At 4-2, the Denver Broncos are far more likely to be buyers than sellers ahead of the November 10 NFL trade deadline.
The Broncos weathered their initial six-game gauntlet as well as anyone could have expected, and now the schedule really opens up, though it's not without its challenges. All of the Broncos' goals are still on the table, which, again, points to the front office being in more of a buyer's mindset.
However, the Broncos do have a handful of potential trade pieces who could draw interest around the NFL. Most of these players are in a contract year, and the Broncos have viable replacement options behind them, in the event of a trade.
Today, we're ranking the players the Broncos would be most likely to trade away. Again, though, the odds of an outbound trade seem pretty slim, as the Broncos are looking to compete for a shot at the Super Bowl.
That being said, you never know. If a team made the Broncos an offer they couldn't refuse, all bets are off. These players will be ranked in order of most to least likely to be traded. Let's dive in.
Riley Moss | CB
Moss is in a contract year, and he's poised to command upwards of $20 million per year on his next deal. The Broncos opted not to extend him in the summer, which suggests that the front office is unconvinced on the subject, but it's still possible he could garner an in-season extension at the Week 10 bye.
Moss's rib injury has complicated a potential extension. He originally suffered it in the Broncos' second preseason game, falling on a fumble, but against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4, he reaggravated it, and missed much of that game, all of Week 5, and only saw 10 snaps in Week 6's win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Meanwhile, Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Daine have played well in the absence of Moss and Patrick Surtain II. Both young cornerbacks have looked starting-caliber, which could clarify the Moss issue for the Broncos.
Barron was a 2025 first-round pick with three more years of cost control on his contract, while Abrams-Draine still has two more years left on his fifth-rounder deal. The Broncos have invested heavily at cornerback for a reason, and in each of the past two seasons, they've had to rely on that depth, which is why I doubt the team looks to trade Moss.
But if the phone rang, GM George Paton will always listen. It would take the right offer to get Moss of Denver's hands, though, especially given that, if they let him depart in free agency in 2027, they could receive a compensatory draft pick as high as a third-rounder.
Moss was a 2023 third-round pick, so if a team wanted him — remember, he's one of the best No. 2 cornerbacks in the NFL — the conversation would likely have to start with a Round 3 pick. Otherwise, there's no upside in Denver losing Moss during the season, although getting a third-round comp pick for him would be the best-case scenario.
Jarrett Stidham | QB
Stidham has an $8 million cap number this year, and he just turned 30. He believes he's a starting-caliber quarterback, and despite Nix's slump this season, Stidham is never going to get that opportunity in Denver, especially given how poorly he played in the AFC championship game.
Stidham is also in the final year of his contract. In his training camp battle with Sam Ehlinger, Stidham wasn't the obvious winner, though the Broncos opted to retain him as Bo Nix's primary backup.
I believe the Broncos expect Stidham to leave in 2027, in hopes of finding a starting opportunity somewhere. The best-case scenario for a comp pick would be a seventh-rounder, so the Broncos could likely be persuaded to part with Stidham with the right offer.
The Broncos have kept Ehlinger around for a reason, and while he's also playing on an expiring contract, I think the team plans on rolling with him as Nix's backup in 2027, while drafting a developmental option in the later rounds.
Marvin Mims Jr. | WR/R
Mims hasn't looked like himself in his contract year. He changed agents during the offseason in hopes of perhaps getting the Broncos to offer him an extension, and he may have been trending in that direction before a leg injury sidelined him a week into training camp.
Mims missed most of camp and August, but he was able to recover in time to play in the preseason finale. Alas, early in that game, he went up high for a pass near the sideline and came down awkwardly on foot.
In Week 1, Mims didn't look quite right or comfortable, then he missed Week 2 and Week 3. Since his return in Week 4, though, he's been ineffective as a punt returner — his speciality — and a relative non-factor in the passing game.
While Mims was injured, the Broncos elevated undrafted rookie Kolbe Katsis from the practice squad against the Los Angeles Rams, and he turned in a record debut as a returner. The Broncos believe they have something potentially special in Katsis, which is another factor in the cooling of their heels on Mims.
If the Broncos let the chips fall, and Mims departs in free agency next year, depending on the contract he gets from his next team, he could yield a fourth- or fifth-round comp pick. Maybe higher, if some team overpays for him.
