Jensen's Judgment: Broncos Fans Wanted a RB Trade, But George Paton Knew Better

The Denver Broncos were heavily linked to Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor ahead of last Tuesday's NFL trade deadline. Instead of a backfield weapon, the Broncos ended up agreeing to a trade for Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley, though the deal fell through after he failed his physical.

It makes you wonder how interested the Broncos really were in running backs, and how much of it was a smokescreen to throw teams off ahead of the deadline. All the Taylor rumors led to speculation in the blogosphere and on social media about several other running backs and whether the Broncos might also be interested in them.

Tony Pollard was one of those running backs. Before the deadline, there wasn't solid reporting on the Broncos being interested in Pollard, but that was then.

Now, a few days after the deadline, we know the Broncos were actually interested in Pollard. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, the Broncos "checked in" on Pollard, but the Tennessee Titans' asking price of a third-round pick scared them off.

Sticker Shocked

Sean Payton and George Paton — Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton hold a virtual presser. | Denver Broncos

It's curious that the Titans wouldn't part with Pollard for anything less than a third-rounder. He's in the final season of the three-year, $21.75 million contract Tennessee gave him, which means that, if he departs in free agency in the offseason, the Titans can expect to get a compensatory draft pick back from the league.

But a third-rounder? Not likely for a running back who will be turning 30 shortly after the 2027 free-agency window opens. He's playing at a high level this season, but at his age, he's unlikely to be offered a contract next year that'll put him in the top-35% salary threshold at his position.

It's possible if Pollard stays healthy and continues to produce at high level for Tennessee's guttering offense. But whether he'd return a comp pick to Tennessee at all — let alone a third-rounder (the highest possible) — will also be dependent on how the Titans spend in free agency.

When it comes to Taylor, the Broncos reportedly backed away when the Colts began asking for first-round value. Barring that, Indy was looking for Christian McCaffrey-type compensation.

The San Francisco 49ers gave the Carolina Panthers a second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-round pick for McCaffrey back in 2022, but he was younger then than Taylor is now and nowhere near as close to the 2,000-carry milestone.

If the Colts had been more reasonable with their asking price, the Broncos likely would have been more serious about Taylor. Alas, for Colts fans, the team's decision robbed them of the chance to add to their rebuild war chest. Taylor will turn 30 after next season.

The Right Decision

Jonah Coleman. — Jonah Coleman stiff-arms a dude into the dirt. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Broncos made the right call in not paying through the nose to acquire a running back. Giving up a third-round draft pick for a soon-to-be 30-year-old running back in a contract year, when the Broncos have two young players on the rise — Jonah Coleman and RJ Harvey — would have been questionable.

Pollard would have certainly helped the Broncos' offense in what remains of this season, but he would have been a short-term rental. The third-round draft pick is more valuable to the Broncos in the grand scheme of things.

Don't get me wrong; Pollard is having a big season, with 595 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He's on pace to post his fourth straight 1,000-yard rushing season, with a legitimate chance at resetting his career high (1,082 yards).

But at the end of the day, the Broncos believe they have the horses in the running back stable (pardon the pun) to turn the rushing ship around down the stretch, and that includes J.K. Dobbins. Denver knows that fixing the blocking up front is likely to be the catalyst to maximizing the investments it has already made in the backfield.

Harvey was a second-round pick. Coleman was a fourth-rounder. The Broncos are paying Dobbins $8 million this year. And they made these investments for a reason, believing they had the foundation in the trenches to make some hay with these backs.

Fix the Blocking, the Ground Game Comes Alive

Sean Payton's remarks to Colin Cowherd earlier this week, the day after the trade deadline, hinted at how the Broncos view their lack of rushing success as a team this season. It's more of a blocking deficiency than a talent shortage at running back.

Sure, given the Broncos' blocking issues up front, it would have been nice to add another running back like Coleman who could create for himself, but with the deadline coming during the team's bye week, Payton must have been confident that he and run game coordinator Zach Strief would have the breathing room to get to the bottom of the O-line problems.

Payton issued a veiled threat to his blockers in his conversation with Cowherd, pointing to the Broncos' O-line depth and hinting that personnel changes aren't outside the bounds of the possible during the bye.

I'll be surprised if Denver benches any of its starting five, but if there are technical or schematic explanations for the troubling regression of center Luke Wattenberg and right tackle Mike McGlinchey, it's now or never for Payton and Strief to identify it.

The Takeaway

I would have liked to see the Broncos add one more running back ahead of the trade deadline, mainly because Harvey is on injured reserve for two more games. Taylor may have been worth a third-rounder and then some because of his unique talent and ability to create, and the fact that he's under contract beyond 2026.

A third-rounder for Pollard, though? No way.

That's a deal that only a desperate team makes, not the Broncos. And it turns out the Titans couldn't find any suckers willing to take that deal, so they bypassed the opportunity to stockpile some draft picks in yet another lost season.

First-round value or a McCaffrey package for a nearly 29-year-old Taylor? No. And certainly not when the Broncos have two young backs just scratching the surface of their NFL potential.

With the schedule opening up coming out of the bye — only one plus-.500 opponent until Christmas — the Broncos will have plenty of opportunity to get their fledgling ground attack rolling in time for the true stretch run.

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