Denver Broncos: Possible trade/cut candidates during training camp
By Noah Smith
Denver Broncos Trade Candidate: Malik Reed, Edge
Malik Reed joined the Denver Broncos in 2019 as a UDFA from Nevada, and quickly caught on as an “undrafted gem”. Reed earned playing time in 2019 after a season-ending injury to Bradley Chubb and took on a much larger role in 2020 with Von Miller‘s season-ending injury.
Reed has shown his ability as a pass-rusher and is a high-end rotational player for the Broncos. However, with Miller and Chubb appearing to be fully healthy heading into the 2021 NFL Season, Reed’s role will be reduced.
Reed could easily be a trade candidate for a team looking for pass-rush help. Reed has shown the ability to win consistently on the edge and isn’t a liability in the run game despite his size. Teams that utilize true 3-4 edge defenders would covet Reed’s skillset.
Behind Malik Reed, 3rd round pick Baron Browning does have the versatility and athleticism to play on the edge. While Vic Fangio has stated that Browning will play at Inside Linebacker to start, Browning could certainly have a role as a rotational edge player.
The Denver Broncos spent a pair of 7th round picks on Derrek Tuszka and Jonathon Cooper in the 2020 and 2021 NFL Drafts, respectively. While Cooper is expected to miss time with a heart condition, the two could be developed with coaching from Fangio and linebacker’s coach Reggie Herring.
Another name to watch during minicamp’s and OTA’s is UDFA Andre Mintze from Vanderbilt, who has had a solid start to Rookie Minicamp. Mintze finished with 7 sacks, 12 tackles-for-loss, and 3 forced fumbles in his final two seasons at Vanderbilt.
While the Denver Broncos would love to have Malik Reed’s services as a high-end backup, a desperate team could make an offer for Reed that the Broncos simply can’t refuse.