The Denver Broncos have finished 3rd in scoring on the defensive side of the ball in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and this miraculous defensive turnaround really started after the team's insanely difficult 1-5 start to begin Sean Payton's tenure in the 2023 NFL Season.
Since then, Denver has done nothing but win games, make the playoffs, and come within one game of the Super Bowl in 2025. From the top down, this roster has been well built and is equipped to win it all this year, and a huge reason why is the front office's emphasis on the trenches.
The Broncos have assembled the nastiest group of players along the offensive and defensive line in the NFL, and, somehow, the team has a non-zero chance to improve that group on defense after a major piece of news broke on Monday night.
Could the Denver Broncos make a push to trade for Vita Vea?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea has requested a trade after eight years with the team and no progress on an extension, which is something he's wanted:
From a source: he wants to go to a California team or the Raiders https://t.co/MYVVcsxlos
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) July 27, 2026
Vea is a true nose tackle, 31 years old, and a two-time Pro Bowler. In his eight years with the Bucs, he's racked up 35 sacks, 48 tackles for loss, and 79 quarterback hits. Not only is he almost naturally strong against the run, but he's clearly an interior pass-rush threat.
And while Ted Nguyen is reporting that Vea wants to go to a California team or the Las Vegas Raiders, what if that simply doesn't happen? The Los Angeles Rams just traded major draft capital for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, and also could get Aaron Donald out of retirement. There doesn't seem to be a realistic path for Vea to be traded there.
The Los Angeles Chargers certainly have the cap space, but General Manager Joe Hortiz doesn't seem to be someone who wants to make a splash move, and they also just signed defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson this offseason.
The Raiders also make the least amount of sense, as they are clearly in a bit of a rebuild and have a view on the long-term. Trading for a defensive tackle on the wrong side of 30 and giving him a major contract wouldn't matchup with this team's plans at the moment.
If you ask me, the Broncos would have more of a path to swing this deal than the two California teams and the Raiders. Denver went all-ish-in this offseason with the Jaylen Waddle trade, but this team has nearly $30 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap, and have all of their picks for the 2027 NFL Draft at the moment, so they have the capital to pull it off.
A potential trade for Vea could fall just under what the New York Giants got for Dexter Lawrence, a slightly younger and better player. Lawrence went for a first-round pick, and I would have to assume the Bucs would want a player in return, as they are capable of winning the NFC South this year.
Something that could make sense would be a package including DJ Jones and, perhaps, a second or third-round pick heading back to Tampa for Vea. Jones is obviously not nearly the player that Vea is and simply doesn't stop the run or rush the passer well. Tampa wouldn't just accept a player-for-player swap, so Denver would have to sweeten the deal with a pick.
What is also interesting is that the Broncos recently restructured the contract of left guard Ben Powers, so perhaps this team has some bigger plans in mind. Given that the Broncos were on the cusp of the Super Bowl last year, made a big-time move for Waddle, and did lose key players on defense this offseason in John Franklin-Myers and Dre Greenlaw, adding Vea in a big-time trade to close out the offseason would be quite the move.
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