Insider Names New Sleeper for Broncos to Trade by NFL Deadline

How would losing this veteran impact the Denver Broncos?

On the heels of a 1-5 start, the NFL is buzzing about the Denver Broncos. And not in a good way.

With the NFL trade deadline approaching on October 31, the Broncos are expected to be big-time sellers. We've cataloged well many of the Broncos' top trade candidates here at Mile High Huddle.

However, a new name has been floated by Sports Illustrated's NFL insider Albert Breer: veteran linebacker Josey Jewell.

On defense, both safety Justin Simmons and linebacker Josey Jewell have value. The former is making a prorated chunk of $14.4 million this year ($9.6 million left), and has a nonguaranteed $14.5 million coming in the final year of his deal. Jewell, a tough, smart off-ball linebacker, has less than $3 million left this year, plus some nominal per-game roster bonuses, and is a free agent in March.

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Simmons is obviously a high-profile name to watch leading up to the deadline, and while Jewell could be a sleeper option to be dealt, there are drawbacks.

Jewell has value on the NFL trade market. I'm not disputing that. And he's in a contract year with an expiring contract.

But the Broncos' depth behind Jewell is thin. The same can be said for safety, though, for what it's worth. However, the haul the Broncos could extract in return for trading Jewell would pale in comparison to what Simmons would command.

That rationale could lead the Broncos to accept the lack-of-depth situation at safety, if an outside team made the right offer for Simmons. Jewell, even in the best-case estimation, might garner a mid-to-late-round draft pick in a trade.

The former Iowa Hawkeye is an experienced vet, and he's eclipsed the 100-tackle mark in two of the past three seasons, but his injury history and athletic limitations in coverage minimize his value on the trade market. And when it comes to the Broncos' depth behind Jewell, we got a glimpse of that earlier this season when he missed time.

Rookie third-rounder Drew Sanders has potential in spades, but he's very new to the inside linebacker position, and it shows. However, if the Broncos are committed to Sanders as part of their long-term future, he won't develop without playing.

Moving forward with Sanders as the starter at inside linebacker alongside Alex Singleton would absolutely come with some trial-and-error, but the Broncos' playoff hopes are all but completely dashed, so there'd be little to lose in biting the bullet and playing Sanders in the event of a Jewell trade.

Drafted in the fourth round back in 2018, Jewell has started 48 of the 67 games he's appeared in as a Bronco. He's totaled 378 tackles (221 solo), 19 tackles for a loss, six sacks, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions.

As one of Denver's emotional leaders on defense and the signal-caller who relays Vance Joseph's plays on the field, it would sting to lose Jewell. But the Broncos are unlikely to re-sign Jewell after 2023, as the drafting of Sanders foreshadowed.

For now, the soon-to-be 29-year-old Jewell remains a Bronco. Time will tell just how long he remains in the Orange and Blue.

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