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Denver Broncos: 3 biggest moves from Friday’s intense action

By Sayre Bedinger

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 02: Duke Dawson #7 of the Florida Gators celebrates an interception touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines in the second quarter of a game at AT&T Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 02: Duke Dawson #7 of the Florida Gators celebrates an interception touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines in the second quarter of a game at AT&T Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 02: Duke Dawson #7 of the Florida Gators celebrates an interception touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines in the second quarter of a game at AT&T Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 02: Duke Dawson #7 of the Florida Gators celebrates an interception touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines in the second quarter of a game at AT&T Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

1. Trading for Patriots CB Duke Dawson

The most interesting move of the day was not a player the Broncos cut, but a player they brought in.

The Broncos traded for New England Patriots nickel cornerback Duke Dawson, who capped off his 2019 preseason with an interception against the New York Giants and is finally fully healthy to start a season.

Need to Know

Height: 5-10
Weight: 198 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.46
College: Florida

Last year for the Patriots, Dawson was an IR/return player and when he came back off of injured reserve, he was a healthy scratch for the Pats.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots drafted Dawson in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Florida, at least a round earlier than pretty much everyone thought he was going to go.

Imagine the Broncos trading Courtland Sutton to someone right now. There were 16 slots of difference between the time Sutton was picked and the time Dawson was picked, but he was their second-round pick nonetheless.

The Patriots have a history of developing defensive backs well, but they also — low key — have a really poor track record recently with their high draft selections.

It hasn’t affected them in terms of competing for titles, so no one cares.

Although the Patriots have a deep defensive backfield right now, they made a pretty substantial statement by trading Dawson for basically nothing. Denver gave them a sixth-round pick, and New England sent back Dawson and a seventh.

Considering the fact he’s only played in the preseason, it’s not unreasonable for the Broncos to treat this guy with a completely clean slate. It’s typically thought that if Bill Belichick is cutting you, you’re pretty much cooked.

Dawson is a different type of trade dump, though.

He plays nickel corner, and considering the Patriots’ depth in the secondary, it wouldn’t surprise me if they just couldn’t keep him on their roster since he got beat out by other guys and Belichick perhaps wanted to get him in a good situation with Vic Fangio and Ed Donatell where he can still develop while also actually playing.

The 2018 NFL Draft was kind to the Broncos, and they obviously liked Dawson quite a bit to make sure no one else got a shot at him on waivers by making this move. The Patriots made it easy for the Broncos to get him, perhaps so Dawson didn’t go to a team like the Jets, Bills, or Dolphins.

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