This one move could indicate Denver Broncos are truly rebuilding
On Thursday, the Denver Broncos cut long-time safety, Justin Simmons, and some have wrongly said that the team is beginning a rebuild. They still have one move left to truly be in a rebuild. The second news broke about Simmons getting cut, there was a ton of overreaction in Broncos Country. Let's face it; with the amount of free agent safeties that were already on the market, the Broncos were not getting anything back in a trade.
Simmons' cap hit would have been pushing $20 million in 2024. He also turns 31 during the 2024 NFL season and had just one year left on his deal. The writing was on the wall for him to not be on the team in 2024, and I am truly confused why people are shocked that this move was made. Well, some have wrongly said that the Denver Broncos are now rebuilding.
In fact, the team still has at least one more move left to truly indicate a rebuild, and that would be trading Patrick Surtain II.
My question still is what does an elite corner do for a rebuilding team that is going to surround him with Riley Moss PJ Locke and Caden Sterns and is that more valuable than getting two rookie first rounders + another pick
— Jason Bishop (@JasonBishopBI) March 7, 2024
Some people have seen the light when it comes to trading Patrick Surtain II. An elite cornerback does not have nearly the impact on a defense that an elite defensive tackle or EDGE rusher does, so if the Broncos truly did want to rebuild, they would trade Surtain, in a haul that would likely feature more than one first-round pick.
Potentially trading their stud CB for two first-rounders could net the Broncos two long-term starters for the price of one. And if there is a strong enough offer out there for PS2, the team should not hesitate to make the move. With Simmons being cut, I don't think it's out of the question that guys like Courtland Sutton, Garett Bolles, Tim Patrick, and DJ Jones all get cut, too.
And to be fair, the latter two getting cut still would not indicate a rebuild. Tim Patrick hasn't caught a pass since 2021 and DJ Jones isn't good at his job, so the Broncos don't lose any production by cutting Patrick and Jones. With Sutton and Bolles, both are still very good players, but Sutton is slowly getting older and not a WR1, and Bolles turns 32 years old this offseason.
Next. Russ Stat. Check out this staggering Russell Wilson statistic. dark
So even if the Broncos got rid of the four players I just mentioned, I'd still have a hard time saying the Broncos are building.
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