5 Trades the Denver Broncos Could Make To Add Draft Picks

The Denver Broncos pulled off one of the biggest splashes of the offseason by landing Jaylen Waddle in a trade with the Miami Dolphins, but Denver now finds itself light on draft capital, with only one pick in the first 100 selections.

During his Broncos tenure, general manager George Paton has never had fewer than two such selections.

How can Paton rebuild his draft war chest with the 2026 NFL Draft less than one month away? Let's look at the options, starting with the least likely and working to the most realistic candidates.

5. Ben Powers

Earlier this offseason, Mike Klis reported that the Denver Broncos would not be cutting or trading Ben Powers, had decided not to ask him to take a pay cut, and would keep him as their starting left guard. Of course, that makes a trade incredibly unlikely, but it should be noted that this all happened before the team traded for Jaylen Waddle and suddenly became short on draft capital.

Considering these options were seemingly on the table, it appears Denver has some level of dissatisfaction with Powers' contract. The fact that Denver followed this report by denying an option bonus for Powers further fuels the possibility of a trade, because rejecting the bonus shrinks the team's long-term commitment to Powers.

If a team like the Lions, who are desperate for left guard help, offered a Day 2 pick for Powers now, with the free agent market drying up and the Broncos in possession of just one top-100 selection, would Denver say no? If they believed in their ability to replace Powers with the recently extended Alex Palczewski, it could make sense.

That said, although a trade is possible, the Broncos do appear committed to Powers for 2026, and it's unlikely the lineman so enamors a team that they make an offer persuasive enough to make Denver budge.

Verdict: Longshot

4. Jonah Elliss

Every team in the NFL could stand to add another talented pass-rusher off the edge. Well, every team, except maybe the Denver Broncos.

With Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Jonah Elliss, Dondrea Tillman, and Que Robinson all on the roster, the Broncos had more edge rushers than they could realistically activate for gameday. Depth is fantastic, and it's especially valuable at positions like edge rusher, but when you have so much talent at one position that you're forced to make one of your 40 best players a healthy scratch every week, that's too much depth.

Bonitto isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and Cooper's restructured contract makes it unlikely the Broncos will look to trade him either. Elliss, who's just one year away from being eligible for a sizable raise the Broncos can't afford, would be the most sensible trade piece.

Elliss could immediately become a high-impact player for any contending team in need of more pass-rush, like the Buffalo Bills, who just added former Broncos defensive assistant Jim Leonhard to be their defensive coordinator, but he could also make sense for teams in the midst of a more comprehensive rebuild who need to get younger at the position.

Ultimately, the same reasons he's an attractive trade commodity -- he's a young, talented player at a high-value position with multiple cheap years remaining on his contract -- are the same reasons Denver won't want to deal him, and it's hard to imagine Elliss yielding a "Godfather" offer.

In a year, when Elliss is entering his contract season and due for an extension, this will be worth revisiting.

Verdict: Longshot, but realistic next year

3. Jarrett Stidham

Jarrett Stidham is probably the cleanest option on this list. His AFC Championship Game performance left a lot to be desired, and, because he's the league's fourth-most expensive backup quarterback, the Broncos could save $6.5 million against the cap by trading him.

During his Broncos tenure, Stidham is 57-for-97 for 629 yards and three touchdowns, while turning the ball over four times. That's not terrible, but it's also below the level of play you would expect from one of the NFL's highest-paid backups.

Denver also decided to re-sign Sam Ehlinger this offseason, which is notable because when faced with a similar choice last offseason, they were comfortable letting Zach Wilson leave for Miami. Maybe they simply like what Ehlinger brings to the back of the room, or maybe they envision him taking on a bigger role this season.

Either way, $6.5 million would be more than enough to pursue a different backup quarterback option in the free-agent market, or, if they're happy with Ehlinger, they could use that money to add depth to one of their more shallow position groups.

