The Denver Broncos have made another big splash on the NFL trade market.
The Broncos have been fairly quiet on the free-agent front, but John Elway has made a series of trades that have led to the team getting cornerback A.J. Bouye while sending fullback Andy Janovich to the Cleveland Browns.
On Wednesday morning, Elway struck another deal, this time with the Tennessee Titans.
In the deal, the Broncos will get defensive lineman Jurrell Casey in exchange for a seventh-round pick. In a deal that sounds almost too good to be true, the Broncos get much-needed help along the defensive line in exchange for almost nothing.
Clearly, the Titans were looking to clear up some cap space but they gave up a player who has been selected to five consecutive Pro Bowls.
In the trade with Cleveland, the Broncos got a seventh-round pick for Janovich. Now, they have gotten Casey for a seventh-round pick. You can look at it as though the team got Casey for Janovich, and that is a massive win.
To get more familiar with Casey, who was voted No. 66 on NFL Network’s Top Players of 2018 list, check this out (video).
Casey won’t be cheap for the Broncos. He is due $11.8 million this year and has three years left on his deal. But the Broncos can negate much of that by dumping Joe Flacco, which is basically a certainty at this point.
Casey was drafted in the third round of the 2011 draft out of USC and has spent his entire nine-year career in Tennessee. He has 493 total tackles and eight forced fumbles during his career, but the big number is his 51 career sacks.
With this move, the Broncos will likely be out on any discussions involving Shelby Harris, though there is still a chance that Derek Wolfe could be brought back into the fold.
The Broncos needed to make a big move on the defensive line and after missing out on D.J. Reader. Jarran Reed and Jordan Phillips in free agency, this was a move the team likely felt it had to make.