The Denver Broncos might need to make a move that brings them back positional talent — not necessarily draft capital — and if they are going that route there are certainly moves to be made.
Fox Sports called Broncos cornerback and 2025 1st-round pick Jahdae Barron as the team’s top trade candidate less than one month from the NFL trade deadline on November 10.
“It’s unlikely the Broncos would want to cut ties with the 2025 first-round pick so soon, but if the team wants to make a big splash at the deadline, the second-year cornerback, who’s stuck on the bench behind Patrick Surtain and Riley Moss, could be the piece that gets a blockbuster deal over the line,” Fox Sports NFL Reporter Steven Ruiz wrote. “Injuries at the position have thrust Barron into a starting role, but he’ll return to playing limited snaps once the starters get healthy.”
Patrick Surtain Comes to Barron’s Defense
Barron’s struggles to find playing time with the Broncos shave been widely-documented — and understandably so when you consider he’s been the only 1st-round pick of the Sean Payton era.
The former Thorpe Award winner has had one high-profile defender in Surtain, the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a former 1st-round pick himself.
“When his name gets called, he’s always ready to step up and make plays,” Surtain said on September 23. “It’s just a matter of time. Once he starts getting in there and getting more snaps … at the end of the day, he knows his role and he knows how much he means to this defense. It’s just day-by-day, staying sharp and staying in the playbook and staying ready.”
Moss, McMillian Keep Barron Buried on Depth Chart
Since Barron was selected in the 1st round (No. 20 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft, he’s been thoroughly outplayed by every member of the Broncos’ secondary and hasn’t ever really threatened to take the job of either slot cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian, an undrafted free agent, or outside cornerback and former 3rd-round pick Riley Moss.
The truth is, he probably never will. The truth is, the Broncos need to pay both McMillian and Moss, who are in contract years, and probably see if they can trick some cornerback-needy team into trading for Barron, who is in the 2nd season of his 4-year, $18 million rookie contract.
Not everyone thinks the Broncos might be so keen on dealing Barron.
“Nonsense,” Mile High Huddle’s Zack Kelberman wrote on his official X account on October 22. “The Broncos are NOT trading Jahdae Barron. He’s gonna be their full-time starter next year.”
Broncos’ Former 1st-Round Pick Called NFL’s ‘Top Trade Candidate’