Who could Denver deal before deadline?
Q >> Greetings from New York’s Finger Lakes. In your estimation, how much selling will the Broncos do at the NFL trade deadline? Who are sure bets to get moved? — Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.
PARKER >> Next time Denver plays away from Empower Field, it will be over in Buffalo, not too far from you.
Of course, that game is after the NFL’S trading deadline, which arrives Oct. 31. How much different will the Broncos look then? At 1-5 and with the possibility of a full rebuild looking more and more real, Denver is primed to be active —or, if you want to take Sean Payton at his word, at least actively listening. So they could certainly unload several players. But the reality of the situation, of course, is that trading is like tangoing. It takes two, baby.
The question, then, is do we think teams are lining up to offer great value to Denver for a bunch of players on a bad team? Probably not. Other teams are only going to offer what they have to. If there’s a bidding war for a player, that’s great for the seller. If not, the buyer’s in great position.
There probably aren’t many completely untradeable players on the Broncos’ roster except maybe Pat Surtain II. But if you’re looking for starting-point candidates, you’re looking at veterans who could theoretically help a contending team and who aren’t part of the long-term plan in Denver. Payton said recently that he and general manager George Paton have a good idea at this point of their vision for the roster in 2024. Unfortunately, they haven’t added me to that Google doc just yet.
You’re talking about a realm of players, though, that includes receiver Courtland Sutton, left tackle Garett Bolles, safety Justin Simmons and linebacker Josey Jewell. That’s a starting point because none of them have guaranteed money on their contracts after this year, according to Overthecap data. Then, obviously, receiver Jerry Jeudy’s name will continue to come up, too, and so could any number of free-agents-to-be like K’waun Williams, Kareem Jackson, etc.
Regardless, though, we’re not talking about Denver unloading players and getting lavished with premium assets in return. We’re more likely talking about Day 3 picks and pick swaps in most cases.
Q >> When are the Broncos making a quarterback change?
— Enrique, Selma, Calif.
PARKER >> Wilson over the season’s first four weeks played better than he had at any point during 2022. Then the past two weeks have been pretty rough. In fact, Thursday night at Kansas City was statistically his worst game since arriving in Denver and among the worst he’s played in the NFL. He had six worse single-game passer ratings over 10 years in Seattle and just two with a lower adjusted net yards per passing attempt (1.14 vs. the Chiefs). Of course, not all of the good stuff from the first four is to his credit and not all of the problems the past two are on his shoulders alone.
Offensively, players have felt like their group is close to a breakthrough essentially since the start of the season. Wilson’s been a little bit the same way. He showed signs of playing faster and making good decisions early on, but has reverted to too much running around over the past two weeks. Some of that is pressure. Some is receivers not getting open. But there’s also times that Wilson’s just got to take what’s available. Those are the ones that will frustrate Payton and the offensive coaching staff.
If Wilson and the Broncos offense put some of that efficiency together over the next two weeks at home against Green Bay and Kansas City? Great. If not, you head into the bye week with more questions than answers.
Q >> Where are our receivers? Why are they not getting the ball? All off-season we hear talk about how our receivers are such a strong group and then, nothing. Every. Single. Game. Is it Russell Wilson? Is it the scheme? What in the world is going on? — Brian, Littleton
PARKER >> The last two games have been ugly for sure, Brian. Early on you could maybe make an argument about balance. The past two weeks have just been pretty much non-impactful.
Against the Jets, Denver’s receivers combined for nine catches (12 targets) for 76 yards. Jerry Jeudy had six of the grabs and 50 of the yards.
Against the Chiefs, Denver’s receivers combined for seven catches for 60 yards. Courtland Sutton had four of the grabs for 46 and the corps’ only touchdown catch of the past two games.
Like an earlier question, there are a lot of factors at play. Certainly there are clips to be found where Wilson should pull the trigger and doesn’t. Clips where a receiver doesn’t finish a route or come back to the ball. Clips where the play design fails to actually stress the opposing defense.
To be fair, New York and Kansas City are pretty salty against the pass. Three catches for 14 from Jeudy, though, isn’t getting the job done. And there’s no good explanation for rookie Marvin Mims Jr. to get zero targets.