The day before the Denver Broncos traded for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, former Broncos cornerback and Super Bowl 50 champion Aqib Talib hinted that a big move was coming.
His timing could not have been more perfect, so now whenever he says he's got some information about what's going on behind the scenes with the Broncos, everybody is paying attention. Before the Waddle trade, Talib said -- amidst a terribly boring free agency period for the Broncos -- that an explosive playmaker was coming to the offense.
Now, he's saying that the Broncos might not be done. Talib is now saying another "big move" is coming for Denver, and it might be at the NFL Draft.
Aqib Talib teases potential big move for the Denver Broncos on Draft Day
Talib teasing a big move on Draft Day for the Denver Broncos gets the gears really turning. Here's what he said after Skip Bayless taunted him by saying, "He keeps saying Denver's going to make another 'big move' and I keep waiting, and waiting..."
"It might be the draft, Skip. Come on, Skip. You still don't believe me, Skip? It might be on Draft Day. Know that."
- Aqib Talib (via Arena Gridiron)
After Talib called the Jaylen Waddle trade the day before it happened, the question might not be whether he actually knows something, but rather what move the Broncos could be trying to make?
The team's biggest offseason loss, up to this point, has been the free agency departure of John Franklin-Myers. Could they be looking at a trade for a defensive lineman to replace him? We've explored the possibility of someone like Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants, although Lawrence doesn't play the exact same position on the defensive line as Franklin-Myers.
Some have theorized that Talib could be teasing the Broncos making a move to get into the 1st round of the NFL Draft again, but that really doesn't make a lot of sense based on what he's saying, nor does it make sense based on what the Broncos currently have available in draft assets. He seems to be implying more so that the Broncos are going to add another player.
Another idea that could make some sense is the Broncos making a trade for someone at the tight end position. There have still been some Kyle Pitts rumors floating around out there because he hasn't gotten a long-term deal from the Falcons. Cole Kmet has a connection to Broncos tight ends coach Austin King, who was on the Chicago Bears' staff back in 2022.
There have also been some very brief mentions of a player like Sam LaPorta possibly being traded by the Detroit Lions. Although nothing substantiated, and certainly not the Lions shopping him around in an obvious way, LaPorta is entering a contract year and coming off of an injury.
Maybe it's the Broncos finally getting something done to bring in Breece Hall from the Jets. There was talk earlier this offseason that the Jets franchise-tagged Hall to basically prevent him from simply leaving for the Broncos in free agency. Maybe the Broncos and Jets could work out a trade for Hall during the draft, give Hall a big-money contract, and pair him up with JK Dobbins.
You can throw any theory on the board you want, but Talib throwing this out there definitely thickens the plot going into the NFL Draft for the Broncos. Make sure you're still locked in as a Broncos fan, even without the team having a 1st-round pick.