Teams that play in the Super Bowl typically have several players poached from their respective rosters. Who should the Denver Broncos be watching from the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs?
Jerick McKinnon — a former Minnesota Vikings draft pick and current Chiefs running back — is by far my favorite player out of this group that is a possibility. In two games against the Denver Broncos this season, McKinnon caught 12 passes for 164 yards and four touchdowns, as a running back.
Jerick McKinnon to the Denver Broncos would be outstanding
Not only would McKinnon be a great addition to the Denver Broncos, but he would be a nice subtraction from the Kansas City Chiefs. Undoubtedly the Chiefs would fill the void McKinnon left behind, that is just how the cookie crumbles for an Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes-led offense.
It seems that no matter the name, the Chiefs will maximize each player’s abilities which is a credit to Andy Reid. That said, the Denver Broncos have a new head coach Sean Payton who brings that same ability to the table.
Sean Payton is a guy who likes to utilize his backs in and out of the backfield, much like Andy Reid. Alvin Kamara is a perfect example of what a player like Jerick McKinnon could be with a coach like Sean Payton.
McKinnon had nine receiving touchdowns this season. Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Brandon Johnson scored nine total receiving touchdowns combined. As a group. the entire wide receivers had just 10 receiving touchdowns.
Jerick McKinnon, a running back, had nine. NINE!
Jerick Mckinnon also started his career with the Minnesota Vikings and current Denver Broncos’ General Manager, George Paton. There is a need for a pass-catching back in the Denver Broncos offense, Chase Edmonds can fill that role, but what unreliable during his short stint as a Bronco with injuries.
Edmonds is also a cap casualty candidate in 2023, so the Denver Broncos may move on from his contract. If so, McKinnon should be heavily considered and could be had at a cheaper rate.
2. Khalen Saunders, DL, Kansas City Chiefs
Football in general has become a much more uptempo game, but it will always be won and lost in the trenches. This is an area where the Denver Broncos have lacked for several seasons now.
Von Miller and Bradley Chubb had been great on the outside, but the Denver Broncos need beef, Khalen Saunders is just that, at 6-foot-0 and 324 pounds, Saunders would be a much-needed body to plug in beside D.J. Jones.
Saunders wouldn’t be a game-changing addition, but not every addition has to be. Terrence Knighton was a huge signing for the Denver Broncos years ago. Saunders could have a similar type of impact on the Denver Broncos.
He is young and hopefully has his best football in front of him. During his four seasons with the Chiefs, Saunders has just 4.5 sacks and 81 combined tackles. Saunders also played in about 35-45% of the snaps for the Chiefs this season.
That number is up heavily from 2021 when he was inactive for the majority of the back half of the season. Could this be because it is a contract year for Saunders or just him finally finding his groove after a rough start to his career?
It would be worth a shot to find out.