The Denver Broncos chose to stand pat at the trade deadline, which may have come as a surprise to those who haven’t watched the team a lot. The Broncos have ridden the growth of quarterback Bo Nix and a fierce group of pass rushers to the top of the AFC West, and a win tomorrow night against the struggling Las Vegas Raiders would put them at 8-2. 

So why not add to get over the top? Rumors had the Broncos looking at tight end as a position where they might add or upgrade, even after adding 41-year old tight end Marcedes Lewis as a blocking option. Wide receiver was another position where the Broncos could have made an upgrade, especially with the New Orleans Saints making receivers like Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed available. 

But coach Sean Payton stood his ground, which wasn’t all that surprising given how frequently he’s expressed his faith in the ongoing growth of Denver’s wide receiver group. 

“George (Paton) and I speak each day about it,” Payton said recently about his conversations with Denver’s general manager about possible trades in a piece written by Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. “It would just be dependent on a few things, but right now the plan is we like what we currently have — and we’ll kind of approach it that way.”

What they’ve got is receiver Courtland Sutton as the main target to go with Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin and rookie Pat Bryant. Sutton is a big target who can move the chains and make big plays down the field in the red zone, and he’s on pace to have his second straight 1,000-yard season. Mims, meanwhile, is flashy and quick, and he's made plays in the return game as well. 

Franklin is a key figure here. The second-year receiver has already surpassed his total in catches from last year with 37, and he’s also found the end zone four times. Bryant has shown the ability to make tough catches over the middle, and his blocking is considered an important part of Denver’s running game. 

The group’s chemistry with Nix can’t be overlooked, either. Nix is an improviser at heart, and while his ability to make downfield throws from the pocket has improved considerably, he’s often at his best out of the pocket. 

Completing those kinds of throws is often about knowing where receivers will be, and how they’ll be able to react when plays break down and backyard football becomes the order of the day. Bringing in a new receiver could disrupt the chemistry that's clearly developing here, and it turns out that Payton was telling the truth when he expressed his faith in his young receiving corps.