One of the most important qualities a general manager can possess is curiosity. The closed mind is a dying mind, as they say, and perhaps that also equals a dying franchise. If the man tasked with roster construction refuses to pursue new ideas or assumes he already knows the answer to a question—say, how high a player's ceiling might be—then he's only limiting the franchise's success.
All of this is important because a seemingly implausible scenario has the potential to surface in the AFC West. One year ago, the Denver Broncos had Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron fall right into their laps at No. 20. Despite already employing a deep secondary, the Broncos seized on the opportunity to add such a highly-regarded defensive back to their ranks.
But the Broncos' secondary was even better than anticipated in 2025 for a team that finally toppled the Kansas City Chiefs from their perch atop the division for nearly a decade. Barron barely played, and the Broncos look just as deep for another year in 2026. If Barron is going to largely stand on the sidelines for half of his rookie deal, is it worth asking about whether or not the Broncos might want to recoup some of their draft investment in light of their positional abundance?
Remember that the Chiefs looked like a natural fit for Barron in the '25 draft, and if the Chiefs had a first-round grade on him as well, the chance to grab him with three years of cost control might prove to be too great of an opportunity to pass on.
A recent column by our friend Lou Scataglia at Predominantly Orange asked this question. While he admits that Denver isn't likely to mess with their long-term security, everyone has a price. We recently asked Lou for a bit more about why Barron isn't playing and what it might take for even a hated rival to peel him away.
You say Barron could be on the trade block or possibly had for the right price. What went so wrong in a single year there?
I wouldn't say anything necessarily went wrong with Barron, but what did happen is that not only did Riley Moss hold his own as the starting outside CB (please take a chunk of those PI penalties with a grain of salt), but slot CB Ja'Quan McMillian, as Chiefs fans saw in 2025 at times, had a breakout year. There simply weren't available snaps for the rookie, and while some have said he could transition to safety, there also weren't available snaps there, either. Even without Barron in the mix, the Broncos still fielded the best secondary in the NFL in 2025 (I'd also accept 2nd to the Texans)
Is it not worth it for Denver to hold on to Barron given their investment and the long-term outlook?
When the rubber meets the road, it is worth it, as all of Moss, McMillian, and safety Brandon Jones will be free agents in 2027. The Broncos have taken great care of their cap, but I am not sure the team is going to retain all three. A potential Moss extension might be $15 million per year as the floor, and McMillian could still see $10 million per year. When you add that in with Patrick Surtain and Talanoa Hufanga's deal, that is a ton of money tied up in the secondary. I really do believe the front office has a future starting plan for Barron, but this FO also does have a rich history of retaining 'their guys,' especially homegrown talent.
Back to the trade block then. Is this more of a "guy could be available at the right price" than anything else?
Hmm, I think so, yeah. Maybe the team wouldn't actively shop Barron but would field some calls for the right price. I mean, it would feel rather unprecedented for a second-year first-round pick who barely played as a rookie to get traded, right? At least, when I look at the Broncos scenario here, it would feel unlikely.
But this same front office also absorbed an NFL record $85 million dead cap, which was a move that not many people liked. And then, just a month later, they 'reached' on Bo Nix in the NFL Draft. With how much the coaches have talked up McMillian, and the nearly 500% raise they gave him from last year, I would be shocked if they moved him and slotted Barron in as the slot CB. Moss has also been quite good opposite Surtain, and I am not sure Barron would be ready to step into that outside CB2 role.
I do think the Broncos just hold onto him this year, but as your question said, "at the right price'" gets me thinking...
No way they'd ever do a deal with a rival, right?
Yeah, no chance that would happen, I don't think. This team has done well in the NFL Draft since George Paton took over, and if I recall, Barron was one of the few players they had a legitimate first-round grade on in 2025.
Let's dream for a minute. Do you think a second gets it done?
I actually think a second-round pick would get it done, yeah.
Even for the Chiefs?
Hmm. That's tough. I am actually in the camp of thinking the Chiefs roster isn't in the same stratosphere as the Broncos right now, so the team could honestly pull it off. Remember when the Lions traded TJ Hockenson to the Vikings a few years ago?
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