If we are offering up some constructive criticism of the Denver Broncos offense through 5 games, we might first start with praise.
That praise comes in the form of what now seems like a brilliant financial move in signing wide receiver Courtland Sutton to a 4-year, $92 million contract extension on July 28. That’s incredible value for the Broncos for what Sutton gives them.
Sutton put together the first 1,000-yard receiving season for the Broncos since 2019 in a brilliant 2024 campaign and is on pace to do that again this year. He currently leads the Broncos with 26 receptions for 365 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Here’s where the constructive criticism comes in. The Broncos have failed to establish a secondary downfield receiving threat beyond Sutton. Right now, there’s no real WR2 on the roster.
Which means the Broncos should explore making a move to bring in another elite wide receiver to play opposite Sutton, and they should aim big.
It’s not a stretch to say bringing in the right downfield threat could make the Broncos legitimate Super Bowl contenders — they already have the NFL’s best defense and have added considerable talent to their offense from last season.
One player who could be available is New Orleans Saints star and former first round pick Chris Olave, who Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox has at No. 1 on his NFL Trade Block Big Board after 5 weeks.
Even if the price is as Knox predicts — a conditional first round pick — it might be worth it to get Olave in the fold.
Through the first 5 games of the regular season, Olave has 31 receptions for 241 yards and 1 touchdown.
“If the Saints are looking to cash in veteran talent as part of their rebuild, wideout Chris Olave would likely be their top trade chip,” Knox wrote. “The 25-year-old has two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume and appears to again be healthy after injuries limited him to eight games in 2024. The Ohio State product is also set to play on the fifth-year option in 2026, meaning he’s under contract for two more seasons … Olave should be high on the wish list of receiver-needy teams.”
Elite NFL Wide Receiver on Terrible NFL Team
Olave, 6-foot and 187 pounds, was a 3-time All-Big Ten pick at Ohio State and had his best season as a senior in 2021 with 65 receptions for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 11 games.
After running the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, the Saints took Olave at No. 11 overall in the 2022 NFL draft — one of 6 wide receivers taken in the first 18 picks.
Even while playing on an objectively bad team, Olave has shown he could be the very best of the bunch. He reeled off back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons to start his career but only played 8 games in 2024 after a pair of nasty concussions — which makes 4 concussions in 3 seasons for Olave.
Broncos Might Want to Pay Olave Immediately
The Broncos shouldn’t just cough up a first round pick without trying some combination of a second round pick and a third day pick.
One other thing the Broncos might want to do is pay Olave immediately and not wait out the final 2 years. Spotrac currently has his market value projected at something in the vicinity geof a 3-year, $53.1 million contract — at approximately $17.7 million per season that could represent an incredible value for the Broncos.
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