The Denver Broncos ended up standing pat at the trade deadline this year after their deal with the Los Angeles Chargers for linebacker Daiyan Henley was controversially called off earlier this week. The Broncos’ quiet deadline was due to a lack of effort, though, as a handful of rumors seem to indicate that they were at the center of a handful of discussions with different teams.
One spot Denver clearly wanted help at was the running back position, as the team made a big push for Indianapolis Colts superstar Jonathan Taylor. Once it became clear that the Colts were going to hold onto him, though, the Broncos reportedly turned their attention to another Pro Bowl running back in Tennessee Titans veteran Tony Pollard.
Broncos Tried to Trade for Tony Pollard After Missing Out on Jonathan Taylor
Under head coach Sean Payton, the Broncos have adopted a running back-by-committee approach on offense. Last year, the results were decent, but this year, it’s been a bit of a mess. Both J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey are averaging less than four yards per carry, and while Jonah Coleman has flashed his potential, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the team wanted to see if it could find an upgrade ahead of the deadline.
Taylor was perhaps the top potential trade candidate across the league, as he is arguably the best running back in the league when he is playing up to his potential. Several teams showed considerable interest in acquiring Taylor, with the Broncos being at the top of that list. While nobody acquired him, Denver reportedly made a late push in an effort to get Indy to move off of him.
That obviously ended up failing, which forced the Broncos to pivot. The guy they turned their attention to was Pollard, another former Pro Bowler who has been on a heater as of late for the Titans. However, Tennessee set an asking price of a third-round pick for Pollard, which eventually led Denver to pass on him as well.
“The Green Bay Packers and Broncos checked in on Titans running back Tony Pollard, whom Tennessee would not have traded for anything less than at least a third-round pick,” Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport of ESPN reported.
Should the Broncos Have Traded for Tony Pollard?
The Titans are going nowhere fast, so it made sense for them to listen for trade offers on Pollard. After a slow start to the season, Pollard has found his footing recently, as he’s racked up 292 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns over Tennessee’s past two games. That sort of production would clearly appeal to the Broncos, but giving up a third-round pick for him wasn’t in the cards.
So, Denver will continue to roll with Coleman and Dobbins for the time being, with Harvey and Tyler Badie also expected to factor into the mix if they can manage to find their way back from injured reserve at some point later this season. The Broncos will square off against the Las Vegas Raiders in a big divisional matchup on Sunday, with kickoff for this contest scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET.
Broncos Reportedly Tried to Trade for Pro Bowl RB, but it Wasn’t Jonathan Taylor