Parker joined The Denver Post in September 2022 after covering the Broncos for USA Today. Before that, he spent five years covering Nebraska football and athletics for the Lincoln Journal Star. He's a New Glarus, Wisconsin native and a University of Wisconsin graduate.
PHOENIX — By the time trade talks between the Denver and Miami heated up a month ago, the Broncos already had a keen sense of their target., but general manager George Paton and the Broncos front office had done extensive background work on the 2021 first-round pick then.
“We felt like we knew the player well and the person even better,” Paton said Monday at the NFL’s spring meetings here.“He’s one of the more explosive playmakers in the league,” Paton said. “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.Paton and head coach Sean Payton have consistently been bullish on their existing receivers, repeatedly expressing confidence in the group over the past two years. Paton on Monday shot down any notion that Denver might look to trade from the position now that Waddle sits at the top of it. “No, we really like those pieces and they’re all going to help us,” Paton said. “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?” It was confidence in that receiver group that ultimately led the Broncos not to push harder to land Waddle at the trade deadline last year. The depth held up until the playoffs, when Denver played most of its two games without Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant . At one point against Buffalo in the divisional round, Denver was playing with three healthy receivers.“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 was high. They were asking a lot at that time.” The price stayed high when new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan arrived at the Dolphins early in the offseason, but Denver became “The more you think about it, the more you go through all of your different models — the cap, the draft picks, who’s available in the draft, free agency, all of that — Who’s available that can really help us?” Paton said. “It had to be a unique circumstance for us to do this, to make a trade like this. And we just felt this was too unique to pass up.” Paton joked that he may like draft picks more than anybody in the league, but the Broncos decided that the equivalent value of the No. 26 pick in the first round was fair compensation for a player of Waddle’s caliber. When Paton called Waddle’s former college roommate, Pat Surtain II, to tell him the deal was done, Surtain already knew.Five questions for Broncos’ Sean Payton, George Paton and Greg Penner at NFL owners’ meetings Broncos still have some spending capital. Here are five potential cap-casualty fits on other NFL rostersHe was pretty excited,” Paton said. “He went out to dinner with all of us. Bo thinks he’s kind of a quasi-GM sometimes. Sometimes he’s right, sometimes he’s wrong.Denver’s $1 billion road overhaul would cut space for cars, boost public transit and safety. Critics say it will make traffic worse. Denver's $1 billion road overhaul would cut space for cars, boost public transit and safety. Critics say it will make traffic worse.Colorado No Kings protests draw crowds across Denver, stateNuggets lose 4 forwards in a day to injuries while winning 6th straight2 children missing from Denver last seen Monday
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Broncos' Latest Pre-Draft Visit Fuels Questions About WR RoomThe Broncos met with an intriguing wide receiver prospect, but what would the vision be with the sudden log-jam at the position?
Read more »
Renck: Delusional J.K. Dobbins good for Broncos, but not without insuranceThe truth of this season lies not in the defense, Jaylen Waddle’s fit, a grizzly bear schedule or Bo Nix’s ankle. It is in the backfield. Broncos need insurance for Dobbins.
Read more »
One Offensive Tackle Target for Broncos in Each Round of the DraftThe Broncos need to start thinking about offensive tackle for life after Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey.
Read more »
Finding Broncos: Scouting Clemson OT Blake MillerFinding Broncos scouts the 2026 NFL draft class. Today, we're breaking down Blake Miller.
Read more »
Broncos’ 2026 Draft Assets Look Different After the Waddle TradeThe Jaylen Waddle trade impacted the Broncos' draft war chest, but what resources are now available to them?
Read more »
Broncos Could Supplement TE Group with Day 3 Draft PickThe Broncos held a virtual interview with him.
Read more »