The Broncos shocked the NFL world back in 2024, and it was finally a taste of what could be to come. When George Paton first took this Broncos job back in 2021, he referred to the team as a "sleeping giant," and it took a while for that giant to be woken up.
Well, in 2024, the giant woke up a bit. The Broncos are also in a better position in 2025 than they were in 2024 at this point. Denver was 3-3 through four games in 2024, and Bo Nix, then a rookie, was obviously still learning the ropes.
The Broncos have won three games in a row and are now 4-2 on the season. It's their best six-game start since the 2016 NFL Season, but there is a huge period of time coming. Not only does Denver play four of their next five games at home, but the NFL Trade Deadline is also on November 4th, so it's less than a month from now. No matter how you slice it up, much of Paton's tenure with the Denver Broncos is on the line here as the deadline approaches.
The Broncos have roster holes, and they need their GM to fill them
One of the more notable losses has been Ben Powers. Powers is missing about two months with a biceps injury, and backup guard Matt Peart filled in quite poorly in the Broncos' Week 6 win over the Jets. It was so bad that it's too the point where you wonder if the team should make a move to fill the spot with a quality starter at the deadline.
There are a pair of guards in Cleveland named Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller who could help out. There are other bad teams out there that have some linemen who could be on the move as well. You would think that it'd make a load of sense for George Paton to make a move here, as the team's offensive line is elite, and it should remain that way.
We all know the importance of the trenches, and now that Ben Powers is out, George Paton should work to fill that void. Denver also has a void at ILB, and I would even stump for a trade with Dre Greenlaw back in the picture.
But my general point here is that this Broncos' team could truly be special. The offense could use another playmaker and a guard, and the defense could use another linebacker. With how wide open things appear to be in the AFC right now, the Broncos have to beat other teams to the punch at the deadline.
It's typically not very expensive at all for teams to acquire certain players at the deadline, so this is the time for GM George Paton to put his stamp on this roster with a bold in-season move. The AFC has never been more open or competitive, and the Broncos have the best defense and pass rush in the NFL.
The defense is good enough to win a Super Bowl, so even just one trade deadline addition could push this team over the edge, and it also sends a message to a team when the GM goes out, shows faith in the roster he's built, and makes a push.
George Paton has to be up for this huge task in the coming weeks.