Cody Barton was a regular starter throughout last season, but he will sign as a free agent a three-year, $21 million deal with Tennessee. Hufanga is expected to replace starter P.J. Locke, who remains under contract with Denver.

The Broncos also have been looking for a tight end. They got a visit on Monday from Evan Engram, who left without a deal to also visit the Los Angeles Chargers. Another possible target, Juwan Johnson, re-signed with New Orleans on a three-year, $30.75 million contract. Payton coached Johnson on the Saints during his first two NFL seasons of 2020 and 2021.

Denver on Tuesday did agree to a two-year contract with Trent Sherfield. He will provide depth at wide receiver and also is adept on special teams.

The Broncos also officially announced the re-signing of two players who agreed to deals earlier in the week in nose tackle D.J. Jones and long snapper Mitch Fraboni. Jones gets a three-year, $39 million contract and Fraboni a three-year, $4.175 million deal.

Jones began his NFL career with the 49ers from 2017-21 before joining the Broncos. He spent three seasons as a teammate to Greenlaw, who played the past six years with San Francisco, and one year as a teammate of Hufanga, who played the last four seasons with the 49ers.

Hufanga was named first-team All-Pro in 2022 before being slowed by injuries. He was lost for the season with a torn ACL suffered in the 10th game in 2023. He returned last year but suffered a torn ligament in his wrist. He was limited to seven games in 2024 but was healthy for the last five.

“(Hufanga) is really smart,’’ Allen said. “He’s going to make plays just off anticipating stuff. He looks at down and distance and whatever it is, and kind of does that math and figures it might be worth taking a risk. He made a lot of plays that way.

“He’s a good tackler and he’s really good with communication. Last year, when he went down, obviously the communication was totally different.”

Greenlaw also has battled injuries. He suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024. He returned to play two games last December before missing the final two games with a calf injury.

“He worked really hard to rehab his Achilles and got himself back before that calf ended last year,’’ Allen said. “Greenlaw is going to be a huge loss for the 49ers. … When Greenlaw is in the kill zone, his tackling is just ridiculous. He’s all over it, plays fast.”

Greenlaw’s most notable tackle was stuffing Seattle tight end Jacob Hollister at the 1-yard on fourth-and-goal in the waning seconds of the 2019 regular-season finale, enabling the 49ers to win 26-21 and claim the NFC West title. They went on to make Super Bowl LIV.

Hufanga also was known for big plays with the 49ers. His most memorable one came in a 2021 divisional wild-card playoff when he returned a blocked punt 6 yards for a touchdown to tie the score 10-10 at Green Bay with 4:41 left. The 49ers, a 5 ½-point underdog, went on to win 13-10.

“The Broncos will enjoy both of them, Allen said of Hufanga and Greenlaw.