What New Adam Schefter Trade Rumor Says About Broncos' WR Plans

Adam Schefter reported that the Denver Broncos have made calls about wide receivers ahead of the NFL trade deadline. What could the Broncos be planning and why?

Oct 5, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) celebrates after a play against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter at Caesars Superdome. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Before the injury bug took an even bigger bite out of the unit, the Denver Broncos were rumored to be interested in tight ends ahead of the November 4 NFL trade deadline. With Nate Adkins suffering an injury vs. the Dallas Cowboys and Lucas Krull opting for a surgery that will extend his stay on injured reserve by another couple of months, the Broncos' depth at tight end has withered.

The Broncos put in a couple of waiver claims on tight ends Brendan Bates and Ben Sims, but they went to the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings, respectively, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Tight end isn't the only position the Broncos are prioritizing with the trade deadline inching closer, Schefter claims.

"I'm still counting and waiting on deals for wide receivers. We've got the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Buffalo Bills, the Denver Broncos, other teams that have made calls about wide receivers," Schefter said on his podcast on Tuesday. "We've got the New Orleans Saints sitting on a collection of wide receivers, in which I think at least one will be dealt, and if I had to bet, I'd say Rashid Shaheed is the guy that interests most teams for his speed and his talent, and the guy whose contract is up after this year who the Saints, I think, would be most willing to part with if the compensation were fair and right."

One week ahead of the NFL trade deadline, some intel from around the league:

Cc: @tyschmit

🎧 https://t.co/lMHQCL5ZKV pic.twitter.com/rvjjOMEWaN

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 28, 2025

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The Shaheed Rumor

Sep 7, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) is tackled by Arizona Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. (2) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

One particularly virulent rumor is that the Broncos are one of those teams calling the Saints about Shaheed. It would seem the 6-foot, 180-pound wideout could be had in a trade if the price is right.

Some denizens of Broncos Country may ask themselves why the team would be looking to add a wide receiver like Shaheed if the offense can't consistently feed Courtland Sutton. I would counter that Sutton is doing just fine, sitting with 37 receptions for 536 yards and three touchdowns at the halfway mark of the season.

Sutton is well on his way to a second straight 1,000-yard season, and that production thus far has mostly come during a stretch where the Broncos' offense was still finding its footing. He also dropped a sure-fire touchdown pass last Sunday. The past five quarters of football seem to have unlocked something, with Bo Nix accounting for eight total touchdowns over that span, six of which have been through the air.

Meanwhile, Troy Franklin has steadily blossomed as the Broncos' No. 2 receiver. He has 33 receptions for 358 yards and four touchdowns.

The Broncos finally saw rookie third-rounder Pat Bryant get a bite at the apple in Sunday's 20-point win over the Dallas Cowboys, while Marvin Mims Jr. has been relegated to a gadget role on offense. However, when the Broncos have asked Mims to be a downfield threat, he's answered the bell. He's in concussion protocol currently.

For whatever reason, though, the Broncos feel like they're missing a piece at wide receiver, or else they wouldn't be making the calls. Shaheed hasn't benefited from the best quarterback play this season, but he has 39 receptions for 431 yards and two touchdowns, playing with fellow Saints wideout Chris Olave.

Olave has more receptions, yards, and touchdowns than Shaheed, but not by much. Shaheed has made the best of a less-than-ideal quarterback situation, and just turned 27 years old.

Broncos Watch

Will the Broncos make a move? Time will tell. Schefter doesn't expect to see much happen this week. But after Week 9's slate of games, watch for the trade wire to explode.

"I think there's going to be a flurry of activity after next week," Schefter said on his podcast.

With a pair of 2026 fourth-round draft picks, the Broncos might try to use one of them to pry a receiver off somebody's hands. Denver has a little bit north of $5 million in current salary-cap space, but budgets can always be fudged for those adepts of cap voodoo.

Shaheed is about halfway through a season where he's earning a $4.2 million base salary. The Broncos could fit him into the budget, and wait to see how he does before deciding on whether to re-sign him next offseason.