The Denver Broncos have fallen to 2-4 in the 2022 season and things are dangerously close to coming completely off the rails.
A loss to the New York Jets this Sunday could be what knocks that train off the tracks. The Jets, once seen as an easy win for the Broncos, have been one of the surprise teams in the NFL this year and currently sit at 4-2 on the year.
Based on the way both teams are currently playing, it should surprise nobody if the Jets win. And should that happen, the Broncos should go on a fire sale.
Yes, that is correct.
The media has been speculating about a fire sale with the Carolina Panthers since the firing of head coach Matt Rhule. The Panthers may have the messiest situation in the entire league, but the Broncos are not far behind.
A loss would drop the team to 2-5 in a very competitive AFC West division. The season would be close to completely lost but the Broncos also need to start thinking toward next year, where they already have their first two draft picks sitting with the Seattle Seahawks from the Russell Wilson trade.
In order for general manager George Paton to recoup some of that lost draft capital, it makes sense to move all three of these guys ahead of the trade deadline.
Broncos should trade Jerry Jeudy
The Broncos need to move off from Jerry Jeudy while he still has any kind of value. There are several decent options as landing spots.
The former first-round pick has been hit or miss (mostly miss) since arriving in Denver and his subpar level of play has been chalked up to having poor quarterback play around him. He was supposed to break out with Wilson and that has not come close to happening.
Perhaps there has been poor quarterback play, but it’s equally plausible that this guy is just not that good.
Jeudy has caught just 17 passes in six games this season. The Broncos could probably still fetch a day two pick for him but if they continue to wait and his level of play continues to be where it is at, that will drop down to a day three pick in a hurry.
Broncos should trade Albert Okwuegbunam
The Broncos likely would not get much at all in return for tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, but it seems clear that he is done with this team. Think back to the preseason when Nathaniel Hackett refused to play any of his starters but Okwuegbunam was still out on the field.
The handwriting was on the wall right there.
Okwuegbunam has sunk down the depth chart while the Broncos use Andrew Beck, Eric Saubert and Eric Tomlinson at tight end. Rookie Greg Dulcich played in his first game on Monday night (and caught his first career touchdown pass) and Okwuegbunam was listed as a healthy scratch before the game.
That is not a good sign for his future prospects with the team, so it makes sense to move on from him while they can still get something in return. If not, he could easily be cut ahead of the 2023 season.
A fourth-round pick in 2020, Okwuegbunam has caught just 51 passes in his career thus far and has only seven receptions in six games this year. He was supposed to be the guy that took off following the trade of Noah Fant but that has not happened and it doesn’t appear that it ever will.
Broncos should trade Melvin Gordon
The Broncos are thin at running back, but Melvin Gordon is just not the guy. The fact that he can whine and sulk (and like tweets) to seemingly get his starting job back, despite an incredibly bad fumbling issue, speaks volumes as to where this team is at right now.
It doesn’t say much for Nathaniel Hackett as a coach, either.
Trading Gordon would leave the Broncos with just Latavius Murray and Mike Boone on the roster. As long as those two can stay healthy, Murray is a better running back than Gordon at this moment in time and Boone can handle the backup role.
The team could call up Devine Ozigbo from the practice squad and look at options off the street in free agency to cover the rest of the season.
It would be depressing to see such a fire sale happen so early in a season that had so much promise, but because of what was given up to acquire Wilson, combined with the hefty contract extension the team signed him to, the Broncos could easily be strapped for years to come.
Paton needs to consider moving some of these inadequate and at this moment, almost useless pieces, in exchange for future help.