Broncos trade OLB Malik Reed to Steelers for late-round pick

The Broncos have agreed to trade OLB Malik Reed to the Steelers for late-round draft pick.

The Denver Broncos have agreed to trade outside linebacker Malik Reed to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a late-round draft pick, according to multiple reports.

The Broncos agreed to trade Reed and a seventh-round pick to the Steelers in exchange for a sixth-round pick, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. In addition to getting a higher draft pick, Denver also created an additional $2.433 million in salary cap space.

Reed (6-2, 235 pounds) originally joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Nevada in 2019. Reed was a productive pass rusher in Denver, but he sometimes struggled to set the edge against the run and the Broncos are extremely crowded at outside linebacker this year.

Denver initially planned for Reed to play as a rotational pass rusher, but he ended up starting 34 games over the last three years as an injury fill-in. In 45 career games, Reed has totaled 123 tackles, 30 quarterback hits and 15 sacks.

The Broncos, meanwhile, are still crowded at outside linebacker even after the Reed trade. Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory are set to start with Baron Browning and second-round pick Nik Bonitto backing them up. Right now, Jonathon Cooper is also still on the roster, as is special teams ace Aaron Patrick. It’s one of Denver’s deepest positions going into the season.

We are tracking all of the Broncos roster moves on this page.

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