Have you heard any trade rumors regarding the Denver Broncos lately? There’s no question that when NFL teams start coming back for training camp in July that there will be a massive amount of attention on Aaron Rodgers and his situation with the Green Bay Packers.
The Denver Broncos will, of course, be at the forefront of any rumors involving Rodgers being traded, if that actually ends up being the case.
For the time being, the Broncos are planning on a competition between Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater for the starting quarterback position, and there’s plenty of intrigue all over the roster even without Rodgers on it.
Of course, having Rodgers would be cool.
Rodgers trade or not, there will be more players that deserve to make a final roster than will actually make it in Denver, and the team has some ridiculous depth at wide receiver, in the defensive backfield, and perhaps some players who could be dealt elsewhere on the roster.
Denver Broncos players that could be traded before 2021 season
Which players could be on the trade block? Which players could be used in a trade for Aaron Rodgers?
Which players could the Denver Broncos use to upgrade at weaker positions on the roster?
Are there any guys who financially just don’t fit anymore in the team’s plans compared to their contributions on the field?
All of these questions will be fascinating to watch unfold in the coming weeks, especially regarding the possibility of a Rodgers deal.
Let’s take a look through some of the players the Denver Broncos may trade prior to the start of the 2021 season, whether Aaron Rodgers is involved on the other end or not.
1. Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater, QB
If the Denver Broncos do trade for Aaron Rodgers, then it’s likely going to mean trading away one of Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater to get it done.
The Packers already have Jordan Love on the roster and he is their QB of the future (and present, if they trade Rodgers), but in the event that they trade the league MVP, they’re going to want to make sure there’s someone in place who can keep the ship afloat in case Love struggles.
For that reason, many think that the Packers would prefer Bridgewater.
Bridgewater is much more the game manager type and has proven effective at it up to this point in his career, where Drew Lock has more long-term upside and potential.
The Packers were one of the teams at the time of the 2019 NFL Draft rumored to be interested in drafting Lock.
With Jordan Love now in place, it’s not like Lock would be coming into the Green Bay Packers as a grizzled veteran who would be able to start immediately and lead that team to the postseason. He would be just as much of a wild card in Green Bay as he presently is in Denver.
If the Broncos are able to convince the Packers to trade Aaron Rodgers to the Mile High City, one of these two quarterbacks will be gone. For the Broncos’ sake, it would be much better if the team could keep Lock and let him learn behind Rodgers for a couple of seasons.
Bridgewater has a very team-friendly contract and would give the Packers an option to start right away in 2021 and likely keep that team in playoff contention if Jordan Love is not yet ready.
2. Royce Freeman, RB
We’ll continue to bring this up until it happens, which seems like more of an eventuality than a possibility at this point.
Royce Freeman was a high third-round pick for the Denver Broncos in the 2018 Draft that produced Bradley Chubb and Courtland Sutton with the top two picks.
Early on in his rookie season, Freeman looked like he was going to be a stud RB1 for the Denver Broncos for a really long time. He was creating a lot of yardage after contact and showing excellent vision and burst before an ankle injury really deflated his progress.
After that ankle injury, Freeman has neither been able to recapture the momentum we saw early in his rookie year nor has he been able to really seize RB1 duties for the Broncos’ offense.
Following the additions in the 2021 offseason of second-round pick Javonte Williams and free agent running back Mike Boone, what are Freeman’s chances of making the team?
With just one year remaining on his rookie contract, it seems like the Broncos will more than likely give Freeman a chance to go and prove himself elsewhere this season before hitting free agency in 2022.
3. A wide receiver?
The Denver Broncos currently have 15 wide receivers on the 90-man roster.
Although it’s certainly not a written rule anywhere to limit your number of wide receivers on a 90-man roster, one out of every six guys on the team playing that particular position is a lot.
There are a couple of reasons your general manager and coaching staff might do something like that. For the conspiracy theorists out there, one of the top reasons could be a trade looming on the horizon.
For the time being, it doesn’t require a Denver Broncos bias to say that this team legitimately has the best top four receivers in the entire NFL, assuming every guy is healthy. Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and KJ Hamler make up a dynamic group that will give defensive coordinators fits all season long…
…if they all stay together.
Although I don’t think the Denver Broncos are chomping at the bit to trade him, it would not be shocking if Tim Patrick was on the trade block depending on how young Tyrie Cleveland and Seth Williams look in training camp and preseason play.
