The Denver Broncos are continuing to make widespread changes ahead of the new league year which officially kicks off next Wednesday. On Saturday, the team officially moved on from a wide receiver who simply didn’t fit into the team’s vision.
Denver Broncos trade Jerry Jeudy to Cleveland Browns
Change is a constant in the National Football League and the Broncos have been making changes left and right throughout the week.
Saturday’s are usually quiet for the league, but the Broncos made another big move ahead of Wednesday’s new league year which begins officially at 2:00 p.m. MT.
Jerry Jeudy is now a member of the Cleveland Browns. The Broncos traded him to Cleveland in exchange for the Browns 135th (fifth round), and 202nd (6th round) picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Not only do the Broncos acquire the two draft picks that put their total number of picks at eight, but they save nearly $12.9M in cash and salary cap space.
This gives the Broncos more operating room after they moved on from Justin Simmons this past week, restructured Tim Patrick’s deal to keep him on the team, and restructured offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey’s deal.
The Broncos cap space now sits at an estimated $27M, according to Spotrac which will allow them more room to operate in free agency.
While the Broncos have created space with a handful of moves this past week, there are still several more moves anticipated that could include restructuring Courtland Sutton’s deal and/or potentially releasing/extending offensive tackle Garett Bolles.
Broncos wide receiver room moves forward
General manager George Paton invested heavily in Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton in 2021 when he extended both playmaking wide receivers. While the Broncos will have a new quarterback under center in 2024, it appears that Paton and Sean Payton want both of those players to be part of what they are building.
Not only will Patrick and Sutton be prominently featured, second-year wide receiver Marvin Mims is expected to have an even bigger role inside of the Broncos offense this upcoming season.
Behind those three players, Brandon Johnson, Phillip Dorsett, Jalen Virgil, and David Sills V as the team prepares for free agency. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Broncos added a veteran wide receiver in free agency over the course of the next handful of weeks, but with added draft capital, Denver could completely retool the room with some rookie contracts.
It’s hard to imagine the Broncos going all in on a rookie quarterback and not surrounding him with potential security blankets. With Patrick and Sutton, they have a history of proven production which should help as the Broncos offense looks to get back on track this upcoming season.
More changes are on the way as the rocky mountain roller coaster continues.
