The Denver Broncos could be active on the trade market prior to the 2021 season. Here are a few moves that may happen in the coming weeks.
As the 2021 regular season approaches, roster cuts need to be made, and while teams certainly do “cut” the majority of players to get down to the maximum 53 active roster players, there are a variety of other ways you can get there. Trades are not as common in the NFL as they are in the MLB or NBA, but they are more common at this time of year because teams are looking to maximize the value of players on their roster as well as potentially take shots on players that other teams are going to give up on.
The Denver Broncos could be involved a decent amount in the trade market leading up to 2021 roster cuts. It’s impossible to know what the team is thinking internally, but there are dots to be connected on the roster with players who might have value elsewhere in the league as well as players around the NFL the Broncos may have an interest in bringing in.
First-year general manager George Paton has done a great job of assembling this current roster to the point that the Broncos are starting to gain some decent national respect for the talent and depth they have on both sides of the ball, even if there is a healthy skepticism about the quarterback position.
What areas of the team might the Denver Broncos consider upgrading on the trade market? What players could they trade based on training camp breakouts?
Let’s take a look through some trade ideas that — you never know — could happen before the 2021 regular season.
Denver Broncos: 5 trades that could be possible before 2021 season
1. LB Alexander Johnson, late pick to Philadelphia Eagles for OT Andre Dillard
Life comes at you fast in the NFL.
Alexander Johnson has gone from a fascinating training camp pickup in 2018 to breakout player in 2019 to an entrenched starter in 2020 to potentially the trade block in 2021?
It’s not impossible.
Johnson has been solid for the Denver Broncos as a run defender and in 2019, he was pretty outstanding in coverage as well. His play took a bit of a step back in some ways in 2020, however, and the Denver Broncos have seen 2020 fifth-round pick Justin Strnad really emerge as a viable option in 2021 training camp.
Josey Jewell seems to be a better candidate to re-sign with the Denver Broncos after the 2021 season than Johnson and with both Strnad and 2021 third-round pick Baron Browning in place, now is probably the best time to move on from Johnson if you can get some value in return.
Johnson is making less than $4 million this season on a restricted free agent contract, and there are players around the league that may be available like former first-round offensive tackle Andre Dillard that would be worth the Denver Broncos’ investment.
If Johnson alone isn’t enough to convince the Eagles to move on from Dillard, the Broncos could potentially throw a late pick their way as well.
Philadelphia is in rebuild mode. A player like Johnson could come in and start for them this season and a late-round pick is extra draft capital they likely covet.
A player like Dillard would be a potential long-term option for the Broncos at the right tackle position. He turns 26 this season and would be a fascinating reclamation project for Mike Munchak and the Denver Broncos’ coaching staff.
This hypothetical trade would pave the way for Justin Strnad to start in 2021, and after a lost year on IR, do the Broncos want to waste another with a player who may not be on the team beyond this season?
This trade could be a win for all involved.
2. RG Graham Glasgow to the Arizona Cardinals for pick(s)
The Denver Broncos should not feel obligated to trade Graham Glasgow after a 2020 season that was hindered by injury.
Glasgow was signed to a four-year, $44 million contract just one year ago, and the return on investment from the Denver Broncos’ end has not been reflective of that price tag just yet.
When healthy, the expectation is that Glasgow will play at a Pro Bowl level. That is not an unreasonable expectation given how much he’s being paid.
With that said, the fact of the matter is that the Denver Broncos may have one, perhaps two starting-caliber guards behind Glasgow and starting left guard Dalton Risner right now.
Netane Muti has been getting some pretty consistent work with the Denver Broncos’ top offense, and Quinn Meinerz looked really good in the first preseason game against the Vikings playing his natural guard position.
With Lloyd Cushenberry III seemingly establishing himself as the team’s center of the future, what’s going to happen with Glasgow beyond 2021 anyway?
There would be a $9 million dead money hit on the Broncos’ salary cap spread over 2021 ($3 million) and 2022 ($6 million) along with just under $8.6 million in total cap savings in the event that Glasgow is traded.
What price can you put on having a long-term solution at the guard position, though?
If the Denver Broncos could get a decent draft asset for the veteran Glasgow and still have no fewer than three viable options at the guard position (Risner, Muti, Meinerz), it’s definitely worth considering.
For the Arizona Cardinals, the right guard position just so happens to be the one position that’s pretty wide open or at least was heading into training camp.
