The Denver Broncos and general manager George Paton may not be done wheeling and dealing before the 2022 NFL Draft. What trades could be made?
With just a couple of weeks and change before the 2022 NFL Draft, what moves could we see Denver Broncos general manager George Paton pull off?
At this point, it seems like his free agency spending spree is over, for the most part. The Denver Broncos could make modest additions prior to the 2022 NFL Draft, but don’t be surprised if Paton has some moves up his sleeve that nobody really knows about at all at this point.
This guy operates in complete silence, it seems.
One thing we know Paton loves to do? Make trades. As fans of the team, it makes the day-to-day for the organization all the more enjoyable that the general manager is “in on every deal” and seemingly enjoys getting his hands dirty as it relates to the NFL trade market.
Not just for the sake of making a trade, but Paton has consistently made good and beneficial trades for the Denver Broncos and before the 2022 NFL Draft, I think he could make some more.
Let’s take a look through some options that fans of the team may not necessarily see coming but trades that could make some sense based on where the Broncos’ roster is currently at.
Denver Broncos pre-draft trades: Dalton Risner to the Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams’ 2022 NFL Draft capital is bordering on depleted at this point, but they have a variety of selections throughout day three of the 2022 Draft, many of the compensatory variety.
Thankfully for Rams general manager Les Snead, the compensatory selections are now allowed to be used in trades.
While I don’t think the Denver Broncos are going to be actively shopping Dalton Risner, I can’t help but wonder if he will be one of the players that other teams might covet in a trade.
Risner has one year remaining on his rookie deal. Given the upcoming expiring contracts for Dre’Mont Jones and Bradley Chubb as well as the possibility of an extension on the near horizon for Russell Wilson, could the Broncos justify paying Risner $11 million per year or more on a new deal?
I know that’s a lot to think about right now, but this is the kind of forward-thinking general managers have to do to build the roster.
The Broncos restructured Graham Glasgow’s deal to lower his cap hit in 2022 and I think between Glasgow, Quinn Meinerz, Netane Muti, Tom Compton, and the plethora of interior linemen the Broncos have brought in for visits prior to the 2022 NFL Draft, we could see some type of move here.
The Rams lost Austin Corbett in free agency and don’t have the ability to go out and sign a big-money player at the moment, so getting a solid player like Risner who could start and be a second-contract player for them? That would be a nice move for Les Snead 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.
Denver Broncos pre-draft trade no. 3: Try to pry Jeff Okudah from the Lions
At this point, George Paton doesn’t really strike as a “buy low” kind of guy. He is more of the scouting deep-dive variety, but I still am going to push the idea of buying low until we see Paton do it in some way, shape, or form.
He’s done pretty well for himself so far without taking too big of a “buy low” risk on a player, but entering year three, Jeff Okudah of the Detroit Lions could be a fascinating candidate.
At the very least, I would be interested to see what the Lions would ask for in return for Okudah, who was not drafted by the current regime and who has struggled badly with injuries since he got to the NFL.
The Broncos and Lions came together on the Trinity Benson trade last year, in which the Lions got absolutely fleeced.
Are George Paton and Lions GM Brad Holmes still on good terms after that trade?
We’ll see.
At any rate, the Lions have made some moves this offseason that could lead to a potential trade for Okudah if the price is right. Would the Broncos be willing to part with a third-round pick for this guy, who has two years and a fifth-year option left on his rookie contract?
That juice might be worth the squeeze.
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It wasn’t long ago that Okudah was considered a premier prospect at the cornerback position. If he could stay healthy, imagine the pairing of him and Pat Surtain II for the foreseeable future in Denver.