5 Denver Broncos who should remain untouchable if team enters rebuild mode
By Amir Farrell
3. G Quinn Meinerz
The Denver Broncos would be absolutely foolish to place starting right guard Quinn Meinerz on the trade block. Even if the next two games are losses for Denver and Meinerz miraculously begins to struggle, trading the former third-round pick would not be in the best interest of the offensive line's future, no matter how many draft picks the team wants to accumulate in the event of a rebuild. In 2022, Meinerz ranked as the sixth-best run-blocking guard in the NFL with a 77.7 PFF grade.
In addition, the 24-year-old guard allowed just 16 total pressures on 500 pass-blocking snaps. In the first two games of the 2023 season, Meinerz was graded the second-best guard in the entire NFL and the highest-rated player on the team. There is no reason to trade Meinerz at all and would create another hole on the team that the Broncos would likely struggle to replace through the draft.
4. CB Patrick Surtain ll
Here's where it gets interesting. Surprisingly enough, a large amount of Broncos fans have begun entertaining the idea of trading the perennial All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain ll. While the potential return of draft capital could be enticing, is it really worth it at the end of the day? It is very unlikely to think a player with one of those potential first-round picks the Broncos receive would immediately provide the similar skillset of Surtain ll.
Patrick Surtain ll may demand a trade and at that point, Denver's front office would have to respect his wishes however, if the young superstar corner is fine remaining with the team during a rebuild and the Broncos are at least 'somewhat' competitive, you have to retain him. There is no logical point in trading Surtain ll unless the return is absolutely non-negotiable. Two first-round picks may seem nice now, but the Broncos will spend years trying to replace even half the presence of Surtain ll in their secondary.
Surtain ll is a building piece, not trade bait. For those who believe trading Surtain ll could help Denver potentially trade up for USC QB Caleb Williams, it is severely unlikely. Whichever team is picking first overall is going to select Williams. End of story.