5 Broncos who are off limits at the trade deadline

Everybody has a price in the NFL, even if you only live in the hypothetical. But for a team like the Denver Broncos that is 2-5 and heading towards potentially another bottom-10 finish in 2023, certainly no players should be off limits, right? Well, it's not really that simple. When things are going bad, it's easy to get frustrated and just say, gut the roster, get the draft picks, and rebuild it from scratch.

But that's not typically how NFL teams operate. You might see some trades here or there, and you might even see some players ask specifically to be traded. But as the Broncos attempt to build the culture that Sean Payton wants to see, the vibe I'm getting is that the team would much rather try to win as many games as possible this season (whatever that looks like) than lose as many games as possible to get better NFL Draft positioning.

Regardless of whether or not you agree with that way of thinking, Sean Payton likely believes he can coach the players currently on this roster to a point that they are executing at a high level and winning games. Remember, he said before the season that he would be "ticked off" if this wasn't a playoff team. Things are trending toward him being ticked off, but there are still 10 more games to be played. There's a lot of growing this team could still do, but the NFL trade deadline looms (October 31).

Which players will end up being off limits for the Denver Broncos despite a ton of rumors surrounding this team?

5 Denver Broncos who should be off limits at 2023 NFL trade deadline

1. Justin Simmons, safety

Although it feels like we've discussed just about every player on the roster as being available or potentially available in a trade over the last handful of weeks, one player whose name has been thrown out there that really just doesn't sit right is safety Justin Simmons. The Broncos have already lost starting safety Caden Sterns to a season-ending injury. Kareem Jackson has been suspended four games by the NFL for hitting people too hard.

Trading Justin Simmons could ultimately be disastrous not only for the Denver Broncos' defense in the short-term, but perhaps even for the growth of some of their young players on that side of the ball in the long term. Simmons is such an important veteran player for this team. Of course, you want to see the guy get the chance to win, but with his contract situation, it's possible that if the Broncos were to trade him, they would only get pennies on the dollar. Look at what the Titans just got for Kevin Byard in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles...

With all due respect to Terrell Edmunds, this would be a slap in the face to the Broncos and Broncos Country to see Justin Simmons get traded for a couple of late Day 3 draft picks. Context matters, of course, and maybe the Titans have made a decision to go into fire sale mode so they are giving the Eagles a discount on a good player, but if this is the going rate for All-Pro safeties, the Broncos should have no part of it.

2. Pat Surtain II, CB

I have entertained the idea of the Denver Broncos trading cornerback Pat Surtain II, and there are some aspects of it that could make sense. First of all, Surtain is the team's most valuable player right now in terms of what he could land them in a hypothetical trade. He's got two years left on his current deal including a 5th-year option in 2025. He's not just one of the best young cornerbacks in the NFL, but arguably the best corner in the NFL, period.

Surtain could probably net the Broncos multiple first-round picks and then some in a trade, and those types of assets in the NFL Draft could ultimately help reshape this roster. But as good as that trade return may be, Surtain is also probably just too good to trade for what could end up just being late first-round picks.

The Broncos are more likely looking at Surtain in the long-term as a player they will be willing to pay a big-money contract, and they likely figure they can surround him with the proper talent to make him more effective in the next year or two as opposed to trading him away now.

And I don't disagree with that thinking. Star corners like Surtain built with outstanding size and athletic ability don't grow on trees, and he exemplifies everything you want to see in a true pro. He's a true building block for the future.

3. Courtland Sutton, WR

Alright, when I say that I think Courtland Sutton should be "off limits" at the NFL trade deadline, I think we need to add some nuance to that. I'm not going to sit here and say that the Broncos should keep all of these players we're talking about even if they get offered a blockbuster deal in return.

All I'm saying is that if the Broncos are only going to get offered late Day 3 picks for some of their best players, the team isn't really in a position to do that kind of stuff right now. I'd much rather have Courtland Sutton for the rest of this season (and beyond) than a 5th-round pick in 2024.

Some of you may disagree with that, and that's fine.

I've been about as hard on Courtland Sutton as anyone in the Denver Broncos media sphere, because I think everyone expected him to return to his 2019 form sooner rather than later. It's taken a bit, but we're finally seeing some more of that. Although he's not been overly consistent early this season, the last couple of weeks we've seen Sutton make some of those ridiculous catches like we saw from him in 2019.

I think Sutton is emerging as potentially the Denver Broncos' WR1 again, at least in a number of ways. He's proving himself to be a true go-to threat and not only are we seeing him excel in the red zone this season (5 TDs through 7 games) but we're seeing him capitalize on downfield opportunities.

With the way Sutton has played lately, you could make a great argument about the Broncos getting maximum value for him, but unless we're talking about a 2nd or 3rd (or better), I'm not trading him right now.

4. Javonte Williams, RB

It feels like just about every player on the Denver Broncos roster has been thrown out there in trade talks at this point, whether by the fans or teams that are winning a lot more games that want to pick players off of the Broncos' roster at a discounted price.

Of course, running back Javonte Williams has popped up from fans of teams who need help at the running back position, and it makes sense. He's a talented young player who is on the third year of his rookie contract. You could get a lot of good football for a good price from Javonte Williams.

And Williams has been playing very well as of late. He's got 63 carries for 272 yards so far this season, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Over the last two games, he's carried the ball 25 times for 134 yards and really appears to be getting things going. He looks fresh, explosive, and much more decisive than I think we saw in his first couple of NFL seasons.

Where Williams is really seeing breakthrough is at the line of scrimmage. In his rookie season, it felt like most of Williams's best runs were created after contact at the line of scrimmage, or even behind it. This year, there are actual holes to run through. Go figure.

Williams is seeing cutback lanes, which was an area he really needed to grow. People knocked him for his lack of vision, but it seems like he's doing a much better job in that regard. I think the Broncos need to continue to build this running game they've gotten going in recent weeks and not even think about trading him away.

5. Any of their young EDGE players

If I was running the Denver Broncos right now, I definitely wouldn't be considering trades right now for the young players they've got off the edge. Again, I'm not saying anything about passing up 1st-round picks for these guys, but I'm talking about what they could be offered realistically. Realistically speaking, the Broncos need to keep their young EDGE players right now, especially after trading Randy Gregory to the 49ers and cutting veteran Frank Clark.

Nik Bonitto leads the Broncos this season with nine tackles for loss. He's also added nine QB hits and leads the team with 5.5 sacks through seven games so far.

Jonathon Cooper has six QB hits, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and 4.0 sacks (2nd on the team). Both Cooper and Bonitto have played extremely well this season all things considered.

Now, you add Baron Browning into the mix...

I really like the talent the Broncos have at the EDGE position, and you can add Ronnie Perkins into that group at this point as well. Perkins has played in three straight games for the Broncos and had a pair of tackles for loss against the Packers. He's also been putting some pressure on the QB when he's in obvious pass rush situations, including some really great reps against the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago.

This is an area of the roster the Broncos really need to continue pouring into.