Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Deebo Samuel Is Denver Broncos Perfect Joker For Sean Payton

Episode Date: February 11, 2025

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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has expressed that the Broncos must have this offseason is a joker. Well, the best joker in the deck might be available. We'll talk about Debo Samuel and whether or not he's a good fit for the Denver Broncos here on today's episode of the show. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's happening in Broncos country? Welcome into another episode of Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos. is podcast part of the lockdown podcast network your team every day broncos country we got a lot in store for you here as the off season is officially in full swing with no more football on our televisions in near future there's a lot that we're going to have to break down here on lockdown broncos so thanks to all the everydayers all the first listeners out there in broncos country for tuning in and making us part of your day however you choose to do so for all your broncos news content coverage analysis and more that you can get anywhere else short suite to the point objective coverage lock

on Broncos is the place to be. I'm Cody Roarck. Broncos reporter for Maui Sports, joined as always by Sarah Bedinger site expert, predominantly orange.com. And here's what you can expect on today's episode of the show. We'll wrap things up by talking about maybe reasons why Broncos country is skeptical and bringing in a player like Debo Samuel. We'll also talk about how he's available and why the Broncos should trade for Debo Samuel to be that Joker here for Sean Payton. We're going to kick things off by talking about whether or not is Debo Samuel to the Broncos, is that something that's realistic or likely to happen? We'll break all that down here on today's episode of the show.

So, Sarah, I mean, obviously Super Bowl 59 weekend. There was a lot of hoopla, the radio row. There was a lot of talk, not just for the Denver Broncos, but for some other teams around the NFL. And over the weekend, literally right before the Super Bowl happened, the report comes out from Ian Rapaport saying that the San Francisco 49ers, they're looking into exploring a trade for Debo Samuel. And they've granted his agent permission to seek those types of.

trades and all of a sudden my ears perked up i don't know about what your reaction was but i think it to myself sean payton said that the broncos there must have this offseason as a joker there's no better joker available right now than adibo samuel cody this is shaping up to be one of the craziest off seasons that we've seen i mean the NFL off season always dominates the headlines but i mean we're getting stuff with miles garrett trade rumors cooper cup erin rogers and the jets moving on which I mean, that has a ripple effect on Devante Adams and his availability. And now Debo Samuel, who he's been one of the top stars offensively in the NFL, the last handful of years.

I mean, I know these past couple of seasons hasn't been quite as effective, Cody, as back in 2021, Debo had over 1,700 yards from scrimmage, nearly 1,800 and 14 total touchdowns. That production, I guess, kind of tapered off over the last couple of years, but this is still a guy that, I mean, he had 800 yards from scrimmage this past season and 15 games over 1100 last year, 16 total touchdowns the last two seasons. I mean, Debo Samuel is the type of guy that he can do a lot of different things for your offense. When you talk about what a Joker can do, I know Sean Payton has said, like, a Joker is a running back or tight end who affects the middle of the field and is elite in the passing game. The interesting conversation about Debo is,

yes, he's a wide receiver, but he also lines up a ton in the backfield and is kind of just that joker in the deck, if you will. So while he may not be a running back or tight end by design or by, you know, nature, he certainly can fill this role in Sean Payton's offense. Well, and you also look at, you know, how Denver was using Marvin Mims in that role. And certainly it's like you add Debo to the mix here with this offense. And look, I think maybe even a drop off in that production that we've seen in the last couple of years, I think you equated to, you know, just up and

down quarterback play. Obviously, some injuries have factored into there, you know, as well here for Debo. And I think the personnel around Debo has definitely been a little different, right? And they got a good run game in San Francisco. They got a really good tight end and kiddle. And Debo is their dog. And then, you know, there was a whole bunch of drama in that wide receiver room that people, I think, are confusing a lot of things from with Debo in terms of saying that he's a diva. Debo was far from a diva. I want to make that very clear. And obviously, that's something we'll dive deep into because a lot of Morocco's country has already said that, no, we don't want a divo. He's a divo. We'll address that a little bit more in depth here later on in the show.

But you look at what he can do, Sarah, you can line up in the slot, you can line up on the outside, you can line up in the backfield. You can be a movable piece all around. And it's not necessarily something that I think can just, you know, be a decoy. Like when Marvin Mims was in the backfield, and I think this is just the evolution of Marvin being a young guy and Sean Payton trying to find ways to utilize him. But there were certain times when Marvin will line up in the backfield that teams would be like, oh, all right, we know where the ball is going, right?

