3 players the Denver Broncos could target at 2023 trade deadline

If the Denver Broncos are a competitive team by the time the trade deadline comes around, they could add a player or two, but who could that end up being? The NFL trade deadline for the 2023 season is not until October, so we still have a ways to go, but there are some players who could be easy targets for teams who are clearly heading towards a rebuild and those who play on competing for a Super Bowl.

In recent years, the Denver Broncos have been sellers at the deadline. Most notably, over the last two seasons, they've traded both Bradley Chubb and Von Miller before the deadline. They shipped Emmanuel Sanders off to the 49ers several years ago as well.

Hopefully, the Broncos are in a position to buy at the deadline. I'm predicting that the team ends up at 5-3 when they hit their bye week. Their last game before the bye is October 29th, a home game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The trade deadline is just two days after that.

This actually may work out perfectly for Denver, because if they were to add a player at the deadline, they'd have two weeks instead of one to get up to speed. This could be a lovely situation for the Denver Broncos.

Let's look at three players they might be able to target at the trade deadline.

Denver Broncos 2023 trade target: Chase Young, DE

Chase Young's name has already popped up in trade talks this offseason, but nothing indicates that the former Defensive Rookie of the Year will be moved. Young has played in just 12 games over the last two years but is still just 24 years old. He truly has all the talent in the world but the Washington Commanders did decline his fifth-year option, so unless something major changes, he'll hit the market next offseason.

An ideal scenario for the Broncos here would be for the Commanders to bottom out with Sam Howell but for Young to bounce back, stay on the field, and play up to his draft status. In that scenario, he'd surely be moved, and the Broncos could get creative here. They could place young opposite Zach Allen along the defensive line and move Frank Clark to a stand-up EDGE rusher, which he's done before.

This hypothetical defensive front would be brutal for opposing offensive lines.

Shaq Barrett, EDGE

Shaq Barrett was a former Denver Bronco and made a solid name for himself as a rotational pass rusher during his four years in the Mile High City. He signed on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2019 season and exploded for 19.5 sacks earning a long-term extension.

He hasn't been able to put up those types of numbers since then, but over the last three seasons, this is what Barrett has averaged over a 17-game season:
9 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 20 QB hits

He's still a very good pass rusher, and the evidence is right there. He's clearly not going to be a long-term fixture for the Buccaneers as they head toward a rebuild, likely beginning in 2024. Barrett turns 31 this year and might like the idea of coming back to Denver in the even the team is competitive and could make a run.

Zach Ertz, TE

There appears to be a chance that the Arizona Cardinals move on from Zach Ertz, but if he is on the team to begin the 2023 season, he's likely a trade candidate for the deadline. He's another aging, veteran player on a team heading toward a full rebuild. Trading Ertz would net the Cardinals some much-needed cap relief and a draft pick.

At this stage of his career, Ertz most definitely would rather want to play for a contender, and the one thing that does concern me a bit about the Denver Broncos' TE room is their overall inexperience. Chris Manhertz is a veteran, but he's also a true blocking tight end and may not catch more than a few passes this year. I think adding someone like Ertz to the mix would greatly help the likes of Greg Dulcich and Adam Trautman as the Broncos try to make a run in the postseason.