The Broncos have already tipped their hand.
Sitting at 6-2 and leading the AFC West, Denver looks ready to shop at the 2026 NFL trade deadline, and the biggest clue about what it wants came from a very aggressive swing at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride. The move went nowhere, but it says plenty about the direction Sean Payton and George Paton are taking.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported that Denver “have checked in around the league on tight ends, going as far as to ambitiously -- and some would say outrageously -- inquire about Arizona Cardinals star Trey McBride,” and that alone makes the Broncos’ deadline intentions pretty clear. Tight end is the spot they’re hunting.
That doesn’t mean McBride was ever realistically on the move. Even with the Cardinals trading Marvin Harrison Jr. this season, there was no chance they were parting with McBride. He’s viewed as part of their future, and Denver’s push was turned away.
Still, the attempt matters. It shows the Broncos are not just looking for any upgrade - they’re exploring a position that could help elevate an already strong roster, and they’re willing to be bold about it. Running back has also been on the radar, with Jonathan Taylor among the names linked to Denver, but the McBride pursuit suggests tight end may be the more urgent focus.
If the Broncos keep digging in that market, they’ll have to settle for someone well below McBride’s level. Even so, there are options that make sense.
Dallas Goedert of the Philadelphia Eagles stands out as one of the more intriguing possibilities, especially with Philadelphia’s poor season making him a plausible trade candidate. He’d give Denver a legitimate receiving threat.
There are cheaper paths, too. Moe Alie-Cox of the Indianapolis Colts would fit as a budget addition, while Juwan Johnson of the New Orleans Saints and some of the veterans on the Los Angeles Rams’ roster could also be in play.
However Denver chooses to attack the deadline, the message is already out there: the Broncos are looking for tight end help. The McBride inquiry didn’t land, but it exposed exactly where they want to upgrade.
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The contrast is what makes his year so notable: Mitchell has brought production in the form of tackles, pass breakups and an interception, and he has done it while the defense around him continues to search for answers. Even so, one rough moment against Washington served as a reminder that the margin for error is thin, and it has only sharpened the debate over how much of Philadelphias defensive future should already be built around him. [Read more 🡒]