Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos LOSE Veteran Offensive Player | Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele Increased Role

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos lost one of their key contributors on offense in Little Jordan Humphrey, but we'll tell you why the Broncos have a perfect plan in-house with Troy Franklin and Devon Valle to replace him on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Broncos country, what's happening? Welcome into another episode of Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. as part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:36 Thank you so much to the everydayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in, making us your first listen. However, you choose to do something, if you're not yet in every day or it's easy to become. All you got to do, hit that follow or that subscribe button so you never miss out on what's going on with your favorite team. Every single day all year long. I'm Cody Work. Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports. You can check out my written work over there, Milehysports.com.

Starting point is 00:00:59 My film review is over there on their YouTube channel. And on top of that, joined as always by our good friend, Sarah Bedinger, site expo there, predominantly orange.com. Also, NFL spins on. He does a lot of stuff in the NFL community. And we got a jam-packed episode for you here on today's installment of Locked-on Broncos. We'll wrap things up by talking about why the Broncos may benefit from adding a veteran wide receiver to the mix here this offseason. And with Little Jordan Humphrey's departure, we'll also highlight why Devon Valet and Troy Franklin are in a perfect position to

Starting point is 00:01:31 take over his role, which will create more opportunities for them. Sarah, let's kick things off here over the weekend. Obviously, we know that a little Jordan Humphrey signed a deal with the New York Giants to go catch passes for whoever their quarterback is going to be, whether that's James Winston or who knows, Tommy Davido. But he's not going to be catching passes for the Denver Broncos here in 2025. No, and he passed up allegedly or reportedly, according to Mike Cliss, our good friend over there at 9 News. He passed up a one-year deal to return to the Denver Broncos. And obviously, either the

Starting point is 00:02:07 contract wasn't competitive enough or the role that they were offering him wasn't competitive enough to, you know, not decide to choose to leave Denver, to go to a new NFL city, to go to New York and kind of maybe try to preserve his overall value. I mean, Cody, he played a lot of snaps for the Broncos last year. Second most snaps on the team at wide receiver, just a hair under 50% of the offensive snaps for Lil Jordan Humphrey last year, which in my opinion is sort of a microcos of the issues the Denver Broncos have had at the wide receiver position. With all due respect to Lil Jordan, obviously there's demand for his services, a couple of teams. The Broncos and the Giants trying to sign him. But I don't think the Broncos necessarily were desperate

Starting point is 00:02:52 to bring him back. And we saw last year exactly why. He's a nice role player, somebody who's familiar with the Sean Payton offense, somebody who can do a lot of the dirty work within Sean Payton's offense, but very, very limited as a past catcher. So it'll be interesting to see how he does with the New York Giants who have absorbed a lot of former Broncos in recent years, haven't they? I mean, you can go back to Cody Latimer and you can look at even more recent guys like the blocking tight end who just left to go there after last year. So kind of interesting to see Chris Manhart, that's his name, came to me right at the nick of time

Starting point is 00:03:28 there. So, but a number of former Broncos heading to the Giants in recent years. And I don't know, whatever Joe Shane and Brian Daibble are seeing in Lil Jordan Humphrey, they believe that he can be an asset to, like you said, whoever is going to be their quarterback. Well, and that's going to be the mystery, right? So let's take a look at it from the Broncos perspective here. And look, I mean, you look at the number of snaps played. And yeah, Little Jordan Humphrey by snaps, if we're looking at it from that percentage was probably the Broncos wide receiver too.

Starting point is 00:03:55 Now, towards the end of the season, it started to change a little bit where, it was Devon Vela, Troy Franklin, those guys, Marvin Mims getting more reps, you know, at times in certain games than a guy like Little Jordan Humphrey. And look, I think there's been a lot of discussion. There's been a lot of debate about this on social media, which, you know, this time of year, it just goes to show, hey, okay, we're approaching April. The draft is coming up. Okay, there's a slow time here. Free agency's kind of slowed down here. But, you know, some people are actually like the Broncos are losing like this bona fide superstar here in Little Jordan Humphrey.

