Let's have some fun with this piece and conjure up three absolutely insane trade ideas the Denver Broncos could make but would obviously never happen. Let's have some wacky fun. The Broncos' roster, right now, is quite solid from top to bottom.
I do still worry a bit about their overall depth, but there really isn't much more they can do at the moment to bring appreciable improvement. I think when you consider ownership, management, coaching, and roster, the Broncos are one of the most solid overall organizations in the NFL.
And the hope is they keep it that way, obviously. Let's say that the Broncos decided to get crazy and tried to pull off one of three absolutely bonkers trades. What would these (extremely) unrealistic trades look like?
Three outrageous trades the Denver Broncos could try to make (but shouldn't)
Can you imagine the outrage if the Denver Broncos made this trade? I am trading the likely top four wide receivers on the Broncos' roster to the Minnesota Vikings for a future Hall of Famer in Justin Jefferson, who has nearly 5,000 receiving yards in his first three seasons in the NFL.
Jefferson is objectively the best WR in the NFL and is likely set to sign the richest WR contract in the history of the NFL. And he hasn't exactly been catching passes from an elite passer, although Kirk Cousins is still pretty darn good.
The Broncos' WR core would then look like Jefferson, Marvin Mims Jr, KJ Hamler, and perhaps Jalen Virgil as the top four. The team could obviously add another body to the room like a Jarvis Landry. They could even try to sign DeAndre Hopkins even after trading for Jettas.
This would never happen, and I know it's realistic, so before you come at me, please take that into consideration. This is just for fun!
Three outrageous trades the Denver Broncos could try to make (but shouldn't)
For this trade, I look at two New York Giant players who are both in line for fresh contracts. The situation seems pretty dire between Saquon Barkley and the team, and Leonard Williams has a monstrous cap hit in 2023 and is only under contract for one more year.
So, I was nice enough to the Giants as I offered to take both players off of their hands and sent them Javonte Williams and the team's first-round pick in 2024. If you listened to the national media, you'd probably think that Denver does not have a first-round pick until 2055, but they do own their own in 2024.
The Broncos get one of the best running backs in the NFL in Barkley and the final piece to their defensive line in Williams. This would then allow Frank Clark to play as a stand-up pass rusher. The defensive line would look like Zach Allen / DJ Jones / Leonard Williams which would be a handful for opposing offensive lines to deal with.
This would also be a huge burden on the Broncos' cap space, and they'd most definitely need to make some room, perhaps making some restructures to make this trade happen.
Three outrageous trades the Broncos could try to make (but shouldn't)
For my last wacky trade, I call up Ran Carthon, the GM of the Tennessee Titans to ask for a couple of veteran players. It's clear that the Titans are headed toward a rebuild in the near future. They began that process by parting with quite a few veteran players this offseason.
And I'm honestly shocked that both Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry are still on the roster. The Titans are simply not a viable team in 2023 and should not be treated as such. So, for this trade, I acquire Derrick Henry who is coming off another great season on the ground in 2022. I also acquire Harold Landry who notched double-digit sacks in 2021 but tore his ACL in the 2022 offseason.
His ACL tear was 10 months ago, so he'll likely be more than ready for week one. Henry does not have any injuries at the moment. Because the Titans have a poor receiving core, I sent them Courtland Sutton who I think has about the same value in a trade as Henry does.
I also sent them the Broncos' first-round pick in 2024, because Landry is an elite pass rusher and is still in his mid-20s. This move would set the Broncos up to win now but also provide a bit of long-term stability with the pass rushers.
So, how did I do? Do any of these trades move the needle for you?