You add Debo to the mix. A lot of people are going to think that Debo is going to be getting the ball, but that's where it can open up opportunities if Marvin is on the field the same time as Debo, if he were in this Broncos offense, you can do certain things with other guys that, you know, Debo can be the perfect decoy, but you also be the weapon that, you know, the Broncos have that nobody really can have an answer for. And I think that's something that would change the dynamic of this offense. I think you put Debo here with Bo Nix with Cortland Sutton.

And let's say you get the run game going a little bit. bit and you address some of these other things in the offseason, the Denver Bronco is a top 10 scoring offense in 2024 becomes a little bit more scarier on paper. And that could unlock a whole variety of different things. But you talk about like trying to avoid that sophomore slump, that second year slump for quarterbacks, man, surround Bow Nix with guys like Debo. I like the, I like the chances, like the opportunities that could open up because of that. And he has a base salary this year, Cody, of just over $1.1 million.

Now the 49ers have redone his contract. a number of times. Obviously, he's playing on a three-year $71.5 million extension that was signed back in 2022. But just last year, September 3rd of 2024, so not even that long ago in the grand scheme of things, he converted nearly 20 million of his 2024 compensation into a signing bonus, which added void years to the contract. So the 49ers, they've already paid the money to Debo Samuel. like he's going to be on the hook in terms of cap for them, but cash, not the case. That's why I think they're willing to trade him despite the fact there's really no cap relief for them in this instance.

Is this, they just feel like, hey, it's time for us to move forward. They drafted Ricky Pearsall in the first round last year. They've got Joanne Jennings, who's also in the last year of his contract and they like him a lot. He played a much bigger role this year for them. So this is just one of those situations to where in the NFL, you just can't keep everybody. And for Debo, they've already kicked that can down the road and they felt like they've maximized that investment. So now it's time for somebody else to say, hey, two or three years here.

I mean, what can we get out of this kind of investment in a player like this? This is the same argument with Cooper Cup. It would be the same argument if we do. And when we do, I'm going to say, because I'm sure we will an episode on Devante Adams, that's the same sort of thinking here. You're not thinking, okay, for the next 10 years, this is the guy that's going to grow with Bo Nix. You're thinking about, can this guy help Bo Nix in the offense right now? Because as we mentioned on yesterday's episode, there's a crack with the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty, the Eagles

forming maybe one of their own. The Broncos have to do whatever it takes to burst through the crack and get in the door here. And Debo Samuel is the type of guy that helps you do exactly that. Well, and I think to the point you mentioned as well, like we even analyzed like, you know, what was it that the Eagles were able to do over the course of the last handful of years that put them in a position, right? I mean, two Super Bowl appearances in the last four years. I mean, that's incredible here for them. So what were they able to do? We've seen that they're ultra aggressive, right? But they weren't ultra aggressive until they had the foundation in place. They had their quarterback, right? They had some playmakers around him and they're like,

you know what, we're going to go on and we're going to get Sequin Barkley, right? And then to go and they build on the defensive side of the ball here. And it's not like they made any, like, widespread, like big time changes on the defensive side. They add a guys like C.J. Gardner Johnson. You have Darius Slay there in Philadelphia. Philadelphia. But then you go and you assign some guys like obviously Zach Bond, who you didn't know was going to be a high level player for you this year. And you have a beefy defensive line. It's like, all right, you can afford to be aggressive if you are a team like the Eagles. Well, now I think the Broncos, they have their foundation said because they have the most important position taking care of, Sarah. And that is quarterback. And you're telling me, adding a guy like Debo Samuel to an offense that was already top 10 in scoring, despite some of their deficiencies that they had in 2024, isn't going to make.

this unit even better, that team I think would be crazy to say that's not the case here. So I'm with you there. And look, people have also brought up some things about Debo. They're like, oh, you know, he's injury prone here. Sarah, he's played in 15 games in each of the last two seasons. So that right there is up to par on the standard. So I don't know where that narrative necessarily comes from. But it's interesting to see the kind of the goalposts move a little bit as to maybe why

a team should or should not do it. I think that right now, I mean, we've looked at it. Debo's that all-around athlete. Look, he's like, do you look at Sean Peyton with Taysom Hill? I'm not trying to make a comparison because Taysom Hill is nothing like Debo Samuel. But Debo Samuel would be like a 10 times better version of like what Taysom Hill can do in terms of playmaker, stature, and overall ability. The Broncos would have a legitimate superstar with Debo Samuel if they added him into the mix here with Bo Nix. It's just, it's a worthwhile shot to take, right?

