Getty Broncos general manager George Paton looks on prior to a 2022 game.
The Denver Broncos are nowhere close to playoff contention, even with head coach Sean Payton leading the charge.
Denver, in last place in the AFC West, is staring down a 1-7 start with back-to-back matchups looming against the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. With the team not looking like it will get its act together anytime soon, Denver could look ahead to the October 31 NFL trade deadline.
Trading All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II would be a start, according to Mike Jones of The Athletic. In an October 17 story about six trades Jones and co-writer Jeff Howe would like to see happen at the deadline, Jones proposed sending Surtain to the Detroit Lions for a 2024 second-round pick and 2025 third-round pick.
“The Lions are positioning themselves to win the NFC North, but Emmanuel Moseley’s torn right ACL suffered last week (in his first game back from a torn left ACL) is a big blow,” Jones wrote. “They’d love to have another difference-maker in their secondary as they try to gear up for a deep playoff run.
“People around the league say the Broncos are in sell mode (even if Sean Payton says they’re not). So, future picks to help improve a Broncos roster that’s not nearly as close to win-now mode as Denver’s brass believed may prove enticing.”
What Is the Likelihood of the Broncos Trading Surtain?
Surtain is one of the top defensive players in the league and is coming off a first-team All-Pro selection. The idea of the Broncos drafting him away is difficult, but not impossible, to imagine.
Howe wrote that acquiring Surtain would be “an awesome trade for the Lions,” but he elaborated on “why it won’t happen.”
“The Broncos feel Surtain is the best cornerback in the league, so they can’t let him go for less than a first-round pick and probably another mid-rounder. That should be fine with the Lions since they’ve had additional first-rounders the past two drafts from the Matthew Stafford trade.”
If Surtain is traded, the price has to be deemed worthy of his talents, Howe noted. However, Denver might not be willing to part with a franchise cornerstone only six games into his third season in the league.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated agreed that the Broncos trading Surtain is “pretty unlikely.”
“It’s pretty unlikely that Denver would trade (arguably) the best corner in the league, who has a year and a half left on his rookie deal, plus a team option for 2025, and doesn’t turn 24 until April,” wrote Breer in his column published October 13.
Per Pro Football Reference, Surtain has allowed an 85.2 rating in pass coverage through six games.
Former Broncos LB Randy Gregory Already Paying Dividends for 49ers
A change of scenery did the trick for Randy Gregory.
Denver gave up on Gregory early into his five-year, $70 million deal he signed in March 2022. The Broncos traded him to the San Francisco 49ers on October 6.
Gregory’s debut with the 49ers rubbed more salt into Denver’s gaping wounds.
The veteran pass rusher played 26 snaps for his new team. He was very productive, recording three solo tackles, two going for a loss, one sack, and three quarterback hits.
Here’s former Bronco Randy Gregory immediately getting a sack and helping a different team as soon as the Broncos gave up on him
Gregory totaled 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 2 quarterback hits in four games with the Broncos in 2023 before being traded.
His early success in San Francisco does not reflect well on general manager George Paton. Paton paid lots of money to obtain Gregory, only to watch that investment go to waste a season later.