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Denver Broncos could trade down with the Chicago Bears

By Sayre Bedinger

COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 7: Denzel Ward #12 of the Ohio State Buckeyes hits Taivon Jacobs #12 of the Maryland Terrapins after a reception in the first quarter at Ohio Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio. Ward was ejected from the game after being assessed a targeting penalty for the hit. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 7: Denzel Ward #12 of the Ohio State Buckeyes hits Taivon Jacobs #12 of the Maryland Terrapins after a reception in the first quarter at Ohio Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio. Ward was ejected from the game after being assessed a targeting penalty for the hit. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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The Denver Broncos might be looking to trade down in the 2018 NFL Draft, and one partner that makes sense is the Chicago Bears…

If there’s one thing I know for certain about the NFL Draft, it’s that you can expect the unexpected. The Denver Broncos trading down out of the fifth overall pick would be pretty unexpected, passing on a quarterback would be very unexpected, and passing on Quenton Nelson, Bradley Chubb, Saquon Barkley, or other players for someone like Denzel Ward?

That would be the cherry on top of the unexpected cake.

With that being said, anything is possible until it’s not, and there are legitimate whispers right now that the Broncos could trade off of the fifth overall pick.

Their true intentions won’t be known for a couple of weeks, but Albert Breer of MMQB passes along a very interesting note you will want to read:

"The Broncos could be moving … down. It’s been out there that the Colts would consider a second move down the board from No. 6 (after trading out of No. 3, to the Jets, in March), but they may have competition among sellers. I’ve heard if Denver doesn’t like the quarterback that’s there at 5, whoever that is, then it’ll actively look at trying to get more picks. Two names that have been connected to the Broncos of late—Notre Dame G Quenton Nelson and Ohio State CB Denzel Ward—could be available further down the line. For what it’s worth, the same two names have been connected to the Bears at No. 8.Albert Breer, MMQB"

Breer is as connected as anyone in the NFL, and he’s not going to spew something without checking through multiple sources. This is the season of misinformation, but I’ve noticed as we get closer to the draft over the years, the information is not always bad.

Last year at this time, we were hearing rumors about the Bears coveting Mitch Trubisky, and the Panthers set in stone with Christian McCaffrey.

Not everything comes to pass, but every scenario is discussed in front offices around the league, and the Broncos — one would guess — have a pretty good idea of the players that will go ahead of them in the top four.

If the Broncos were to move down, specifically with the Bears, it would allow Chicago to take Quenton Nelson at five overall, and the Broncos could then wait and see what transpires on the board after that.

Here’s a scenario I could see playing out:

1. Browns: Josh Allen
2. Giants: Sam Darnold
3. Jets: Baker Mayfield
4. Browns: Saquon Barkley
5. Bears (from Broncos): Quenton Nelson
6. Colts: Bradley Chubb
7. Buccaneers: Derwin James

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2023 NFL mock draft: Only the past 32 first-overall picks
2023 NFL mock draft: Only the past 32 first-overall picks /

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    • If that’s the case, the Broncos could take Denzel Ward but look at who else is still on the board in this situation.

    None other than Josh Rosen.

    If the Broncos are sitting there at pick number five and Rosen is still on the board, is it really possible they could move down and still get him?

    That would probably freak a lot of people out, but I wouldn’t put it past John Elway.

    If the Broncos had Rosen and Ward graded similarly on their board, they might try and pull something like this off. They could ask a reasonably high price from the Bears in that scenario, which doesn’t have a third round pick in this year’s draft.

    The Bears may want Nelson badly enough that they would include a future second rounder, which would be a huge haul for the Broncos even if it didn’t pay off for another year.

    This is just one of what will undoubtedly be many scenarios facing the Broncos as we approach the draft. But it does sound more and more like the Broncos are really looking into the possibility of trading down.

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