Is Bo Nix’s rebound enough for the Broncos to make a big trade?

A general manager’s appetite for a big trade is really a verdict on his quarterback.

That idea came up when Amazon Prime NFL insider James Palmer joined Cecil Lammey on a recent episode of “Orange and Blue Today,” and it points straight at Denver and Bo Nix.

Back, but not yet better

Nix has climbed out of a slow start. Palmer described his latest outing as a leap rather than a step, and he said a scout who will be preparing for the Broncos told him the quarterback’s legs are back. When nothing is open, Nix is again able to move the chains, which wasn’t happening in the first several weeks.

But the same scout wasn’t ready to say Nix is better than last season. “I don’t see him being better than he was last year right now,” Palmer said, relaying that view.

That is the problem as Palmer framed it. Nix is in his third year, the contract is on the horizon, and Palmer called this a legitimately Super Bowl-contending team.

“Is that good enough, Cecil, like to make a Super Bowl run, to get back to the player you were last year?” Palmer asked.

Lammey’s answer was blunt arithmetic.

“So to take a year three leap, he needs to catch up to year two,” Lammey said.

Aggressive, within reason

Lammey doesn’t think the roster is finished. He doesn’t believe it is good enough to win a Super Bowl, and he wants general manager George Paton to keep shopping, with running back Jonathan Taylor one name he raised.

“Well, George, get your beloved ass on the phone because they’re not done yet,” Lammey said.

Palmer agreed the Broncos are calling around, but he argued Paton won’t gut the draft board. That patience, in Palmer’s view, has bought sustained success. Swinging big can mean striking out and paying for it for seasons.

“They sit here and go, how much of the future do we want to mortgage? How much capital do we wanna give up?” Palmer said.

His verdict was that the Broncos are “aggressive within reason,” which he called completely fine.

The Chicago test

Palmer brought a comparison from his radio appearance in Chicago. Ryan Poles, the Bears’ general manager, gave up two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick for defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons. The question put to Palmer was whether quarterback Caleb Williams’ play gave Poles the confidence to do it.

Palmer liked that framing. In his telling, the thinking goes: my quarterback has played well enough in year three that I’m confident he’ll keep playing well, so I can make the move. Williams, he said, should be in the MVP conversation.

Is Denver in the same spot? Lammey thought the Broncos face the same question, and he added that results drive the answer.

“Are you making the run, and does it look like you can make more of a run?” Lammey said.

That is where the two hosts land. A win over Kansas City puts Denver in position to chase a player like Taylor, Lammey said. Palmer said the call comes down to whether Denver believes its quarterback is on the right trajectory, and whether the move would speed it up.

Nix looks like last year’s version, and a trade only makes sense if the Broncos think he’s headed higher.

Disclosure: This article was transcribed from our original audio content and edited for readability with the assistance of generative AI. The article has been reviewed by our editorial team prior to publication. Please watch or listen to the clip above for the full segment.

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