Don't call it a fire sale for the Denver Broncos
At 2-5, the Denver Broncos are anything but a success this season, making it two straight years of the franchise falling massively short of preseason expectations. Denver, after punting on head coach Nathaniel Hackett after just one season, seems likely to keep Sean Payton for the long haul and build the team in a way that, moving forward, pleases him.
So, it might make sense for the team to engage in a massive tear-down at the deadline to get the house down to the studs, right? A fire sale is something that has been speculated for some time and even players in the organization have felt it to be likely.
Instead, the Broncos are actually not looking to sell at a discount. Dianna Russini reported Sunday morning that the Broncos are not selling cheap (subscription required) and offers so far on Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Josey Jewell haven't met the Broncos asking price.
Don't be surprised if the fire sale is anything but a door-buster.
49ers are working the phones in arms race with Eagles
Last year, general managers Howie Roseman (Philadelphia Eagles) and John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers) both made trades that vaulted their teams to the top of the NFC. As fate would have it, their squads matched up in the NFC Championship game, the Eagles ultimately winning.
Philly's big acquisition came before the season, landing secondary star C.J. Gardner-Johnson from the Saints. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers made a deadline deal for Christian McCaffrey.
This year, it appears both general managers will continue to be aggressive as their two teams appear to once again be the No. 1 and No. 2 in the conference, the exact ordering up for debate depending on who, exactly, you ask.
According to Russini's Sunday column, the Niners are, "working the phones," and are specifically looking for edge rusher and cornerback.
San Francisco looking to deepen and/or fortify its defense should be terrifying. They already hold opponents to a third-best 15.3 points per game this season, but one area they may be looking to improve is the pass defense. San Franisco surrenders an exactly middle 16th-best 223.6 yards per game passing. Rushing is stronger, with the 49ers sitting at third in fewest rushing yards per game allowed. An edge would put pressure on the QB, while a cornerback could help stop balls in the air.
Clearly, San Francisco wants to tidy up one of its most obvious flaws.
Cowboys source denied that Derrick Henry interest was ever real
There was some light speculation at various points that the Dallas Cowboys might have had interest in trading for Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry. Henry, who is a free agent after this season, is a logical trade candidate this season if the Titans wish to recoup whatever draft capital they can before he hits the open market and could leave for nothing.
Russini, though, reports that a Cowboys source told her that Dallas never called to inquire about Henry. Furthermore, Henry is likely to stay (as is DeAndre Hopkins) unless an offer from an outside team is, "exceptional."
For Dallas, a Henry trade wouldn't have made a ton of sense, anyway. After moving off of Ezekiel Elliott this offseason, the Cowboys went younger with Tony Pollard, who has dropped in efficiency as his carries have increased but remains about as effective on the whole as before. Henry would be a stronger go-to back to add some dynamism to the run game for Dallas, but likely would have been a remarkably expensive rental.
Dallas has been warning of a more-likely-than-not quiet trade deadline, so Henry being off the table completely should not come as a massive surprise to anyone.
