5 trades the Denver Broncos could make before the roster is set

The Denver Broncos have cut their roster down to 80 players and are only days away from having to cut the roster down to 53. There are many moves yet to be made but the Broncos have more than 53 players that will be on NFL rosters in September right now, which means general manager George Paton needs to work his magic to reload the 2023 and 2024 NFL Draft war chest of picks after the Russell Wilson blockbuster.

Trades are going to go down. We’ve already seen George Paton make a wide variety of trades in his time as general manager of the team, both big and small, and this is the perfect time of year to go out and look for some potential bargains (like the team got in 2021 with Jonas Griffith) as well as trade players who may not be in your present or future plans in exchange for something of value you can use down the road.

There are plenty of potential trades to be made all over this Broncos roster. Although the prevailing thinking right now is that the Broncos would be more “sellers” than buyers on the trade market, don’t be so sure. I’ve yet to see George Paton make a trade in which he didn’t have a selection coming back his way, so even if he wants to go out and get a player, he should be able to at least get a late-round pick back as some type of insurance.

Let’s take a look through five potential trades that could make sense for this Denver Broncos team as roster cuts approach and decisions have to be made.

Denver Broncos trade idea no. 1: Punter Sam Martin to the Colts

Broncos get:

• 2023 6th-round pick

Colts get:

• P Sam Martin

The Indianapolis Colts did just add a new punter to their roster after losing Rigoberto Sanchez for the entire season to injury. That punter is Matt Haack, who just “lost” the punter competition to Matt Araiza with the Buffalo Bills. Although the Colts may actually really like Haack, there’s a decent chance they probably would like Sam Martin a little better.

The Broncos could save over $2 million on the salary cap if they can find a trade partner for Martin, although, at this point, they’re probably going to need the leverage of another team being interested in acquiring him in order to get a pick off the Colts’ hands for him.

It appears as though Corliss Waitman has done enough to keep the punter competition going for the Broncos through two preseason games, which sort of tells us all we need to know. If the Broncos are confident in Waitman, and there are suitors for Martin, they could recoup a late-round pick in next year’s draft and save some cap space along the way.

Denver Broncos trade idea no. 2: EDGE Malik Reed to the Baltimore Ravens

Broncos get:

• 2023 5th-round pick
• FB Ben Mason

Ravens get:

• EDGE Malik Reed

The Baltimore Ravens may not just need an edge player to contribute — they might need a starter out there. Tyus Bowser is still making his way back from an Achilles injury suffered last year. The Ravens are expecting big things from 2021 first-round pick Odafe Oweh, but he can’t do it alone out there. They did bring back veteran Justin Houston, but he’s best served in a reserve role at this stage of his career.

Additionally, the Ravens did add David Ojabo in this year’s draft, but Ojabo isn’t going to be able to play much this year, if at all. With all of that in mind, the Ravens seem like the perfect team to trade with the Denver Broncos for Malik Reed, who deserves to go to a new NFL team that’s going to be able to give him plenty of playing time.

Reed has been a spot starter for the Broncos with injuries to Von Miller and Bradley Chubb over the last handful of years, and he’s only going to cost some team a little under $3 million. The Broncos could look at this as an opportunity to not only get Reed to a better situation (with snaps going to Bradley Chubb, Randy Gregory, Nik Bonitto, and Baron Browning, among others) but also to save some cap space and add to the 2023 NFL Draft war chest.

I included fullback Ben Mason in this deal for a couple of reasons. Number one, it seems like the Broncos are going to use a fullback in this offense. Number two, I’m not sure Andrew Beck is really the right fit for that role based on what we’ve seen early on.

I initially thought the Ravens could send the Broncos a fourth-round pick for Reed, which they could, but they actually have two fifth-round picks right now and they also have two fullbacks (Patrick Ricard is not going anywhere, most likely). This would allow the Broncos to get a true fullback on the roster if they intend on using one as well as add a draft pick, and save some cap space.

Meanwhile, the Ravens would be getting an edge player who can help them immediately, and someone who has started plenty of games over the last few years as the team has dealt with injuries. This seems like a huge win for all involved.

Denver Broncos trade idea no. 3: WR Seth Williams to the Dallas Cowboys

Broncos get: 

• 2023 6th-round pick

Cowboys get:

• WR Seth Williams

The Denver Broncos are going to have to do some serious maneuvering at the wide receiver position in the coming days. The loss of Tim Patrick this season certainly has paved the way for a completely different strategy when it comes to roster construction at one of the most important positions on the roster.

As of right now, I think six spots on this Broncos roster are absolutely locked in at receiver.

• Courtland Sutton
• Jerry Jeudy
• KJ Hamler
• Kendall Hinton
• Montrell Washington
• Brandon Johnson

That’s two rookies making your final roster including an undrafted free agent in Brandon Johnson, who has been absolutely lighting it up this offseason. There’s nothing set in stone here, but the way the team has approached the first couple of preseason games, you can tell that Hinton and Johnson are the favorites over other players at receiver right now, which will leave some good-looking players on the outside looking in.

That includes 2021 sixth-round pick Seth Williams, a personal favorite who has shown he’s capable of making big plays in his short time with the Broncos. Despite that, and despite the fact that he’s an ideal “replacement” for Tim Patrick in terms of his size and catch radius, it’s hard to ignore what players like Hinton and Johnson have done by comparison so far this offseason.