I mean, I don't think, I know we're going to talk more about the implications of the draft and things like that coming up. But to me, it's just a worthwhile shot to take. Like you mentioned, the top 10 offense thing, that's kind of funny. Somebody jumped into my mentions because I posted that on X the other day or Twitter the other day. And they're like, well, that's because you scored 38 points in the last game. And I'm like, get out of here right now. Come on. You got to be kidding me.

But the Broncos, Cody, they have every incentive and every reason to go out and do this. You've got young guys at the position. You don't necessarily need to just overload with the young guys because, well, that's what you do to build a good team. You've got young guys. Go get a veteran guy that can really help this roster. Like, how many times did you and I call for, hey, let's see some more slant. So let's see some more drag grouts over the middle of the field, get guys opportunities after the catch. Who could be better at that than Debo Samuel, right?

Or even like to circle it back to Cooper Cup. Like that's what these guys have excelled at throughout their entire careers. That is the missing piece for what Denver is lacking offensively in the passing game, in my opinion, is somebody that can create in the middle of the field on the drags, on the quick slants, getting open, strong hands, proven in big games. Again, that's another big factor here for Debo Samuel. I wonder if Mike McGlinchy would vouch for Debo Samuel, Cody, because obviously they played together in San Francisco. So a lot of good reasons, I think, to consider this if you're George Payton and Sean Payton.

I mean, I'm all in for it. I think that the Broncos should. And look, Broncos country, we're not done yet. Up next, we're going to tell you why we believe the Broncos should be all in on trading for Debo, Samuel, to be Sean Payton's next joker here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode, Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by friends over at prize picks. And football season may be over, but basketball is in full swing and there's no better way to stay in the game than with prize picks, the best place for daily fantasy sports. With prize picks, you simply pick more or less on at least two players. projections and if you're right you can win up to 1,000 times your cash.

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That's code locked on. NFL for $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup prize picks run your game. It's time for the Denver Broncos to go all in on some big time offensive weapons in 2025, which is why, hey, Debo Samuel becoming available could be a game changer in the 2025 offseason for George Payton, Sean Payton, and this Denver Broncos roster. Broncos country should the team go all in on Debo Samuel and trading for the 49ers star receiver? Well, we're going to tell you why the Broncos might want to do exactly that on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. But Broncos, before we go any further, want to say thank you to all of you that make Locked on Broncos your first listen of the day.

Every single day, we appreciate you so much. If you're not an everyday listener already, become one today. Hit subscribe, follow along on wherever you listen to podcasts, over on YouTube as well. Get us to the top of the algorithm every time a new episode is published because when that trade news drops or whatever happens with the Denver Broncos, you're going to want to know, hey, what are the guys saying about it? You know your boys, Cody and Sarah. We got you no matter what happens this offseason. And when it comes to the idea and the topic of Debo Samuel, Cody,

I think a lot of people will split hairs over the idea of him being a Joker. Because as we mentioned, like Sean Peyton has said, it's a running back or tight end with elite receiving skills. But I think there's reason to believe that Debo can be that guy, regardless if he's listed as receiver running back doesn't matter. he plays all over the place. Let's talk about why the Broncos should go. He's an athlete.

Why do you go all in on a trade like this? Like maybe from a vantage point of the young guys on the team or acquiring other young players, like I think there's a misconception out there that trading for a guy like Debo, Samuel, prevents you from going after new guys on your offense. Yeah. Look, I think the formula here is can you add a player that's going to instantly improve your not only that position group, but also that unit in general. You look at Debo Samuel, his explosiveness. I mean, outside of Marvin with Marvin speed, Troy Franklin's got explosive play capability.

Debo is a big guy. He's durable. He's explosive. Like he is something that the Broncos simply do not have. Like he is the complete package can help you in terms of you can line them up in the backfield. Though I don't think that's where he really wants to be. I think he just wants to be able to catch passes and do those things. I think that was some of the stuff, you know, initially leading up to the contract discussions. you know, several years ago for him is like, hey, like you're using me like this. I want to get paid like this. Like they wanted to pay him, I think, as a running back because it was cheaper than receiver. I think that was the discussion there.

