Proposed trade would send NFC safety to the Denver Broncos in 2024

One area where there is still room for improvement from the Denver Broncos is at safety. Could the team act on this proposed trade? A proposed trade by Bleacher Report would send Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant to the Denver Broncos for a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft:

"While Denver's offense could be fun to watch in 2024, the defense has some glaring holes in the secondary that need to be addressed. The most concerning is at the safety spot, where Brandon Jones and P.J. Locke are projected to start and little of note in terms of depth behind them.

The Broncos could make a run at Richie Grant to shore this weak point up. Grant, a second-round pick in 2021, has spent the last two seasons starting for the Atlanta Falcons but may soon be relegated to the bench following the emergence of DeMarcco Hellams. With Jessie Bates III also locked in as a surefire top safety for the Falcons, Grant could be expendable."

- Alex Kay

I see the vision here. Grant was a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and has played in 50 games for the Falcons, missing just one across the first three seasons of his NFL career.

Grant has become a full-time starter over the last two seasons, and during those 34 games, he's racked up three interceptions, 13 passes defended, three sacks, 226 total tackles, six tackles for loss, and six QB hits. If you're one who reads into PFF grades, they gave him a 51.5 grade in 2023 and a 64.9 grade in 2022.

Notably, the Falcons did sign former Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons in free agency, and they already have Jessie Bates III as the other starter. Demarcco Hellams was a seventh-round pick of theirs in 2023, so if they are believing in his development behind Bates and Simmons, perhaps Grant could be moved.

The Broncos not only cut Simmons this offseason, but they also made a shocking late-offseason cut of Caden Sterns. The team signed Brandon Jones in free agency and re-signed PJ Locke III. JL Skinner has shown a lot in his second offseason, so maybe Denver themselves is believing in the development of some of their younger safeties.

However, with how deep the safety market was this offseason, I was and still am shocked Denver did not come away with a better solution here. Perhaps with some better play at cornerback, the safeties won't have to do as much, but I look at the backend of this defense as being the weakest part of the unit.

Trading for Richie Grant of the Atlanta Falcons could be a fun low-risk, high-reward move that Denver should make. And not only should they consider this at safety, but any other position that is not solidified should they have this mindset. I reckon that the Broncos might not be at a position at the moment to part with draft capital, but I have to imagine that they still want to tweak this roster if the right chance arises.