Today’s the day. Either the Denver Broncos trade away someone — or multiple players — or they stand pat.
At 3-5 on the season, there’s little hope for the Broncos to make the playoffs, meaning they should be “sellers” at the 2 p.m. MT trade deadline. So, who are the most likely players to be traded?
According to Albert Breer, the same names we heard last week have still been mentioned in the last 24 hours as possible trade candidates. That list is as follows: Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, inside linebacker Brandon Marshall, cornerbacks Bradley Roby and Chris Harris Jr. and outside linebacker Shane Ray.
Thomas is the most likely of those five names to be moved and it sounds like he is, as the Broncos and Texans are currently closing in on a deal for him. He’s considered a No. 1 receiver by most teams — even if he’s slipped to No. 2 for the Broncos behind Emmanuel Sanders — as a big, physical wideout that can make plays on the outside. For Denver, a trade makes sense due to his lackluster numbers this year as well as his pay increase from $12-$17 million next year.
The New England Patriots are among teams who are reportedly interested in getting Thomas’ talents. But, Houston seemed to have jumped in on that and stolen him away.
After Thomas, Ray — another former first-round pick — seems to be the most likely to be traded away. Ray has gone through major ups and downs throughout his career in Denver, battling a bunch of wrist injuries along the way. Ray’s in the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, meaning he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2019. The Broncos may look to unload him now and get something for him rather than risk letting him walk for nothing and the end of the season.
As for the other three — Marshall, Roby and Harris — neither seem very likely to be traded. Marshall has been a key cog in the defense for many years, he’s a leader, and his contract isn’t crazy, at No. 21 in the NFL.
Roby is young, at only 26 years old, although his contract expires at the end of this year, too. The Broncos have to decide on whether or not to sign him to a long-term deal in a hurry before he, too, becomes an unrestricted free agent.
And Harris is the leader of the Broncos defense. He and Von Miller are the two most valuable pieces to that unit, and Harris even took a team-friendly deal lately. There’s almost no way Harris is traded away.
Check back in as players are either traded or stay with the team, as we’ll update throughout the day.
