Two players the Broncos should not trade before deadline because of one major reason

We are less than one week away from the NFL trade deadline and though we likely won't hear of any movement before the Denver Broncos' Week 8 battle against the Kansas City Chiefs, rumors have already been running rampant with this team.

A win over the Green Bay Packers this past Sunday stopped the trade talks slightly, but the Broncos are still at the center of the trade deadline talks.

There are many players on the roster that could be on the move. Patrick Surtain is a name a number of teams will likely call about, but I would venture to guess that he won't be moved. However, the likes of Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and perhaps Josey Jewell could easily be moved.

There are two players who I don't think the Broncos should entertain trading unless the return is just way too good to pass up. Those players are Justin Simmons and Garett Bolles.

While moving them doesn't look like a terrible move from an initial perspective because the Broncos could get something in return and get some big money off their books, they each play important positions and would not be easy to replace.

Though Surtain has become the best defensive player on the roster, Simmons is still the captain. And he's still one of the best safeties in the league. What might the Broncos be able to get for him? Let's take a look at a trade that was just made on Monday between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans.

In this deal, the Eagles traded away one of their safeties and two late-round picks to get one of the best safeties in the league. Kevin Byard is a two-time Pro Bowler and a two-time First-Team All Pro. He went to a contender, and the Eagles just got even better.

Another contender could offer Denver a similar package, but it would make no sense to take. The Broncos are already thin at safety and the suspension of Kareem Jackson, an aging player as is, only makes that worse.

If the Broncos were to get rid of Simmons, the safeties on the roster aside from Jackson would be Delarrin Turner-Yell, P.J. Locke, JL Skinner and Devon Key. That won't get it done.

The Broncos also wouldn't be able to replace Simmons with those late-round picks. So, unless the deal is considerably sweeter than the one the Titans got for their Pro-Bowl safety, it's an offer that needs to be denied.

The same can be said for Bolles, the team's starting left tackle.

Bolles is not one of the best left tackles in football, but he's certainly above average in that department, which happens to be among the most important positions on the field.

Bolles is 31 years old and has a big cap number ($20 million) in 2024, so there are certainly reasons to trade him. But do you, as a team in the position the Broncos are in and have been in, trade Bolles for a fourth-round pick, for instance?

I would say no every single time to that. Why? Because Bolles is not going to be replaced with a fourth-round pick. To get a great starting left tackle, you will likely need to find one in the first round of the draft.

If Bolles were to be dealt, the team would then turn to Cam Fleming or undrafted free agent Alex Palczewski to take over the role for the rest of the season. Would either of those players be a good option beyond this year? Not really.

Both Bolles and Simmons would be difficult to replace with what the Broncos currently have on the roster and with what they would likely receive in a return. For this reason, neither player should be traded.