The Denver Broncos pulled off a major trade of their own earlier this offseason, swinging a major deal for Jaylen Waddle, formerly of the Miami Dolphins. A first and third-round pick went back to Miami in the deal, and while that might have seemed like a steep price to pay, Waddle fits this offense like a glove.
Denver wasn't the only team that made a major move this offseason, even in the AFC. The Buffalo Bills added DJ Moore in a trade with the Chicago Bears, and the Cincinnati Bengals even got in on the fun, adding Dexter Lawrence in a deal with the New York Giants.
But on Monday, two big-time deals went down, and to a degree, both trades ended up negatively impacting the Broncos for the 2026 season, as the two players that got traded, Myles Garrett and AJ Brown, are now on teams that the Broncos are playing this year.
Denver Broncos will now see Myles Garrett and AJ Brown during the 2026 NFL Season
The first trade that broke was the two-time Defensive Player of the Year heading to the Los Angeles Rams, as if the Rams even needed to add another all-star player. Garrett joins an already-elite defensive line and was not the team's first big-time move this offseason.
The Rams added former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie in a trade this offseason as well, clearly putting a major emphasis on defense. Denver hosts Los Angeles in Week 3, so if nothing else, the Broncos at least get that game at home.
And, unsurprisingly, the New England Patriots landed Brown in a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Broncos face the Patriots in Week 17, and that game could end up having major playoff ramifications.
Had the Broncos lost just one fewer game in 2025, for example, the Patriots would have been the AFC's top seed. What we've seen in recent offseasons, especially this one, are teams embracing aggression like we've never seen before.
Draft picks are being traded left and right, and at the end of the day, they're only draft picks. It doesn't seem that hard to justify trading a ton of draft capital for immediate impact players, especially when they're off the caliber that we've seen get dealt this offseason.
While first-round picks are highly valuable in the NFL, they're also largely unknowns. For the Broncos, this is even more appropriate - we have seen just how much General Manager George Paton loves his draft picks, so the fact that he felt comfortable trading two of them proves just how badly the Broncos and other teams want to win.
The Broncos won't have it easy in 2026, either. Sure, there are some nearly guaranteed wins on the schedule, but the tough games are going to be tough.
Fortunately, this team is more talented than most in the NFL, perhaps only trailing the Rams in raw talent, but with the amount of parity present, the 2026 season could end up being a bloodbath.
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