Denver Broncos should be buyers at trade deadline regardless of record
The next four games should determine just how far the Denver Broncos can go in 2024, but regardless of record, the team needs to buy at the trade deadline. Denver plays the Raiders, Chargers, and Panthers at home, and will also have the Saints in New Orleans. These teams compromise Denver's next four game.
And it's easy to see the Broncos winning three of these games if we're being honest. It's not crazy to think that the Broncos are 5-3 after eight games. The 2024 NFL Trade Deadline comes after Week 9, and Denver is in Baltimore for that game. Well, regardless of record, the Broncos do need to be buyers at the deadline for a few reasons.
Denver Broncos should be buyers at trade deadline regardless of record
Reason 1: Developing Bo Nix is the top priority
Duh. The Broncos took Bo Nix with pick 12 in the 2024 NFL Draft and do not have a viable group of playmakers to develop him. Nix has definitely shown some flashes, but the likes of Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Greg Dulcich, and Javonte Williams is nowhere near enough.
Denver could see some younger players be available at the deadline. Cincinnati Bengals' WR Tee Higgins and Atlanta Falcons' TE Kyle Pitts might be available for the right price. The Bengals put the franchise tag on Higgins for the 2024 NFL Season after the two sides failed to agree on a long-term deal, and with the Bengals still not having a deal done with Ja'Marr Chase, this cheap organization surely won't extend Higgins next offseason.
The wide receiver is at risk of hitting the open market in 2025 and signing with another team, but the Bengals could just trade him at the deadline and get a draft pick back for his services so he doesn't leave for nothing.
As for Kyle Pitts, the soon-to-be 24-year-old had a 1,000-yard, Pro Bowl season in year one and has just all of a sudden not been able to replicate that production or even come close to it. The thing with Pitts is that he's only turn 24, is 6'6", and has 4.4 speed. The Broncos simply do not have an athlete like that, especially at TE.
Sending a late-round pick for Kyle Pitts could end up being a huge get for the Denver Broncos for 2024 and beyond, and it's not out of the question for Denver to extend Higgins in a hypothetical trade.
Reason 2: There could be available players who fit Denver's timeline
This kind of fits the players that I mentioned above with guys like Kyle Pitts and Tee Higgins, but there could also be some other players out there who could be had that may fit the Broncos' timeline. Even a guy like Christian Kirk of the Jacksonville Jaguars could have a short-term stay here for a few years if the Jags were to sell at the deadline.
Trade deadline moves aren't necessarily always centered around aging veterans who are trying to provide a spark. Teams can trade young/younger players for the right price, especially if they are also in need of some cap relief. Guys like Amari Cooper, Cooper Kupp, and even DeAndre Hopkins could be traded, and Denver could perhaps use them for a year or two, but they probably don't fit the Broncos' timeline the best.
Reason 3: There could be some bargains to take advantage of
You just never know. If there are some bargains, Denver should take advantage regardless of age. What if the Tennessee Titans are, in fact shopping WR DeAndre Hopkins? What if he would only cost a 5th-round pick? The same could do for someone like Amari Cooper or the Cleveland Browns. Maybe he'd only cost a 6th-round pick.
The Denver Broncos have a QB on a a rookie deal who could end up being the guy for them. That is not only the biggest advantage in all of sports if Nix develops, but it also affords the franchise the flexibility to make moves they'd not make in different scenarios.
The Broncos are also projected to have a healthy amount of cap space, so that gives them even more reasons. Just think; the Broncos did one of these moves last offseason when they sent a lowly 6th-round pick for DE John Franklin-Myers. That move is turning out to be a huge steal for Denver.
Why can't they do something like that at the 2024 NFL Trade Deadline? They can, and if the deal is good enough, the Broncos should spring on it.