Sean Payton ( (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
If the Denver Broncos want to put rookie quarterback Bo Nix in the best possible position to succeed in 2024, they’ll have to improve his supporting cast.
This stat sums up everything that’s been wrong with the Denver Broncos offense since 2019: They haven’t had a single 1,000-yard rusher or receiver since 2019, when running back Phillip Lindsay and wideout Courtland Sutton each hit the feat that year.
The Broncos already traded their top wide receiver, Jerry Jeudy, to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for two late-round picks. Their current WR room is headlined by Sutton, rookie Troy Franklin (Nix’s teammate at Oregon), Marvin Mims Jr., veteran Tim Patrick and free agent signing Josh Reynolds.
With the draft in the books, Denver Broncos GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton should be actively shopping for more WR help. And there’s one rival team in the AFC that should be willing to lend a helping hand by offloading one of their pricy veterans.
The name that comes to mind here as a fit for the Denver Broncos is JuJu Smith-Schuster of the New England Patriots. The 27-year-old signed a three-year deal with the Pats worth $25.5 million in 2023 free agency, it didn’t take long for the team to feel buyer’s remorse.
In 11 games with the Patriots, Smith-Schuster caught just 29 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown. Those numbers were a far cry from what he put up in the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl 57-winning season a year earlier, in which he caught 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns.
Denver Broncos Should Take A Chance On JuJu Smith-Schuster
Smith-Schuster was stuck on a lousy Patriots offense that saw absolutely nothing go right. Don’t forget this is a receiver with three 900-yard seasons under his belt, including a 1,426-yard season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018.
The Broncos can offer the Patriots a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for the veteran wideout, who carries a reasonable of $10.280 million for 2024, per OvertheCap.com. Sean Payton has done wonders with wide receivers during his legendary career, and he just might be able to help a healthy Smith-Schuster regain his star-like form in Mile High City.
