The Denver Broncos began free agency on pace to be incredibly inactive, and after a season where the team came within one game of the Super Bowl, not only was the fanbase a bit annoyed, but many across the NFL landscape truly had no idea what the team was doing.
Then, the Jaylen Waddle trade happened. It's clear that Denver was working on that trade for quite some time, and suddenly, the offense got supercharged in a way that was much-needed and missing from that side of the ball for years.
Sure, the team will have some roster needs, but there might not be a more complete roster in the NFL right now than Denver's. The Broncos now no longer have a first-round pick this year, either, and besides the obvious, there's an underrated reason why Denver not picking in Round 1 is benefitting them.
The Denver Broncos don't have added pressure with a Round 1 pick this year
What Waddle brings to the wide receiver room is not only a perfect complement to what the team currently has, but he's also a legitimate no. 1 target. His complete route tree, suddeness, and ability to separate at all levels of the field is going to help out the entire group.
Waddle was a top-10 pick back in the 2021 NFL Draft and has three 1,000-yard receiving seasons across his first five years in the NFL. Courtland Sutton just had his third 1,000-yard receiving in 2025, but he's been in the league since 2018.
The duo of Waddle and Sutton could emerge as one of the best in the NFL, and with the Broncos no longer picking in Round 1, unless something major changes, all the risks of picking in the first round are thrown out the window.
With Round 1 picks, they're generally looked at as being players who should be able to come in and make an impact almost immediately. Teams rebuild with first-round selections, and Denver is proof of that with Bo Nix.
No matter the position, the best prospects in a given class typically always go in the first round, and as we saw with the Broncos in the 2025 NFL Draft, a first-round pick can bring some uncertainty and disappointment.
The team took Jahdae Barron at pick 20, clearly valuing the 'best player available' approach, but in year one, Barron was virtually non-existent He wasn't able to consistently see the field, and had he not been on the team entirely, nothing would have changed.
This is a huge risk that comes with Round 1 picks - that they barely make an impact as a rookie or are simply not a good player. The verdict is definitely still out on Barron, but as of now, he doesn't have a clear path to a starting job heading into year two and may again be in a backup role.
That isn't how first-round picks are supposed to progress in the early parts of their NFL career. There is surely also a good bit of pressure on front offices to 'hit' on these Round 1 picks as well. But with the Broncos, not only will they not have to worry about whether their Round 1 pick makes an impact, but there isn't all of that added pressure to get that pick right.
Trading it for Waddle gives the Broncos a known commodity and someone who fits this offense like a glove. It's probably a sigh of relief for General Manager George Paton that he and his front office colleagues don't have to dip their toes into this class at pick 30. The draft class this year has largely been seen as a weaker one, and that is absolutely evidenced with the Waddle trade.
Sure, the Broncos have drafted well, but a ton of risk and potential mistakes were just happily thrown out the window in Denver's situation.
Add us as a preferred source on Google