Broncos Predicted to be 'Working the Phones in August'

A late-summer fire sale?

Jan 7, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton walks on the field before the start of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Concocting a superlative for each AFC team, ESPN's Bill Barnwell forecasts the Denver Broncos as "most likely to be working the phones in August," suggesting a late-summer fire sale for a franchise in transition post-Russell Wilson.

Barnwell specifically name-dropped tight end Greg Dulcich and cornerback Damarri Mathis as Broncos players who could be on the move in the months ahead.

"The Broncos are on a roster roller coaster. After trading away years of draft capital to acquire quarterback Russell Wilson and coach Sean Payton and going on an offseason spending spree last year, the team's decision to move on from Wilson and start over with rookie Bo Nix leaves it in a difficult bind. Like the empty nesters who sold their house and downsized, the Broncos have too much stuff," he wrote.

"There are players who predated Payton's time with the organization who could be traded away, especially if they haven't shown much since he arrived, including cornerback Damarri Mathis and tight end Greg Dulcich. None of the players included here are going to attract enormous returns, but as the Broncos redraw themselves in Payton's image, they should be looking to try to recoup some much-needed draft capital for 2025 and beyond."

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Dulcich, 24, is difficult to gauge as a trade prospect. A former third-round pick and hopeful starter, he's under cheap control in 2024 ($1.183 million base salary) but has missed 22 games over his first two seasons due to repeated hamstring issues.

Denver re-signed TE Adam Trautman, a Payton favorite, though otherwise left the position untouched this offseason. Payton has also talked up Dulcich's progress and impending return to action.

“He’s close. He’s had all the work done. We’re encouraged," Payton said last week. "I think you’ll see him sooner than later, and we want to be smart.”

Mathis, 25, is decidedly less difficult to gauge. The 115th overall selection in 2022, he followed an inconsistent rookie campaign with a brutal sophomore showing, grading out as Pro Football Focus' No. 126 CB among 127 qualifiers. Mathis was eventually benched in favor of veteran Fabian Moreau, who's no longer with the club.

The oft-criticized Pitt product landed in the coaches' doghouse and may struggle to claw himself back to daylight considering the Broncos added CBs Levi Wallace in free agency and Kris Abrams-Draine in the draft, and want to break in second-year DB Riley Moss.

Regardless, August is still a ways away. Training camp and preseason will determine whether those mentioned retain their spots or Payton jettisons them from the Mile High City.

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