Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season and periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.
Which on-the-bubble players have enough value to be traded before or at final cutdown?
— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.
Hi Parker, with the depth the Broncos have at some position groups, do you see any opportunity to trade anyone for future draft picks? Thanks.
— Brandon Brown, Rogers, Minn.
Thanks to Ed and Brandon for the trade-related questions that get us going. And pardon the slight hiatus the past couple of weeks in the mailbag. We’ve been pushing to get The Post’s preseason Broncos magazine finished, which it now is. It’s got a ton of good stuff in it and is out Aug. 31. Make sure you find a copy.
OK, on to the trade-related question. There hasn’t been much buzz so far about specific players, but let’s use some common sense to help at least guide this conversation. In an ideal world, if you’ve got a player you A) know won’t make your 53-man roster and B) would be in demand around the league, you’d love to get something for that player rather than losing him on waivers. And, typically, the buyer would be a team toward the bottom of the waiver order — like Philadelphia two years ago when they swapped picks with Denver for tight end Albert Okwuegbunam — and doesn’t think it will be in position to win a waiver claim.
It’s also important to remember that far fewer players get claimed than is normally assumed and that a lot of hand-wringing gets done over players who ultimately clear waivers and end up on the practice squad. One example: Just because the Broncos have more running backs than they can keep doesn’t mean they can just trade one.
The Broncos have significant depth at two positions that are almost always in high demand: Cornerback and defensive line.
So, if a team called about Jordan Jackson or Eyioma Uwazurike, Denver would be in position to listen. You’d have to imagine there’s teams out there that look at a guy like Kris Abrams-Draine or Ja’Quan McMillian and wonder if they could pry one away from coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton.
But there’s also reason for caution. The Broncos saw what it looked like last year when their depth at cornerback was tested. It wasn’t pretty, and it was part of the reason they were so excited to draft Jahdae Barron at No. 20. Payton’s continually lauded that group this summer and gushed about how most teams don’t have five or six guys who can cover. So would you really trade from that depth to get a draft pick next spring? Maybe they could be convinced, but the bet here is it would take serious convincing. Teams with Super Bowl aspirations typically aren’t in a big hurry to get rid of good players.
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You can also find people who think the Broncos should try to trade Jarrett Stidham after his preseason heater. I’d be really surprised if that happened. He’s got three years of equity and knowledge in the system. He’s the kind of guy who can see you through a game or a few weeks if Bo Nix misses time, and he’s got really good chemistry with Nix and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb. If somebody wants to give you a pick for Sam Ehlinger, OK. But it’s hard to envision a situation where dealing Stidham this summer makes sense.
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Do you see any path this preseason that would allow Kris Abrams-Draine to replace Riley Moss as CB2?
— Amanda Pacetti, St. Augustine, Fla.
Hey Amanda, thanks for writing in! I don’t, but Abrams-Draine is definitely an arrow-up player. My beat partner, Luca Evans, wrote a really good story about the second-year corner’s ability to track receivers’ eyes when he’s in coverage. Interesting stuff.
Earlier this year, Paton told us that during training camp last year he thought Abrams-Draine was maybe the furthest behind of all the rookies. Then by December, he got thrown into a hot spot and acquitted himself well. These are good problems to have if you’re defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and defensive backs coach Jim Leonhard. Injuries happen and if somebody in the secondary misses time, they’ve got a lot of ways to move pieces around.
Teams with high-quality roster depth don’t always benefit from it in Week 1, but they almost always benefit from it by the time the stretch run arrives.
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The Broncos have had an undrafted rookie make the team almost every season. Who do you think has a chance to be that player this year? Gracias, amigo!
— Eduardo Frischwasser, Xochimilco, Mexico
Yo Eduardo, thanks for writing in, and good question. I gotta say, this could end up being the rare year when the Broncos’ roster doesn’t feature an undrafted rookie.
There are a couple of candidates and, interestingly enough, the first two that come to mind weren’t actually part of the Broncos’ initial class. They are inside linebacker Jordan Turner and tight end Caden Prieskorn. Turner was a tryout player at rookie minicamp who then got signed to the roster, while Prieskorn started off with Detroit and signed with the Broncos this summer.
