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The Jacksonville Jaguars were going to release cornerback A.J. Bouye, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Instead, the team was able to trade him to the Denver Broncos for a fourth-round draft pick.
So did the Broncos make a bad move by trading for a cornerback who was going to be cut anyway? Not necessarily.
Denver still has a fourth-round pick — the selection they traded to Jacksonville was acquired in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers for wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. The Broncos also won’t have to get into a bidding war for Bouye by trading for him before he hits the market.
The Jaguars received “a lot of interest” in Bouye, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. So had he been released to free agency, the 28-year-old cornerback probably would have been in high demand.
Bouye “was the target for Denver all along,” according to The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala. By trading a mid-round pick for him, Broncos general manager John Elway ensures that he gets his guy without having to outbid other teams for his services.
Denver has to be happy with this trade.
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