A.J. Bouye gets traded into AFC West as Broncos get better
By Matt Conner
The Denver Broncos have grabbed a nice young cornerback for Vic Fangio’s defense in their hopes to get better in the AFC West.
Credit the Denver Broncos for beginning to make some early impact moves this offseason in their quest to climb up the AFC West ladder and put pressure on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. On Tuesday, ESPN reporter Adam Schefter broke news that the Broncos had traded for former Pro Bowl cornerback A.J. Bouye.
The Jacksonville Jaguars once had the NFL’s best young cornerback tandem in Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, who the Jags had signed away from the Houston Texans only a couple years ago in free agency. Unfortunately, the Jags could never crest the New England Patriots in the AFC and the defense got too expensive to keep together.
The Jaguars are now primed for another youthful reinvention and Bouye was deemed too pricey for his production on the field. The reported return is only a fourth round pick in the upcoming draft, which could yield a decent enough prospect, but it says more about the Jags’ need to create cap space than anything else.
Bouye was rumored to be available via trade or even as a possible candidate for release, so Denver did the right thing here in trading for him and controlling the market. The Broncos seem ready to lose Chris Harris, so maintaining a solid veteran corner to team with Bryce Callahan and Isaac Yiadom, among others, is important in the backfield there. Bouye remains under contract for another two years.
Bouye had been discussed here as a potential offseason addition for the Chiefs, so perhaps this allows Chris Harris to enter the conversation there even more. Several teams are reportedly interested in Harris as well, so the market for solid veteran corners is as ripe as ever. Kudos to the Broncos for making an early move for Bouye to solidify a need early in the offseason before the new league year even begins.
Bouye had 65 tackles, 1 interception and 8 passes defended in 14 starts for the Jaguars in 2019. He is still only 28 years old.