A third of the way through the season, everything is open to the Broncos except their receivers.
The Broncos boast a three-game winning streak. Hope exists because of a gnarly defense and a methodically improving offense. Look at the schedule. There is zero reason they cannot reach 6-2 or 5-3 at the halfway point.
So in about a month — Nov. 5 to be precise — they must make a move at the trade deadline to add a proven target. Bo Nix needs it, and if the team remains in contention, this team deserves it (to say nothing of Broncos Country).
The obvious answer is Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins. He represents a huge upgrade, though acquiring him is complicated by finances and the Bengals’ schedule.
Before howls of complaints, understand that it is possible to go for it without going all in. Acquiring a receiver requires minimal draft capital. The Raiders have told inquiring teams they want a second-rounder for Davante Adams while absorbing his remaining salary. Could Higgins be landed for a third-round pick? The rumored asking price before the season was a second, but the Bengals’ leverage has been undercut as Higgins moves closer to free agency.
Will he be available? That remains uncertain. The Bengals are 1-4, but their next four games offer a chance to rebound (Giants, Browns, Eagles and Raiders).
So why Higgins if Cincinnati falters? He is 25, and almost four years younger than Courtland Sutton and Josh Reynolds, the Broncos’ current top two targets. The Broncos have not had a receiver eclipse 1,000 yards since 2019. Higgins has done it twice, benefiting from star quarterback Joe Burrow and his own talent. He produces yards after the catch and fits coach Sean Payton’s type at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds.
The Broncos recognize they need playmakers, but there are no indications that they would pursue one until after the season. It is why Sunday’s game is so crucial. A victory over the Chargers announces the Broncos as a contender, and while I see them as a team in transition, Payton does not. He and owner Greg Penner entered the season expecting to improve on last year.
In many areas they have. Receiver is not one of them. Acquiring Higgins is complicated. He is playing under the $21.8 million franchise tag, which applies to an acquiring team, meaning no long-term contract can be negotiated until after the season.
Higgins would be owed roughly $11 million, his prorated salary over the final nine weeks. The motivation to assume this cost would be two-fold: juice the passing attack — the Broncos rank 28th at 163.8 yards per game — and sign him to a new deal as a No. 1 receiver before he hits the open market. The latter is why this makes so much sense.
The difficulty comes when making it work under the salary cap. The Broncos are pinched. They already converted $11.875 million of Sutton’s $13 million salary into a bonus to fit Pat Surtain II’s new deal.
A potential path? Give left tackle Garett Bolles a real contract extension. And if that alone doesn’t cross the finish line, trade backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (1) celebrates his long touchdown reception with wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Higgins is everything the Broncos have not had since the salad days of Demaryius Thomas. Through three games — he missed time with a hamstring injury — he is averaging six catches and 61 yards per game with two touchdowns as a secondary target to Ja’Marr Chase.
By comparison, the Broncos’ leading receiver is Sutton, who is on pace for 58 catches, 762 yards and three touchdowns. These mirror his stats the past three seasons, with all of us needing to acknowledge his 10 touchdowns in 2023 was an outlier connected to Russell Wilson going off script.
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This is not an indictment of the veteran, but an admission that he would fit snugly as a No. 2 when paired with Higgins, pushing Reynolds, who continues to deal with multiple injuries, into an appropriate role. Sutton’s stats and separation on routes are suffering, but his leadership is not. It is admirable how he is navigating this experience with a rookie quarterback, showing a we-not-me mentality.
As the team’s second longest-tenured player, he has never experienced a winning season, let alone a playoff berth. These goals require sacrifice. Higgins would not only make the Broncos better but Sutton’s life easier.
Of course, there are more seamless options. The Broncos could rescue Amari Cooper from Cleveland — he would be owed about $600,000 — but he is 30 and profiles as a rental. Or they could bail on wideouts and throw a late-round pick to New England for veteran tight end Austin Hooper.
That would be a buzzkill. Winners make bold moves. And if there is a receiver sitting on a Tee in three weeks, the Broncos need to take a big swing.
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