At some point, the aggression has to kick up inside the Denver Broncos front office. This team is better equipped than most right now to make a run at the Super Bowl, and in order to get over the edge, General Manager George Paton simply needs to swing for the fences.
There are some gems in free agency, and it feels like it's only a matter of time before Denver splurges on a running back, at least. However, getting a solid running back in the building might not end up fixing all of the issues, as the wide receiver room, for example, is still below average if someone like Travis Etienne is signed.
Well, a notable NFL insider did lightly flirt with the idea of the Broncos not only swinging a major wide receiver trade, but including one of their own players in the deal, and when you think about it, the deal makes sense.
Jeremy Fowler suggests an AJ Brown/Courtland Sutton swap for the Denver Broncos
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN had a very interesting little nugget when talking about AJ Brown, the Philadelphia Eagles stud wide receiver:
"During the Eagles' offensive coordinator search, some candidates got the impression that Brown was part of the plan. That's why some around the league believe Roseman could target a veteran receiver as part of any trade package -- say, if New Orleans can't reach a deal with Chris Olave in New Orleans, or if Denver wants to entertain a Brown-Courtland Sutton swap."
That last part is interesting. I would have to think that Fowler has at least heard that the Broncos could have interest in Brown if he name-drops them in this article. At the end of the day, not many people truly know what Denver is up to, but this could be a great deal for both sides.
Courtland Sutton has been a good player for a long time for the Broncos, but he's clearly not a no. 1 target and isn't in the same universe as AJ Brown. Brown has been in the NFL for seven seasons and has six 1,000-yard seasons in his seven years between the Tennessee Titans and Eagles. Brown is also about a year and a half younger than Sutton as well.
Denver might actually be entertaining this, as it might not make a ton of sense for the team to be investing big-time contracts into both Sutton and Brown, and stylistically, they share similarities. A hypothetical trade package of Sutton and a draft pick for Brown could be enough for the Eagles to make the move.
And paired up with DeVonta Smith, Sutton and Smith could both have their skillsets maximized, as Smith is good enough to be the no. 1 target for Philly. Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman surely has a high asking price, but given that the Eagles, like many other teams, are in a win-now window, he may actually prefer receiving a player in return for Brown if the trade does happen.