Alright, enough is enough. For months, I have been calling for the Denver Broncos to truly fortify their depth at the wide receiver position. After the Tim Patrick injury, it was “next man up” and the Broncos did end up keeping undrafted rookie Jalen Virgil on their final 53-man roster. He’s been inactive for the first two games of the 2022 season.
After the team’s Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, KJ Hamler missed the entire week of practice with a very vague “we’re being safe” or “we’re being cautious” kind of excuse from the team after Hamler suffered significant knee and hip injuries early last season. Simply put, anything the Broncos get from Hamler this season will be nothing more than a cherry on top of whatever production they get at receiver.
In the team’s Week 2 victory over the Houston Texans, Jerry Jeudy was lost early to a shoulder injury. While it’s possible that Jeudy could be back as soon as Week 3, the evidence for the Broncos needing more help at the receiver position could not be more apparent. Courtland Sutton did all he could do to shoulder the load against Houston, and both Kendall Hinton and Tyrie Cleveland made some plays late, but the Broncos need receiver help. As in, STAT.
Denver Broncos WR options after Jerry Jeudy shoulder injury
Denver Broncos should sign WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Let’s get this one out of the way quickly. Yes, the Denver Broncos should sign Odell Beckham Jr. Yes, everyone understands he’s not going to be ready to go until November at the earliest. The fact of the matter is, the Broncos’ receiver depth is going to continue to be tested. As of right now, we are officially a Courtland Sutton injury away from complete and utter madness at the position.
Signing Odell Beckham Jr. would do a few things for you. First of all, it would fortify your depth down the road this season. Second of all, it would give you another go-to receiver who can line up all over the formation to allow ultimate flexibility if you get everyone healthy. Third of all, banking on getting something out of Odell Beckham Jr., over the long haul of the NFL season at this point feels like a much more likely bet than getting something out of KJ Hamler.
I hate to even say that because I believe in Hamler’s abilities and I have loved what we’ve seen from him when he is able to stay healthy. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen that since the handful of glimpses we got in his rookie season.
If I were George Paton, I would sign Beckham Jr. now as well as another receiver on this list so that you could have plenty of options as the season goes along.
Denver Broncos need to sign Will Fuller
For the one-millionth time, I am asking the Denver Broncos to please sign Will Fuller.
This is a move that I have been advocating for longer than pretty much any other. Will I finally get my wish now that the Broncos are down:
- Tim Patrick
- Jerry Jeudy
- KJ Hamler
- Offseason darling Brandon Johnson
The common response regarding this idea that I get on Twitter is that Will Fuller is also an oft-injured player. Why would you sign an oft-injured player to replace your injured players? Well, what exactly do people think is going to be sitting in free agency right now? As far as we know, Fuller is in good health right now and is just biding his time, waiting for the right offer to come along.
Russell Wilson is one of the best deep-ball throwers in the entire NFL. Will Fuller has been one of the best vertical receivers in the game when he’s healthy. Yes, he’s struggled with injuries as well, but at this point, that’s a risk you’ve got to be willing to take if you’re the Broncos. Here’s a novel idea — maybe protect yourself with this investment by signing or bringing in two guys.
I think getting Will Fuller and his speed in the fold, banking on the potential of that fit between his speed and Wilson’s ability to push the ball deep, it’s all a worthwhile risk no matter what way you look at it.
Denver Broncos should sign WR Cole Beasley
This probably won’t be the most popular opinion in the world because a lot of people simply dislike Cole Beasley as a person. At this point, if we’re talking about helping the football team, sign me up for a player like Cole Beasley. Although he’s not a speed demon by any means, Beasley is a sure-handed and tough receiver who caught 82 passes in each of the last two seasons.
What could be even more important here? Beasley barely ever misses a game due to injury. He’s tough and has played in some big playoff games in recent years. Over the last two seasons, his catch percentage is hovering around 75 percent.
I don’t think signing Beasley would be a move made out of desperation, either. Having him in the lineup would allow the Broncos flexibility with Jerry Jeudy and even KJ Hamler if he can get healthy. He’s just a solid receiver who gives you some much-needed consistency when the ball is thrown his way.
