The Denver Broncos are in a Super Bowl window, and they have to approach the 2026 trade deadline with that in mind.
Although the Broncos have been all about continuity (for the most part, anyway), it might be time for an injection of some "new" on the roster as the offense, in particular, has been downright bad.
With the Indianapolis Colts blowing a lead at home against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, falling to 2-4, just about everyone in the NFL world seems to think a fire sale could be on the near horizon. If that's the case, it's time for the Broncos to pounce on their misery and call about star running back Jonathan Taylor.
We've all witnessed firsthand just how valuable it's been for the Kansas City Chiefs to have Kenneth Walker in the lineup, and Jonathan Taylor could do the same for the Broncos.
Broncos need to pursue a Jonathan Taylor trade if Colts end up having a fire sale
There are always two primary questions that have to be asked when it comes to even thinking of possible trades during the NFL season.
Funny enough, both questions deal with the cost.
The first part of the cost question is, how much draft capital is this going to cost?
For someone like Jonathan Taylor, you would have to think the price would be rather expensive. The 27-year-old back is one of the best in the NFL at his position, and if the Colts are giving up valuable players with potential changes coming in the front office and coaching staff, they aren't just going to give the guy away.
My best guess as of right now is that it would cost at least a 2nd-round pick. For a team like the Broncos, giving up a 2nd-round pick for a player like Jonathan Taylor might be worth it.
The other part of the question is how much it would cost financially, and whether or not the Broncos are actually equipped to take on such a salary.
Taylor received a 2-year extension from the Colts worth $44 million in total money. They gave him an additional $39.02 million in guarantees, and that extension definitely complicates the discussion, at least a little bit. You don't give a guy over $39 million just to dump him for a 2nd-round pick, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
The Broncos would be acquiring Taylor's base salaries going forward, and that would be $4.71 million (12 weeks remaining) if they traded for him today. Of course, immediate decisions are not necessarily expected by the Colts, but in the coming weeks, that number will only decrease.
Broncos can't maintain the status quo at running back
Outside of a 16-yard run against the Seahawks last Thursday, Broncos running back JK Dobbins had 19 touches that gained just 30 yards from scrimmage. His ineffectiveness with a larger workload over the past couple of games has been troubling, to say the least.
The Broncos are getting Jonah Coleman back (potentially) for their Week 7 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. The performance he had in the 4th quarter of the team's Week 2 win against the Jaguars has every fan in Broncos Country believing he can be a savior, of sorts, for the team's running game woes.
The confidence grows even greater knowing he was playing through an ankle injury during that game.
RJ Harvey has been clearly established as the team's primary pass-catching back, but if the Broncos have a chance to upgrade over Dobbins and get a veteran like Taylor, they need to take it.
Once again, this team is in a championship window. There is no justification for sitting on your hands and maintaining the status quo when the status quo has been bad.
Especially given what we've seen from Kenneth Walker with the Chiefs, the Broncos need to play the role of copycat in this instance and go after the star running back. The world of difference it's made for the Chiefs' offense as a whole is staggering.
It's difficult to put a price on that, and the Broncos need to be as aggressive as possible with 10 projected picks for the 2027 NFL Draft.
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