Sean

Payton

Schefter noted that the Steelers are currently sitting behind Denver at 21. The implication here is clear: Pittsburgh could be in the market for a quarterback, and if a team wants that passer, they will have to move past the Steelers to land them. That is, of course, also what a team trying to trade back would leak to Schefter. It’s smoke screen season. Denver has been universally predicted to draft North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton, but a trade back could potentially take him off the table.

Not many teams are eyeing a trade-up in the first round, but Schefter reports the Broncos have made some inquiries about a deal. It’s hard to say what the Broncos are hoping to acquire with a trade up, but with two potential first-round caliber running backs being available, it’s possible one of the most RB-needy teams in the league could be eyeing a positional upgrade. Schefter also reports multiple teams are open to trading back from their first-round pick, including the Jaguars, Panthers, 49ers, and Falcons, who all have top-15 picks. The Broncos sound like a team to watch once the draft begins to take shape on Thursday night. If a team willing to trade back feels like things aren’t breaking in their favor, it could create an opportunity for the Broncos to move up and grab a player high on their board.

Payton explained that drafting a running back in the first round can be worth it if teams “have a real clear vision for how you want to use them,” citing Reggie Bush and Mark Ingram as successful examples from his Saints tenure. Broncos GM George Paton echoed the sentiment, saying he is open to the idea if the player is worth it, and indicated that the team is searching for a prospect with certain developable pass-protection traits. North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton has seemingly leapfrogged Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson for the class’ consensus No. 2 RB ranking but Henderson’s pass-pro chops could give him an edge here. Among P5 RBs with at least 175 qualifying snaps over the last four seasons, his 70.1 PFF pass-blocking grade ranks fourth overall.

Good luck, coach! The best tight end that will hit free agency is probably Tyler Conklin, while the easiest third-down back to forecast into a Darren Sproles role in free agency is likely Kenneth Gainwell. The Broncos probably will have to scour trades and the draft to dig up a player like, as Payton forecasted in his “joker” explanation, Reggie Bush or Jimmy Graham. Payton also said that the Broncos are “stronger [at receiver] than some would think,” explaining that he considered a veteran receiver a “need” rather than a “must-have” for the team.

This comes less than a month after Payton said it’s “realistic” to think the Broncos could trade up from the No. 12. The Broncos’ need for a franchise quarterback after the failed Russell Wilson trade can’t be overstated. With Jarrett Stidham the only quarterback of note on the roster, Denver needs to find a solution that offers more than what Stidham has over his career. Denver holds two top 100 picks in this year’s draft and also has its 2025 first-round pick to use as a bargaining chip. If they were to attempt to trade up, these picks could prove valuable in facilitating a deal to land what they hope will be their franchise quarterback. The only quarterback the Broncos have held a top-30 visit with is Michael Penix, but we know they also met with Bo Nix at the scouting combine.

It’s no secret that the Broncos are in need of a quarterback. After the failed Russell Wilson experiment, the Broncos are left with Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci at quarterback. Neither will inspire much hope, meaning the Broncos, who currently hold the No. 12 overall pick, could be primed for a trade-up in hopes of landing their franchise signal-caller. The asking price to move up in the draft will be high, but we haven’t heard much on what the teams holding the top three or four picks are asking for to get a deal done.

This aligns with what The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported last week when she said the team is not having a fire sale but will listen to trade offers. There’s a stark difference between shopping players and listening to trade offers, but the 3-5 Broncos should absolutely be willing to trade any players that could yield valuable draft compensation prior to the trade deadline. Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy has been a popular name to keep an eye on, and was mentioned as a potential player on the move in Kyle Dvorchak’s trade deadline article. We have a little more than 24 hours to go until the deadline. We’ll see if anything of note develops over that time.

Per 9News’s Mike Klis, Payton arrived in Denver earlier this week and is working on assembling his coaching staff. The Broncos agreed to send their first-round pick, acquired from the Dolphins in a previous trade, and a future second-round selection to New Orleans in exchange for Payton’s services. Denver got back a third-round pick in the trade as well. Payton’s first order of business will be getting a new defensive coordinator. Ejiro Evero currently holds that role for Denver, but the team interviewing candidates for his job obviously means they plan to let him go in favor of someone in Payton’s circle.

The first-rounder is in 2023 via Miami and the Bradley Chubb trade. The second-rounder is a 2024 selection. The Broncos are also receiving a 2024 third-rounder from the Saints. This certainly doesn’t feel like something we’d have been surprised about when the offseason started, but Payton and the Broncos appeared to have drifted apart at some point in their talks after their initial interview. With DeMeco Ryans appearing likely to head to the Texans and Jim Harbaugh rebuffing Denver’s advances, it’s possible that they just saw Payton as their best possible candidate left. Denver’s offense should receive a big boost with Payton back, but reviving Russell Wilson after his dreadful 2022 may be Payton’s toughest task yet.

Rapoport added that the Texans have not scheduled a second interview with Payton and it “does not feel like there’s any momentum there.” Payton is also still in play for the Broncos pre Rapoport, though DeMeco Ryans is the reported favorite there. Ultimately Rapoport said that it “leans towards returning to FOX now,” which jives with what we’ve heard the past few days.