Turner’s really come on strong over the past week or so and made a couple of splash plays against Arizona on Saturday. Prieskorn caught a touchdown against San Francisco and nearly had another against the Cardinals, but fumbled at the goal line. It’s perhaps not a coincidence that each of these position groups has also dealt with injuries during camp, and Payton said recently that tight end Nate Adkins is going to miss the early part of the regular season.
What is up with Sean Payton’s infatuation with older rookies? This seems like a waste of prime NFL years. Does he not trust his ability to develop younger players?
— Kevin, Pueblo
Hey Kevin, thanks for the interesting question. Payton has a reputation of just preferring older, experienced players in general. Though, of course, the Broncos have relied on a lot of players younger in their careers over the past year-plus.
This isn’t entirely a Payton thing. As the last year of extra COVID eligibility works its way through the college system, there are a higher number of five-, six- and seven-year college players who have arrived in the pros recently.
The Broncos have a good mix. Last year, they took one of the youngest players in the draft (Audric Estime) and one of the oldest (Devaughn Vele). This year, they only drafted players who spent at least four years in college.
There’s obviously a bit of a difference between spending a first-round pick on an older player and, say, drafting Vele in the seventh round. Look at the average NFL production for a seventh-rounder. Vele’s already great value even though he’ll be 30 by the time his rookie contract ends. That’s a big part of the reason he was available in the seventh round.
Quick question. I have asked this question and have gotten either a right-field answer, left-field answer, outer-space answer, or a have not the foggiest idea answer. When a field-goal kicker kicks, he gets credit from the spot he kicked it from. When a punter kicks, he gets credit from the line of scrimmage. Would it not make more sense for the punter to get the same love as the field-goal kicker?
— Del, Lamar
Hey Del, great question and one I’d never really considered before. I don’t know that I have a perfect answer for you, but here’s one thought: We know before the ball’s snapped exactly where a kicker is set to hit the ball from. Punters vary at least a little bit in where they actually hit the ball.
Also, with kickers, there are just two variables: Does the ball go through the uprights or not? And how far do you have to kick the ball in order for it to go through? With punting, you might be interested in how far the ball actually travels, but the point of punting is to try to gain as much field position as possible. And your field position is measured, naturally, from the line of scrimmage.
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We all know that the Broncos’ starting offensive line is one of the best — or the best — in the NFL. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t seen much coverage of them this preseason. So I’m curious — how are the new guys doing so far? I’m talking about guys like Clay Webb and Xavier Truss. Are they or any other second- and third-stringers showing promise?
— Elton, Ester, Alaska
Elton, I believe you’ve set a new benchmark for northernmost North American city from which I’ve received a mailbag question. Thanks for writing! You’re spot on in your rationale for why there hasn’t been a ton of offensive line coverage. A lot of training camp ends up being about what’s new, what’s different, etc. The Broncos offensive line is intact and healthy. I asked Payton last week how he sees the depth there, and he likes it. From here, it looks like their three primary reserves are the same as last year: Matt Peart on the left, Alex Palczewski on the right and Alex Forsyth in the middle.
As for the young guys, I’m not sure any of them are going to make the 53-man roster, but the guys you mentioned, plus tackle Marques Cox, are all going to at least be practice squad candidates.
It is seeming more likely the Broncos are moving to the Burnham Yard site (I know it is not official, but signs are definitely pointing that way). As someone who lives near Empower Field, I’m wondering what may happen to the current stadium site once they leave?
— Mike Lorince, Denver
Hey Mike, yeah, good question. If the Broncos leave Empower Field — regardless of where they go — and thus terminate or allow their lease with the Metropolitan Football Stadium District to expire, the MSFD eventually turns control of the site back over to the city.
What happens after that, obviously, is still several steps and many years in the future, but I’m sure there are folks in city government who have ideas about possibilities if that becomes reality.
It should be noted: Kyle Newman tackled this very subject in our exhaustive $tadium Game series launched in January. You can find Kyle’s story here.
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