Broncos players brace for NFL trade deadline

“That’s above my pay grade,” Broncos safety Justin Simmons said of the NFL’s looming trade deadline.

The Denver Broncos have said publicly that they’re not actively shopping players ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, but other teams have been calling Denver about potential trades.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported last week that the Broncos “are actively looking for draft picks.” Breer also mentioned linebacker Josey Jewell, safety Justin Simmons, cornerback Pat Surtain, left tackle Garett Bolles and wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton as players who could draw interest from other teams.

Denver won’t trade Surtain, but the team might be tempted to move the other players Breer mentioned, if the price is right. While the trade deadline approaches, players are left in limbo.

“For sure,” Simmons said on Sunday when asked if he hopes the team keeps the roster together instead of making trades to add draft picks. “I think we have the talent on the team as is, and we can definitely make this thing happen. That’s above my pay grade.

“I’m just going to keep showing up for this team and keep trying to find ways to lead and to win and to help my side of the ball be the best that we can be to help us win. If you’re asking me if I love the guys that we have in the room right now and the building, 100 percent. I think we can definitely do it.”

Jeudy seems to be the team’s most likely trade candidate. The Broncos already had an offer on the table for Jeudy going into Sunday’s game (according to ProFootballTalk.com), and Denver has been listening to offers for the receiver for more than a year. If we had to predict one Broncos player who will be off the roster by Tuesday night, it’d be Jeudy.

Denver has already made one trade this season, sending pass rusher Randy Gregory to the San Francisco 49ers in a late-round pick swap earlier this month. Time will tell if more trades are on the way.

The NFL trade deadline is 2:00 p.m. MT on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

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