Heading into the 2024 NFL season, it looked like the Denver Broncos were going to be selling when the calendar shifted from October to November.
They had just taken on a massive eight-figure dead cap hit to say goodbye to their Pro Bowl quarterback, drafted the sixth quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft, and made no secrets that they planned to play him early and often in 2024, what with Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham filling out the rest of the QB room.
Factor in a few ugly efforts, and it looked like the Broncos were donezo before they could say Halloween.
And yet, by hook or by crook, they figured it out and now sit pretty at 5-3, ranking second in the AFC West behind only the Kansas City Chiefs.
Does this change the plans for the Broncos? Should they go from sellers to potential buyers before Tuesday, or do they instead still have some fat that could be shed that would allow the team to have their cake and eat it, too? Needless to say, these next few days are going to be fascinating for the members of Broncos Nation, as George Paton's decisions could seriously impact the “ride” moving forward.
1. Trade a sixth-round pick to the Giants for Darius Slayton
Through the first eight games of the 2024 NFL season, Bo Nix has been looking to Courtland Sutton more than any other wide receiver by a near-three-to-one average. Of the 261 passes thrown by Bo Nix, 58 of them have been thrown Sutton's way, with the next-highest mark going to running back Javonte Williams at 38, followed in a distant third by Lil'Jordan Humphrey at just 27.
The Broncos have six receivers who have at least 50 receiving yards, five who have 100 but just one, Sutton, who has more than 200, which is either the byproduct of a very democratized offense – it's not – or a team that traded away their WR2 to the Cleveland Browns without a new number two locked in to replace him.
Could Troy Franklin be that guy? Potentially so, but if the Broncos instead see Nix's college receiver as more of a WR3, then hey, maybe they could acquire that sort of player at the 2024 NFL trade deadline, shipping out a Day 3 pick for a player with long-term upside.
If that's the play, then Darious Slayton might just be the perfect mix of production and potential for a team with a very long runway.
Originally drafted out of Auburn in the fifth round all the way back in 2019, Slayton has been a consistently productive player for the New York Giants over the last few years, averaging 15 yards-per-reception and 44.6 yards per game as the Giants' WR2. Though Malik Nabers gets all of the headlines in 2024, and fans love the long-term potential of Wan'Dale Robinson as a WR2, Slayton has been the G-Men's second-most productive receiver in 2024 and could theoretically translate that to another team looking for a consistent ball catcher. Factor in that his below-market contract expires in the spring and that at 2-6, the Giants likely aren't going anywhere in 2024, and the conditions may be perfect for a Slayton trade.
But could the Broncos be the team that pulls the trigger? If he can be had for a mid-Day 3 pick, then yeah, the Broncos should absolutely make a deal.
2. At least gauge the market on Marvin Mims
Before the Broncos went streaking and became one of the most unlikely success stories in the AFC, fans had a pretty good feeling that Sutton would be traded to a contending team ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline. The Broncos looked bad, their division looked good, and fans openly wondered if the decision to cut bait on Russell Wilson in favor of rookie Nix would go down as an all-time bad decision in Denver.
After some initial struggles, it's unclear whether or not Nix can be “the guy” long-term, but what is clear is that Sutton is an incredibly important part of Payton's offense, and if they were to trade him away now, it would severely limit the team's ceiling in 2024. Assuming a second-round pick or higher isn't on the board, Sutton should stick around in Denver.
But what about Marvin Mims? On paper, he's still an incredibly exciting offensive player who has put multiple big plays on his resume both at Baylor and in the pros, but you wouldn't know it by his role in Payton's offense, as Denver rarely uses him.
In the eight games Mims has appeared in for the Broncos in 2024, he's only been targeted 13 times, catching six of them for 52 yards while also picking up 17 yards on a single rushing attempt. Sure, Mims remains a Pro Bowl-caliber return man, averaging 11.0 yards per return as a punk returner and 25.8 yards per return on kicks, but is that worth keeping him around long-term, especially considering the need for wide receivers by, well, almost every team in the NFL? If some team calls the Broncos up about Mims and offers a good Day 3 pick for his services, the front office should at least consider a deal, as it's unlikely he'll ever reach his potential in Denver.
Broncos Bonus: Did Denver get enough back for Baron Browning?
After finding himself the subject of heavy speculation heading into the trade deadline, Baron Browing's future was officially decided on Monday when he was shipped off to Arizona for the low-low cost of a sixth-round pick.
Now, on paper, the idea of trading Browning wasn't too surprising, as he hasn't exactly been thriving in 2024, but shipping him out a day before the deadline when there is so much still up in the air heading into the deal? Is that really the best decision for a franchise that ranks second in the AFC West and is looking to improve its prospects long-term instead of simply cashing out any contract that isn't bolted down for whatever pick is offered up?
Originally drafted as a 3-4 outside linebacker for then-head coach Vic Fangio's defensive scheme, Browning has largely been used as a designated pass rusher for the Broncos in 2024, playing 46 percent of the snaps over the four games he's appeared in versus at least 60 in each of the last three years. After amassing 9.5 sacks over the last two seasons combined, Browning hasn't taken the QB down just yet in 2024 and only has six total tackles on the year, five of which came in Week 1.
Does Browning need a change of location to improve his circumstances? You bet, but did the Broncos actually get enough back to justify the deal? It's hard to say, especially when you consider there were teams like the Detroit Lions who are still in desperate need of additional pass-rushing talent. If a player like Za'Darius Smith ends up sticking around in Cleveland – which he shouldn't – and the Lions have to rapidly pivot to another rusher to fill their vacancy, it's possible Browning could have fetched the Broncos an even greater sum, maybe even as high as a fourth-rounder if things got desperate in the final moments before the deadline.
Fortunately, the Broncos just handed Jonathon Cooper a new long-term extension, which absolutely takes some of the sting off of the announcement, but even still, a sixth-round pick for a former third-round pick who was on the field for almost half of the team's defensive snaps is a tough pill to swallow.
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