The Broncos went into free agency wanting to beef up their defensive line, and they got a start on that Tuesday.

Sources said the Broncos reached an agreement to sign nose tackle Malcolm Roach to a two-year $8 million contract. Roach, known for his ability to stop the run, spent the past four seasons with New Orleans, including playing under current Denver coach Sean Payton in 2020 and 2021.

Sources said the Broncos on Tuesday also agreed to a two-year contract to re-sign tight end Adam Trautman and to a one-year deal to bring back fullback Michael Burton. But the Broncos lost impending free-agent linebacker Josey Jewell, who agreed to a three-year, $22.75 million deal with Carolina after he had played the past six seasons with the Broncos.

The Broncos also officially announced the signing of kicker Wil Lutz, who had agreed Monday to a two-year, $8.4 million contract. A source said Lutz will switch from No. 16 to No. 3 after quarterback Russell Wilson is officially released on Wednesday’s first day of the NFL new league year. Lutz had worn No. 3 with the Saints from 2016-22 until being traded last August to Denver.

Roach can sign his deal as soon as Wednesday. To put themselves in better salary-cap position, the Broncos on Tuesday carved out an additional $20 million of room by restructuring the contracts of defensive end Zach Allen and guard Ben Powers. Allen had been in line to earn a 2024 base salary of $15.25 million and Powers to make $12 million.

The Broncos converted the bulk of those salaries to signing bonuses and Allen and Powers both now have minimum salaries of $1.125 million. The signing bonuses of Allen for $14.235 million and $10.875 million for Powers were then prorated over five years. There were three void years added for Allen, who has two years left on his contract, and two added for Powers, who has three years remaining.

That left the Broncos with nearly $40 million of cap room after deals were agreed to on Roach and Burton and the one finalized with Lutz. Burton was expected to get a slight raise over the $1.317 million he made in his first Broncos season of 2023.

The Broncos will have an $85 million dead cap hit on Wilson when he is released, and will divide it up over the next two years. If they take a $35.4 million hit in 2024 and a $49.6 million one in 2025, their cap situation for 2024 won’t change. If they take a $53 million hit for 2024 and a $32 million one in 2025, then their money for 2024 will be reduced by $17.6 million.

The best position for the athletic, 6-foot-3, 290-pound Roach is nose tackle but he is said to have some versatility on the defensive line. After signing as an undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2020, Battling injuries, Roach played in just 41 games in his four New Orleans seasons while starting just six. He appeared in 12 games last season, playing a bit more than a third of the defensive snaps over those games.

Sources said Arizona, Buffalo, Cincinnati and the Los Angeles Rams also were in the mix to sign Roach.

With Mike Purcell and Jonathan Harris being free agents who are not certain to return, the Broncos entered Monday’s start of the free-agent negotiating period looking for defensive linemen, with an emphasis on those adept at stopping the run. It also is uncertain what Denver will end up doing with defensive tackle D.J. Jones, who is on the books in 2024 to make a nonguaranteed $9.49 million.

Trautman played with current Broncos coach Sean Payton in New Orleans in his first two seasons of 2020 and 2021. He rejoined Payton in a trade last April from the Saints.

In his first Denver season, Trautman caught 22 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns in 2023.

Burton was rated by Pro Football Focus last season as the NFL’s top fullback while playing 17.6% of the offensive snaps. The Broncos are one of a handful of teams that still use a fullback.

Burton, 32, is entering his 10th NFL season He is regarded as a solid blocker and is effective on special teams.

“Absolutely,” Burton told The Denver Gazette in January about wanting to re-sign with Denver. “I definitely hope to be back. I would love to play for Coach Payton and the entire offensive staff and be part of this organization and be part of this culture.”

Jewell leaves Denver after having a base salary last season of $4.49 million and a cap number of $7.22 million. While Jewell was never a strong candidate to return to the Broncos due to his salary, a source said they continued to have talks with his representatives until shortly before his decision to go Carolina. The Panthers’ defensive coordinator is Ejiro Evero, who had that role with Denver in 2022.

Broncos inside linebacker Alex Singleton, Jewell’s good friend, had been campaigning for the Broncos to re-sign Jewell, but he now must be replaced. One in-house possibility is second-year man Drew Sanders, who plays both inside and outside linebacker.

As free agency continues, the Broncos are expected to look for additional help at linebacker.