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Bronco’s trade deadline plan shows a complete lack of confidence in Sean Payton and Bo Nix

Bronco’s trade deadline plan shows a complete lack of confidence in Sean Payton and Bo Nix

One of the biggest surprises of the 2024 regular season as we approach the NFL Trade Deadline and are therefore halfway through the campaign, was the Denver Broncos. Sean Payton’s club enters Week 9 with a shocking 5-3 record and the fanbase dreaming of the playoffs.

Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has started to come into his own lately, protecting the football, making plays with his arm and legs and simply helping create a functional offense the Broncos haven’t seen in a while. And with one of the better defenses in the NFL helping to protect him, it’s been a much better season than anyone could have imagined after the Russell Wilson debacle.

If only the front office believed in it – at least that’s how fans should feel after the latest rumor about Denver’s plans at the upcoming NFL Trade Deadline.

Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini reported Saturday, just three days before the deadline, that she “doesn’t expect the Broncos to be buyers or sellers.” That stance, according to her reporting, is rooted in internal belief in the young players on Denver’s roster and what they can continue to build on as they move forward.

Translation: Don’t expect the Broncos to make any real significant move at the trade deadline.

To some extent I can understand liking the young core. Where that falls apart for me, however, is how completely devoid of offensive playmakers the Broncos look. Nix’s success seems to be despite what he has around him. Jaleel McLaughlin looks explosive, but otherwise it’s a pretty barren landscape. Why not try to make a move that will put your chosen franchise quarterback in a better position to continue moving forward?

Maybe this is reaching, but this feels like a lack of trust from the front office. Certainly, there is a reason that justifies a lack of trust. The Broncos have five wins this season, but none of those wins have come against teams with a record above .500 at this point in the year. Denver’s signature win to date has been a 26-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the rest came against the Panthers, Jets, Saints and Raiders.

We’ll no doubt find out what the Broncos’ true ceiling is in the coming weeks when Payton’s club visits the Ravens and Chiefs in the next two weeks before facing the Falcons in Denver. That said, if the arrow continues to point up for this team after that stretch, it will be hard to justify not being a little more aggressive at the trade deadline if the standing stalemate strategy holds.

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