Starting point is 00:04:27 And look, as you mentioned, little Jordan Humphrey is a great role player. You know, he's not going to be the guy that's going to go out there and catch you, I think, 55 passes or even get you 500 yards receiving in that guard. But, you know, there are a couple of games where he had a couple of big catch and runs. It was able to run through contact. That's great. He's a great perimeter blocker. But it wasn't necessarily enough for the Broncos to say,

Starting point is 00:04:47 hey, we're going to justify, like, making an aggressive offer to bring you back. There was no urgency on the Broncos side to do that. And initially, it was even reported at the beginning of the office. off season that, you know, little Jordan Humphrey's agent, you know, was maybe looking at little Jordan, maybe switching to tight end here, you know, maybe coming back to play that role here for the Broncos, which I'm like, why would you do that when you have a draft class that's already coming up right here? Little Jordan Humphrey was a good role player, put his head down, did the dirty work, right?

Starting point is 00:05:17 But to act like this is a massive loss here for the Broncos, as some people are, I think it's a little wild. And certainly, it's going to put more pressure, more expectations on some of these other guys here. to step up. Little Jordan Humphrey didn't play any special teams. Two years in a row, zero special team snaps by him. That role can be fulfilled really easily. And some people are saying, well, Trent Sherfield,

Starting point is 00:05:39 is he the replacement to Lord Jordan Humphrey? I don't think he is. Trent Sherfield is going to be that special team's ace there. And also probably have a little bit of a chance to play more to a role on offense here in Denver than maybe he did in Minnesota. But it's not going to be really Trent Sherfield either. In my opinion, Sarah, it's going to be Devon, Vail, Troy, Franklin from these two guys are going to have a chance.

Starting point is 00:05:57 to take over Lil Jordan's role in a bigger facet this upcoming season. 100%. And I think a lot of times players that play for the Denver Broncos, as we all now have access to all 22 film, Cody, a lot of guys get romanticized because of the things that they do well, right? And I think that it's fair to say that Lil Jordan Humphrey does do a number of things well. But he was tied for the highest drop percentage with Cortland Sutton on the team at the wide receiver position this past year with three drops on just 45 targets. So one out of every 10 catches that Lil Jordan had, he also had a drop, according to pro

Starting point is 00:06:37 football reference. He also was directly responsible for an interception that Bo Nicks through against the Baltimore Ravens. And there were two interceptions thrown among his 45 targets last year. Cody, to me, this is a guy that the Broncos, I don't think they should have been manufacturing touches the way they were for him. They were giving him screen passes and swing passes. And I get it. Like one of his strengths is gaining yardage after the catch. But the only times we really saw that in big moments was at the end of blowout wins against the Falcons and the Kansas

Starting point is 00:07:09 City Chiefs. There were very few times throughout the season last year where a guy who played 50% of your offensive snaps and no special teams hardly made a big difference as a receiver. So to glamorize what he did as a blocker is fine. But like you said, let's stop romanticizing the Lil Jordan Humphrey era with Denver and let's get real. Like we can appreciate the good things that he did without being dishonest about the ceiling that he provided the team receiver. And I don't mean to be harsh on Lil Jordan because like he deserves to go make his career and he deserves to go continue trying to make plays and doing those things. But this is more so of a perspective of like the discourse that goes on with a guy like this. It's clear and obvious that the Broncos can upgrade over this guy.

