4 Broncos players on thin ice after the 2024 NFL Draft
3. Courtland Sutton, WR
One of the most surprising things to happen over NFL Draft weekend (or, not happen) was the Denver Broncos not trading Courtland Sutton. After rumors that they didn't "plan" on trading him despite his being unhappy with his current contract situation, it felt like the writing was on the wall.
Not only that, but the Broncos had already added Josh Reynolds in free agency before trading up to draft Troy Franklin. Neither of those guys is a one-for-one replacement for Sutton as the "X" receiver, but it was still surprising to see Sutton remain a Bronco over the weekend.
Even still, it feels like he is truly on "thin ice" as we head into the offseason program. The Broncos re-signed both Tim Patrick and Lil'Jordan Humphrey in addition to bringing in Josh Reynolds and Troy Franklin. Marvin Mims is expected to have a bigger role this coming season, and the team likes third-year player Brandon Johnson a lot. Jalen Virgil is coming off of an injury and was going to make the roster before an injury last year.
The team is deeper now at receiver, and it's hard to know exactly how this stalemate with Sutton is going to end. He's obviously a good player, and ideally you'd love to see him remain with the Broncos happily, but what's the conclusion here?
Not knowing how this is going to end tends to lead me to believe the Broncos could still end up dealing the veteran receiver.