Broncos trade deadline: When is it, areas of need, potential moves

The Denver Broncos may or may not be active at the 2019 trade deadline. With Joe Flacco expected to go on IR, what moves could the team make?

There is never a dull moment with the Denver Broncos, is there?

The Broncos have certainly been among the NFL’s more active teams when it comes to making trades at or near the trade deadline the past two years, but they’ve been more in the mode of ‘selling’ than ‘buying’.

Will they continue to sell after trading away Emmanuel Sanders last week to the San Francisco 49ers? Will they make any moves for guys who could be part of the team’s core going forward.

Ultimately, there’s a chance the Broncos just stay where they are and do nothing, but for the future of the team, I’m not sure that’s their best play going forward. So what is going to happen then on Tuesday? Let’s take a look at all of the information you need to know.

When is the NFL Trade Deadline?

Tuesday, October 29 @ 2PM MT (4PM ET)

The NFL’s trade deadline is on Tuesday at 2PM local time in Denver. Although not every deal is reported prior to the deadline, it’s typically a safe bet that if you haven’t heard something within 15-20 minutes of the deadline ending, nothing is happening.

What kind of market is this?

As we all know, deadlines spark action and there are plenty of contending teams desperate this year.

With some of the trades being made around the league, it’s very clear that this is a seller’s market, not a buyer’s market.

There are some bargain deals still happening but look at the Emmanuel Sanders trade for all the proof you need that this is a seller’s market. Sanders is in the final year of his contract, is going to be 32/33 next season, and he went for a 3rd and 4th.

Mohamed Sanu, who isn’t an elite WR by any means, was traded for a 2nd-rounder.

Jalen Ramsey was traded for two 1st-round picks when he had requested a trade away from the Jaguars.

The fact that this is a seller’s market almost makes me want the Broncos to make some deals.

Speaking of…

What deals will the Broncos make?

Will Chris Harris Jr. be traded? Derek Wolfe? Adam Gotsis? Devontae Booker? Someone we don’t expect?

There are plenty of options for the Broncos, both in terms of trading guys away and bringing guys in. We have to field a team still.

I put together a list of trades the team could make and you can check it out and see how wrong I am here.

Here’s a taste:

• CB Chris Harris for a 2nd-round pick

• Trade a pick and/or player for OT Trent Williams

What are the Broncos’ needs?

I think it’s safe to say the Broncos aren’t just one position away from righting the ship right now. At least, not within the realm of realism. If they had a good quarterback, who knows where this team would be?

The Broncos have a really good defense, but I think their primary needs right now are:

• Offensive tackle

• Quarterback (Drew Lock?)

• Wide Receiver

Other than that, the Broncos needs are depth at certain spots like cornerback, defensive tackle, interior offensive line, and possibly inside linebacker, although the Broncos seem to have three good ones there right now.

Ultimately, there’s no guarantee anything happens, even trading away Chris Harris Jr. I will say if the Broncos don’t trade Harris, it would be odd unless they are going to franchise tag him or re-sign him to a massive contract.

He’s certainly played well enough to earn it, but would Harris re-sign in Denver with their current, you know, situation at QB? Brandon Allen is starting this weekend. They’ll likely be going to a young QB going forward. Does Harris want to stay on board for that now and going forward, or will he want to go play somewhere else with a better chance of competing for a title in the final years of his career?

I guess we’ll find out how confident the Broncos are in their ability to re-sign him or if they simply just want to have him around as the ship goes down in 2019.