The Broncos could lose Patrick in 2022 free agency for nothing, so getting top value for him would make sense if they can do it. It seems unlikely, but you never know.
Another receiver that could have some trade value around the league is return specialist Diontae Spencer. The Broncos brought in De’Mornay Pierson-El after a promising minicamp tryout, and with so many other receivers on the roster, is Spencer in danger of losing his job?
He’s obviously a very gifted returner, but again if the right value presents itself, the Broncos might at least listen.
There are 15 guys at this position, and the Broncos will almost undoubtedly carry seven on the 53-man roster at the very least. What is going to happen to the other eight guys?
4. Graham Glasgow, OG
The Denver Broncos have some really intriguing depth on the interior offensive line right now.
The current alignment up front — from left to right — is Dalton Risner at left guard, Lloyd Cushenberry III at center, and Graham Glasgow at right guard.
Behind those guys, the Denver Broncos have Netane Muti and Quinn Meinerz fighting for roles.
Because of the presence of Muti and Meinerz, it’s not out of the question that a player like Graham Glasgow could be traded, and when you look at the financial impact of that particular trade possibility, it might make even more sense.
Glasgow would count just $3 million in dead cap against the Denver Broncos’ 2021 salary cap if he’s traded at this point, but trading him would free up nearly $8.9 million in cap space.
Right now, the Broncos don’t need the cap space in any sort of desperate way, but that big boost in cap space would be an added bonus of having someone like Muti or Meinerz prove they are ready for a starting role in 2021, which could very well happen.
Meinerz is obviously getting his first shot at center behind Lloyd Cushenberry, but if Cushenberry shows well at camp and in the preseason, the Broncos might be inclined to try to get Meinerz on the field some way or another.
Muti was impressive last year in a spot start against the Carolina Panthers and when healthy was considered arguably the top interior line prospect in last year’s draft class.
Financially, the Broncos aren’t exactly tied to Glasgow at this point and they could let one of their young guys win his job and roster spot.
5. Bradley Chubb or Dre’Mont Jones
Again, this is completely contingent upon the Denver Broncos acquiring Aaron Rodgers in a trade.
If the Packers are going to trade Rodgers, they’re going to want an established young star on a rookie contract to come back in that deal.
The Broncos’ best trade chips right now defensively are Bradley Chubb and Dre’Mont Jones. Chubb is coming off of a Pro Bowl season in 2020 and Jones looks like one of the top up-and-coming young defenders in the league.
For the time being, those two guys are key building blocks for the Denver Broncos. In a hypothetical Aaron Rodgers trade, I don’t think the Packers would be able to get both of these guys in return. It would probably be one or the other.
Most people would look immediately at Chubb in that case as he’s proven the most up to this point and probably has the highest long-term upside, but that would depend on what the Packers think of their edge guys right now in Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith, and 2019 first-round pick Rashan Gary.
If I were Brian Gutekunst and I were backed into the corner of trading Rodgers, I would probably want Chubb in return here despite his injury history. He can very easily be a 10 sack per year type of player for the next 7-10 years.
6. A defensive back
Whether or not an Aaron Rodgers trade happens, the Denver Broncos could strike some kind of trade involving one of their many talented defensive backs.
I am not sure how much Vic Fangio would appreciate it given how badly that unit struggled to stay healthy in 2020, but the depth is there to potentially make a move.
The Broncos signed free agents Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller in free agency, they’ve got Bryce Callahan on the last year of his contract, and they just used their top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Pat Surtain II.
Michael Ojemudia is also waiting in the wings here, and the Broncos used another 2021 NFL Draft pick on Kary Vincent Jr., a possible long-term slot corner option.
Other players vying for roster spots will be guys like Essang Bassey, Parnell Motley, Duke Dawson (if healthy), and Nate Hairston, and that’s just at the cornerback position.
The Broncos might also have some guys teams around the league value at the safety position, but something’s got to give here. There’s no way the Broncos can keep everyone in the defensive backfield with such a stacked unit, and the future will have to be considered here, at least a little bit.
For that reason, do you seriously consider making Surtain and Bassey your top nickel options this year and put Bryce Callahan on the trade block?
I’m not so sure about that, but if some team comes in offering a possible top 100 pick?
Denver Broncos: Five big winners from 2021 OTAs
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If you see progression from other guys on your roster like Bassey, Motley, and Ojemudia, you might consider something that seems a little crazy at the present moment.