You get a guy who's instantly going to make you dangerous in a sense, right? You look at Cortland Sutton, who's very under the radar, obviously a very big year for him, over 1,000 yards, eight touchdowns on the year for Cortland. But now you add a guy to the mix like Debo, that's going to take away where teams just simply play bracket coverage on Cortland. It's like now you have to worry about Debo, another proven guy, right? And look, you got your young guys in Marvin.

You got your young guys in Devon Valet and Troy Franklin. But until those guys can prove on a consistent basis to be beaters of defenses, teams are just going to say, you know what, we're going to live with that. We're going to try to take away Cortland. We're going to live with maybe, okay, if this guy catches one else, we're going to adjust to say, okay, our bad. You need another legitimate weapon that's going to strike fear and how, a defense tries to play you.

And imagine the amount of pressure it takes off the shoulders of Bo Nix where it's like Bo can get the ball to a guy like Debo Samuel in space and then Debo can do damage. We've seen him do it over and over and over again. He was one of the top fantasy players in the last handful of years. That's something the Broncos simply do not have at a proven value. You add that with Debo, it's already proven. You're getting that with him. I just think that like the Emmanuel Sanders type moves,

Those don't happen every year in free agency, right? It's not like you're always going to get a guy who, hey, his role was super minimized at his previous team. And like he's a budding star who is young, like 25, 26 years old, who just needs an opportunity to explode onto the scene, right? Like those types of guys in free agency are extremely rare. But I think for Broncos country, because it's happened, you know, once before,

like that's the new standard for signing free agents. It's like, well, if it's not an Emmanuel Sanders type signing, like, I don't want it. I want to get a guy who's cheap and young and who could go for a thousand yards in his first year with a team. It's like, okay, well, yeah, and I want to, you know, I want to upgrade to a multimillion dollar home. And, you know, I want to make $10 million a year. Like, that's great that you want that. And there's nothing wrong with that. But I think just this idea of becoming so married to,

certain players in the offseason. Like for, for me, Cody, there's no discussions that are even happening on, online that don't involve somebody coming back to. I'd rather have Garrett Wilson.

And it's like, okay. He's not available. Yeah, he's not available. And why stop there? Like, let's go to,

I'd rather have Jordan Addison. I'd rather have Justin Jefferson. I'd rather have Jamar Chase, who's in the midst of a, I don't know, nobody brings him up. He's in the midst of a potential contract snafu with the Bengals as well, but nobody brings him.

him up in terms of trading the house for him. So yeah, I'd rather have those guys. I'd rather have C.D. Lamb. Can he rescue him from the Dallas Cowboys at this point or whatever they're doing there? So I mean, if we if we just say I'd rather have this guy all the time, like there's certain things that just aren't happening, right? Darren Moji, they've already made it clear. And you and I have kind of expected this. They're moving on from Aaron Rogers in New York, which is exactly what Garrett Wilson wanted. And that's what we've anticipated happening all offseason. So with them moving on from Aaron Rogers and going younger, what makes you think that the Jets are going to trade Garrett Wilson? I know this isn't a Garrett Wilson episode, but you just made me think of this, Cody. It's true.

I think everybody thinks that the Broncos are going to pass on all these younger guys or these other options because that they're going after a Debo Samuel. Like, do you really think the Broncos would not draft a running back as a joker or a tight end as a joker because you traded for Debo, Samuel like the that's not a it's not a plus B equals C it's not one of those things it's just completely unrelated it's team building get playmakers into the building I just think that that's that's my rant on that Cody in terms of this question that comes up of like it doesn't prevent you from going after other guys at certain positions like this isn't the only move that they would make at receiver or or tight end or running back all off season it's not a one size fits all okay

they do this and they can't do that. Like, no, I think the Broncos have shown that, especially under Sean Peyton, that the consensus of what people think they can or can't do or what they should or shouldn't do. John Payton doesn't care about that. He's made that very clear. And look, I think it also goes to show that social media has created these illusions in terms like what's realistic, what's not.

Just because Garrett Wilson follows a bunch of Broncos players on Instagram. Doesn't mean, okay, hey, he's going to be coming to Denver. Like, that's not the case. And that's something. I'm glad you brought it up because I have fans all the time, like whether I'm posting videos on TikTok, social media, or even here on our YouTube channel, people will say, like, well, I'd rather have Garrett Wilson. I'm like, okay, that's nice.

