Broncos teammates speak out against possible T.J. Ward trade

Following reports Tuesday indicating the Denver Broncos had not only received but made calls about possible trades involving safety T.J. Ward, several of his teammates spoke out against moving the “No Fly Zone” member.

Speaking with “The Drive” on Wednesday, defensive lineman Derek Wolfe described Ward, entering his final year of a four-year contract with the Broncos in 2017, as one of the key pieces who “pick up the slack” and makes the defense “run like a machine.”

“Late in the season, you’ve got to practice on a Wednesday, you’ve got pads on, and you really don’t feel like being there. Sometimes you need a guy to speak up,” Wolfe said. “Sometimes that’s me. Sometimes that’s T.J. Sometimes that’s Von. Sometimes that’s Chris. Sometimes that’s Talib. Sometimes it’s Domata Peko.

“We hold each other accountable, and he’s one of those guys, and he’s a big part of that.”

Wolfe also called Ward a “huge” part of the Denver defense, not just because of his play on the field but his attitude and leadership as well.

“Losing a guy like T.J., that’d be tough to deal with,” Wolfe said. “I wouldn’t be happy about that.”

Earlier in the day Wednesday, Broncos linebacker Von Miller said he didn’t think the report could be serious.

“T.J.’s been a great player for us, but it’s the National Football League. You always get blindsided by stuff,” Miller said after a team function. “T.J.’s been great for us, so I don’t see any reason to (trade).”

“… I don’t really — it has to be fake news; I really can’t believe in that too much.”

Both Miller and Wolfe’s comments follow those of linebacker Brandon Marshall, who took to Twitter on Tuesday evening:

We better not trade the homie

— Brandon Marshall (@BMarshh54) August 30, 2017

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.