The Denver Broncos are definitely lighter at wide receiver, as they are only keeping five on the initial 53-man roster. Could they make another move here? I definitely see why this room could end up needing another body. Keeping six wide receiver was what most of us thought the team would do. Right now, the five bodies are Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Marvin Mims Jr, Troy Franklin, and Devaughn Vele.
Most thought that it would have been those five plus Tim Patrick, but the team shockingly parted ways with the veteran player. At this point, you have to assume that Denver will have six WRs on the active roster for gamedays, right?
Maybe Sean Payton and George Paton are thinking differently, but if not, here are three moves the team can make at wide receiver before the 2024 NFL Season begins.
3 moves Denver Broncos can make at wide receiver before the 2024 NFL Season
Trade for WR Brandon Aiyuk
Maybe the most bold move the Broncos could possibly make, they should try and swing a trade for Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers, who are still without any sort of long-term deal for their best WR. This standoff has been going on for quite some time, and this situation does feel different than previous players and their unhappiness with their own contracts.
You also have to consider that the 49ers did take a first-round wide receiver in Ricky Pearsall in the 2024 NFL Draft, so maybe they were planning for Aiyuk to depart all along. Being that there is no resolution between Aiyuk and the 49ers, why can't the Broncos swoop in here? Heck, could they package WR Courtland Sutton and a couple draft picks for Brandon Aiyuk? I don't see why not.
One of the best things that an NFL team can do for the development of their rookie QB is giving them a competent offensive line, competent running game, and a difference-maker at wide receiver. Denver may have the first two things here, but they are missing a true difference-maker at the position.
Sign WR Michael Thomas
Michael Thomas might be a redundant move giving who the Broncos have on the roster already, but he's got familiarity with Sean Payton as we all know. Since the start of the 2020 NFL Season, Thomas has played in just 20 regular season games.
He did manage to get on the field for 10 in 2023, and he caught 39 receptions for 448 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 3.9 receptions per game and 44.8 yards per game. If you take his per-game averages over a 17-game season, Thomas was actually on pace for 66 receptions and 762 yards.
I understand that Thomas is not nearly the player he was and is likely not a 17-game player at this point, but his statistical production in 2023 in the games he did play in was still somewhat notable.
Sign WR Hunter Renfrow
Hunter Renfrow is a former 1,000-yard wide receiver who fell out of favor with the Las Vegas Raiders and is still on the open market. Renfrow is still just 28 years old and has caught 74.1% of his career targets, which is just insane efficiency. Across his NFL career, he's averaged 63 receptions for 672 yards and four touchdowns across a 17-game season.
Renfrow is an excellent route-runner and is just someone who knows how to get open and find the soft spots in the defense. He might be more of the same in the Broncos WR room; a reliable veteran player who isn't a WR1, but with only five wide receivers on the roster and not a ton of options left out there, Renfrow may be the best option.