The Denver Broncos have had a less-than-ideal start to their 2022 season. We are only entering Week 7 of the season and it seems like the season is over for the Broncos.
There is a chance that their season could be somewhat salvaged, however. If the Broncos can conduct a few trades before the trade deadline, they could find some players to help fill gaps left by injuries as well as gain draft capital. General Manager George Paton will have to work his magic though as the Broncos don't really have a lot of draft picks to give up, thanks to the massive trade package they assembled to acquire Russell Wilson. Because of this, the Broncos might struggle to bring in some players. Paton has been able to finesse other GMs in the past though, so it will be interesting to see what he does at the trade deadline.
Trades the Broncos must make before the trade deadline
Trade away TE Albert Okwuegbunam
In Week 1 of the season, Okwuegbunam was named the starting tight end. In the Broncos' Week 6 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, Okwuegbunam was a “healthy scratch.” Okwuegbunam's rapid tumble down the depth chart has been rather alarming. Before the start of the season, Okwuegbunam was predicted to be one of Wilson's favorite targets. But with his decrease in snaps over the past few weeks, he has been anything but.
Albert Okwuegbunam’s snaps by game in 2022:
Week 1: 44 (67%)
Week 2: 38 (53%)
Week 3: 24 (32%)
Week 4: 1 (2%)— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 3, 2022
Rookie Greg Dulcich made his debut against the Chargers and earned his first touchdown in that game as well. Okwuegbunam has also been beaten out on the depth chart by Eric Saubert, Eric Tomlinson, and tight end/fullback hybrid Andrew Beck. Here we are entering Week 7, and Okwuegbunam finds himself on the outside looking in. With the amount of depth the Broncos have at tight end, it would be shocking if Okwuegbunam isn't traded. It will be interesting to see what kind of offers the Broncos can field for Okwuegbunam.
Trade away RB Melvin Gordon
This past week, Melvin Gordon took to social media to voice his displeasure about his role with the team. During the game against the Chargers, Gordon only had a few snaps. Fans were quick to notice Gordon's recent Twitter likes, which had very similar themes.
Melvin Gordon’s ‘liked’ tweets are… not ideal. pic.twitter.com/XgiwdA4bOC
— Graham Tiedtke (@GrahamTiedtkePO) October 18, 2022
The Broncos lost starting running back Javonte Williams for the season due to a torn ACL. Gordon was made the defacto RB1, for a few games that is. Then something happened where recently signed Latavius Murray got a majority of Gordon's carries. No one is quite sure why this happened, but Gordon certainly was not happy about it. According to head coach Nathaniel Hackett, he and Gordon sat down for a “great talk.” After the conversation, Hackett revealed that Gordon will be the starting running back against the New York Jets in Week 7.
If Gordon is this unhappy in Denver, it might be time the Broncos move on from him. Gordon has had a serious issue with fumbles this season, and with how unproductive the Broncos' offense has been, fumbles are the absolute last thing the team needs. The fumble issues might reduce Gordon's trade value though. If the Broncos make Gordon available for trade, perhaps a running back needy team will pursue him. But if Gordon fumbles against the Jets, he could find himself traded, or at minimum, benched by next week.
Find an offensive lineman that would help the line in any way
The Broncos do not have many picks to give up, hence there being very few suggestions to trade for a player. But the Broncos' offensive line is arguably one of the worst-performing units for the team, and something needs to be done. Calvin Anderson, who was filling in for Garett Bolles at left tackle, was bullied by Chargers pass rushers for the majority of the first half. Anderson's performance was bad enough that he ended up benched at halftime and replaced by Cam Fleming.
The only player on the offensive line with a good PFF rating is Quinn Meinerz, with a rating of 90.6. The rest of the linemen have either average or below-average rankings. Poor performance like this hinders an offense way more than you think. While Wilson hasn't really been slinging the rock well, the offensive line that is tasked with protecting him has done a very poor job of doing so.
Maybe Paton can work his magic and find a good value offensive lineman. Because right now the Broncos' line is haphazardly constructed with starters and linemen who shouldn't be starters. Not a pretty combination.
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