As Broncos training camp nears, the trade chatter around Denver is only going to get louder. The roster has a few crowded spots, and last year’s mid-August move of Devaughn Vele to the New Orleans Saints is still fresh enough to make people wonder if another deal is coming.
There are five names that stand out most as possible trade candidates, and each one comes with a clear case for and against moving on.
At cornerback, Riley Moss is the first player who jumps off the page. The Broncos used the 20th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Jahdae Barron, and with the price of the position climbing, it is hard to justify letting two cost-controlled years disappear on a rookie contract.
Moss is also in the final year of his rookie deal, and Denver is unlikely to extend him. A trade now would also give the Broncos draft capital in 2027 instead of waiting until 2028 for a possible compensatory pick they could end up missing.
The pushback is just as obvious. Barron’s rookie season was uneven, and even with the penalties, Moss was clearly the better player. Denver is aiming at the Super Bowl, and dealing Moss could weaken the room badly if Barron is not ready to start or cannot handle the boundary.
Pat Bryant is another name to watch, especially because Denver’s depth chart at the position is crowded. His recent legal issues only add to the possibility that the Broncos could decide the situation is no longer worth carrying.
There is also the matter of his career pattern, with his play tending to fall off after the first eight to ten weeks every year. That could make Denver more willing to move him if the depth behind him keeps flashing.
Still, Bryant has been a good player for the Broncos early in the season, and there are financial reasons to keep him around for this year despite the legal situation. Those issues are still unresolved, which could also make other teams hesitant to trade for him.
Ben Powers fits a different kind of trade discussion. He is a solid guard, but Denver could decide his play does not match the cost, especially if they can create meaningful salary-cap savings by moving him now. Because his contract expires after this season, he is not eligible for the compensatory pick formula, so this would be the Broncos’ only chance to get something back for their starting left guard.
The concern is the drop-off behind him. Alex Palczewski was one of the worst guards in the NFL when he started in 2025, and Kage Casey is a rookie.
That makes it fair to question whether the cap savings from trading Powers would be worth the risk. And for offensive linemen, proving enough in camp can be tricky with padded-practice limits.
Marvin Mims Jr. is also in the mix. He is in the final year of his rookie deal, and his price could get too steep for Denver even though he is an All-Pro kick and punt returner.
On offense, he has not met expectations, and this offseason he has been vocal about wanting a bigger role. Sean Payton has usually not loved players airing team concerns publicly.
But there is a major reason to keep him: the Broncos do not have anyone else they trust to handle return duties. Mims is a weapon because of what he does in the return game, and if Denver is serious about a Super Bowl run, giving up that edge could create a domino effect that hurts the team.
Then there is Troy Franklin. Denver’s trade for Jaylen Waddle effectively replaced Franklin’s role on offense, and there is nothing Franklin does that Waddle cannot do at a much higher level.
Franklin does not help as a blocker or on special teams, so his value comes entirely from his receiving work. Drops have remained a problem, and his route-running tailed off late in the season.
Even so, Franklin’s connection with Bo Nix still matters. He was pushed into the second-receiver role and showed enough trust from Nix to be a target when it counted, even if the deep-ball connection was inconsistent. He is still young, and the improvements he has shown make him worth keeping as the third receiver in a room that has lacked punch for years.
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Riley Moss sits right in the middle of that debate because he has become too useful to dismiss lightly, even with the usual young-corner blemishes. He started all 17 games and tied for the league lead with 19 pass breakups, which is exactly the sort of production that makes moving him feel dangerous, even if the roster math is getting tighter. Marvin Mims Jr. is a different case, since a changing receiver picture could alter his role, but Denver also has to think about a group that includes Moss, Brandon Jones, Ja'Quan McMillian and Mims all lining up for free agency in 2027. [Read more 🡒]
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