Mims was the first draft pick of the Sean Payton era, drafted in Round 2 back in 2023, and he's a two-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro returner. Because Katsis is waiting in the wings, if the right offer came in, I could see the Broncos moving Mims, but given the comp pick the team will receive if it doesn't extend or trade Mims, such an offer would have to be irresistible.
Eyioma Uwazurike | DL
Uwazurike is in a contract year and has not played up to expectations. He's been a key cog in the Broncos' defensive line rotation, but he has failed to build on the progress he showed last year.
Were it not for the emergence of Malcolm Roach, the Broncos' defense wouldn't be weathering the loss of John Franklin-Myers nearly as well as it has. Uwazurike was one of the reasons the Broncos didn't even make an offer to JFM.
Uwazurike was a 2022 fourth-round pick, but he spent the 2023 season suspended for violating the NFL's gambling policy. Otherwise, he would have been a free agent this past spring.
Uwazurike hasn't looked nearly as good against the run and the pass-rush component has been inconsistent. Meanwhile, the Broncos have depth behind him, with a pair of former third-rounders waiting in the wings.
Sai'vion Jones has been getting more playing time this season, and he's looked good as a pass rusher. Meanwhile, rookie Tyler Onyedim has been a healthy scratch all year, while Jones and veteran Jordan Jackson have been getting the game-day nods.
At this stage, I geniunely don't believe the Broncos plan on re-signing Uwazurike. Now, he could turn things around, and change that conversation, but with Roach, Zach Allen, and D.J. Jones balling out, the Broncos have a top-tier starting D-line.
That implies Denver doesn't think Onyedim is ready. But if an interesting offer came in for Uwazurike, you know what they say: necessity is the mother of invention. If Uwazurike walked out the door, the Broncos would have no hesitation in dressing Onyedim.
Losing Uwazurike would weaken them, but at the right price, I could see a deal getting done. However, he's listed second-to-last for a reason: of all the names on this list, his would likely draw the least interest around the league ahead of the deadline.
Courtland Sutton | WR
Sutton is on pace for a career-low season. Much of that is due to Nix's slump and the insane caliber of opponents the Broncos have faced on a weekly basis this season, but Sutton shoulders his share of the blame, too.
Sutton isn't getting off the line of scrimmage well and creating separation consistently. Throw in the absence of his typical intensity at the catch point — turning 50/50 balls into 70/30s — and he's another veteran who simply hasn't looked like himself this season.
At 31, Sutton's best days are behind him, but he's coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and he made the Pro Bowl last year. His $23.5 million cap number is pretty fair for an aging No. 1 receiver, even if his production hasn't been on that level yet.
The Broncos chose not to exercise the option bonus in Sutton's contract, which locked in his 2026 cap number and gave the team flexibility after this season. Some have theorized that Denver made that decision because it plans on moving on from Sutton after 2026, or, at the very least, wants the flexibility to do so. Exercising his option bonus would have made that much harder.
If a team viewed Sutton as the missing X-receiver it needed — a weapon who could be fed 10-plus targets per game — I doubt it would balk at his contract. The bulk of Sutton's guaranteed money goes away after this season, so that adds some potential flexibility.
Now, Sutton has always been Nix's security blanket and he's a team captain. With Nix battling to climb out of his slump, I don't think the Broncos would countenance the idea of taking his most reliable target out of the equation, and risk exacerbating the issue.
Translation: it would take a very serious offer for the Broncos to consider moving Sutton this season. Jaylen Waddle hasn't been the salve to heal all wounds that Denver may have hoped he'd be and Pat Bryant is on injured reserve.
Sutton's future as a Bronco may be up in the air post-2026, but with the division crown, the playoffs, and the hopes of a Super Bowl still on the table, this team views him as being much more valuable on the roster than off it.
As far as backup options, Bryant is the heir apparent to Sutton, but he suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 that landed him on IR. Bryant is expected to return at some point this season, but it could be well after the four-game minimum.
However, if Bryant recovers fast, and he's activated for Week 9's road game against the Carolina Panthers, the Broncos could see how he looks and weigh it along with all the other Sutton factors before the trade deadline two days later. That game is on a Sunday; the trade deadline is the following Tuesday.
Based on his production, age, and contract, though, all bets are off for Sutton in 2027, unless he and Nix suddenly turn it around from here.
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