Courtland Sutton's Game in KC May Have Broncos Rethinking Trade Options

In what might be the league's worst-kept secret, the Denver Broncos are set to host an October fire sale ahead of the NFL trade deadline. When compiling a list of who might be moving on, perhaps it's a more judicious use of time to instead pick the handful of players who deserve to stick around.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton wanted to see vast improvements in terms of effort and application from the players who wish to stay in Denver. That's a crucial factor to Payton as he attempts to get a grip on the organization and mold the team in his own image.

Consequently, things are going to change massively on a week-to-week basis, and for as patchwork and disjointed as Thursday night's loss at Arrowhead Stadium was, Payton sounded like a man who was trying to find the silver lining.

"I was encouraged, I thought they played hard," Payton said post-game. "We'll see this team in two weeks. That's kind of what I told them afterwards, I said, 'You can be disappointed here, but don't get discouraged.'"

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

As much as anything, moving forward with any sense of positivity and shared purpose will be about everyone setting a selfless tone. Simply put, the Broncos players must prove they haven't checked out or are in search of a paycheck elsewhere.

On that front, in Week 5's loss, veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton was among a group of dispirited Broncos who looked like they had checked out. On Thursday night a more motivated, if not rejuvenated Sutton showed up — it's amazing what a short week can do.

Quarterback Russell Wilson also praised Sutton for his tremendous one-handed touchdown grab, a play which briefly gave the Broncos hope of a late comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs.

"I thought Courtland made an unbelievable catch," Wilson raved of Sutton's late grab. "It was an unbelievable job. We isolated him one-on-one with the corner and he ran a great route. I tried to give him a chance and he did a great job of bringing it down."

Sutton has been linked to trade rumors dating back to last spring. They cooled for a time, but have reignited of late as the Broncos' fortunes have plummeted. If Sutton has perhaps saved his Broncos career by eagerly stamping his Riddell in the chest of the Chiefs defenders, the widely held expectation is that fellow pass catcher Jerry Jeudy is baggage Payton doesn't wish to carry for much longer.

Jeudy's highly publicized pre-game spat with Thursday Night Football's Steve Smith displayed extremely juvenile behavior, but it might just be the last straw for Payton.

Putting on a front-office hat for a moment, Jeudy's untapped potential makes him an ideal candidate to be shipped for a decent but still diminishing return on the first-round draft pick the Broncos invested in the Alabama wideout.

The news cycle is moving mighty quickly, and all the buzz points to Jeudy being sent packing elsewhere.

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!