As part of the massive roster rebuild over the last 3 years under Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, several position groups have seen their numbers swell to the point that there’s more talent than snaps to go around.
One of those positions is wide receiver, where ESPN’s Ben Solak thinks the Broncos might be an attractive trade target for the team they just took down on Sunday Night Football in Week 3 — the Super Bowl favorite Los Angeles Rams.
“Despite the fact that the Rams traded almost an entire year’s worth of picks for two players, they’re still in a position at which one more trade makes sense: specifically, for a pass catcher,” Solak wrote on September 29. “So where to look? The Rams aren’t the team that should kick the tires on a discontented first-round pick such as Marvin Harrison Jr. or Quentin Johnston — they need a steady producer who can eat volume if needed … Could Courtland Sutton be available from the Broncos, who are moving to a bigger diet of Jaylen Waddle and Pat Bryant?”
That’s a pretty cold take by Solak — but the NFL is a cold business.
Sutton has posted consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2024 and 2025 as the Broncos have become 1 of the NFL’s elite teams again, but there is definitely a universe in which not only Waddle and Bryant but also 3rd-year wide receiver Troy Franklin become all Denver needs at the position.
Broncos WRs Called Out After 2025 Season
Payton seemed disgusted with his wide receivers after a 10-7 home loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game after the 2025 season.
While Sutton scored the Broncos’ lone touchdown against the Patriots, his stats in 2 playoff games — 7 receptions for 70 yards — leave a lot to be desired. That included 3 receptions for 17 yards in the loss to the Patriots.
While it was Payton’s decision not to kick a short field goal to go up 10-0 in the 1st half, which ended up being the difference, it’s important to remember this is not someone who has shown much interest in taking blame for things.
Assigning blame, yes. Taking blame, no. By any historical metric, Sutton and almost any player on the Broncos’ roster is expendable until they win a Super Bowl.
Payton Cleaned House After Loss to Patriots
Payton not only fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi after the loss to the Patriots, but he also fired wide receivers coach Keary Colbert.
He replaced Lombardi as offensive coordinator with former NFL quarterback Davis Webb and handed over playcalling duties for the 1st time in his career.
“I’m going to look at it and be critical of myself, and I think there were a number of things that we just had to do better,” Payton said after the AFC Championship Game. “We didn’t finish some runs, and we dropped some passes. Again, felt like that was a problem all year.”
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