The NFL trade deadline came and went without the Denver Broncos making a single move. And of course, I say that knowing that before the deadline, the Broncos did make a move to get rid of Randy Gregory and trade him to the 49ers. But as far as the week of and leading up to the trade deadline, the Broncos were quiet despite the rumor mill consistently focusing on Broncos players over the last handful of weeks.
Moving beyond the NFL trade deadline now, which Broncos players could be considered on "thin ice" even after the team's decision to stick with their current roster? Which players could be looking over their shoulder on the depth chart if they don't pick things up in terms of their overall play?
Let's take a look all across the roster to answer those questions.
5 Denver Broncos players on thin ice after trade deadline
1. Greg Dulcich/tight ends
Even though the Denver Broncos didn't make any trade deadline moves to acquire any help at the tight end position, I still think you could consider Greg Dulcich on "thin ice" as far as his future role with this team. Dulcich has been dealing with hamstring injuries since June of 2022, and those injuries have completely derailed the Denver Broncos' passing attack as it relates to the tight end position.
None of Adam Trautman, Chris Manhertz, or rookie Nate Adkins have proven to be capable, consistent options in the passing game for the Broncos. Practice squad player Lucas Krull, whose athleticism is intriguing, hasn't gotten an opportunity in a real game yet.
I think even though the Broncos didn't make any moves at tight end at the deadline, Dulcich and maybe even some of the other guys could be considered on thin ice, and the team could consider looking to Lucas Krull or someone else from the outside to provide a spark.
2. Is Jerry Jeudy really on "thin ice"?
I'm including Jerry Jeudy in this conversation because of the topic at hand. We're discussing Broncos who are on proverbial "thin ice" after the trade deadline, and Jerry Jeudy's name was the one that most consistently came up at the deadline. The Broncos picked up Jeudy's 5th-year option in the offseason after there were rumors about him being traded back then, so everything the team has done up to this point indicates that Jeudy is not nearly on as thin of ice as maybe the fan base perceives.
And therein lies the tension. It seems like the fan base in Denver doesn't understand that Jerry Jeudy is largely not to blame for the overall lack of production we've seen from him in his first four years in Denver. And I say all of that with a major asterisk. Despite the perception that Jeudy's production has lacked, he's still been among the best in Denver Broncos franchise history in their first 3-4 seasons in every major category.
Jeudy is a talent, and he's one of the Broncos' best overall playmakers. It's been frustrating to see the team's inability to consistently get him the football, because a higher volume of targets would seem to be beneficial for Denver's offense.
The struggle with Jeudy right now is what we saw against Kansas City. He capitalized on multiple opportunities he was given, catching a touchdown pass from Russell Wilson as well as going up and making one of the best plays we've seen from him as a Bronco downfield in a contested catch situation. Those were his only two catches in the game, and they were fantastic. But Jeudy was targeted five times in total. He was missed once on a flea flicker, missed another time when he was open on a slant, and there have been way too many times in his Broncos career where, if Jeudy doesn't maximize literally every opportunity he gets, we just don't know how many he'll really get.
I don't think Jeudy is on thin ice, but some in the fan base perceive him to be, and I would say wrongfully so.
3. Damarri Mathis, CB
I think Damarri Mathis's potential to be a starter with the Denver Broncos is very much on thin ice after the NFL trade deadline. The Broncos didn't go out and make any deals for cornerbacks at the deadline, which was expected, but every day that passes is another day closer to Riley Moss potentially being ready for increased reps and action in the defense.
As of the Green Bay game, Damarri Mathis had already been demoted in favor of veteran Fabian Moreau. Moreau has actually come in and done quite a nice job, but Mathis didn't even get the first dibs at the nickel spot after moving from the outside. That job now belongs to Ja'Quan McMillian, who played arguably the game of his life against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mathis saw action in the Dime defensive package for the Broncos against the Chiefs, and time is definitely ticking for him to rebound from a horrendous start to the season. Any more mishaps could end up leading to the Broncos giving his limited reps to rookie Riley Moss, who is going to need to play sooner rather than later.
Early on in the season, it felt like every play that was going toward Damarri Mathis was resulting in a big play for the opposition. He's allowed over 75 percent of the throws into his coverage to be completed. It's just hard to see how Mathis can rebound this season unless there's an injury that forces him back into the lineup.
He's on the thinnest of thin ice.
4. Rotational defensive linemen
One position group, in general, that appears to be on thin ice right now is the defensive line. Namely, anyone not named DJ Jones or Zach Allen on the defensive line.
The Broncos' defensive line was getting demolished early in the season, but they have made a pretty miraculous adjustment as of late, and we're seeing much better production out of guys like Jones and Allen. You could lump Mike Purcell into that mix as well, but Purcell is really just a part-time player for the Denver Broncos whereas Jonathan Harris is a full-time player, playing nearly 60 percent of the snaps so far this season.
And Harris has been a liability at times for the Denver defense. While you love the story of a former undrafted player fighting, scraping, and clawing his way from the practice squad up to a starting job, you also can't deny the results, right? Guys like Matt Henningsen and even Elijah Garcia have been rotating at times on the defensive line with Purcell and Harris, but that crew might need to be on stand-by after the trade deadline, where the Broncos could give a shot to rookie Keondre Coburn.
Coburn was recently acquired by the Kansas City Chiefs off of waivers, and the Broncos could see if he works as a nose tackle option while giving DJ Jones more opportunities as a defensive end opposite Zach Allen. You also can't help but wonder if we'll see practice squad players like Jordan Jackson or PJ Mustipher at any point.
5. Any receivers taking snaps from Marvin Mims
I don't think you need to be worried about guys like Courtland Sutton or Jerry Jeudy here, but any other receiver that poses a threat to take snaps from Marvin Mims after the trade deadline should be considered on the thinnest of ice.
There will still be a role for guys like Lil'Jordan Humphrey, even practice squad players like Tre'Quan Smith, but I think their roles are going to be significantly diminished by comparison to what we'll see in the second half of the season from Marvin Mims.
I don't have a bug in the Denver Broncos' meeting room, by any means. This is just a hunch. But my hunch tells me that Marvin Mims is in line for a significantly more expanded role in the second half of the season, and that would include limiting the roles of the aforementioned players as well as likely Brandon Johnson when he returns from injury.
Marvin Mims has been one of the most effective downfield threats in the NFL this season...when he's actually getting targeted. The Broncos simply haven't gotten him the ball enough, and that's been a shame to witness. They've tried manufacturing ways to get him the ball, but unfortunately, they've tried doing that going East and West instead of getting him downfield in the vertical passing game.
I don't know how much longer you can tolerate the ineffectiveness in the passing game at the receiver position while Marvin Mims rots on the sideline or is wasted as a decoy.