While this trade would make a lot of sense for the Broncos, it likely wouldn't return more than a Day-3 pick-swap, and it's hard to find a sensible trade partner. There are a lot of quality fill-ins available who wouldn't cost draft capital and might cost less than $6.5 million, like Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo.

Verdict: Takes two to tango

2. Riley Moss

Riley Moss has been a trendy trade candidate for the Denver Broncos ever since they spent the 20th pick in last year's draft on Jahdae Barron, and a trade makes even more sense now, with Moss entering his contract season.

With pay spikes looming for Jaylen Waddle and Bo Nix, among others, the Broncos are going to have to make some sacrifices, and moving off the soon-to-be expensive Moss for premium draft capital would be one of the most sensible and least painful sacrifices the team could make, assuming Barron lives up to Denver's post-draft billing.

"We didn't expect him to be there," GM George Paton said during the post-draft press conference. "He was pretty high up on our board."

The team's defense of the pick was that Barron was simply too good a prospect to pass up with the 20th pick. Denver's crowded cornerback room made it impossible to get a clear verdict on that projection during his rookie year, but if the Broncos' braintrust still has the same conviction now that they had when they selected him, trading Moss should be an easy decision.

It would keep several million dollars on the table for Paton to wield however he sees fit, as the team would no longer have to extend Moss, and could instead lean on the three-to-four cheap years Barron has remaining on his rookie deal, and potentially even upgrade the defense in the process.

Unfortunately, right now, the Broncos haven't done much to signal a high level of confidence in Barron. This offseason, they opted to extend the second-round tender to Ja'Quan McMillian, which cemented his return for 2026, and this postseason, the last time we saw Denver on the field, Barron had a reduced role. That coaching decision doesn't seem to align with promoting the second-year to a starting role for the team's very next game.

Verdict: Makes sense, but hard to imagine Denver pulling the trigger

1. Troy Franklin

In the wake of the Broncos' blockbuster trade for Jaylen Waddle, Troy Franklin is the player most likely to be traded to restock the draft war chest.

For starters, this trade gives Denver a glut of depth at the receiver position. While wide receiver was one of the team's top offseason needs, that was the result of a lack of top-end talent, not depth. Sean Payton has typically rostered just five receivers per season, during his Broncos tenure, and Denver now has a clear-cut top-five of Waddle, Franklin, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr. and Pat Bryant.

That's a talented five-man rotation, but it might not fill all the necessary roles for roster construction, considering the redundant skillsets, as Waddle, Franklin, and Mims are all undersized, field-stretching speedsters. With how much Payton values size, physicality, and blocking ability, it seems unlikely that 60% of his receiver room would be comprised of sub-6-foot, sub-190-pound pass-catchers.

We know Waddle isn't going anywhere, but why is Franklin the odd man out? Why not Mims?

In one word, versatility.

Of those five, only Bryant and Mims played a role on special teams last year, with Mims being one of the NFL's best returners. That's important because the Broncos will have to get special teams contributions from their rostered receivers, and removing Mims would create a need while still leaving the room short on non-returner special teams snaps.

Upon his arrival, Waddle will immediately become one of Denver's top two receivers in terms of targets and playing time, and will likely spend the majority of his time at the Z, with some slot snaps on the side. Contributing to the team in other ways is how the rest of the receiver room will have to earn its keep. 55.8% of Mims' snaps last season weren't at the Z position, with 30.5% coming from 'non-WR' positions, demonstrating the breadth of his value. Meanwhile, a majority of Franklin's snaps came at Z, and a mere .01% came from 'non-WR' positions.

Not only do the Broncos have ample motivation to move Franklin, but there should be several interested suitors for his services. Waddle's a clear upgrade on the Oregon product, but Franklin was still a competent starting receiver, who is young and boasts plenty of untapped potential. If Devaughn Vele, a 27-year-old coming off a 475-yard season, is worth a pick at the top of the fourth round, Denver should be able to fetch quality compensation for 23-year-old Troy Franklin coming off a 100-catch, 700-yard season.

Verdict: Probable