Everything Just CHANGED For The Broncos...

The Colts want a first round pick for Jonathan Taylor or a package that looks like a Christian McCaffrey trade. And the Denver Broncos have three straight wins. Seattle in overtime, Arizona by 14, and Kansas City by 4. Now Albert Breer reports the Broncos might be a little less inclined to trade for Jonathan Taylor as well as the Minnesota Vikings. The Giants are being called the serious suitor and the deadline is Tuesday. So here's the question, if Denver walks away from the best back on the market, is the backfield they already have enough, and where does the money go instead? Let's rewind and take a look at how we got here, because this has moved fast. On October 25th, Ian Rapoport said Denver was expected to consider Jonathan Taylor. Then on October 31st, Adam Schefter said the Colts were now open to officially trading him, and that talks were active and ongoing. On November 3rd, Denver was reported to be working the phones for a running back, with Jonathan Taylor as one option of just several. And on November 4th, ESPN reported the Colts still had a high asking price and that enough teams were interested that they didn't have to lower it. And finally, on November 6th today, Breer says Denver and Minnesota might be a little less inclined. In two weeks, the story went from Denver circling to Denver cooling. And I want you to keep that timeline in your head because it changes what the Broncos are really shopping for at this deadline. Now, first thing I want to start with why Denver may actually choose to blink on a trade for Jonathan Taylor. The price keeps climbing and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler had it earlier as a second round pick and more. But now Breer says a first round pick or the equivalent would likely get it done. And the Colts still haven't been offered that. And it is crowded. CBS had five teams interested, those being the Broncos, the Packers, the Giants, the Seahawks, and the Vikings. Breer also said the Giants and Vikings have been the most aggressive on running backs the last couple of weeks after the Colts lost 42-7 in Jacksonville. So Denver has competition, a high price, and a team that just won three straight. That's not a team that is inclined to panic. And a very quick one folks, if you haven't already and you want to get all your updates regarding this Denver Broncos team, be sure to hit subscribe. We're close to 3,000 and the big goal of getting there very, very soon. And Jonathan Taylor himself isn't helping the Colts rush him. He said it won't be Tuesday, then you know exactly what the verdict is. SNY's Connor Hughes said sources disagree on whether a deal even gets done, and that it could be revisited in March. Denver will be buying Jonathan Taylor as a running back who has gotten 610 rushing yards for Indianapolis this season and 8 rushing touchdowns, among just some very good play from him. He's also a receiver, 25.2 receiving yards a game, which ranks 20th in the league and 27 over his last 5 compared to 22.3 before. So he is the full package and is the thing that a backfield wants, especially this Denver Broncos one. But he's costing a first-round pick, and the Colts reportedly have about $10 million in the cap next year if they do move him. And that tells you the Colts' ownership is reportedly reluctant to sell cheap. So Denver will be paying the full price of a player... The other side doesn't really want to lose. Denver also doesn't use its running backs the way that Indianapolis does. Before the season, Sean Payton called the offense all football, and Coleman was projected for about 3-5 carries a game. And RJ Harvey was the joker, the back who lines up all over the field, so the offense was built on a rotation, not a bell cow. And a rotation doesn't need a 25 carry guy, especially this Denver Broncos one, when you're looking at all the fits that these guys have. They pretty much just need the best version of every role they have. And I keep seeing this as well down in the comments, that we should just run with what we have and don't add another running back. And honestly, that argument has a leg because Denver doesn't have just one running back, but they have three separate jobs. Job 1, you got like the grinder in J.K. Dobbins, who leads Denver with 306 rushing yards this season. Although he hasn't been playing his best, he's still an integral part of this team right now. And Sean Payton himself calls him a huge part of what we're doing. J.K. Dobbins said it himself on October 29th. If we're losing and I'm not getting the carries, I'm going to be mad. I just want to win. He ran for 772 yards for Denver in 2025, and the team reportedly plans to manage his workload. That's a grinder you protect, not one that you're riding with constantly. And job number two, you have the rise. Rookie Jonah Coleman, a fourth-round pick at number 108. He has 134 rushing yards this season and 97 receiving yards. That's more rushing yards than Bo Nix, who has 114, and he's doing it in a part-time job. Brian Baldinger said a Jonathan Taylor trade would steal reps from Jonah Coleman. That's a real cost of the trade. It's not in the form of picks. We know Denver has the picks. They can make it. They would be willing to do it. But do you really want to risk just kind of letting Jonah Coleman cool off for what would be a huge next season? And job number three, the pass catcher, RJ Harvey. He has 217 receiving yards, third on the team behind Waddle and Sutton. He's averaging 8.7 yards a catch, which ranks 18th among backs. So he's not just a check down guy. He's a legit weapon that the Broncos are consistently using. In week four against San Francisco, he caught 10. Passes. That's the best catch game of his career. But look at the trend. 