The Broncos’ trade deadline picture is starting to take shape, and the possibilities run beyond one obvious fix.
Denver is expected to be active, which marks a change from the usual deadline quiet. The biggest concern sits in the run game, where the Broncos have had unexpected problems. That has put Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor on the radar, especially with the Colts reportedly hanging out the for sale sign.
Tight end is another area the Broncos could target, and the way they operate there runs through the connection between Sean Payton and George Paton. According to Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post, the setup is built around something close to a traditional financial relationship.
The savers help Payton manage the cap, and Gabriel also pointed to Rick Hurtado, the VP of footbal adminsitration, as part of that group. Payton identifies where the team needs to spend, and the Broncos move forward from there.
That process gets a little more complicated this year. Denver has just $4 million in cap space, so any move would require some maneuvering.
At the same time, the Broncos do have all of their draft picks for next year, along with a compensation pick for former defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers, who left in free agency. That selection is likely to be a fourth rounder.
The Chiefs game could wind up shaping how aggressive Denver gets. Parker Gabriel framed it as a referendum on the whole deadline picture. If the Broncos lose, Kansas City would move ahead by 1.5 games, and the Chiefs would also hold the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series.
One name that has also come up is Trey McBride, who just put together a strong game against the Broncos. Payton praised him heavily, saying McBride was one of the best “move” tight ends he’s had in what the coach calls the joker role.
It’s a fascinating possibility, though McBride is viewed as a franchise cornerstone, which would make the price steep. Even so, Payton has pointed out that trades can develop in surprising ways at different times, using the Jaylen Waddle deal as an example of how these things can come together.
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There is also a separate layer to the Broncos' running back picture, with reports linking Denver to Indianapolis Colts standout Jonathan Taylor in trade chatter. Nothing has been finalized, and for now it remains just part of the background noise around a team trying to balance the urgency of a divisional showdown with longer-term questions about how it wants to build out the offense. [Read more 🡒]