The NFL trade deadline has come and gone and the Denver Broncos did not make a move for any help – specifically on their offensive line. The run game is Denver’s key to winning games (without the defense’s help) and that has been a struggle of late. But don’t think that John Elway holding pat at the deadline was because he feels good about the state of his offensive line.
“I don’t think you can feel very good about [the offensive line],” former All-Pro linebacker Chad Brown told Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro of Afternoon Drive on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7. “I think anybody that does is operating from a wishful standpoint. People felt good about the performance last week, but you have to take that with a grain of salt.”
The Broncos broke out against the Texans, rushing for 190 yards, but their success was against a struggling run defense.
“The Texans are the 29th-ranked running defense,” Brown said. “You would expect [Denver] to have some success and they did.”
Entering Week 9, the Denver offense has only produced three 100-yard rushing games this season. The offensive line isn’t creating the holes running backs need to be successful. But, like last year, the Broncos are still winning games. And offensive linemen aren’t exactly easy to find mid-season.
“The issue with the trade deadline is,” according to Brown, “most teams in the NFL are starving for offensive line talent.”
Brown cites the Vikings and Seahawks as similar cases to the Broncos – teams with outstanding defenses, but offensive lines that could jeopardize the team’s overall success.
“So to think that the Broncos were going to be able to trade for somebody, or find somebody on their couch, this time of year that could come in and help this offensive line is a bit naive and doesn’t recognize what is a concerning trend, not just with the Broncos but all around the NFL,” Brown says.
Take Browns left tackle Joe Thomas, for example. Even an 0-8 Browns team said publicly last week that they were unwilling to move the six-time All-Pro despite having no chance at the playoffs this year (or likely in the foreseeable future). Even the worst teams know you have to hang on to good o-linemen.
Broncos fans can scream all they want that John Elway needed to make a move to improve the offensive line, but if a move had been possible, it would have been made.
The Broncos face one of their biggest tests of the year going into Oakland Sunday night. Both teams are 6-2 and look to take control in the AFC West. If the Denver defense can remain dominant and the offense can string together more than three or four good possessions, the Broncos could be sitting in first place after the weekend, with or without help on the offensive line.
Listen to the entire interview with Chad Brown, including his thoughts on the Raiders game, in the podcast below…
https://soundcloud.com/milehighsports/11-1-16-chad-brown-joins-eric-and-les-post-trade-deadline-should-denver-have-made-a-move
Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro Monday-Friday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.