3. RB Royce Freeman to the Los Angeles Rams for a draft pick
The chances of Royce Freeman getting traded may have taken a bit of a shot as soon as Mike Boone suffered an injury that will potentially last a week or two into the regular season.
Barring an injury to Melvin Gordon or Javonte Williams, however, I think the Denver Broncos should still consider trading Royce Freeman to the highest bidder, something that would obviously benefit the team and Freeman.
Damarea Crockett has shown pretty well in limited action for the Denver Broncos as a reserve running back, and I don’t think we should write off the possibility that former UCF star Adrian Killins could come into the building and impress with his speed right away.
Even with the injury to Levante Bellamy, the Denver Broncos should feel confident that Boone can come back sooner rather than later, their top two are good to go, and Freeman’s value will never be higher for them.
Even if they only get a pick swap or late-rounder from the Rams for Freeman, it would be better than getting nothing at the end of the year.
If the Broncos get to the point of needing Royce Freeman that desperately, there are other free agents on the market they might consider as alternatives anyway like the ageless Adrian Peterson, or maybe you take a shot on Todd Gurley at that point.
Whatever the case, I think the team’s running back depth is good enough at this point, even with a slight injury to Boone, to be able to still pull off a trade for Freeman to not only get the team some additional capital but also to get Freeman to a situation where he could potentially thrive.
4. CB Bryce Callahan or Michael Ojemudia or Kyle Fuller, draft pick(s) to the Jacksonville Jaguars for CB CJ Henderson
The Denver Broncos undoubtedly have depth at the cornerback position. They are talented. That area of the team is definitely a major strength.
With that being said, no smart general manager should be balking at the idea of adding CJ Henderson if the Jacksonville Jaguars fire sale is for real.
Pat Surtain II was the 9th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Henderson was the 9th overall pick in the NFL Draft just last year. This is a tremendous talent at the cornerback position and when we were looking at options for the Denver Broncos in the 2020 NFL Draft, Henderson was near the top of the list, especially in terms of defensive prospects.
With the ability to play inside or outside, Henderson has the talent and versatility to contribute immediately and would be worth the draft capital and/or players it would require to acquire him.
Neither Bryce Callahan nor Kyle Fuller is under contract in 2022. Michael Ojemudia was clearly demoted this offseason, and even though the team may still buy his long-term stock, the idea of a Surtain/Henderson pairing for the foreseeable future is something George Paton should not write off.
I do not care much about the team’s current depth at the position. Other teams may have more of a desperate need for a player like Henderson right now, but the Denver Broncos should not think twice about this and they should be working the phones to make a move yesterday.
5. Tim Patrick to the New Orleans Saints for draft pick(s)
The Denver Broncos are at a very important fork in the road with Tim Patrick.
1. You commit to him for the 2021 regular season and keep the option on the table to trade him at the deadline if the team’s record stinks.
2. You commit to him for 2021 come hell or high water and let him walk in free agency, maybe or maybe not recouping compensatory draft assets in 2023.
3. You trade him for maximum value before the 2021 regular season.
None of these options are off the table at this point, nor should they be. The Denver Broncos are exceptionally deep at the wide receiver position right now, and even considering the fact that Tyrie Cleveland has had a tough camp, the team has invested in his long-term potential.
Trinity Benson is balling at camp and so far through one preseason game.
Kendall Hinton has had a great offseason.
You’ve got sixth-round pick Seth Williams waiting in the wings to one day take Patrick’s role over anyway.
If the Denver Broncos do not view Tim Patrick as being part of their long-term plans, there is zero reason not to trade him for the most they possibly can right now.
What happens if you get to the regular season and he gets hurt, and you can no longer trade him during the year?
There are multiple teams in the NFL right now where Tim Patrick would be WR1 or WR2, including the New Orleans Saints. They should not be considered the only potential landing spot, but they may have the most desperate need.
With Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, and Noah Fant set to take on a lot of targets in 2021, George Paton should be confident if he can get a strong asset — 2nd or 3rd-round pick or an equivalent — in exchange for a very valuable asset in Tim Patrick.
Patrick is coming off of a huge year, he’s entering his prime age territory, and he’ll be motivated to earn a big-money contract.
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If you’re a contending team or even borderline contending team that needs a receiver, you should be almost bothering George Paton to get Tim Patrick at this point. As much as we all love him in Denver, he may have the best chance to have success elsewhere.