Broncos not expected to have fire sale, but they probably should

The arrival of new head coach Sean Payton has not prevented the Denver Broncos from rolling toward another lost season, owning an ugly 1-5 record going into Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. Unless something dramatically changes over the final 11 games, the Broncos seem destined to finish with their seventh consecutive losing season.

All of that has made them very likely sellers in advance of the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline.

But if we are to believe a report from The Athletic's Diana Russini on Saturday, do not expect the team to go into a fire sale mode. 

Writes Russini:

"The Denver Broncos are not having a fire sale despite a troubling start to their season. Multiple people with the team told me that they will listen to offers on every player but aren’t selling the roster. I was told to look for them to move pieces on the defensive side of the ball. I expect Sean Payton to have a strong hand in all of these decisions as the team continues to back his vision and beliefs. That’s not my opinion; that’s what Broncos owner Greg Penner told me at the league meeting. He was emphatic that this organization still has strong support for and hope that Payton can make them winners."

The Broncos already parted ways with veteran edge-rusher Randy Gregory, and it seems possible that wide receiver Jerry Jeudy could also be on the move. 

They should not stop there. 

The harsh reality for the Broncos is that they might have one of the worst long-term outlooks of any team in the NFL. They have an albatross of a contract at quarterback in Russell Wilson and gutted their draft pick capital (at least relating to premium picks) over the past few years in an effort to acquire Wilson and Payton.

They have not had a first-round pick since 2021, they do not have a second-round pick this season (as of now) and are in dire need of talent all across the field on both sides of the ball. Especially on defense where they rank 32nd in both yards against and points against. 

Teams in this sort of position should not have any untouchables on their roster, and banking on Payton to be able to dig them out of it seems more like wishful thinking than anything else. They shouldn't make trades just for the sake of making them, but if they get a good offer for pretty much any player, they should jump at it. A trade helps them collect much-needed premium draft assets and to hit the reset button on a franchise that is quickly approaching a full decade without any sort of success.