3 trades the Denver Broncos could make before the 2022 NFL Draft

Denver Broncos pre-Draft trade no. 2: Malik Reed to the Minnesota Vikings

At this point, I thought more Denver Broncos defensive players would follow Ed Donatell to the Minnesota Vikings.

So far, the list is Nate Hairston.

As of this writing, Malik Reed has not signed his restricted free agent tender with the Denver Broncos and as far as we know, nobody has reached out to him to try and steal him away from the Broncos, either.

The Broncos have first-right of refusal, which basically means they could just match any contract Reed would be offered on the open market.

For the time being, it looks like the Broncos plan on drafting an EDGE player with one of their first four or five picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. George Paton has talked about the depth of this year’s class off the edge and it would be wise for the Broncos to add a talented player from this group that could fall a round or two later than they otherwise would in a normal class.

If and when the Broncos draft another edge, what’s to become of Malik Reed? Will he remain a key piece of this roster but play primarily special teams? Will he be the top backup to Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory, or will that be Jonathon Cooper?

The Broncos’ decision to move Baron Browning to the edge this offseason has seemingly put the writing on the wall for Reed, who at this point needs the Broncos to give him some clarity regarding his future.

Having Reed sign his tender and then sending him to the Vikings for a late pick or maybe wide receiver Bisi Johnson could be an intriguing move for both sides.