Broncos Made 'Outrageous' Trey McBride Trade Inquiry, Insider Claims

The Denver Broncos have been linked to the running back trade market ahead of Tuesday's deadline, but they've been looking for other ways to improve their bottom-10 offense.

The tight end position has been a bit of a weakness for Denver. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Broncos have checked around the league, including one bold, outrageous call to Arizona to check on the availability of Cardinals All-Pro tight end Trey McBride.

"The Denver Broncos have checked in around the league on tight ends, going so far as to ambitiously -- and some would say outrageously -- check on Cardinals star Trey McBride, who is from Fort Morgan, Colorado, and played at Colorado State. The Cardinals made it very clear they have zero intention of trading McBride," Schefter posted on Saturday.

It never hurts to ask, though it could ruffle some feathers. The Broncos' interest in McBride comes from an obvious place.

Not only is a Colorado native and a life-long Broncos fan, but against Denver in Week 7, McBride had his best game of the season, catching 10 passes on 13 targets for 111 yards and a touchdown. Broncos head coach Sean Payton spent a good long while after the game chopping it up with McBride in admiration of his game.

But the Cardinals aren't interested in trading McBride. So that's that.

Maybe not, though. Arizona could be playing hard to get, and everyone has an offer they'd accept. For the Cardinals, it would take a king's ransom to give up arguably the best tight end in football, but again, everything has a price.

Given McBride's age — he's only 26 — who knows what it would take for Arizona to give him up. Maybe a pair of first-round picks for the 2022 second-rounder out of Colorado State?

TE Usage

My question would come down to usage. Given Bo NIx's middle-of-the-field avoidance and his relative neglect of targeting tight ends, would the Broncos really want a Ferari like McBride sitting in the garage every week? A car such as that is meant to be driven.

That's not a knock on Nix, by the way. It's just a fact. The Broncos spent to sign Evan Engram in free agency last year, and while he finished third on the team in receiving, he failed to meet expectations, and turned in one of his worst statistical seasons as a pro.

It's gotten even worse for Engram this year. So, on one hand, of course I understand the Broncos' interest in McBride, but I don't think he's meant to be in Denver — not right now, at least.

The Takeaway

I certainly applaud the Broncos' boldness to call and ask about McBride. Fortune favors the bold, after all, and you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

The NFL trade deadline is on Tuesday, so the Broncos have one more game between now and then. I believe the focus remains on upgrading the running back position, but if nothing else, Schefter's report on McBride hints that the Broncos may be cultivating an aggressive mindset ahead of the deadline.

Stay tuned.