But he's not available for trading. You think a new regime with Aaron Glenn, who's a player's coach and also Darren Mugi, they're going to say, we're going to trade our star receiver away just because, you know, he wants to follow Broncos players on Instagram. That's not the case. Like, the biggest issue wasn't New York. It was Aaron Rogers. Garrett Wilson, before Aaron Rogers was a dog.

And after Aaron Rogers, still going to be a dog. And you think New York's going to part ways with that. I don't see that happening. So let that go. Like the realistic options that are available right now, Debo Samuel, Cooper Cup, those guys are available for trade at this point. So that's a focus as to some potential fits here for the Broncos. You get that yard after the catch threat to Sarah with a guy like Debo.

That's something that Denver just simply hasn't had in so long. And I feel like it would open some things up for them. And it would allow them to focus on, okay, hey, we can add a running back. We can add a tight end. We can build this offense the right way here. around Bonnex. That has to be the number one prior to here. But there are reasons that Broncos country is skeptical and doesn't think that Denver and Sean Payton should make a trade for a guy like Debo Samuel. We'll highlight some of that and debate it with Broncos country here on today's

episode of the show. Today's Lockdown Broncos podcast is brought to our friends over there at Fanduil, America's number one sportsbook. And unfortunately, the NFL season is here. But you know what? The NBA season is in full swing. And when the game tips off, the NBA action, it's just getting started. And there's no better place to get in on the action than Fandul America's number one sportsbook. With Fandul, you can place live bets throughout the game. So even if you miss the opening tip off, where you want to bet on a fourth quarter comeback, you can stay in on the action. If you're looking for a bigger payout, you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay. One of the fun things about the NBA season and

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That's why you need to make Lockdown Broncos your first listen of the day every single day. Make sure first thing you turn on is Lockdown Broncos. So you know what's going on with your team from the latest rumors, rumblings, and news of things that are happening. Sarah and I, we're going to break it down for you from an objective point of view because for the true fan, there is never an off season. There's a lot of fluff out there. Lockdown Broncos isn't that. We appreciate you so much here. and we're going to continue to dive into this Debo Samuel topic here.

And look, we went into the reasons why the Broncos should trade for Debo Samuel. When this news initially came out, we posted our questions out on social media respectively. There were a lot of people in Broncos country that are against Debo Samuel, and they gave some interesting reasons. So let's go through some of those here. First off, one of the things that we saw was he's injury prone. This one to me is always just like this low hanging fruit. Oh, he's an injury prone player.

He's been injured before. that means he's not going to be good anymore. Debo Samuel, as we mentioned earlier, has played in 15 games in each the last two seasons. So I don't know where this injury-prone narrative kind of comes from. I know he has a high volume of plays and usage in terms of how San Francisco used him. Man, he's a weapon. So this injury-prone idea, it doesn't make sense to me,

especially considering the Broncos, have one of the best training staffs in all the NFL. If you ain't breaking Brett Farv's consecutive games started record, you ain't coming to the Denver Broncos, according to this fan base a lot of times, Cote, it's, it is one of the most frustrating discussions to have because like every player in the NFL is injury prone by definition of certain fans in the fan base. And again, we resonate with a ton of this stuff because like you don't want to go get a guy

that's playing, you know, like Joanne James, who missed a ton of time with the dolphins. Like that we should have seen maybe coming in hindsight. But in a situation like this where a guy's played in 15 games over the last two seasons. seasons, not combined, but in each of the, like, he's played 30 games over the last two years. And the year before that, he played 13. So, like, injury prone is so relative, because what does that mean? I mean, if you're playing 15 games in a season, it means you're probably not going on injured reserve, which I think that's a pretty good win for an NFL player these days.

And so I just don't know, like, injury prone is that a thing that's like, you know, remember Jerry Judy when he came late in his career with Denver, he was known for his drops that he had in his rookie year, even though he was no longer dropping passes. Like, yeah, is that similar deal with Debo Samuel? I mean, so I don't know. I guess I get it that he, he does get hurt and he does deal with injuries and he does. I mean, he's a physical, violent player. Like, he's going to deal with some things and bruises. But as you mentioned, the training staff for Denver has kept guys on the field the last two years better than any other training staff in the NFL. And that's not a subjective opinion. That is a matter of fact. Like the Broncos were second in the league this year in the

fewest number of games missed on injured reserve and they were number one last year. So do the math on that over two year sample size. The Broncos are the best in terms of keeping guys on the field. So I think there's some validity to the concern there over guys getting hurt, especially as they get older. You mentioned the diva thing earlier. What do you think about the decline in production? I know you talked about the inconsistencies at quarterback. Let's discuss that aspect. of it because people will look at his stats from 2020, 2024. And they'll say, oh, he had 670 receiving yards. And his yards from scrimmage was down to 806 yards.

