The Denver Broncos mostly held firm at the trade deadline. They did trade Bradley Chubb, but it was expected. What other moves should they have made? Some thought that the team should have had a firesale perhaps, but George Paton seems to think that some of the players who came up for the Broncos in trade rumors should have stuck around.
I don’t entirely disagree, but I do think the team should have made a couple more moves. The Bradley Chubb trade was the right decision. The moves the team made in the offseason, specifically adding Randy Gregory, Baron Browning, and Nik Bonitto, indicated that Chubb was not in Denver’s plans for the long term.
He’s a good edge rusher with injury concerns, and the large contracts the Broncos have didn’t really allow them to extend Chubb. So, what other moves should they have made at the deadline?
Moves the Broncos should have made at the deadline
Trading Dalton Risner and getting whatever you could get
Dalton Risner is a free agent at the end of the season and I’d just about guarantee that the Broncos do not re-sign him. Ever since his rookie year, he has regressed. He’s a backup caliber guard at this point and has slow, concrete feet, can’t sustain blocks, and gets beat quite a bit.
However, his name did come up in trade talks, and obviously, we may never know if there was a formal offer for Risner, but George Paton should have sent him to whatever team offered anything.
It’s better to get a draft pick, even if it’s a lower pick, than simply letting him walk in free agency. I’m not sure guys like Netane Muti and Luke Wattenberg, two backup interior players for the Broncos, are worse than Risner.
This should have been a move the team should have made.
Moves the Broncos should have made at the deadline
Sending Melvin Gordon to any takers
The Melvin Gordon era in Denver seemed like it could have ended multiple times during the season so far. His fumbles are glaring and aren’t exactly tearing it up on the field. You’d have thought that a team would have coughed up a sixth or seventh-round pick for Gordon’s services.
The Broncos acquire RB Chase Edmonds in the Bradley Chubb trade. They also signed Marlon Mack recently and signed Latavius Murray when Javonte Williams went down. To me, Murray has been the stronger runner than Gordon, and both backs are similar in play style.
Melvin Gordon should have been the odd man out in this scenario, and I’m confused why the Broncos didn’t take anything they could have gotten.
Now, Melvin Gordon will leave in this coming free agency period, and the Broncos will have one less draft pick because of it. I get that Gordon has familiarity with the team and so on, but he’s overstayed his welcome, and George Paton should have shopped him more (assuming he didn’t).
Moves the Broncos should have made at the deadline
Packaged KJ Hamler in a deal for Brandin Cooks
This one is going to get me roasted in the comments, but I do not care, and this is my opinion. Brandin Cooks, to me, is one of the most underrated players the NFL has been over the last decade. He’s been traded about 63 times and produces wherever he goes.
Cooks and Hamler are similar. They’re both smaller receivers with exceptional speed. The main difference is that Cooks, even early in his career, was way, way more consistent than KJ Hamler has been, and is not as injury prone.
Brandin Cooks just turned 29 but has been in the league since 2014. He has six 1,000-yard receiving seasons with four different teams. He has 605 career receptions in the regular season and over 8,000 yards.
The Texans, his current team, are clearly rebuilding, and Cooks has a large contract. Tell me, why wouldn’t the Texans have been willing to swap Hamler and Cooks? The total compensation can be debated, but Hamler is six years younger, still on his rookie deal, is likely faster, and could have been a building block for them.
The Broncos did not draft KJ Hamler for him to catch one or two passes a game like he’s done this year. He has not lived up to his draft status, and his career receiving totals are numbers that other receivers put up in six or seven games, let alone over three years.
Denver Broncos updated 2023 NFL Draft picks after Bradley Chubb trade
The Denver Broncos made a blockbuster trade involving pass rusher Bradley Chubb. What does their 2023 NFL Draft war chest look like now?
This would have given Denver another reliable pass catcher and would have added another wrinkle to the offense that showed a bit of life against the Jaguars.