Starting point is 00:07:59 And the fact that he was there for the last two years, great for him. He got to make some plays, got another contract out of it. But I just think guys get romanticized so much, even in the midst of playing poorly, in so many ways, like one of the lowest quarterback ratings when targeted on the team last year at 75.5, that was the quarterback rating when Lil Jordan Humphrey was targeted. I said, tied for the highest percentage of drops per target on the team with Cortland Sutton, who led the team in targets. And so I just think it's so fascinating, Cody. We romanticized guys like this, like Tim Patrick, who had 33 catches last year. And I understand he would have been

Starting point is 00:08:41 a better player than what the Broncos had at times, but like he had 33 catches last year. Let's set our sights a little bit higher. So that's kind of my rant on the whole Lil Jordan Humphrey thing, is it's frustrating that we can't just say that he wasn't good enough for what the Broncos are trying to do, which is win the Super Bowl. And they have a clear chance to upgrade, and now's the time to take it. Well, I think another thing, when you look at like a little Jordan Humphrey's time here in Denver, you know, I know some constantly fumbles in terms of timing that, you know, that was definitely something that did come up in a couple of games there.

Starting point is 00:09:16 I know that there was a clip of Sean Payton. I think it was. Even the Broncos blow in. I don't know if it was against the Falcons or something. but there were, you know, a couple of us is where Cortland had a fumble. I think at the one yard line, little Jordan Humphrey had a fumble at one drive. And he was really mad about it. He was upset about it.

Starting point is 00:09:31 You know, so you look at where Denver's at. They've got a handful of young guys here. You're in a position. You've invested capital in guys like Troy Franklin and also Devon Velae. Why not give those guys a little bit more run here going forward? And I think that's exactly what we're going to talk about here on today's episode. The show, we'll tell you why Devon Velae and Troy Franklin are ideal candidates to replace what little Jordan and Humphrey did on top of that,

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Starting point is 00:10:55 on fendool America's number one sports book. Well, believe it or not, there actually is quite a large role in the offense left behind by Lil Jordan Humphrey, who is now a member of the New York Giants. So who on the Denver Broncos roster is going to fill that role? Who's going to play those snaps? There might already be in-house options without even considering veteran options out there in free agency or the upcoming NFL draft. which, by the way, Broncos country is less than a month away at this point in time.

Starting point is 00:11:25 So what you're going to want to do, if you haven't done so already, hit that subscribe button. Take a couple of seconds. Hit subscribe. You know your boys, Cody and Stair got you every single day. If you're not already an everyday listener of the show, you can become one in just a couple of seconds by doing that today. Cody, let's talk about the role and the snaps that are going to be left behind by Lil Jordan Humphrey. Obviously, he like, like we said, he did a lot of the dirty work, only 45 targets last year. but played nearly 50% of the offensive snaps.

Starting point is 00:11:53 And considering the amount of times that Sean Payton changes and swaps out personnel, that's pretty substantial. Like you mentioned, that would have been wide receiver two on the team in terms of overall snaps, which for a guy who was on the practice squad after the 90-man roster were cut down to 53, that's not a bad gig. So there's snaps left behind. I think we have to kind of start the discussion of who's going to fill this role.

Starting point is 00:12:20 with Devon Valey, the seventh round rookie who's got the most impressive combination of size, hands, athletic traits in terms of what little Jordan Humphrey is leaving behind. Yeah, I mean, you look at it, Devon Valey, 6'5, 210 pounds. He fits that size model that Sean Payton likes to follow. I mean, Sean Payton has always talked about he likes the fact that he's got big receivers. And, you know, one thing last year when we were in training camp in OTAs, he says, I love the size of our receiving room. And so it kind of gave us maybe an indication, okay, what does that mean for smaller guys or shorter guys?

Starting point is 00:12:54 Well, Michael Bandy somehow still made the practice squad for, you know, a good portion of the time. You got Marvin Mims. And obviously, we know he's kind of a Swiss Army knife with his speed, you know, and his ability to be used kind of like a Joker. Not necessarily the Joker tag as Sean Peyton did tell us here with Marvin Mims, but says has traits like a Joker. So we'll see it that continues to expand here. But, you know, for me, when you look at that size and volume there, you look at that six foot five frame there of. of Devon Vele. He's a big body guy. He had more catches than little Jordan Humphrey had last season. If I'm not mistaken here, I think he had 41 catches for 475 yards. He had three receiving

