2023 NFL Draft: 3 Early Predictions for the Denver Broncos
By Jordan Lopez
Trading for a Veteran Wide Receiver
This might look a bit contradicting with the earlier prediction, but the Denver Broncos will trade for a veteran wide receiver in the draft.
Houston Texan WR Brandin Cooks has been on the trading market for a long time, and Denver needs to add some key players to that position. Nick Caserio and George Paton can work something out that can be beneficial for both teams.
Jerry Jeudy had a career year and has shown that he can become the player he was drafted to be. With Sean Payton as the HC now, fans can expect even bigger things from Jeudy. Unfortunately enough, the rest of the players did not have a great year.
Courtland Sutton had a considerable drop-off in his play this past year. There were moments when Russell Wilson was treating Sutton as the WR1 of the team and targeting him a bunch. The performances were not up to par for Sutton and Jeudy quickly took over that role.
Who knows what Payton will do with the current players at wide receiver, but he does have familiarity with Cooks. Without losing draft capital, the Broncos can offer the Texans Sutton for Cooks while swapping some draft capital.
Cooks' contract plays a significant factor in trade discussions. For example, Sutton's cap hit sits at 15, regarding the 2023 financial rankings. Cooks' cap hit is fourth most amongst wide receivers. Not only will the Texans be receiving a cheaper WR against the cap, but a younger talent as well.
This shouldn't cost the Broncos in losing any draft capital when trading for Cooks. They'll be trading for an older and more expensive player. It'd be a win-win for both teams as DeMeco Ryans can have a young talented wide receiver in his tenure, and Payton can reunite with Cooks.