The Denver Broncos have made some major trades in year one under general manager George Paton. We grade all of his trades as a rookie GM.
The 2021 NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and it’s safe to say that the Denver Broncos were part of the biggest trade of the festivities. First-year GM George Paton sent Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams, loading up his 2022 NFL Draft war chest in the process.
When Paton was hired as GM of the Denver Broncos, he vowed to be “in on every deal” and so far, that has proven to be an accurate statement. Paton has also made good on his word to be aggressive without being reckless, and it’s clear that this “rookie” general manager is no rookie of the business side of the NFL.
He’s negotiated huge contracts and he’s now negotiated a blockbuster trade.
Denver Broncos: Grading all of George Paton’s trades as rookie GM
Not including his trades during the 2021 NFL Draft, I want to take a look at George Paton’s first-year trades as an NFL general manager, starting with the first trade he struck all the way back in April.
How do these trades look in terms of the early returns? What is the best-case scenario with some of these deals? How did Paton do in terms of perceived value?
Now that Paton is no longer allowed to make trades until “year two” on the job, let’s take a look at all of his wheeling and dealing with full control over the Denver Broncos’ roster, starting with a trade that certainly drew mixed reviews at the time, and will continue to do so over the course of Justin Fields and Mac Jones’ careers…
Denver Broncos: Grading all of George Paton’s trades as rookie GM
Trade #1
On the eve of the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, things were looking really good for Drew Lock.
The Denver Broncos, sitting at pick number 9 overall, didn’t seem to have a great shot at any of the top quarterbacks in the draft and they had really just passed on all of the available veteran options.
At least, for the most part.
The Broncos struck a trade that had been a long time coming when they sent a sixth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater obviously had familiarity with both Paton and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur when he was with the Minnesota Vikings, and with the Panthers eating some of his salary, the Broncos were getting a pretty decent bargain for a starting option.
Through the first three games of the 2021 season, Bridgewater had some people thinking maybe he would earn a second contract in Denver. The month of October told a vastly different story.
Completing a career-high 70.4 percent of his passes, Bridgewater has thrown for over 1,900 yards and 13 touchdowns with five interceptions.
As solid as those stats look (easily would put Bridgewater into career-high territory if extrapolated), the on-field eye test is vastly different. Bridgewater has not been as efficient since he went down with a concussion against the Baltimore Ravens, and the Broncos’ offense has been abysmal in that time.
There’s still a lot of season left (9 games) but for the time being, Bridgewater has a lot to prove if he’s going to get another shot as a starter in Denver or anyone else after this season.
Still, grading this trade based on the value the Broncos are getting in return? It’s a solid trade at worst.
Trade grade: B+
Denver Broncos: Grading all of George Paton’s trades as rookie GM
Trade #2
After an outstanding offseason of work, Trinity Benson was on everyone’s final 53-man roster predictions for the Denver Broncos.
Benson’s big plays in training camp and the preseason certainly made him look worthy of a roster spot, and he would have made it had the Broncos not gotten a call from Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes.
Holmes played some serious hardball with George Paton earlier in the offseason, asking for the world in exchange for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The Broncos couldn’t (or wouldn’t) meet the Lions’ trade demands for Stafford, but they came together on a deal here and this trade is an absolute highway robbery by George Paton.
The Lions remain winless halfway through the 2021 season and the fifth-round pick going back to Denver looks like it will be at the very top of the round.
That is not insignificant in the least.
Benson has six receptions for 55 yards this season in Detroit and hasn’t been able to carve out a role yet despite the team’s struggles at receiver.
So far, this trade is leaning heavily in Denver’s favor.
Trade grade: A+
Denver Broncos: Grading all of George Paton’s trades as rookie GM
Trade #3
The Denver Broncos have been desperate for special teams help pretty much since they won Super Bowl 50.
The special teams unit that year was so good, and many of us took that for granted.
Since Tom McMahon took over in 2018 as the special teams coordinator, this unit has been an embarrassment to the fan base.
The Broncos’ special teams coverage units have been so bad, as a matter of fact, that the team actually traded draft assets for 49ers backup Jonas Griffith.
We can all take solace in knowing that Griffith was a strong candidate to make the 49ers’ final roster, but the Broncos may have panicked here, giving up a 2022 6th-round pick for someone who has only played 46 special teams snaps with a stint on IR.
Griffith has yet to make any special teams tackles, so the team is going to need some more substantial impact soon to look good in this trade.
The saving grace(s) here? Jonas Griffith is a ridiculous athlete and probably will be an asset on special teams, and also, the Broncos got a 7th-round pick back in this year’s draft.
Trade grade: D
Denver Broncos: Grading all of George Paton’s trades as rookie GM
Trade #4
After his rookie contract expired in Minnesota, Stephen Weatherly signed a two-year free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers in 2020.
