This Denver Broncos season has been a dramatic disappointment, and as a result, they are trending towards being major sellers at the NFL trade deadline.
Who should they look to move on from, and what could they possibly get for them? Let’s take a look.
Albert Okwuegbunam
Under Pat Shurmur and Vic Fangio, Albert Okwuegbunam looked like a promising, young, pass-catching tight end, and he was growing as a blocker.
Under Justin Outten and Nathaniel Hackett, the regression has been immense, and it’s clear that Okwuegbunam has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff.
The player that entered the 2022 offseason as the team’s clear No. 1 tight end was a healthy scratch on Monday Night Football, in favor of Greg Dulcich, a rookie who had barely practiced since being drafted by the team.
With Dulcich having an impressive debut, and Saubert, Tomlinson, and Beck appearing functional, it’s hard to find room for Okwuegbunam on the active roster.
So, rather than having him collect dust, wrapped in a sweatsuit, down on the sidelines, why not trade him to a contender in exchange for a late-round draft pick? Okwuegbunam could still likely yield a sixth-round pick. Sure, that’s a disappointing return for a player that so recently had exciting flashes, but something is better than nothing, and right now, Okwuegbunam is worth nothing to this Denver Broncos coaching staff.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has also reported that teams are interested in the Broncos’ tight end.
Melvin Gordon
Speaking of players falling out of favor, Broncos Country need look no further than Melvin Gordon for another player that could be potentially on the way out.
Now, it’s true that Gordon and Nathaniel Hackett have seemingly patched things up, and that Gordon is set to start Week 7, but he also started Denver’s Week 6 game, and only ended up playing eight snaps, before pouting on the sideline, and liking several social media posts arguing that Denver should either cut or trade the aging running back.
If things again go south in Week 7, which seems very possible, the relationship between Gordon and the Broncos might become untenable.
Gordon’s no McCaffrey, but he’s still an NFL-caliber running back that could spruce up the backfields of those hopeful contenders. Again, the yield would be minimal here, but Denver has to start accumulating draft picks, considering how many holes this roster now seems to have, and how few assets they’ll have to fix them.
Jerry Jeudy
Unfortunately, Jerry Jeudy has failed to live up to his first-round draft expectations to this point, and now that the pairing with Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett has been shaky, it feels like Jeudy’s days in Denver are likely numbered.
The young receiver has shown more high-end flashes this season than he has ever before in his NFL career, but the inconsistencies in his game continue to be infuriating to Broncos Country.
This is the second time that Jeudy has had a drop rate north of eight percent on the season, and his catch rate of 47.2% is second-worst among NFL players with at least 30 targets so far this season.
Jeudy was also spotted alongside Gordon, looking frustrated, during the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, making one wonder if his relationship with the team is also starting to sour.
The Broncos probably wouldn’t receive much for Jeudy, but the moments of specialness that have sprinkled his 2022 campaign should make him fairly intriguing to a team hungry for additional weapons.
Bradley Chubb
The only person in this article who has no concerns about their performance, is Bradley Chubb, who only finds himself in this situation because the Denver Broncos have already prepared to move on from him.
Last offseason, the Broncos backed up the Brinks truck for Randy Gregory, who isn’t going anywhere; transitioned Baron Browning from inside linebacker to edge rusher, which has been a roaring success; and drafted Nik Bonitto with their top selection in the NFL Draft.
It, unfortunately, seems unlikely that the Broncos will continue to up their investment in that single position group by giving Chubb a massive deal.
Now, Denver could wait and let Chubb leave in free agency, and potentially receive a 2024 third-round pick via the compensatory formula, but they don’t need picks in 2024. They need picks now. Plus, those compensatory picks could be negated if the Broncos’ made big free-agent signings of their own, and this team certainly appears to be in need of help from some veteran additions.
Teams like Miami, Baltimore, Minnesota, and New York Giants are all in the thick of the playoff hunt, and all could seriously use an upgrade on the edge.
If the Denver Broncos believe the door has closed on them competing in 2022, they decide they want to keep Dre’Mont Jones more than Chubb, and they can find a team willing to offer at least a second-round pick, it’d make a lot of sense to swap Chubb right now.