The NFL trade deadline is November 1, and the Denver Broncos are in an awkward position. The Broncos put a lot of hype on themselves during the offseason by portraying this team as playoff-or-bust caliber, but with an inept offense and sitting at a 2-4 record, making the playoffs seems like a pipe dream.
So the question is, as the trade deadline approaches, does Denver become a buyer or seller? There's an argument for both, so let's examine whether the Broncos should be buyers first.
Buyers
Pros
Even though the Broncos sit at 2-4, they've had their flashes of brilliance on offense while being a great and mostly consistent run defense. Unfortunately, the Broncos have dealt with injuries to multiple starters, and those losses are clearly hurting the team's performance.
Adding in some extra help, especially on the offensive side of the ball, could be a boost Denver needs to see an improved outcome. There are multiple positions the Broncos could examine after losing RB Javonte Williams and LT Garett Bolles, while also having LG Dalton Risner and center Lloyd Cushenberry as liabilities on the offensive line.
Finding a quality O-lineman or two at one of Denver's three weak spots would be ideal. Even with Russell Wilson being among the league leaders in self-inflicted pressures, the Broncos' pass protection has been an issue all season long.
Plus, the running game has hardly been worth mentioning, as the interior O-line gets little to no push — unless being pushed to the ground or into the backfield counts.
Of course, adding a running back could help with Denver's running game issues, but the problem seems more blocking-related than running back performance. Latavius Murray ended up having a solid game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and it's easy to find running backs on the open market or off a practice squad. Sending away any capital for a running back doesn't make much sense in the modern NFL.
Wide receiver and cornerback are two other positions that could be examined. The loss of Tim Patrick has really exposed the Broncos' depth issues at the position, and not a single receiver, outside of Courtland Sutton, has stepped up.
With Ronald Darby out, rookie Damarri Mathis got picked on as he was called for four pass-interference penalties and added four missed tackles to his first career start. It wasn't all bad from Mathis, but he needs more time to ripen on the vine, and adding a corner would relegate him back to the fourth corner spot and help the questionable depth at the position overall.
Cons
There are not many cons to being buyers at the deadline, but the ones there are pretty big. After trading for Wilson, the Broncos only have five draft picks in 2023, with the first coming in the third round. It makes it nearly rather difficult to add players through the trade market.
To add talent, the Broncos would be in a better spot to look to other teams' practice squads or free agents. However, this team hasn't been active in trying out players, which is a questionable decision, but that is a different conversation.
Another issue is how much of a difference these players would actually make and what their contracts look like. The Broncos invested in Wilson and have other young players coming up as free agents that the team should look to retain, so relinquishing draft capital for a player on a one-year deal and adding to those impending departures in 2023 would be a questionable move.
You can't look at expensive deals teams are trying to dump because you still have to pay these impending free agents that have grown as part of the Broncos. So the only way Denver should buy at the trade deadline is in essentially player-for-player deals, or a bit of a risk on the cheap in terms of draft capital sent.
Targets
There have been two players the Broncos have been linked to on the trade market, but both seem unlikely.
Christian McCaffrey is one of the big names floating as the Carolina Panthers are looking to move on. He signed a big deal, then dealt with injuries in back-to-back seasons. So far this season, he's been playing good football.
Denver could use running back help and has reportedly called on McCaffrey, but it seems unlikely to happen. The biggest issue is the Broncos' lack of draft capital to send in return.
That is also likely to be an issue with William Jackson III, who made it clear he wants to be traded from the Washington Commanders and their zone-heavy scheme. There are also reports of Jackson dealing with a back injury, which makes trading for him even more difficult.
Jackson is a good man-coverage corner and would be a solid fit for what the Broncos are doing defensively. With Darby out, Jackson would be a boost to the boundary corner.
Sellers
Pros
The Broncos are low on draft capital and are not a performing team. With multiple financial investments set to kick in, Denver could look at trading some young players who are at or nearing the point of expiring rookie contracts.
So moving those players for draft capital leads to replacing them with young players with potential on cost-controlled rookie contracts. It's similar to what the Broncos did with Von Miller before last season's trade deadline.
This team could use more capital for the 2023 NFL draft, but the Broncos have to figure out which players are not part of their future plans. As a general rule of thumb, they must be young players still on their rookie contracts. That isn't always the case, as with Miller, but that was an expiring deal for a top edge rusher.
Selling would signify that the Broncos are punting on the rest of the season. With two games left before the trade deadline against the 4-2 New York Jets and the 2-4 Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver's potential to be sellers rests on the outcome of these games.
The Broncos return home to face the Jets, before traveling to London to take on the Jaguars.
There is a realistic shot the Broncos will find themselves 2-6 or 3-5 when the trade deadline rolls around. The playoffs would be essentially out of reach with how strong the AFC looks, with Denver sitting in 12th place.
