7 Denver Broncos players to "keep an eye on" ahead of trade deadline

ILB Josey Jewell

Trading starting linebacker Josey Jewell should be an absolute no-brainer for Sean Payton and the Broncos front office. The 28-year-old is in the final year of his two-year, $11M deal and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. The Broncos are more than likely not going to hand him a second extension largely due to their third-round rookie Drew Sanders who possesses versatility as an off-ball linebacker and edge rusher.

A fifth-round draft choice is a very fair return for the veteran linebacker and seems to be the direction the Broncos are headed in. The Miami Dolphins and former Broncos head coach Vic Fangio appear to be the most favored spot for Jewell at the trade deadline.

NT Mike Purcell

In a similar situation to teammate Josey Jewell, veteran nose tackle Mike Purcell is in the final year of his three-year, $11.5M contract and appears to be headed to free agency in the offseason with the Broncos looking to get younger on the defensive line. If Denver can even acquire a pick swap via a trade involving Purcell, it would be a huge win for the Broncos organization. Purcell has been a lone bright spot on the interior defensive line to start the season however, it is time to start moving on from the majority of the vets on the team and become younger for the rebuild up ahead.

LT Garett Bolles

Despite playing exceptionally well to start the season, veteran offensive tackle Garett Bolles is more than likely going to be dealt at the deadline. With the Broncos being sellers and looking to get younger on offense, Bolles will likely be celebrating his 32nd birthday on a different team next offseason. The All-Pro left tackle has just one and a half years remaining on his four-year, $68M contract and is scheduled for a massive $20M cap hit in 2024 that the Broncos can avoid if they trade him now.

Denver likely has gotten the most out of Bolles' career as he potentially already reached his peak in 2020, and would probably be logical to get out of his contract now. Rather than worrying about drafting a new left tackle early in the upcoming NFL draft, Sean Payton can possibly experiment with the idea of switching right tackle Mike McGlinchey to left tackle and starting undrafted rookie Alex Palczewski at right tackle, who showed a lot of promise during training camp and preseason.