The Denver Broncos didn’t wait until the last minute to start dissecting their roster.
Weeks before the NFL’s trade deadline, Sean Payton and George Paton shipped Randy Gregory off to the San Francisco 49ers for a late-round pick swap and also said goodbye to Frank Clark.
By the time the spooky Oct. 31 trade deadline rolls around, how many other players will the Broncos trade?
The DNVR Broncos Crew breaks it down.
All odds below are courtesy of bet365.
How many more players will the Broncos trade before the deadline?
Zac: Two — Sean Payton’s looking to change this roster significantly after the dismal start to the season. And while moving on from Gregory and Clark were notable moves, the next two will be significantly bigger.
By the trade deadline, Denver will say goodbye to either Jerry Jeudy or Courtland Sutton. As of now, Jeudy is the leader in the clubhouse to be traded. But the Broncos won’t get the value for either of their receivers that they could of got this past offseason, when teams were willing to give up a second-round pick for Jeudy.
But the other trade will be much bigger, and sadder, for Broncos Country. After establishing himself as the heart and soul of Denver’s defense—and arguably the team—over the last five years, the Broncos will make the decision to trade Justin Simmons to a contender.
In the end, it will be a win-win-win for all three sides involved—the Broncos, Simmons and his new team—because the All-Pro safety will get Denver a Day 2 pick in return and Justin will finally get to play in the playoffs.
Moving on from No. 31 will officially mark the beginning of Denver’s rebuild.
RK: One — In the end, you just never see a true fire sale at the deadline in the NFL. Fans of teams in the Broncos’ position always gear themselves up for massive changes as their squad’s chances have fizzled out but they rarely ever come.
The main reason for that, in my opinion, is that the NFL trade market is rarely a friendly place for the seller, it’s one of the reasons Denver being able to turn Bradley Chubb into a first-round pick last season was so impressive. Teams that are willing to sell assets for high picks hardly ever get offers that match their price. Ultimately, they decide that having the player in the fold is more valuable than anything that other teams are willing to give up.
With all that being said, it sure feels like the Jerry-Jeudy saga has reached a point where the end in Denver is inevitable and for that reason, I see him being the one and only player Denver ships off, despite the eventual low return value.
Hank: Two — This is the safe answer.
Dianna Russini reported on Saturday that the Broncos won’t have a fire sale ahead of the trsde deadline. That’s a good thing. A fire sale means you’re giving away players at a discount.
What the Broncos need is to listen to offers and take the good ones. A third-round pick for Jerry Jeudy? Pull the trigger. A second-round pick for Justin Simmons? Why not?
If the Broncos can find a way to stack their deck for the future, they should take it. It’s obvious they can’t compete in the near future.
But it’s unlikely they can find more than a couple of good deals before the trade deadline.
Picks Picks Picks
Russell Wilson passing yards over/under 215.5
Zac: Under.
RK: Under.
Hank: Under.
Jordan Love passing yards over/under 231.5
Zac: Over.
RK: Under.
Hank: Under.
Jerry Jeudy receiving yards over/under 46.5
Zac: Under.
RK: Under.
Hank: Over.
Courtland Sutton receiving yards over/under 47.5
Zac: Over.
RK: Under.
Hank: Over.
Christian Watson receiving yards over/under 48.5
Zac: Over.
RK: Over.
Hank: Under.
Wil Lutz total kicking points over/under 6.5
Zac: Over.
RK: Under.
Hank: Under.
Broncos-Packers total points over/under 44.5
Zac: Over.
RK: Under.
Hank: Under.
Packers (-1) @ Broncos
Zac: Broncos.
RK: Packers.
Hank: Packers.
Chargers @ Chiefs (-5.5)
Zac: Chiefs.
RK: Chargers cover.
Hank: Chargers.
Raiders (-3) @ Bears
Zac: Raiders.
RK: Bears.
Hank: Bears.
Leaderboard
Last week
Zac: 6-7
RK: 6-7
Hank: 6-7
Overall
Zac: 39-36-1
Hank: 38-37-1
RK: 35-40-1
