The Denver Broncos finally made that big trade for receiver Jaylen Waddle, but the other receivers may not be thrilled.
The Denver Bronco have finally made the big move on offense that fans and experts were clamoring for, but not everyone is necessarily completely thrilled with the recent trade for receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Beat writer and columnist Nick Kosmider of The Athletic tackled the Waddle trade and several other Broncos issues in his most recent mailbag, and he featured some quotes from Marvin Mims Jr. that raised some questions about what this deal is going to do to the wide-receiver room.
“I think it really surprised me, just bringing in a guy like that,” Mims said in a segment on Altitude TV with broadcaster Vic Lombardi. “But if you look at his career, ever since high school to college to [now], he’s just an explosive playmaker. I think, offensively, you always need more playmakers. I think he’ll be really fun to watch.”
There’s no disputing that comment, at least on paper, but it does raise the issue of how roles are going to change. This will undoubtedly happen, and Mims is very aware of it.
”We’ll just see how it all comes out this season,” Mims added. “It’s interesting to see how I’ll fit in the offense. … The past few years, the thing I’ve been able to take pride in is me playing running back, being a returner, being a receiver. Any way I can affect the game, I’m happy to go out there and do it.”
The “happy to go out there and do it” part is pro forma, of course, as it’s basically what Mims is supposed to say. But coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton have consistently praised Denver’s young receivers and preached patience to allow them to grow, and now they’ve done a complete 180 with the Waddle trade. None of the other wideouts have commented extensively to date, but this is definitely something to watch for going forward.
The other issue here that Kosmider mentioned only peripherally is about money and contracts, which are almost always an issue in any NFL wide-receiver room. Waddle and possession receiver Courtland Sutton both have big contracts, while Mims, Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant are all still on their rookie deals.
Kosmider covered this with a brief mention about the Broncos being reluctant to trade young players still on cheap deals, which is definitely the case despite the fact that Franklin is currently turning up in a lot of trade rumors. This, too, is an issue to watch, as Kosmider noted that there will be plenty of teams eyeing the Broncos young receivers and making calls between now and draft day.