The Denver Broncos have some work to do at the inside linebacker position, so could the team look to one of their player's brothers? Entering into the final year of his deal with the Atlanta Falcons, Kaden Elliss is an inside linebacker and is the older brother of Jonah Elliss, the Denver Broncos' rookie pass rusher.
Denver could be, no, they will be in the market for some improvement at the ILB spot, and Kaden Elliss could be just that. He's in the final year of his deal and will hit the free agent market in 2025 if the Falcons do not make any adjustments to his contract. Well, why would the Falcons trade a very good inside linebacker?
The brotherly fit
Well, firstly, Elliss was a 2019 NFL Draft pick by... the New Orleans Saints, so Sean Payton was a part of the team that drafted him. He truly broke out in 2022, racking up seven sacks, 78 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 10 QB hits.
He has since settled into a full-time starting role for Atlanta after leaving the Saints in free agency. In his two years with the Falcons, Elliss has nine sacks, 273 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and 22 QB hits. Elliss has been a very productive player and someone the Broncos should have their eye on.
It's clear that Sean Payton is a fan of the 'Elliss' family name. He has drafted both Jonah and Kaden. The other thing to note here is that the Atlanta Falcons also just hired Jeff Ulbrich to be their new defensive coordinator. Well, Ulbrich may not view Elliss as a great fit for his defense. Ulbrich recently spent some time with the New York Jets, where they have an inside linebacker of their own in Jamien Sherwood hitting the free agent market in 2025.
Could Ulbrich and the Falcons prefer to have Sherwood on their defense over Elliss? I mean yes, they could simply have both or not even entertain signing Sherwood, but in my opinion, Ulbrich is going to want some players from New York to help get used to the new defense he is bringing over.
I could see a scenario where the Falcons would be willing to trade Kaden Elliss for the right price, and being that the Broncos drafted him, drafted his brother, and also have a need at the position makes me think this could be quite the logical fit for the Denver Broncos in 2025.