A 2-5 start has the Denver Broncos approaching Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline much differently than GM George Paton or head coach Sean Payton had hoped. In an ideal world, the Broncos would be trying to scrape together whatever they had in an effort to add talent to a team hoping to make a Super Bowl run, but those were just pipe dreams.
Instead, the Broncos are reportedly “actively looking for draft picks and are listening to any offer” ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
He mentions several Broncos who would draw interest, including Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Garett Bolles, Josey Jewell, Justin Simmons, and the biggest prize — Patrick Surtain II.
Breer suggests the price in April for Jeudy (first-round pick) and Sutton (second-round pick) still stands, but the cost to trade for Bolles could be tricky without a ready replacement to protect Russell Wilson’s blindside.
As to the cost for Surtain? Breer feels it would be more than what Jalen Ramsey fetched in 2019 when Jacksonville got two firsts and a fourth-round pick.
Yet, Dianna Russini suggests the Broncos are not open to trading Surtain, who “are not selling cheaply.”
Meanwhile, linebacker Josey Jewell was linked to the Buffalo Bills as a potential replacement for Matt Milano.
While all the draft picks involved in the Russell Wilson trade have already been sent to Seattle, the Broncos are still paying for the Sean Payton trade. After not having their own first-round selection a season ago, now the Broncos owe the New Orleans Saints their 2024 second-round pick.
As of now, the Broncos are only set to hold six draft picks heading into April’s NFL Draft. That’s not ideal for a team in need of a quick turnaround. We’ll see if the Broncos front office can add to their draft capital before Tuesday’s deadline passes.
Related: NFL trade deadline: Rumors and news for each team heading into Tuesday