6.7 catches a game before and 1.7 over his last five. And as we know about RJ Harvey right now, he is hurt. So job three is the one that is really open for the calling right now. And Jonathan Taylor would fix it. He's at 76.2 rushing yards a game, and 25.2 receiving yards per game. But a three-headed monster only needs one new head, and you don't need a first-round pick to get it. And here's what I haven't seen enough people talk about. Taylor was never the only name. Ian Rapoport reported Denver is expected to keep working the phones to find a running back, and that Jonathan Taylor is the one of several options. The other two names on that list were Brees Hall and Tony Pollard. Now, Tony Pollard has 595 rushing yards for Tennessee this season. That's more than J.K. Dobbins and Jonah Coleman have. And Brees Hall is the interesting one that we've made a video on before. He has just 163 rushing yards because the Jets have given Braylon Allen 565. Plus, he's been injured. That's a back who's on the market because he's sitting behind someone, not because he can't play every single game. That don't cost a first. And think about the fit. You have Jonah Coleman and J.K. Dobbins who are going to grind it out every single game. RJ Harvey is going to catch passes when he gets back, but a Hall or a Pollard. is a piece that makes this whole room a lot more dangerous. And Breer has said J.K. Dobbins' name has come up in some trade talks, but a deal is less likely now that R.J. Harvey is hurt. So the running back room is a little bit thinner than some people may think, but you don't necessarily need just an all-around superstar running back. You need someone that's less than Jonathan Taylor's price that fits what a need the Broncos have is. So where does a first round pick do more? I want to start with the offensive line Broncos roundtable said on October 31st, the offensive line has underperformed the most this season. And I don't think this necessarily also negates a move for a running back because we know that the Broncos could go after a big star and still be able to get extra assets. So even if the Broncos do end up going a lesser tier running back on the trade market, they can still go get a pretty big name offensive lineman like Landon Dickerson or really anybody they have their eyes on. And right now, Denver is $21.1 million under the cap. And starting with Mike McGlinchey, who's on the books for $23.8 million this year. And that's a lot of money invested on one side of the offensive line, and a first-round pick could very well finish the other side. And at tight end, Evan Ingram. He has 136 receiving yards this season. Behind him on the depth chart is Adkins and Troutman. The roundtable named Trey McBride as a dream option. He'd cost a lot, which is a big point here, but this is where a first-round pick buys the most. Denver also holds all of its picks in 2027, 2028, and 2029, and an extra fourth round pick in 2027. So the picks are not a problem whatsoever for anything. And the cap does get a little bit tighter next year as well. Courtland Sutton goes from $14 million this year to $28.5 million in 2027, and Mike McGlinchey stays at $23.8 million. So every dollar, every single pick that Denver spends this week has to count again. Next year, and a running back is the easiest spot to replace. And that's a big part the comments are missing, because when you say you don't run with what you have, you very well could, but you have to do what your offensive line allows. Right now, they're not allowing the running backs to do all too much. A better offensive line and a better tight end, it really lifts all three position groups at once, and especially the three running backs. A running back can only lift himself as much as the entire team does around them. So here's where we are right now. The Broncos play Carolina on Sunday, and the deadline hits two days later. If the Giants blow the Colts away... Then this all just goes away. If they don't, Denver has three options on the table, and none of them cost as much as Jonathan Taylor. And think about what each outcome means. If Denver trades for Jonathan Taylor, Jonah Coleman loses reps, J.K. Dobbins likely gets squeezed out of the lineup, and the team pays a first for a job that was already covered by R.J. Harvey. And if Denver stands pat, they ride a rookie who has 231 total yards between running and catching, and a pass catcher who is banged up for the next couple of weeks. And if Denver adds... Either Breece Hall or Tony Pollard, they keep the first, keep the rookie rising, and fill the one job that's open right now. And you can fill them in anywhere else when RJ Harvey does return too. And that is the best of the three outcomes and the one the deadline makes easiest to miss. And here's my take, at this point I think I'm done with Jonathan Taylor, I want to keep the first, and I think we can run the three headed monster as good as it can be, if you want to add more running back for cheap, I like Tony Pollard a lot, you could maybe even move JK Dobbins if this team wanted to if they felt like they weren't going to use him, as he already was in trade deadline talks, and then you can go ahead and spend big on an offensive line, or a tight end, or both, it elevates this entire offense here on the team that really needs it. And if you want all of the Deadline reactions, the reports, everything going on, click this video right now on your screen to check out the latest updates and watch this next one. Last thing, would you trade for Jonathan Taylor or run the three that you have right now and perhaps add another at the Deadline? Let me know in the comments below.