His YAC per reception took a dip last season and the Bills were obviously confident enough in players like Gabe Davis, Isaiah McKenzie, and free agent Jamison Crowder to feel comfortable moving on from Beasley, but I do think he could still help a team like the Denver Broncos especially given the situation they are in right now.
Perhaps in previous years, the Broncos might not be a good fit for Beasley but with Russell Wilson at QB, I think really just about anything goes. Wilson is a strong, vocal leader, and players follow his lead. At this point, veteran contracts are also not guaranteed, so if any player the Broncos pick up doesn’t work well with the locker room, the team can cut bait. Again, this is about helping the football team get better at a position that desperately needs it.
Denver Broncos should trade for Jets WR Denzel Mims
For the second straight week to open up the 2022 season, the New York Jets made wide receiver Denzel Mims a healthy inactive. The former second-round pick is very clearly not in this team’s plans, especially after we saw the Jets’ suddenly enviable WR group of Carey Davis, Elijah Moore, Garrett Wilson, and Braxton Berrios absolutely eat against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Mims is on the outside looking in on this roster, and the Jets have likely just been waiting for a team like the Denver Broncos to get desperate enough to send them something decent in terms of trade value so Mims isn’t such a bad sunk cost for them.
Back in the 2020 offseason, you almost couldn’t find a Denver Broncos mock draft on the internet that didn’t include Mims, who was a star on the rise out of Baylor at the time. When Mims fell out of the first round, many around the NFL Twitter community were absolutely shocked because of his combination of size and speed. Unfortunately, those two qualities haven’t exactly translated to NFL success at this point.
But, the silver lining for Mims is that there will be opportunities like what you are seeing right now in Denver, and he could have a great shot at excelling in the environment the Broncos have to offer because of the quarterback under center. Mims’ sub-4.4 speed and 6-foot-3 frame with Russell Wilson’s long ball? Yes, please.
The question here is what this could end up costing the Broncos in terms of draft compensation. A late-round pick swap should get it done. The Broncos don’t exactly want to lose future draft capital at this point but the team may need to forsake some late-round picks to help the team in the present moment. They should have made a trade for Laviska Shenault or Jalen Reagor when they had the chance to buy low on some big-time talent. The next opportunity is Mims.
Denver Broncos could swing a trade for Cardinals WR Andy Isabella
Another trade in a similar spirit to the potential Denzel Mims move is a possible trade with the Arizona Cardinals for former second-round pick Andy Isabella. The Cardinals have seemingly had Isabella on the trade block for two years at this point but now, do they want him or is he just around until DeAndre Hopkins is back?
The Cardinals did the Broncos a huge solid by beating the now last place Las Vegas Raiders in overtime on Sunday, perhaps the Broncos could count on the Cardinals to do them a solid in this regard. We know that Cardinals general manager Steve Keim is always willing to make a deal, so all George Paton has to do here is make a call.
Isabella had a really good preseason, and yes, I watched him in the preseason as I was scouting for some potential Broncos pickups. Isabella had a good enough preseason that the Cardinals went from being on the cusp of cutting him or trading him for next-to-nothing to keeping him on their roster and having him active in Week 1.
He wasn’t active in Week 2 with a back injury, but perhaps there’s still the chance to convince Arizona that they would be okay without him. One thing with Isabella that could be helpful is that he does have special teams versatility, not that the Broncos really need it with Montrell Washington’s impressive showing against Houston.
With all of that being said, the Broncos need to make a substantive upgrade at the wide receiver position, and at this point, I would now be arguing for multiple moves. The next man up mentality is only effective if your next men up are up to the task, and the Broncos don’t have players that should be playing extensive regular-season snaps. It’s way different when Kendall Hinton and Tyrie Cleveland are out there in addition to Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and KJ Hamler. At that point, their contributions are a bonus.
5 moves the Denver Broncos should make after loss to the Seahawks
What moves should the Denver Broncos make after the team's loss to the Seahawks and now looking ahead at their matchup with the Texans?
When you’re relying on them to play integral roles in the offense? To me, that’s just not a responsible thing to do given how hugely important the wide receiver position is in today’s NFL.