Why the Broncos need to go after Mike Evans

To begin the year, the Denver Broncos once had a deep receiving core that included Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, K.J. Hamler, and Marvin Mims. As the season got closer, the injury bug, among other health issues, started to take it’s toll on this promising lineup of pass catchers.

Patrick is now out for the year, Hamler has stepped away with a heart issue, and Jeudy is now dealing with a hamstring injury. Though Jeudy may not miss much time, hamstring injuries can linger and become more of a problem down the line. 

Suddenly, the Broncos could use a proven receiver to bolster this group that once was the least of the team's problems. Enter the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Mike Evans. The Bucs are officially not going to extend their all-time receiving yards leader.

The Broncos making a move for someone like Evans makes a lot of sense for both him and Denver. For Evans, who is 30 and now in the final year of his contract, playing on a team that isn’t looking to be very successful, like the Bucs, is only going to hurt his next contract. Baker Mayfield is not Tom Brady, and that team just isn’t what it was in the past few years, so Evans' stats are going to suffer.

If the Broncos do acquire him and he finds success in Sean Payton's system, he will be much more attractive to teams when he hits free agency, if, of course, he weren’t to re-sign with whatever team were to trade for him. 

For Denver, the price of a 30 year old receiver who is exiting his prime shouldn’t be too steep. So acquiring Evans could be a low risk, high reward situation. Evans can bring stability to the Broncos receiver room, as he has played in at least 13 games every season of his nine year career while going for over 1,000 yards each time. The Broncos should love to add this type of veteran to their team.

Another team that may be looking into getting Mike Evans is the Kansas City Chiefs. After their Week 1 loss to the Lions, where they were missing Travis Kelce, it became apparent they need someone exactly like Evans. Therefore, if Denver were to acquire Evans, it would keep the Chiefs searching for answers while improving the team's overall roster at a potentially low cost.