Denver Broncos: Ryan Clady trade is a win for all
The Denver Broncos traded Ryan Clady to the New York Jets for a 5th round pick, also sending a 7th, and it’s a good deal for all parties involved…
If you blinked over the last three years, you probably missed Ryan Clady playing for the Denver Broncos.
The 2008 first round pick and last remaining piece of the Mike Shanahan era is now off to the New York Jets via trade, and the Broncos really have D’Brickashaw Ferguson to thank for that. Ferguson’s retirement paved the way for the Broncos to get something for Clady, a player they were prepared to cut for cap space.
Good thing they held their ground as long as they have.
Clady and a 7th round pick (235th overall) were sent to the Jets in exchange for the 157th selection.
Thanks to cheaters in the NFL — Patriots (deflate), Chiefs (tamperers), Falcons (artificial crowd noise) — as well as the Los Angeles Rams (who used a pick in the supplemental draft last year), the 5th rounder acquired by the Jets will be higher than it otherwise would have been by five spots.
Hoo-ray.
The Broncos moved up a significant bit there in the draft, and that’s a huge win considering they were going to take nothing but a dead money hit on Ryan Clady eventually, and now at least they have something to show for it. Some might not think a 5th round pick is very valuable, but a lot of players in this league would beg to differ.
Remember Malik Jackson? Yeah, he was a 5th rounder.
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The Broncos now have two 5th round picks, but their total of 10 draft picks in this year’s crop hasn’t changed at all since they gave up a pick in the trade.
This move is a win for the Jets too, because they not only got themselves a shiny 7th round draft pick, they also acquired a pretty darn good left tackle when healthy and filled a huge void on their roster. The Jets are likely looking at either paying Ryan Fitzpatrick more money than they’d like or investing a first round pick on a quarterback, so having a left tackle was a top priority in the wake of Ferguson’s decision to retire.
This trade also works out great for the Broncos, who freed up at least $9 million in cap space.
Sometimes, trades just work out for everyone involved.