Two Broncos to Watch Ahead of NFL Trade Deadline

The Denver Broncos would be wise to move these players if an offer comes in before the NFL trade deadline.

Sep 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Denver Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones (93) celebrates a holding penalty against Seattle Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford (75) for a safety during the second quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos are sitting with a 4-3 record, with two games left before the trade deadline, but there are two players the team should look to trade. That doesn’t mean selling a player off for whatever Denver can get, but if the team can get a reasonable offer, it should take it.

The fact that both are on the defensive side of the ball complicates a potential trade of these two players, which is why the Broncos shouldn't just accept any offer. Of course, there are a few other players the Broncos could look to move, like tight end Greg Dulcich, who's been a healthy scratch for the last two games. The parties involved need a change of scenery.

However, the Dulcich subject is for another time. The two defensive players I'm talking about today are guys who aren’t getting talked about enough as potential trade chips. Let's dive in.

Baron Browning | OLB

Browning had a lot of hope riding on him entering the season. He has struggled to stay healthy in his career, including missing four of the last five games by being on injured reserve. Browning is in the final year of his rookie contract, as is Jonathon Cooper. But at this point, it's clear that Cooper should be retained. 

The Broncos defense did a great job when Browning was out, with Nik Bonitto stepping up. Bonitto notched a sack in each of the four games Browning missed and a sack in the veteran's first game back on Thursday night. With Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman also stepping up, Browning is expendable.

Multiple teams could use pass-rushing help, and Browning does have some prowess there, though it isn’t showing this season. In three games played, he's picked up one pressure in each of those games with zero sacks, although he has only played 48 pass rush snaps. He picked up three stops in the season opener but hasn’t picked up a stop in the 43 snaps he played in the other two games. 

There isn’t much the Broncos can ask for in return for Browning due to his injury history and being in a contract year. While the Broncos shouldn’t sell just to sell, they should jump at the opportunity to get something in exchange instead of hoping they can get a decent compensatory pick in 2026 with the contract he signs in the offseason.

Odds are that Browning's contract would only net a fifth-round pick at most, and the Broncos should be asking for a fifth at most in a trade. 

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D.J. Jones | DT

Jones is a lot harder to trade because he has a clear role on the defense and has had a solid season so far. He had the third-highest run-stop win rate among interior defensive linemen entering Week 7. However, he's also in the final year of his deal, and his play has been inconsistent, with only two good games so far. 

Adding Malcolm Roach, who's vastly outplayed Jones, Jordan Jackson, who plays decently, and  Eyioma Uwazurike, who plays well in his limited time, the Broncos can still sustain a rotation on their defensive line. It would open the door for more playing time for Jackson and Uwazurike to see what the Broncos have in them while moving on from a guy in a contract year who doesn’t seem to be in the team's future plans.

The Broncos should hold out for the right offer on Jones, hoping to land a pair of Day-3 draft picks, as multiple teams around the NFL are struggling on the defensive line, which Jones could help, including his former team, the San Francisco 49ers. His contract also makes it hard to move on from him, and the Broncos could ask for more in return if they're willing to eat more money.

So Jones' trade value isn’t so simple to project, and he could sign a decent deal in the offseason that would put Denver in a position to land a fifth-round compensatory pick in 2026. 

Bottom Line

While the Broncos should look to move Browning, they should be more hesitant with Jones. The Broncos know they can still put forth a good defense without Browning but aren’t as confident with Jones, though the defense has done better with the rush linebacker on the sideline than on the field.

Part of that could be due to the rotation of having Jones, and it isn’t like the defense has been bad with Jones on the field. However, if a team comes in with a good offer for Jones, Denver has to consider it, while Browning is at the point where the team take what it can get. 

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