Starting point is 00:13:30 touchdowns. And of his 41 catches, 26 of them moved the chains for a first down, right? So you talk about the idea that Devon Vele, and I think we've seen flashes of this at time, can become a possession receiver for you. We saw it against the Las Vegas Raiders in Vegas on a couple of downfield plays there. Big body frame has the ability to adjust to the back shoulder. And I think as a guy that, you know, John Payton says, hey, we believe we can get some mismatch advantages for him. You look at him. You look at Cortland Sutton. I mean, that was why they were so comfortable with moving on from Tim Patrick was because of Devon Bailey. And yes, I understand Devon Vele. They like him. They like what he can continue to project and develop to become. But I don't

Starting point is 00:14:13 think you can necessarily bank on him just being your wide receiver too by default, right? I think it's going to have to come from a combination of different things. I think that was the problem last year with the offense. You knew clear well that Cortland Sutton was wide receiver one. There was a question mark almost every other week. Who's wide receiver two? Is it little Jordan Humphrey, Devon Valey, Marvin Mims? And we were begging to see a little bit more of Troy Franklin end of the season.

Starting point is 00:14:35 That started to formulate a little bit more. I think primarily here, you're going to see Cortland Sutton. I think Devon Valey, and I think depending on the package, right, even if you're an 11 personnel, it just depends on what personnel. no look you get, you're going to see a heavy rotation of Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin alongside. But I think it's going to be Cortland and Devon Valey as those primary two guys with Troy and Marvin rotating in. And look, here's the thing.

Starting point is 00:14:59 We're talking about Devon Valey. Troy Franklin, I think we started to see ascend a little bit towards the end of the season. Right. Remember there was the frustration early on like games against the Raiders at home where he had a drop. What would have been a massive touchdown for Bonix? It would have made that beat down against the Raiders a little bit more sweet there for Broncos country. But Troy, I mean, I think we forget some of the games that he had against

Starting point is 00:15:22 the New Orleans Saints where we actually saw him get utilized on short spacing routes, crossing patterns around the middle of the field. The thing that I had the issue with with the Broncos offense last year is seemed like Sean Payton had an affinity once again, and we know this, for his guys. Lord Jordan Humphrey was one of his guys. And I think that sacrificed some reps there for guys like Devon Velae and Troy Franklin at the middle part of the season. You want to to see more of it wasn't consistently there. Now with little Jordan Humphrey gone, can Devon Valle, Troy Franklin become one of Sean's guys?

Starting point is 00:15:54 And if that's the case, there's some good favor to be had in that situation. Well, Sean Peyton always says that confidence is bred from demonstrated ability, right? And so these guys got chances to go and do that in spots last year, but not necessarily consistently, right? Which was part of the frustration of their rookie seasons. It's like, you know, Troy's getting one or two shots per game to prove himself. and that's really it.

Starting point is 00:16:17 Or valet is getting, you know, heavy targets in the first half of a game. And then all of a sudden in the second half, it's like, why are you not throwing the ball to valet a little bit more? And then, of course, when they would target them more, it's like, why are they dropping these passes? Why can't they get the timing down on these? So it was like this mixture of frustration of like, here's the good. And you want to see that consistently. And then, though they're not being used in this particular way, but they should be. And then now you're getting them these targets and they're not taking advantage of it.

Starting point is 00:16:46 And so such is life for rookies in the NFL, right? And so I'm glad the Broncos got those growing pains out of the way. And if the best of what we saw from Devon Velae and Troy Franklin and even Marvin Mims, not to disclude him from the conversation, but I think we saw that his role is going to be a bit more defined. We still have questions about Velae and Franklin more so. But if those two guys can be what the Broncos apparently think they can be, which, remember, they had a second round grade on Troy Franklin and Sean Peyton has compared Devon

Starting point is 00:17:18 Valet to Marcus Colston consistently. Even Tim Patrick's name was thrown out. If those guys can be anything close to that, maybe Sean's right. Maybe they don't need as much wide receiver help as the fan base. And me in particular seems to think. Well, and I think there's the gamble, right? You know, you go into the office. It's like, all right, we haven't really added to the position.

