3 players the Broncos can trade in 2023 if the season gets out of hand
There is a chance that the Denver Broncos are a horrid team in 2023 like they were in 2022. If that is the case, they would likely be sellers at the trade deadline. Who could they ship off in this scenario? I feel confident in saying that there is a better chance the Broncos are going to be in playoff contention in 2023 than being out of the playoff hunt.
Denver plays eight games before their bye week, which is right at the trade deadline, so they'll have a solid gauge of where they stand at that point. I am predicting the team goes 5-3 in their first eight games, which would set them up nicely for the second half of the season, liking only needing to go 5-4 to make the playoffs.
However, what if Denver only wins a couple of games before the deadline and is clearly not going to compete for the playoffs in 2023? Would they consider selling at the deadline? Well, the short answer should be yes. They aren't projected to have much cap space next offseason and would likely need to look elsewhere for their QB of the future. Selling off some players to acquire draft picks and some potential cap relief would be a smart move.
Let's go over three players the Broncos could trade at the 2023 trade deadline if their season goes south.
3 players the Broncos can trade in 2023 if the season gets out of hand
1. Garett Bolles, LT
There were rumors earlier in the offseason that the Denver Broncos were trying to move on from Garett Bolles, who is set to return from a broken leg he suffered early in the 2023 season. Bolles is already 31 years old but is a very solid tackle in the NFL. He had a rough first three seasons, but the last few games of his 2019 season and his entire 2020 season were excellent.
At this point, there are quite a few left tackles inferior to Bolles, so the Broncos have a solid one in the veteran, who played in college football at Utah. However, if the Broncos were to trade Bolles, they'd save $13.8 million on their cap this year and $16 million next year. This would be so helpful for the team and would bring some much-needed cap relief.
It's hard to say who exactly would be in the playoff hunt and needing a boost at left tackle, but you never know what could happen. I think Bolles is much closer to not being a Bronco in 2024 than remaining on the roster.