Only four touchdowns compared to 12 the year before. He's obviously cooked. What would you say about that in terms of the overall production this past year? Yeah, I think when you watch Debo and how he's used, like certainly, like when you have a healthy offense around you, the biggest thing, I think, that was the deciding factor in how things went downhill a little bit for Debo in certain. of his production, the loss of Brandon I, Yook in that offense, I think when you had Brandon Iuk out there as a healthy number one receiver essentially, and then you had Debo as this jack of all

trades weapon for Kyle Shanahan, it certainly made it easier for those guys to both have success. But now, okay, Brandon Ayuk is gone essentially from here. Of course, they got some other talented receivers there in Joanne Jennings, as you mentioned there. But then teams now say, hey, if we can stop Debo, we have a great chance to win this game. And so you focus all your allocation resources defensively as to limiting, what Debo can do is that Jack of All Trades guy in the backfield. You use him on jet sweeps or you line him up and get him across the field.

Like I look at San Francisco and they had a good run game with, you know, the multitude of backs, even without Christian McCaffrey. But even then, like you look at San Francisco this year and it's like they just didn't have enough consistency, I think, around Debo Samuel here, whereas I think you plug him into a system like Denver. I think you put a Debo in a place like Green Bay. I think they thrive because you have a little bit. more nuanced to it.

You have guys that have big play capability, like Marvin Mim's speed, Troy Franklin's size and explosiveness that he has there. Cortland Sutton's big play capability, you have other guys around him where it's like if one of those guys that gets injured, you know you have guys with potential. And obviously, they have to match that and they have to meet that potential there. Diba is a guy that you can, you can plug in right away and he's going to make everything better for you. The whole idea where people said it was a Diva thing.

I think people were confusing. Like you see the term Diva created. you see people call players who just want to be paid fairly divas, but they were pinpointing and calling the wrong guy diva. And look, I don't even think Brandon Ayuk is a diva. But Brandon Ayuk was really the main subject around all the drama going around San Francisco because he wanted to be paid a big level contract.

And look what happened. Like, thankfully he got paid because then he tore his ACL. Imagine he goes out there and plays and he was deserving of his contract. Imagine he goes out there and plays without that contract, tears his ACL. Guess what? Now he's not getting paid. that big time contract.

So the idea that players are advocating to make sure that they're taking care of because of their production, they want to be paid for what they've been able to do as of late. That's so big. And that's why Brandon Ayuk was fighting for that. I don't think that makes guys like him a diva. But people are conflating and saying that Debo was the diva. That certainly was not the case here as well in San Francisco. That's another reason there.

And then also I think fans want to say, you know, hey, we want to build through the NFL draft, which isn't a bad level of reasoning, right? I don't think you still pass on a guy like Debo just so you can go younger, right? Debo is a guaranteed guy as to like, you're going to get something from Debo, whereas the draft is like, you know, we believe we're going to get something from this guy, but it's not necessarily guaranteed. But I even think even if you go with a guy like Debo, Sarah, it doesn't change your ability to add younger guys in the NFL draft either.

I think that's the illusion. It's either this or that. Yeah, and I think even the bigger picture thing there is to say, well, hey, what about Marvin Mims. He was starting to play that role late in the year that you would expect Dibo Samuel to play, where he's lining up in the backfield. He's doing all sorts of these things. Like, if you get Dibo Samuel, does that take away from the progress that was then made from Marvin Mims? I think that's a much more valid question than to say, well, if the Broncos would trade for Debo Samuel, does that mean that they're not getting a live receiver in the draft or anywhere else? I don't think you

take one without the other in that case. But I think it is an understanding. understandable question. With the second half of the season, we saw the development of Marvin Mims in that role. Do you feel like personally, Cody, like in your eyes, okay, the Broncos trade for Debo Samuel, does that sort of create this friction between Marvin Mims and his role with a Debo guy?