Starting point is 00:17:39 You know, we like the young guys. We like the developmental guys. We added Trent Sherfield, who can play a receiver for you, but he's going to be your primary special team guy. A majority of his snaps are going to come on that side of the ball in that third phase here. But then there's also Broncos country fan favorite A.T. Perry, Sarah, six foot five size explosiveness. I've watched him move in practice. I've seen him. He's got some really fun traits about him, but can he get on the field in the regular season?

Starting point is 00:18:06 Can he win a roster spot? Or if he's on the practice squad, can he finally find a way to get elevated? here for a game. Like that's where the question is. I mean, that's where the challenge is here, too, because if you have so many receivers, it's trying to figure out how do you get guys touches? Like, you already know Cortland's going to be your primary volume receiver there. Marvin Mims obviously showcased he can be that second volume receiver there down the stretch of the season. But then it's like, all right, hey, we need a, we need a master taking these shots at, you know, Troy Franklin downfield. We need to get Troy and Devon Bailey actually the ball at five to seven yards and

Starting point is 00:18:38 let them do work. Troy Franklin, more so because of his speed and his ability, you saw that at Oregon there. I think for Devon Vele, he's got a chance to be a bigger downfield threat this upcoming season than he was last year. And I think that will expand a little bit more here. So it does leave you with some questions about whether or not you should add to the position here. I think that Denver right now, where they're at, and we know this just by nature of it going into training camp, wide receiver and cornerback. You're usually going to have more guys going into camp than you are actually going to carry on your active roster. You're more like to carry five or six on your active 53. And then the rest, you know, you're going to hope you can bring some guys

Starting point is 00:19:15 back to the practice squad. I think with Devon, Valey, Cortland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, you have four solidified guys. Trent Sherfield's going to be there by definition of special teams. But then can A.T. Perry finally break the mold a little bit and do some because he's got good regular season experience with the Norland Saints. Can that carry over now here with the Denver Broncos. And I think that Denver's depth right now is solid. It's just unknown what you're going to truly get from these guys. And I think that's the gamble of when you have Bow Nicks going into year two on a rookie deal is saying, hey, is this it? Do we have confidence in these guys to be able to do it? Or are we going to be in a position where we have to add to it? And I think Denver's

Starting point is 00:19:55 got flexibility. They don't have to do it in this year's draft. But if they're unsure, next year in free agency, I feel like they could really load up if they wanted to, if they're uncertain with the guys that they currently have in-house. So where is the path that Sean Payton is going to take? It's going to be a very interesting question to follow all throughout the entire offseason here. But Broncos, we're not done. Do the Broncos still need to add another veteran receiver? As Sarah and I will tell you, we believe that insurance policies are absolutely important when it comes to positions in which will help your quarterback thrive.

Starting point is 00:20:24 We'll take a look at some of the veterans still available in the NFL free-nancy market like Keenan Allen and why the Broncos should maybe consider adding him on today's episode of the show. The fourth quarter action of today's episode, Lockdown Broncos is here. And as time dwindles down, Broncos country, want to say thank you so much for tuning in today, making us your first listen, however you choose to do so. And thank you to all the everydayers out there who make the show exactly what it is. You get fresh, daily objective Broncos news content coverage analysis every single day all year long. You can't get there anywhere else, but here, L-O-B. We appreciate you so much there, Broncos country.

Starting point is 00:21:00 We're going to get into the conversation about the Broncos, whether or not they still need a veteran wide receiver as the later stages of free agency are dwindling down. And Sarah, this is a very interesting question. We talked about all the guys that the Broncos have at wide receiver right now. We've made the pros and cons for Devon, Valle, Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims, even highlighted Trent Sherfield and obviously a guy like AT Perry. But do the Broncos still need to add a veteran wide receiver in your opinion? I think they should.

