The Denver Broncos aren't missing anything that would prevent them from winning the AFC West title for a second year in a row. The Broncos won this division with multiple games to spare in 2025, including winning eight more games than the Kansas City Chiefs.
That is, quite literally, half a season more, and I struggle to see how the Broncos don't win the division again, given how far apart they are from Kansas City. Even the Los Angeles Chargers, while talented, don't really scare you on paper and feel like the same exact team that they have been the past two seasons.
To be honest, the Chiefs might be the biggest threat in 2026, given how many times this team won the division, and how many times they have proved people wrong when some have counted them out, and if this trade deadline prediction comes true, the Broncos chances at repeating as division champions would be diminished.
Denver Broncos would have a heck of a time dealing with the Chiefs in this scenario
Moe Moton rolled out some early trade deadline bold predictions in Bleacher Report, and one of his trades had the Chiefs swinging a deal for wide receiver George Pickens:
"Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones made it clear that the team won't negotiate a long-term deal with George Pickens, via The Athletic's Jon Machota.
'We've made a decision that we're going to have George Pickens (play under the franchise tag). There won't be negotiations on a long-term deal,' Jones said.
While Pickens skipped OTAs, wideout Ryan Flournoy generated early offseason buzz.
'Ryan Flournoy, I really think is taking the next step,' head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters. 'I think he has a chance to be a terrific receiver in this league.'
If Flournoy blossoms in a complementary role, the Cowboys could trade Pickens to a receiver-needy contending team like the Kansas City Chiefs, who don't have a reliable lead perimeter playmaker.
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This would be a total disaster for the Broncos. The Dallas Cowboys clearly do not seem to be in any sort of rush to get a long-term deal done with Pickens, and just based on what's above, the Cowboys may not even pursue a long-term deal even after the 2026 season.
Dallas swung a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers for Pickens last offseason, and it paid off immediately. Pickens was a Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro for Dallas in 2025, appearing in all 17 games and catching 93 passes for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. That was his second 1,000-yard season in four years in the NFL.
However, Pickens is only set to play in his age-25 season, and he now has 4,270 yards through four years in the NFL. He's every bit of a WR1 in this league. At 6-3 and 200 pounds, he has the size to be a downfield threat, but he also has the short-area quickness to run sharp routes and separate that way.
It also helps his case that he is, arguably, one of the more athletic players in the entire NFL, consistently displaying an ultra-wide catch radius and having an affinity for circus catches. Now yes, if the Chiefs were needing to make a move like this, you could argue that they'd be struggling a bit on offense and would not necessarily be in an ideal spot.
However, with Patrick Mahomes now entering his age-31 season and coming off a major knee injury, a new era might be beginning for the Chiefs franchise. This team now might embrace more of a collective effort on offense, rather than Mahomes carrying the weight, as we saw for years.
Adding Pickens would allow Mahomes to continue to thrive in the pocket, and he'd likely not have to scramble as much. It would be a bit of a difference in his game, but the move could make sense, as the Chiefs would surely then look to lock up Pickens on a long-term deal.
Even though the Broncos do have quite the lineup on offense, they don't have a player quite as dangerous as Pickens, so this potential deal would be tough to stomach.
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