The Denver Broncos have made the surprising decision to move on from veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick, who is finally about to play some regular season football for the first time since the 2021 season after multiple season-ending injuries. Patrick was a rumored roster cut earlier in the offseason, but the Broncos brought him back on a renewed one-year deal and he's apparently rejuvenated his value enough to the point that teams have an interest in trading for him.
Not only are the Broncos moving on from Tim Patrick but they are also moving on from veteran running back Samaje Perine as well. Needless to say, the youth movement is on in Denver, and we're all just left wondering what could possibly be next.
It's going to be fun to see what Sean Payton, George Paton, David Shaw, Cody Rager, and the rest of the Broncos brain trust cook up over the next handful of hours as rosters get trimmed around the league. What kinds of moves could they have up their sleeves? Let's have some fun speculating while we still can.
1. Broncos could try to trade for WR John Metchie
The Denver Broncos believe they have a very deep wide receiver room, which they undoubtedly do. With that being said, who is the WR2 behind Courtland Sutton right now? Marvin Mims Jr. might be more of a question mark than anticipated. Josh Reynolds is not a true WR2 and isn't a long-term solution anyway.
I don't hate the idea of the Broncos being in on potentially trading for John Metchie, a former 2nd-round pick of the Texans who might be available for the right price and could thrive in a situation like Denver's.
This time of year is all about finding the best possible value and we know that Sean Payton is aggressive. Metchie had a really good preseason but is buried on a Houston depth chart that includes Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell, among others.
2. Trade for Bills TE Dawson Knox
I wouldn't be shocked to see Sean Payton go after another playmaker for the offense, even if it's not a receiver. Maybe the more likely position to get a look is the tight end spot, and Dawson Knox is a name to keep an eye on.
It's about to be the Dalton Kincaid show in Buffalo this season, and Knox could be taking a significant back seat. The former third-round pick made it to the Pro Bowl in 2022 and has been a really good pass-catching option in the past. If the Bills are open to trading him, the Broncos might prefer him over Lucas Krull and could try to get Krull to the practice squad.
3. Make a trade with the Saints
We know the obvious connection of Sean Payton to the New Orleans Saints, but Payton hasn't been the head coach of the Saints since 2021. The more recent connection to New Orleans is Cody Rager, who joined the Broncos' front office after many years in New Orleans, including the last handful of years as the Director of College Scouting.
So if the Saints are looking to dump any of their draft picks from 2022-on, then the Broncos might have an interest thanks to Rager.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen has been very publicly critical of running back Kendre Miller, a third-round pick in 2023, whose relationship with the team may be beyond repair at this point. Maybe the Broncos would take a flyer on 2023 2nd-round pick Isaiah Foskey, who has disappointed. Maybe we could see the Broncos take a shot on Payton's last first-round pick with the Saints, 2021 first-rounder Payton Turner.
One way or another, don't be shocked to see some activity with the Saints.