Starting point is 00:21:28 I think they should go for somebody that, you know, like you mentioned, And it's insurance at an important position where your quarterback is directly affected, right? So let's say Cortland Sutton, God forbid, gets injured this year. You're really rolling with a lot of unproven guys and nobody that defenses really have to focus on. Now, is that to say that anybody out there in free agency is going to command that kind of attention? No, not necessarily. But it does give you more options going into the offseason to see, hey, can somebody like AT Perry beat out, Keenan Allen or Stefan Diggs or Amari Cooper, you know, somebody like that.

Starting point is 00:22:04 Can they beat them for a roster spot or could they beat them for potentially a role in this offense? I think that's interesting to monitor. And so to me, I do want to see this team raise the floor with a veteran guy at the wide receiver position. And we know that that's been something that's on the docket, as Mike Kliss has said, that a receiver of note is expected to come in. And that was not the acquisition of Trent Sherfield, who was a replacement for. or Tremont Smith, the special teams ace, as opposed to either Lil Jordan Humphrey or that wide receiver of note that he was talking about. So to me,

Starting point is 00:22:41 I do think that you bring somebody in and it allows your young guys to progress at their own pace still. I mean, yes, you want to throw them out there and let them prove, hey, I can go do this. But at the same time, I don't think you want to just have a weak position group just for the sake of it, you know, or an unknown. If you don't want to call it weak, let's call it unknown at best and get some known commodities in there get some guys out there that can produce get some guys out there that can move the chains like keenan allen did for the bears last

Starting point is 00:23:09 year where they still had dj more still had rome adunes a and uh obviously cold commed and you get your backs involved and keenan allen still ended up playing a substantial role for them over the course of a season there's plenty to go around over the course of a 17 game regular season yeah no you're right and look as we're sitting down talking about this this you know the These are the available veteran-free agents and we'll go through and analyze who's, you know, a good fit. You know, Stefan Diggs has not yet signed with any team. Keenan Allen, a guy who I highlighted very early on is like, hey, this would be on my wish list here for the Broncos in the offseason. He has yet to sign somewhere of Murray Cooper, who you've talked about here.

Starting point is 00:23:48 And then really after that, it goes Deontay Johnson, Tyler Lockett, the veteran who's released from the Seattle Seahawks. And really Robert Woods at that point. And to be honest with you, it's kind of cut off in my. opinion after Tyler Lockett. You look at Stefan Dex. I think you and I've already done a pros and cons there. Would he be a good locker room fit for what the Broncos are looking for here? We've seen when he's not getting the football in situations like Buffalo, we've seen

Starting point is 00:24:13 in situations like the Houston Texans. There have been moments where there's been some problematic signs there in terms of, hey, he's not getting the ball. He's frustrated. That could impact your dynamic, whereas you have one game with Cortland Sutton and see a single target. And Cortland doesn't have bad body language. Cordons out there blocking his tail off against the New Orleans Saints in week seven.

Starting point is 00:24:32 So for me, don't think Stefan Diggs is a good fit. Keenan Allen is still at the top of my wish list here, Sarah, for the Broncos in terms of what he would bring to the table as a veteran security blanket option here for you. Amari Cooper, I think, would be a valuable addition. Deontay Johnson, not sure he would be a locker room fit, considering some of the things that we have seen and some of the frustrations that other teams have had with him. I mean, the fact, he's been released a couple of times in the last year. because of conduct detrimental to the team, that's been something that's been problematic,

Starting point is 00:25:03 would not be a fit for what I think Sean Peyton would want to bring into the mix. So if you had to look at a list of the veteran guys that are out there available, who makes the most sense from a culture standpoint, from what you need from the position standpoint, and would they be a good teammate? Well, I agree with you. I think Keenan Allen still makes the most sense to me, or maybe somebody like Amari Cooper,

Starting point is 00:25:22 although I know there was some friction between he and the Browns last year that led to his being traded. but at the same time, I mean, can you really blame guys for wanting to leave the Cleveland Browns? I cannot. So I think that that was maybe justified there in that situation. But like you said, I think it's all about situation. It's all about what role these guys are willing to take because all the free agents are out there are big name guys that people will recognize. But they're all over 30 years old at this point. And they're all at very different stages of their career than they were when they were able to demand targets.