It didn’t work out, and Weatherly ended up right back in Minnesota with the Vikings.
An outstanding athlete coming out of Vanderbilt, Weatherly is a pretty decent rotational edge piece with explosiveness and high effort, and he’s also played a ton of special teams.
The fact that the Broncos basically got Weatherly for nothing in this trade?
Even better.
He already has proven himself to be worth the trouble, notching a sack in his first game as a member of the Denver Broncos, and looking explosive in the process.
It was Weatherly’s first sack since 2019.
I like the Weatherly trade because he’s only 27 and could be a strong candidate to re-sign after the 2021 season if he can finish well over these final nine games.
This trade may not move the needle a lot on paper, but Weatherly could be a valuable depth piece off the edge for the time being and after this season.
Trade grade: B+
Denver Broncos: Grading all of George Paton’s trades as rookie GM
Trade #5
It’s safe to say that when the trade for Kenny Young came across the wire, everyone was extremely confused.
Young was second on the Los Angeles Rams this season in tackles and tops on the team in tackles for loss.
Why would they trade him for basically nothing?
The move was apparently financially motivated, but if you’re of the conspiracy theorist variety, this clearly looks like it was some sort of “advance” payment on the Von Miller trade.
Ultimately, the Broncos needed Young with multiple starters and their latest backup replacement out injured. He was acquired in a trade and started for Denver in the very next game.
He flew around the field for 39 snaps and racked up four tackles.
This trade, just like the Stephen Weatherly trade, gives the Broncos some excellent depth for the time being and perhaps could also give them a starting option beyond this season.
Young’s play speed, aggressiveness, and overall athletic traits make him an intriguing flyer at this point in the season at a position the Broncos have struggled.
If Young had another year on his deal beyond 2021, it would be a perfect trade.
Trade grade: A
Denver Broncos: Grading all of George Paton’s trades as rookie GM
Trade #6
This is not the space for my official goodbye to Von Miller. I haven’t yet mustered up the strength to write that post.
This is all about evaluating the trade.
Still, you can’t evaluate the trade without evaluating the personal side of it. Von Miller has meant more to the Denver Broncos over the last decade than just about anybody. He was the spark that got the team from two wins in 2010 to eight wins in 2011. He was the best player on the best defense in NFL history.
In the years since Super Bowl 50, Miller has still been great, but the Broncos haven’t been. He didn’t play at all in 2020 and at the age of 32 in the final year of his deal, Paton had to make a near-impossible choice.
Trade the face of the franchise for amazing value or risk losing him in free agency for nothing at all.
We all know what happened.
The Broncos have some intriguing depth on the edge with Bradley Chubb potentially coming back from injured reserve after the bye week. Malik Reed looks like a potential long-term starter, and rookie Jonathon Cooper has vastly outplayed his 7th-round draft status.
The Broncos also have the aforementioned Stephen Weatherly, but that list didn’t include guys like undrafted rookie Andre Mintze and Aaron Patrick, another player the team likes quite a bit.
With all of that youth off the edge, trading Miller for two additional top-100 picks made sense on paper.
Whether Miller will return in 2022 remains to be seen. The Broncos got outstanding value for a guy who might play only 9-11 games for the Rams.
Trade grade: A
Denver Broncos: Grading all of George Paton’s trades as rookie GM
Trade #7
As the NFL trade deadline passed by, one more deal trickled in late.
The Denver Broncos sent 2021 7th-round pick Kary Vincent Jr. to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2022 sixth-round pick.
Vincent is the second young corner from the class of 2021 the Eagles have apparently coveted, because before the start of the regular season, they poached Mac McCain III off of the Broncos’ practice squad as well.
Given the fact that the Broncos are absolutely loaded at cornerback, this trade was a no-brainer for George Paton, who obviously liked Vincent but maybe didn’t love him compared to other guys on the roster.
Vincent has outstanding speed and had some nice plays in preseason work, but with Michael Ojemudia and Essang Bassey coming off of the injured list soon, spots on the roster were needed.
Why not get some value?
Most everyone thought the Broncos would trade Kyle Fuller, but that didn’t happen, and it’s now time for Fuller to redeem himself.
Trading Kary Vincent Jr., who had not played a single down in Denver, for a sixth-round pick?
Broncos impressive 2022 NFL Draft picks after Von Miller trade
The Denver Broncos and general manager George Paton have assembled an impressive war chest of draft picks after the Von Miller trade.
This trade is bordering on the Trinity Benson value for George Paton. Another huge “W” for the rookie GM, regardless of how well Vincent winds up playing in Philadelphia. You have a chance to trade a 2021 7th-round pick for a 2022 6th? That’s a trade you have to make.
Trade grade: A