Or do you feel like those two can be on the field at the same time? I think they could be on the field at the same time, Sarah. I don't think it necessarily takes away. Like you look at where Marvin was at. His main frustration, I think, in his rookie season. And even a little bit in the first half of 2020, 24 was the offense and Sean Payton trying to figure out where they can put him. And certainly when they got him in the backfield, they got him on some motion stuff.

You get some isolated matchups against some inside linebackers. It certainly helps. Like you have the advantage there. But I think really the biggest element that makes Marvin such a dangerous player is his speed, his ability to get behind defenses. And I think you add a guy like Debo to the mix here with Cortland Sutton and you have a guy like Marvin there. I think you can still do that.

And I thought that there were some route designs that. obviously got Marvin involved, especially late. You look at what happened against the Cincinnati Bengals. There was that. You can still use, even if you have Debo, you can still use Marvin, whereas like, hey, you can throw a bubble screen to him like you did against the Los Angeles charters. And then with good blocking on the outside perimeter, he can kind of use his return skills

to get up field. I mean, even that's what Sean Payton said is like when he was talking with Kay Adams. We look at Marvin. It's like, he's such a great return. How can we use some of those skills on the offensive side of the ball? We'll get it in the ball and space and then see what he can do there. but now you add another dynamic to the mix like a D-Bo. It makes it not as obvious as to what you can do with Marvin Mims.

And I think now that the Broncos have had that formula where, hey, we've used Marvin in this role, here's what we can do going forward. You can find ways to scheme up designs to him and to Debo. And I think your other guys as well getting involved. You need good depth in today's NFL. And I think that's one thing that we saw as well. There's something that maybe argued against that impacted Kansas City negatively in the Super Bowl. their depth at receiver and overall the playmakers weren't necessarily there for Patrick Mahomes in the way that he's had in the past.

But having good depth, I think is very paramount in today's NFL, especially when you have your guys that aren't necessarily producing. And it's not just a receiver. It's also at running back. It's also at positions on the defensive side of the ball. There are a lot of reasons I think that you can look at a move for Debo Samuel and say, okay, hey, this doesn't make sense for Denver. Right now, I'm looking at the pros over the cons. I think there are significantly more pros to adding a guy like Debo than there are cons. at this point. And what is your goal, Sarah?

Your goal is to maximize. What did Greg Penner say? We want to win the AFC West. What do you need to do? You need to go out there and you need to add players that can help you win. And I think Debo is a guy that can actually help the Broncos get to that point, especially inside this division. So to me, I'm all for it. I think the Broncos should be in on Debo Samuel here. I think so too. I think anytime there's a playmaker that becomes available of this caliber, you have the luxury right now of saying, hey, in the next two to three years,

window of time, we can utilize a guy like this and he can make Bo Nix better and the war on attrition hits everybody. Even the teams with the best, you know, rate of keeping guys on the field in the league. You have to have depth. You have to have options. And guys like this, Devo Samuel, Cooper Cup, they've won big games in the NFL. They've been in big situations in the NFL. And that is a huge, huge attribute that the Broncos have prioritized in the past in free agency. So I wouldn't underestimate that either, Cody. And I feel like, man, this is a situation to where the offseason is shaping up draft, free agency, trade market. Everything appears to be going into Denver Broncos favor in terms of lining up with the positions that they need to add guys at in order to really compete next year.

Like, screw this idea of two to three years down the road. Let's go after it now. You've got your quarterback on a rookie deal. You made the playoffs. Sean Peyton felt like they could go into Kansas City and do some damage in the playoffs. Let's go after it right now. Don't be saying, I don't know, two, three years down the road. We'll be there.

No, let's go after it now and see what happens. There's no guarantee as well. Like, you know, something could happen this next season. It impacts your two to three year plan in a negative way. So go all in, be right there. I think that's what Broncos country wants to see. They want to see the team be all in right now. Let's find a way to get there.

Close that gap a little bit. And as Sean Payton said earlier, He thinks that the Broncos, there are going to be a problem. Well, you know what? You know who's good at causing problems for defenses? Debo Samuel. We'll see if the Broncos decide to get antsy on that and maybe pull the trigger on calling the San Francisco 49ers for that. But with I said, Broncos, that will wrap up today's episode of the show.

But a lot in store for you here as the off season now continues here, not just for the Denver Broncos, but for the rest of the NFL, how I some other moves from other teams impact how the Broncos may move this off season. That's something we'll continue to look into here on lockdown Broncos. We'll see it tomorrow. Thank you.