Yes, the NFL trade deadline in 2024 is months and months away, but that won't stop us from looking at who could be available. Could the Denver Broncos be buyers at the NFL trading deadline in 2024? Maybe. At least, that where they should be in. If all goes well and if Bo Nix adjusts well to the NFL, the Broncos are going to be a frisky team.
I have said that the ceiling for the 2024 Denver Broncos is the 2023 Houston Texans. You may laugh at me now, but it can happen until it doesn't. Denver might also take an extra bold stance and decide that they want to add to their roster at the trade deadline. It would be a wild experience, but could they have three potential targets in 2024?
3 way too early trade deadline targets for the Broncos in the 2024 NFL Season
1. Marshon Lattimore, CB, New Orleans Saints
You have to wonder what the plan is in New Orleans, as this team has not been good ever since Sean Payton left. The roster is also filled with a ton of veterans on sizable contracts. At some point, the Saints need to embrace a rebuild, and if they're again not a great team in 2024, GM Mickey Loomis might be tempted to sell at the deadline.
Could he make a deal with an old friend in Sean Payton? The Denver Broncos did add Levi Wallace and Kris Abrams-Draine at cornerback this offseason, but at the moment, they do not have a viable outside CB2. Lattimore has been a very good cornerback ever since he entered the league in 2017, when he was drafted by Payton and the Saints.
Adding Lattimore to the secondary opposite Patrick Surtain II would create the best CB duo in the NFL and would finally give Vance Joseph a great CB2 option to finally shore up the secondary.
2. Matthew Judon, EDGE, New England Patriots
Matthew Judon turns 32 years old and cannot remain with the New England Patriots much longer, right? I mean, he has to have a desire to want to play for a winning team again I assume. Judon has played in 38 games for the New England Patriots over the last three seasons. In those games, he's got 32 sacks, 33 tackles for loss, and a whopping 62 QB hits.
Across a 17-game season, Judon is averaging 14 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, and 28 QB hits during his time with the Patriots. New England is clearly not going to be a good team in 2024. In fact, this team might not be viable until 2026 at the earliest. They'd have to acknowledge that getting a draft pick back for Matthew Judon instead of letting him walk in free agency is the best move.
If the Denver Broncos are in the mix at the trade deadline in 2024 and still need some juice off the edge, Matthew Judon should be the call here.
3. Noah Fant, TE
Noah Fant got a two-year deal from the Seattle Seahawks this offseason, but has just $11.49 million in total guarantees on the deal. According to Over the Cap, his contract has no guaranteed money in 2025. Fant was the last player the Denver Broncos had who was even a little bit consistent at tight end. Fant might not be a great blocker, but he's caught 252 receptions in 81 regular season games.
Across a 17-game season, he averages 53 receptions, 589 yards, and three touchdowns. The Denver Broncos desperately need that type of production from their TE room, and if the Seahawks are struggling in 2024, which they very well might be with a bad QB and first-year head coach, they could be sellers at the deadline.
It'd probably be a bit awkward for GM George Paton to call and ask for his old tight end back, but the NFL is a business, and it's not like we've never seen a player return to a former team before. It would be a welcome addition.