While it would weaken the team, it would be punting for the 2023 season, which is essentially what Denver did with their 2022 NFL draft. The Broncos could use this year to work on putting it together and then leave no excuses for the 2023 season with added draft capital and plenty of available funds to spend in free agency to improve the weak spots of this team.
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Cons
Trading away young assets is risky, especially the players the Broncos have as legit assets to trade. Some of them are playing good or great football or are doing well at a struggling position. In addition, being a seller would make the Broncos weaker for this season, which makes the playoffs even more unlikely.
Could head coach Nathaniel Hackett survive the Broncos being sellers? With the ineptitude of the Broncos' offense, Hackett being a one-and-done head coach is a growing possibility.
Finishing worse than 7-10 would likely cement his firing. So would Hackett acquiesce to selling talent, which would make this team worse, and potentially lead to his firing?
Well, it isn't up to him in the end, but rather, GM George Paton, and he has to do what he thinks is best for the future of this team. With the uncertainty about Hackett, Paton can't let that hold him back from making what moves he believes would better the team.
Paton's conundrum adds another general rule when looking at players Denver could sell. Don't bet on it being someone from one of Paton's two draft classes so far.
The Broncos' second-year general manager has shown out well in drafting, but some of his other decisions have been questionable. Instead, it would likely be a purge of John Elway's final draft picks that have not lived up to the hype or are about to become expensive.
Trade Bait
Bradley Chubb is the popular name for potential trade bait. In a way, the Broncos already tipped their hand by moving Baron Browning from inside to outside linebacker, signing Randy Gregory, and drafting Nik Bonitto.
Chubb is an expiring deal, playing excellent football now that he is finally healthy, and is probably the player that could fetch the most in return to give the Broncos an actual boost to their draft capital.
The player getting the most real-world chatter is TE Albert Okwuegbunam, who is in the coaching staff's doghouse. As the weeks went on, Okwuegbunam saw a steep decrease in snaps before being a healthy scratch against the Chargers, with rookie third-rounder Greg Dulcich returning from injured reserve. If anyone gets moved, Okwuegbunam seems the most likely.
Speaking of offensive weapons, wideouts Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler could also be options. Denver has had issues with receivers stepping up, making the room even weaker. Hamler isn't being utilized, and a team could desire the speed of the former second-round pick.
While Jeudy has done well getting open but has failed to live up to his first-round status. There have been some issues with Jeudy and social media as he deals with the terrible quarterback play, which could be why Denver looks to move him but also why teams would be weary.
Defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones is another on an expiring deal, but with what Denver has going on with its D-line, he seems highly unlikely to be traded and is instead headed for an extension. So the Broncos could end up with an interesting decision on whether to franchise-tag Jones or Chubb if they don't move one of them.
The aforementioned Risner and Cushenberry have drawn plenty of ire for their terrible play on the O-line. Risner, an impending free agent, was a name floating around during the draft as trade bait.
That continued until Denver lost Tom Compton and Netane Muti to back and knee injuries, respectively. Those were the two candidates the Broncos had to replace Risner potentially.
As for Cushenberry, he seems cemented as the starter, for whatever reason. Denver could look to move him as he has been bad and doesn't fit what the offense does.
However, what would Cushenberry fetch? Like Risner, Cushenberry has been terrible this season, so the Broncos wouldn't likely garner much for either.
The remaining potential options fall into that veteran category and likely don't have much value on the trade market. With the emergence of Caden Sterns at safety, Kareem Jackson is an option, but Denver would likely have to buy a pick at 35 years old and on his last legs.
Next, RB Melvin Gordon has his fumbling issues that would concern teams. Finally, OG Graham Glasgow is older, expensive, and not nearly the player he was.
Okwuegbunam seems the most likely, but Chubb is an option. Jeudy and Hamler are possibilities, too, but the odds of them being traded seem extremely low. The rest seem to be part of the Broncos' future plans or don't carry enough value to be a trade target for another team.
Bottom Line
The Broncos shouldn't be expected to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. What we'll actually see is probably similar to what Denver did last year. While the Broncos sold off Miller while eating a lot of his money, they also bought a couple of players.
That's what should be expected if the Broncos make any moves at all. Trading Chubb at the deadline seems unlikely, but Okwuegbunam, who is garnering interest, is a real possibility.
Denver could then look at sending a late-round pick this year, or even next year, for a cheaper expiring contract that is sitting at the bottom of a depth chart, which is exactly what the team did last year when it acquired LB Kenny Young.
With the uncertainty at head coach, expecting Paton to be heavy as either a buyer or a seller seems unrealistic. Instead, expect the Broncos' GM to monitor the markets and maybe attempt to make a move or two to try and better the team for this year and beyond.
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October 21, 2022 at 09:32AM
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Broncos' Top Trade Bait & Targets with NFL Deadline Approaching - Sports Illustrated
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