There might not be an NFL team more desperate for quarterback help than the Denver Broncos. Accordingly, the team is expected to target a signal-caller in the first round of the 2024 draft, per the Washington Post, and may be prepared to trade high-profile veterans to move up, including All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
Denver has eight picks in the upcoming draft, but none of them falls in the second round, and the club's top selection -- No. 12 overall -- may not be high enough to secure a top quarterback prospect, with four of this year's highest-ranked passers widely expected to be top-10 targets. As a result, both Surtain and veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton "have been fixtures in trade winds," according to SportsLine betting expert Jason La Canfora, with coach Sean Payton still "digging out of the Russell Wilson trade/contract hole."
Sutton was not present at the start of the Broncos' voluntary workouts this week, and the former Pro Bowler is reportedly in search of a new contract. His fellow starting pass catcher, Jerry Jeudy, was traded to the Cleveland Browns earlier this offseason.
Surtain, meanwhile, was nearly traded ahead of the 2023 in-season deadline, another general manager told the Post, but the Broncos reportedly reversed course "when they won a few games," opting to retain the star cover man. ESPN previously reported the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers attempted to acquire the former first-round pick last fall.
"[Payton] probably regrets that," the GM told the Post. "That's someone they could [get] a haul for."
Now, with the 2024 draft around the corner, the corner could be back "at the center of plenty of trade overtures" as the Broncos prioritize help under center. Jarrett Stidham is the tentative starter following Wilson's release, but draft prospects Bo Nix (Oregon) and Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) are among those who've been linked to Denver ahead of the first round.
