Was the Broncos’ Daiyan Henley trade a need or a luxury?

The hosts split on whether Denver's linebacker trade was a real fix or a depth move, but agree the bigger problem was what the Broncos left undone at running back.

BY DENVER SPORTS

Nov 10, 2026, 11:06 PM

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Watch: Why did the Broncos add a LINEBACKER at the NFL trade deadline? | Freshly Grated | 22 mins

The Broncos beat the NFL trade deadline by about 45 minutes, and what they bought was a linebacker. Not the running back much of Broncos Country wanted.

On a recent episode of “Freshly Graded,” Will Peterson and Marcello Romano split on whether that was a shrewd addition or a shrug. Then they found common ground on the larger problem: what Denver didn’t do.

Need or luxury?

Romano was surprised. Linebacker wasn’t in his top three areas of concern, and he said running back, safety and offensive line all ranked ahead of it. He doesn’t dismiss the move, since depth matters when injuries pile up, but he sees it as a low-stakes add.

“It’s more like a commodity pickup for me,” Romano said.

Peterson was surprised too, but he reads the roster differently. In his view the middle of the defense is the weak spot, and Denver went and fixed it.

“I think if you had to identify a weakness on this Denver defense, it’s the middle linebacking corps, and that’s what they went and added,” Peterson said.

What the price says

Peterson’s case rests on cost and production. Denver sent the Chargers a fourth-round pick in 2027 and a fifth-round pick in 2028 for Daiyan Henley, who had 147 tackles in 2024, 103 last year and 51 through eight games this season. That is a lot to pay for a backup, he argued, especially one headed for free agency.

He doesn’t expect Alex Singleton to lose his job. But he thinks Justin Strnad has reason to worry, and he pictures a snap split like the one Strnad shared with Drake Greenlaw late last year.

Romano pushed back by questioning where the “backup” framing came from.

“It kind of sounds like you’re being fed what to believe about a move like this,” Romano said.

Peterson turned the charge around. “The beat writers are feeding us nothing to see here,” he said. He isn’t buying it.

A window that ignores the schedule

Romano’s larger worry is the Super Bowl window. He pointed to John Elway’s Denver teams, which reached three Super Bowls and then waited eight years to return. A window that is open now, he said, isn’t guaranteed to stay that way.

Peterson floated one explanation for the quiet deadline: a schedule full of the Raiders, Dolphins and Jets might get Denver to 13 or 14 wins without help. Romano doesn’t like that logic.

“What the hell does that mean when you get into the middle of January?” Romano said.

His point is that January brings opponents such as Buffalo and Jacksonville, and those teams made moves.

Where they agree

Both hosts wanted a bolder push for a back such as Jonathan Taylor or Derrick Henry. Romano noted that Taylor would have come with an extended contract, so he wouldn’t have been a rental. Peterson said he doesn’t think JK Dobbins is happy and worries the Broncos lean too hard on Jonah Coleman.

Late word from NFL insider Jordan Schultz said Denver had checked in on Tony Pollard and Tennessee wouldn’t budge. Peterson said everyone has a price, and noted the Titans had traded Jeffery Simmons about 10 days earlier.

Romano put it more bluntly.

“Can’t shop at Big Lots and expect to get a high-priced item, right?” Romano said.

Both questions come down to the same thing: whether the Broncos are right to trust their roster as it stands. Romano said they clearly believe in it, and he isn’t convinced.

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.