ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For the first time in the 2021 season, the Denver Broncos have a losing record.
Riding a four-game losing streak with the Nov. 2 trade deadline quickly approaching, should George Paton and the Broncos try and turn this season around by acquiring a player or two or begin building for the future by trading players away?
The DNVR Crew breaks it down in the eighth installment of Broncos Pick ‘Em.
All odds below are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
To what extent should the Broncos be willing to buy or sell at the trade deadline?
Zac: Sell, Sell, Sell — I commend George Paton for giving John Elway and Vic Fangio’s vision for the Broncos a chance this year. Instead of making any big-time moves for the future right when he took over as the general manager, Paton gave Fangio and this team pieces in an attempt to win this year.
That clearly isn’t happening. So it’s time to blow it all up.
Since Peyton Manning left, the Broncos have tried to retool instead of rebuild. It’s clear it’s time for a rebuild.
Patrick Surtain and Jerry Jeudy are here to stay. Unless a team is willing to give fair value for Courtland Sutton and Javonte Williams—i.e. a first-round pick in return—they aren’t going anywhere either. But outside of that, let the selling begin.
Von Miller would highlight this list for me. It’s been an incredible run for the Super Bowl 50 MVP, but with the way the Broncos are trending, it’s looking more and more likely that he won’t be on the team next year. Try and get some value for the future Hall-of-Fame pass rusher and send him to a winning team in the process. Once he retires, he’ll be welcomed back into the Ring of Fame.
But I wouldn’t stop there. Every other player on this team—especially ones on expiring contracts, I would be open to trading. The Broncos tried to win this year. Now it’s time to sell.
Mase: A limited sale – If the trade offer does not match the expected compensatory-pick value for a player whose contract expires after this season, then the Broncos should stand pat. But if the Broncos receive an offer that exceeds their projections for the comp value, they should take the deal — especially if they lose Sunday.
Paton’s recent trades for edge rusher Stephen Weatherly and inside linebacker Kenny Young were notable. But they also accomplished three goals.
First, they made the Broncos’ roster better in the moment, shoring up positions of need.
Second, in the case of Young, the Broncos acquired a player who could be an answer beyond this year; if Young fares well, they could opt to re-sign him instead of pending unrestricted free agents Josey Jewell, Alexander Johnson or both.
Third, the deals demonstrated that Paton will do whatever is possible to support his coach and provide what is needed. Seven months ago, Vic Fangio wanted to bolster the cornerback position, and Paton used free agency and the draft to do so, overhauling the position with Ronald Darby, Kyle Fuller and first-round pick Pat Surtain II. If the Broncos move on from Fangio after the season, potential coaching candidates have evidence that Paton will do his best to acquire players that can help the coach’s cause.
Any Broncos head coach does not have to worry that the general manager does not have their back. And that could be the most substantial long-term benefit of the Young and Weatherly trades.
RK: It’s time — For so many years now, we’ve been talking about how the Broncos need to rebuild, something that John Elway wanted to avoid with everything he had.
But there’s a reason that Elway is no longer the GM, and now it’s George Paton’s turn to get this thing fixed. Paton needs to take a look at this roster and ask himself, “Who on this list is going to be here when the Denver Broncos win their next Super Bowl?” Any player that isn’t on that list and has value should be placed squarely on the trade block, whether their name is Von Miller, Kyle Fuller or someone else.
Per his contract, George Paton has five and a half more years to get this thing fixed, and as we know about today’s NFL, it’s really less than that. The longer he pushes back on the idea of rebuilding, the less time he will have to actually execute that rebuild.
It’s time, George, let’s get this ball rolling.
Picks Picks Picks
Pick one player who will score a touchdown: Melvin Gordon (+120), Courtland Sutton (+125), Antonio Gibson (+140), Terry McLaurin (+150), Jerry Jeudy (+200), Noah Fant (+200), Javonte Williams (+220), No touchdowns scored (+8000)
Zac: Antonio Gibson.
Mase: Noah Fant.
RK: Jerryth Juedyth.
Teddy Bridgewater passing yards over/under 242.5
Zac: Over.
Mase: Over.
RK: Under.
Teddy Bridgewater passing touchdowns over/under 1.5
Zac: Under.
Mase: Under.
RK: Over.
Taylor Heinicke passing yards over/under 231.5
Zac: Over.
Mase: Under.
RK: Under.
Javonte Williams rushing yards over/under 53.5
Zac: Under.
Mase: Under.
RK: Over.
Melvin Gordon rushing yards over/under 42.5
Zac: Over.
RK: Over.
Will Javonte Williams or Melvin Gordon have more rushing attempts?
Zac: Melvin.
Mase: Gordon.
RK: Javonte.
Antonio Gibson rushing yards over/under 50.5
Zac: Over. Easy.
Mase: Over.
RK: Wayyyyyyy over.
Courtland Sutton receiving yards over/under 61.5
Zac: Over.
Mase: Over.
RK: Under.
Tim Patrick receptions over/under 3.5
Zac: Over.
Mase: Under.
RK: Over.
Terry McLaurin receiving yards over/under 66.5
Zac: Over.
Mase: Under.
RK: Over. Most on one play.
WFT first-half points over/under 9.5
Zac: Over.
Mase: Under.
RK: Over.
WFT vs Broncos first-half points over/under 22.5
Zac: Under.
Mase: Under.
RK: Over.
WFT vs Broncos over/under 45
Zac: Under.
Mase: Over.
RK: Over.
Washington Football Team @ Broncos (-3.5)
Zac: WFT… spread is too big.
Mase: Denver.
RK: WFT.
Patriots @ Chargers (-5.5)
Zac: Chargers.
Mase: Chargers.
RK: Pats.
Giants @ Chiefs (-10)
Zac: Chiefs.
Mase: Chiefs.
RK: Giants.
Leaderboard
Zac: 10-8
RK: 10-8
Mase: 2-16
Overall
Zac: 47-50
RK: 40-57
Mase: 38-59
