The 5-3 Denver Broncos gave a stiff beating to the 1-7 Carolina Panthers in Denver on Sunday. It's Denver's best start to the regular season since 2016.
2016 was also the Broncos' last winning season since Super Bowl 50, and seven consecutive losing campaigns followed. Denver is currently in second place in the AFC West and is one of the hottest teams in the NFL, having won five of its last six games. Next up is a two-game road trip to open the month of November.
Week 9’s matchup will undoubtedly be the biggest challenge yet for Sean Payton’s rising team. The Broncos will clash with the 5-3 Baltimore Ravens, who are in second place in the AFC North and coming off a 29-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
The Broncos will need every weapon in the arsenal to contend with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. But with the NFL trade deadline rapidly approaching, will the Broncos have their No. 1 receiver on Sunday?
The NFL wide receiver trade market has ignited over the past few weeks, with Diontae Johnson being dealt from Carolina to Baltimore on Tuesday. One NFL insider reports that the Broncos could do some business of their own ahead of the November 5 deadline by dealing away Courtland Sutton.
“Sources close to the situation believe there’s a 50/50 chance the Denver Broncos move Courtland Sutton. The 2018 second-round pick whose name always comes up as trade bait, has been a favorite target of Bo Nix this season, as the team is a surprising 5-3 at the midway point. Sutton is likely to renegotiate his contract after the season, as he has a base salary of $13.5 million and a cap hit of $20.1 million in the final year of his deal in 2025.” Sports Keeda's Tony Pauline reported on Tuesday.
Sutton is one of the Broncos' longest-tenured veterans, earning a Pro Bowl designation in 2019. The 29-year-old is also a team captain for the fourth consecutive year and is coming off his best game this season.
After being shutout in Week 7, Sutton led all receivers in targets (11), receptions (eight), and receiving yards (100) in Denver’s 28-14 win over Carolina. It was Sutton’s first 100-yard game this season, although the seventh-year veteran also coughed up a fumble.
Sutton is tied with running back Jaleel McLaughlin with two touchdown receptions this season and is the only Broncos receiver to record multiple scores thus far. Sutton is also the team’s leader in receptions (29), with running back Javonte Williams right behind him with 27.
So why would the Broncos look to move on from their WR1 right when he’s clicking with rising rookie quarterback Bo Nix?
Instead of Payton working the phones as a potential seller, perhaps he could be mulling over trade offers from receiver-needy teams. The rumor mill claims that teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Los Angeles Chargers are looking to obtain a receiver before the trade deadline.
“While teams have been calling about Sutton, the Broncos are in no rush to give him away and won’t deal the wideout unless the offer is right and they feel they can improve their team moving forward,” Pauline concluded.
The Takeaway
Don’t expect to see Sutton get dealt before Sunday's tilt at the Ravens. I don't envision the Broncos moving on from him before the November 5 trade deadline.
The Broncos have had many opportunities to move on from No. 14 over the past few years, including when they've been sitting on a losing record and suffering from bad head coaches and horrendous quarterback play. And yet, Sutton has remained in the Mile High fold.
The Broncos are right in the thick of things when it comes to competing for postseason contention in the AFC. Unless the Broncos get an extravagant offer they can’t refuse, expect Sutton to continue serving as Nix's premier target in this budding Payton offense.
