5 players the Broncos could trade to reload 2023 draft picks

3. Ronald Darby, CB ($12.64M cap hit in 2023)

Let’s just put the caveat right at the top here — the Broncos (or any team, for that matter) will have a hard time selling any team on trading for a cornerback who is fresh off of ACL injury. Ronald Darby, though, is a quality starter when healthy and teams have traded for injured/injury-prone players in the past.

It feels more likely at this point that Darby will be a salary cap casualty with over $9 million in savings for the Broncos if they decide to move on from him, but what motivates teams to make trades for guys like Darby? You have a need, first of all (which all teams do at corner) and you aren’t certain you’ll be able to sign them on the open market.

Darby has a base salary of around $9 million for 2023, which is highway robbery if you can get him to play the majority of games. Darby is a good player even if he doesn’t create a lot of turnovers for your defense, and he’d be a worthwhile risk at a non-guaranteed $9 million, especially for teams with question marks at the cornerback position.

How about the coaching connection between Vic Fangio now and the Miami Dolphins? How about Carolina with Ejiro Evero?

There are plenty of connections out there for someone like Darby, who would have a market if he is released. The question is, are you getting him for less than $9 million on the open market, and are you willing to risk letting some other team sign him?

The Broncos might only be able to get a late-round pick for Darby but it would be worth making some calls.