Even if the Broncos choose to keep seven receivers, I think rookie free agent Jalen Virgil has shown more to stick around at this point, which begs the question — do you think you’re going to get Seth Williams through waivers, or is some team going to claim him?

The Broncos had joint practices earlier this month with the Dallas Cowboys, and the Cowboys are undoubtedly in need of some receiver help at this point. A player like Seth Williams could be exactly the type of late-round dart throw they want — a low-risk, potentially high-reward type of move — without breaking the bank.

If Williams isn’t in the Broncos’ top six, and they feel like they would lose him on waivers, then trading him to the highest bidder makes a lot of sense so they don’t lose value. There’s a calculated risk involved in sending guys like Williams to waivers, and he did make it through last year, but the Broncos essentially had to block other teams from taking him near the end of last season.

Williams had a nice touchdown against the Cowboys and they certainly got the chance to scout him up close and personal. I think this is a mutually beneficial trade for both sides to consider.

Denver Broncos trade idea no. 4: TE Albert Okwuegbunam to the New York Giants

Broncos get:

• 2023 4th-round pick

New York Giants get:

• TE Albert Okwuegbunam

I think a lot of people are going to be surprised to see this kind of trade being discussed, but does nobody else find it interesting that Albert Okwuegbunam is the projected TE1 for this team and he’s playing into the fourth quarter of preseason games? Head coach Nathaniel Hackett said that Albert just needs reps out there, but I’m throwing the BS flag on that one.

Why is Okwuegbunam the only starter on the team that needs reps into the fourth quarter? He may not be the only one (although actually, he might be) but he’s certainly the most prominent. We’re not even seeing Alex Singleton out there late in these games.

Typically, if you are playing deep into a preseason game, it’s because the team you’re playing for is putting as much tape out there on you as possible for a potential trade. It occurred to me that the Broncos rather quickly had Greg Dulcich working with the top offense during OTAs and they haven’t been shy about giving players like Eric Saubert looks with the first offense, either.

If not for a hamstring injury, I think Dulcich would be continually making noise as the Broncos’ TE1 but for now, they can’t really commit to that. We’ll see what the next week or so brings.

At the same time, it feels like the Broncos’ tight end position is rather unsettled and it also feels like they could easily justify moving on from Albert Okwuegbunam. Is he playing deep into the preseason because they have not seen from him what they want or need to see? If he really needs that many reps, should we be concerned with him as the projected TE1?

A team like the Giants could definitely use Okwuegbunam as a field stretcher for their offense. If the Broncos did decide to trade him, I think they’d have to get pretty good value in return. As inconsistent as Okwuegbunam has been, you’ve also got a player with unique athletic traits and multiple years left on his rookie deal.

Denver Broncos trade idea no. 5: Semi-blockbuster for TE Mike Gesicki

Broncos get:

• TE Mike Gesicki
• 2023 5th-round pick

Dolphins get:

• OL Graham Glasgow
• 2023 3rd-round pick

If the Miami Dolphins are truly shopping tight end Mike Gesicki, I think he’s a very unique option for the Denver Broncos especially if you’re also considering the idea of trading away Albert Okwuegbunam. At least for his rookie season, and especially considering he’s got the nagging hamstring injury, I think the Broncos need to play it slow with Greg Dulcich.

Adding a player like Mike Gesicki could be huge for this team in terms of upgrading at tight end as well as helping replace Tim Patrick and his size in the lineup, at least for the 2022 season.

Gesicki is under contract as the franchise player of the Miami Dolphins making almost $11 million this season. The Broncos could cut over $3 million off the price to acquire Gesicki by offering the Dolphins a player like Graham Glasgow, who has proven versatility as a guard/center, which is something the Dolphins desperately need right now.

Things are not working out well with free agent pickup Connor Williams at center and the Dolphins would be best served moving him back to the guard position. Glasgow could step in and start for them at center while they could also get a decent pick and a little financial relief in return for Gesicki.

I’m sure plenty of people are going to scoff at the idea of trading away a third-round pick for Gesicki, but consider the following:

• The Broncos have two third-round picks (they own the Colts’ selection in 2023)
• Gesicki is only 26 years old
• Gesicki is a better, more proven weapon in the passing game than Albert Okwuegbunam
• The Broncos could tag Gesicki again in 2023 for a reasonable price, they could re-sign him, or they could let him go and recoup a compensatory pick down the line
• With all of these potential trades, the Broncos would actually be adding four picks to their 2023 NFL Draft count

This is a trade that upgrades the Broncos’ offense and gives Russell Wilson another weapon in the passing game. If you trade Albert Okwuegbunam, it opens up the door for a move like this and could give the Broncos options if they also make a move for someone like Ben Mason of the Ravens.

5 players that would be shocking cuts for the Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos have to cut their roster down from 85 players to 80 by Tuesday afternoon. By next week, surprising cuts could be made to get to 53.

Your blocking tight ends could be Eric Tomlinson and Eric Saubert with Gesicki and Dulcich doing the heavy lifting as receivers. It might be far-fetched to think the Broncos would be interested in Gesicki given their presently available draft capital, but this is a deal that could actually work and address probably the weakest area of the offense at the present moment.