The Broncos trading for Jonathan Taylor seems less likely with the depth they have

Jonathan Taylor rumors are picking up ahead of Tuesday's 2 p.m. deadline, but two of the three morning show hosts don't think the Broncos will make a move

BY JOEY FREEBURG

Nov 9, 2026, 11:24 AM

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Watch: Will we see the Broncos make ANY moves at the trade deadline? | Stokley and Evans with Mark Schlereth | 46 seconds

Jonathan Taylor rumors are picking up ahead of Tuesday’s 2 p.m. deadline, but two of the three morning show hosts don’t think the Broncos will make a move.

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 2 p.m. Mountain time, and Jonathan Taylor’s name keeps coming up in Denver. The Broncos are 7-2 and lead the AFC West after Sunday’s 26-21 win over Carolina. The Colts running back is reportedly available, and Denver’s backfield has been a topic all season.

That doesn’t mean a trade is coming. On a recent edition of “Stokley and Evans, with Mark Schlereth” on 104.3 The Fan, Mike Evans pointed to how this front office has handled past deadlines.

“We’ve gone through three trade deadlines with Sean Payton and George Paton. They have not yet made an in-season trade. So do we see one tomorrow, or between now and tomorrow?” Evans asked.

Brandon Stokley answered first.

“No. I’ll say no,” Stokley said.

Mark Schlereth disagreed.

“I’m gonna say yes,” Schlereth said.

That fits what Schlereth has said for weeks. After the Chiefs game, he argued that the Broncos should get Taylor if they can, with Taylor carrying the early-down work and Jonah Coleman handling the receiving role. He thinks this roster, built around an elite defense and a quarterback on a rookie contract, is the kind of team that should be buying.

Evans sided with Stokley.

“If I had to guess yes or no, I’d say no,” Evans said.

He explained why.

“I think this is a team that they seem to like their guys. They believe in their guys. I think they put a lot of stock in the guys they bring in. The fact that they chose to run it back, tells you that they have a lot of belief in their roster,” Evans said.

The offseason supports that view. The Broncos kept most of last year’s AFC Championship roster together. Even the big addition, Jaylen Waddle, was about adding to the core. Payton and Paton have generally trusted their own evaluations over outside fixes, and a 7-2 record probably makes them more confident in that approach.

Evans said the running back room is the clearest example.

“You’re talking about two guys, two young running backs that they drafted in the second and 4th round in RJ Harvey and Jonah Coleman. I think they like them both, and I don’t think they want them blocked in any way. So I don’t think they do,” Evans said.

Coleman has played his way into the lead role. Against Carolina, he ran 17 times for 57 yards and a touchdown and caught 4 passes for 31 yards. Harvey is on injured reserve, but the team still sees him as a valuable receiving back when he’s healthy. A trade for Taylor would give Denver a proven lead runner, but it would also take carries and development time away from two young backs the front office picked and still believes in.

The case for a deal hasn’t gone away. J.K. Dobbins has 324 yards on 98 carries through nine games, and Cecil Lammey and Josh Dover both said last week that Denver should be aggressive, with Dover willing to give up a first-round pick for Taylor.

Two of the three morning show hosts expect the Broncos to stick with what they have. The deadline passes at 2 p.m. Tuesday, and Payton and Paton have that long to decide.