Starting point is 00:25:56 and they were able to say, hey, like, I am the guy for this offense. Like things have shifted for all of them. Like Stefan Diggs, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, you guys are no longer the top dogs. You guys are role players now. You're the three-point shooter coming off the bench. You're the old grizzly veteran out there who's, you know, got to play his role and be a good teammate and teach the younger guys, like equip the next generation of guys, so to speak. So maybe the best player that's equipped to do that is somebody like Keenan Allen, who

Starting point is 00:26:25 did it last year in Chicago, was ready and willing to contribute to a rebuilding project already and now go to a team that's rising up in a division that he's already played in where maybe he's got a bone to pick with the Chargers who brought back Mike Williams instead of him. Maybe he's got a bone to pick still with the Kansas City Chiefs. We know they've had some, they've traded barbs throughout the years. So somebody who's already got that familiar hatred for the division makes sense to me. And he's that possession type of receiver who can move the chains quickly, who can extend drives, wins in the red zone, still getting it done.

Starting point is 00:27:02 Keenan Allen, Cody, I would have signed him yesterday if it was up to me. Yeah, I think, I think really Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper are the two guys that are available that probably make the most sense that are more realistic than anybody else. I think Tyler Lockett will end up signing with the Raiders at some point there to reunite with Pete Carroll and Gino Smith and they're quietly building a team that they feel like can be a little competitive and maybe sneaky here in the AFC West. I'm sure we're going to have a nice little squad episode with our AFC West companions here in the next few months after the NFL draft to build up for the season here. But to me, there's really just two guys.

Starting point is 00:27:37 And if it's not any of those two guys, then it's not really of note, in my opinion, at that point there. It's got to be Keenan Allen or Mari Cooper. And look, Broncos country, as always, we want to hear from you on today's episode of the show. Do you think that the Broncos still need a veteran wide receiver to add to the mix alongside Cortland Sutton, the receivers we talked about like Devon, Valey, Troy Franklin, and Marvin Mims this upcoming season. They'd be featured in that wide receiver rotation. Look, you need a guy in the event of an injury.

Starting point is 00:28:04 And having a veteran guy, I think, is a great security blanket option. It's a great insurance policy. As you're saying, I don't think there's a better option, a guy like Amari Cooper or a Keenan Allen in that situation. There's some other guys that as you go down the list, you want to go younger that maybe aren't going to be of note there. You know, you go through and there's guys like DJ Chark who played with the Chargers. There's Nelson Aglar who's going to be 32 this year.

Starting point is 00:28:25 And then you look at guys like Stephen Sims Jr. Who played for the Baltimore Ravens, Jameson Crowder is going to be 32. You know, there's no one that really moves the needle, I think, to be qualifying under that of note category, as our good friend Mike Cliss has pointed out. So with that said, Broncos country, make sure you let us know your thoughts on today's episode of the show. If you're a brand new viewer, listener of the show, you loved everything that we brought your way today as pertains to everything Denver Broncos. make sure you be coming every day or hit that subscribe button so you never miss out on what's going on. A Broncos country, if you know any Broncos fans out there that don't yet know about the show, send the show to them, make and create new everydayers here.

Starting point is 00:29:04 We appreciate you so much. We're going to open up the mailbag this week here for Broncos. We're going to take a look at a couple of other positions throughout the week, specifically the Broncos plan at running back. Could the youth movement be the way here for Sean Payton? You'll get that and much more on tomorrow's episode of the show. Thank you.

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