Strike 2: It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of being in a playoff chase. For Denver Broncos faithful, it’s been almost a decade since it happened, so the excitement is genuine. However, it’s important to remember that just reaching the postseason is not the ultimate goal. Winning in the postseason is.
With two straight wins over bottom feeders New Orleans and Carolina, the 5-3 Broncos are in position to make a playoff push. There is however, a lot of heavy lifting to do before that fantasy becomes reality. It starts with an angry group of Baltimore Ravens on Sunday back on the east coast, where Denver is already 2-0 on the season. So there’s that.
Realistically, the Broncos need four, and perhaps five more wins to secure a playoff spot. There are winnable home games left with Atlanta, Cleveland and Indianapolis, which is good. There are also two games with Super Bowl champion Kansas City, as well as road games against the LA Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals, which aren’t so good. The road game in LA against the Chargers on Dec. 22 could be an elimination contest.
Yet through all of this grinding toward the postseason, the entire Broncos organization and Broncos Country as a whole can not forget that this is still a roster that’s a work in progress. They’re still rebuilding, and nothing should be done that takes the project off track in any way.
Another way of putting it? Will the Broncos be buyers or sellers, or both, at the upcoming NFL trade deadline?
The most vocal portion of Broncos Country wants the Broncos to be buyers – specifically for a big-play wide receiver – before next Tuesday. There’s certainly a need, but at what cost? Does Denver really want to give up draft picks at this point? Maybe Sean Payton and George Paton want to give the young pass catchers on the roster a chance to show improvement first?
Trades are a tricky thing. It is possible, albeit rare, for a team to be both a buyer and seller at the deadline. Can you make a trade where you give up someone you don’t have plans for (Zach Wilson should be at the top of that list) to bring in a young player that can help you for more than just one or two seasons?
For the Broncos to successfully navigate the deadline in that way, they’d need to give up an active player, and not a draft pick, to get a young player with lots of upside. That’s far easier said than done.
If we’re being honest, the chances of Denver bringing in someone that can greatly improve this roster at the deadline are remote. Wilson is very tradeable (although unless he shows off and throws some successful passes in Baltimore this Sunday, his trade value won’t be a lot more than it was when the Broncos got him from New York last spring) and he can probably net Denver a late-round pick in return. What Broncos Country should NOT be looking for is a deal that further mortgages the future in any way, like giving up early round draft picks for say, a veteran receiver who already has a good amount of mileage on his tires.
That’s not how you do a successful rebuild.
It’s going to take thoughtful patience from all involved – including the emotional involvement from Broncos fans – to see this rebuild through. It’s on the right track. Let it finish.
