Heading into the offseason, George Paton knew he had to make some upgrades to the Denver Broncos roster, whether it come through the draft, free agency, or through trade. If Paton wants to deal with the Carolina Panthers, who would he potentially target?
Wow, that is a great photoshop, right?
For the ones who are not aware, Christian McCaffrey’s father, Ed McCaffrey, played for the Denver Broncos from 1995-2003. During those seasons, he tallied 6,200 receiving yards and 46 touchdowns on 462 receptions.
Ed was also a part of the Denver Broncos teams that won back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 1990s. Christian was born in 1996, shortly before Ed became a Super Bowl Champion. As a Castle Rock native, Christian grew up with the Denver Broncos.
Denver Broncos trade target with Panthers: Christian McCaffrey, RB
When he entered the draft in 2017, many Broncos fans were pounding the table for CMC, but he simply did not last as the Carolina Panthers snagged him with the 8th overall pick. It would’ve been a storybook ending to the McCaffrey journey as both father and son could have rocked the orange and blue.
Since he entered the league, McCaffrey has been on a level of his own. He has 357 receptions for 3,015 yards to go along with 17 receiving touchdowns. That’s just half of his game, he also has amassed 3,587 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns on the ground.
Christian McCaffrey in his five years in the league has more total receptions than Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick combined. He also had more total touchdown receptions than Sutton and Jerry Jeudy combined, so while the Denver Broncos do not have a dire need at the running back position, CMC is more than just a running back.
However, he does have downfalls as all of this early production has put a damper on his durability and ability to stay on the field. In the past two seasons combined, he has played in just ten total games, but maybe this break can help get him back to where his body needs to be.
It’s also known around town that the Denver Broncos have one of the best guys around to handle situations like this in Mario Vetanze.
McCaffrey does have a frightening contract for a running back, so to smooth that concern with his health, I would seek a restructure or ask the Carolina Panthers to eat some of his financials, as they did with Teddy Bridgewater last season.
It has always been my biggest belief that you can never have enough playmakers on the field, adding a dual-threat weapon like McCaffrey would provide a great security blanket for Drew Lock, or whoever the Denver Broncos quarterback is in 2022.
Having a 1-2 punch of Javonte Williams and Christian McCaffrey would be lethal and would be the quarterback’s best friend, whoever that may be.
Denver Broncos trade idea with Panthers no. 2: Trade for Brian Burns
One of the most glaring positions of need for the Denver Broncos is the edge position.
With Von Miller being traded, Bradley Chubb constantly being banged up, Malik Reed sitting as a restricted free agent, this position has more questions than answers. At a premiere position, that is certainly not a spot you want to be in.
Edge/pass rusher is one of what I consider to be the four pillars of a team; quarterback, offensive tackle, cornerback, and pass rusher. Unfortunately, the Denver Broncos have questions at all of those positions, but trading for a stud pass rusher like Brain Burns would solve one of those issues.
Burns has 25.5 sacks in his three full seasons with the Carolina Panthers, along with 133 tackles and six forced fumbles. In comparison, Bradley Chubb has just 20.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles. This isn’t saying boot Bradley Chubb for Brian Burns, it is lobbying to pair Burns with Chubb.
Burns could be the more productive pass rush prototype, winning with speed and quickness, while Bradley Chubb can be the force and win with power while controlling the edge in run support.
Both have quality characteristics, but they are different, which I think would actually support fantastic complimentary football from the duo. Burns will cost just $2.3 million against the cap this year as he was a first-round pick in 2019.
What does benefit the Denver Broncos in this scenario is that he was a first-round selection, so the Denver Broncos would have the fifth-year option before having to sign him to a long-term deal.
This draft is loaded with edge talent, so there is a counter argument to be made about the Broncos spending multiple picks on Burns when they could select a starter well into day two, but those selections are never guaranteed, regardless of the hype.
George Paton and the Denver Broncos know what they would be getting in Burns, a high-ceiling, high-motor pass rusher that gets home and turns the football over when he does.
Denver Broncos trade idea with Panthers no. 3. Trade for Shaq Thompson
One of the biggest flaws with the Denver Broncos team was their inability to score points. One way to fix that? Add touchdowns defensively!
Throughout his collegiate and NFL career, Shaq Thompson has constantly proven that he is one heck of an athlete. In fact, in his final season of collegiate football as a Washington Husky, he scored four touchdowns.
One of those was a 100-yard fumble return.
Since he was taken with the 24th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Thompson has been a constant on what has been a typically stout Carolina Panthers defense. Panthers fans have seen linebackers like Luke Keuchly and Thomas Davis come and go, but one stud remains, Shaq Thompson.
Shaq is a rangy linebacker who has amassed 574 tackles in his 7 seasons as a Carolina Panther, along with 44 tackles for loss. Thompson brings incredible speed and athleticism at the linebacker position, posting a 4.64 40-yard dash during the NFL combine.
Thompson and second-year linebacker, Baron Browning could create quite the sideline-to-sideline duo at the linebacker position. While Thompson is considered as an outside linebacker in a 4-3 system right now, I do not think he would have any issues transferring over to an inside linebacker in a 3-4 based defense.
With the future of players like Alexander Johnson, Josey Jewell, and Kenny Young up in the air, adding a talent like Thompson could make some sense. If I were Scott Fitterer, General Manager of the Carolina Panthers, I may be looking to rebuild.
There aren’t any clear days in sight right now when I look at the Carolina Panthers roster right now. With limited draft capital, no answer at quarterback and a leaky offensive live, adding capital may be the best way to find the light at the end of the tunnel for the Panthers organization.
In 2022, Thompson is due roughly around $11 million followed by $12 million in 2023.
3 surprise players the Denver Broncos could trade in 2022
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Paton and the Denver Broncos have the cap space and capital to make some moves to shore up the defense if they do not spend it all trading for an elite quarterback.