The Denver Broncos seem to have a formidable group of starting wide receivers in place for the 2023 season between Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick, but a blockbuster trade opportunity could be on the horizon for them if they are unsatisfied with the trio's injuries and inconsistencies of the past few seasons.
During the June 19, 2023, episode of Broncos Country Tonight, NFL insider Benjamin Albright discussed the possibility of the Broncos making a high-profile trade for All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs should the Buffalo Bills not be able to make peace with him.
Diggs stirred up some drama in Buffalo last week when he opted not to attend the first practice of the Bills' mandatory veteran minicamp on June 13, prompting head coach Sean McDermott to say he was "very concerned" about the star receiver's absence. The Bills later downplayed concerns, but Ben Volin of The Boston Globe has since reported that "Diggs' frustration is with his role in the offense and his voice in play-calling."
"I talked to some people in Buffalo on the condition of anonymity and they said that, 'Publicly, we're not moving him. Privately, we would consider it under the right circumstances,'" Albright said.
With that situation in mind, Albright pointed to Diggs' relationship with Broncos general manager George Patton - who was part of the Minnesota front office that originally drafted him in 2015 - and beamed about how good of a fit he believes the 29-year-old receiver could be in Sean Payton's new offensive system. He also suggested, if the Bills want to talk trade, the Broncos could offer Sutton as part of the compensation.
"So what could a guy like Stefon Diggs fetch in return? Well, quite a bit," Albright said. "The question, in the end, is can Denver afford that big contract that he got? You'd have to ship out one of the big receivers to do that, and it would have to be more than that. You're not just going to give up Courtland Sutton and get Stefon Diggs. You'd have to give up Sutton, draft picks, that kind of thing to make it work."
The Broncos would no longer be walking on shaky ground with their receiving corps if they pulled the trigger on a trade for Diggs. He has racked up 338 receptions for 4,149 yards and 29 touchdowns over his combined three seasons with the Bills, finishing with at least 1,200 yards and 100 receptions in each of those years. As Albright noted, Diggs is also still very much in his prime even as he approaches the start of his 30s.
The benefits for quarterback Russell Wilson alone could justify the expectedly high trade price. Diggs would provide Wilson with a reliable No. 1 superstar to lean on in the passing game, one who has caught more than 70% of his targets in two of his last three seasons in Buffalo. Replacing Sutton (125 catches in the past three years) with Diggs would also alleviate some of the pressure for Jeudy to emerge as a top passing weapon and could even allow him to shine brighter with Diggs drawing the focus of defenses.
In terms of cost, the Broncos are not currently in a position to add Diggs' enormous contract to their books with about $8.8 million in remaining cap space for 2023, but dealing away Sutton would solve that problem. They would free up about $14.44 million if they traded Sutton before the start of the season, giving them enough space to add Diggs' $14.875 million cap hit for 2023. They would still have to figure out how to handle Diggs' rising cost (more than $27 million in each of the next three years) for future seasons, but that's a problem worth taking on to get firmly into win-now mode.
GettyJerry Jeudy has shown flashes of being a No. 1 receiver for the Broncos.
The idea of the Broncos trading to acquire an elite receiver like Diggs might sound great on paper, but do they actually believe they need such a substantial receiver upgrade?
Right now, the Broncos have three starting wide receivers who, despite inconsistencies, have high potential for 2023 if the offense can take a step forward under Payton. Jeudy has shown signs of being able to develop into a true No. 1 receiver over the past three seasons and may finally be ready to take the leap with Payton on the scene and a full year of chemistry banked with Wilson. When healthy, Sutton and Patrick have also both been more than capable of acting as complementary options in the passing game.
The Broncos are also freshly stocked with depth behind their trio of starters with K.J. Hamler, free agent signing Marquez Callaway and second-round rookie Marvin Mims Jr. Injury troubles have kept Hamler off the field for much of the past two seasons, but he was a promising rotational option as a rookie in 2020 with 30 catches for 381 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Mims was the Broncos' first pick of the 2023 draft and has the potential to push for the No. 4 receiver role right away as a rookie.
If even one of their three depth pieces can shine alongside the starters, the Broncos could be in great shape with pass-catchers without Diggs, especially with a collection of sturdy tight ends in Greg Dulcich, Albert Okwuegbunam and Adam Trautman.