The Denver Broncos were expecting questions when they traded for Jaylen Waddle, and Geoge Paton gave some answers.
Denver Broncos GM George Paton arrived at the NFL spring meetings in Arizona expecting to be asked about the trade for receiver Jaylen Waddle, and he discussed both the trade and its effect on the receivers room in a report by Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post.
It was the Broncos who pursued the trade based on multiple reports, but they couldn’t get it done at the deadline last season. Still, they kept doing, and finally the Broncos managed to get their man.
“We felt like we knew the player well and the person even better,” Paton said Monday.
He’s also a Sean Payton kind of guy, and both the head coach the GM isn’t worried about the effect the change will have on the close-knit receiving group.
“He’s one of the more explosive playmakers in the league,” said George Paton. “Great makeup, great competitor. He’ll fit in with our room. … He just upgrades or helps the room. He opens up the run game, he’ll open it up for other receivers.”
Trading for Waddle set off some rumors that the Broncos would be making a trade from the existing group, but Paton claims the depth this trade gives them was also a part of this deal, although there’s still the possibility things could change between now and the end of the draft.
“No, we really like those pieces and they’re all going to help us,” Paton said when asked about the trade possibility. “They’ve all helped us up to now. … We’re 7-8 deep. Why would we build up this room then trade someone right now?”
Another reason the Broncos didn’t pull the trigger on the deal at the deadline was because their wide receivers were reasonably healthy. Pat Bryant sustained a concussion late in the season that caused him to miss time, and the Broncos also weren’t sure what their draft position would be.
“We liked the group, we were on a win streak, we were rolling pretty good,” Paton said, adding that at that point, Denver also didn’t know exactly where its first-round pick would be. “And (the price) was high. They were asking a lot at that time.”
The Broncos decided instead to pay a high price in draft capital in the offseason, and questions will continue about hat as well until fans have seen the product on the field. Right now the lineup looks strong on paper, though, and it’s easy to win the offseason when you make this kind of a blockbuster deal.