During last year's NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos acquired John Franklin-Myers in a trade with the New York Jets. Franklin-Myers had a terrific season as part of one of the best defensive units in the league.
But the Broncos will soon face a conundrum. In addition to Franklin-Myers, several key players on the roster will be looking for new contracts before becoming free agents this offseason. That list includes Courtland Sutton, Nik Bonitto, and Zach Allen. There is a good chance the Broncos won't be able to pay them all.
That could leave the team looking for a trade partner. The idea of moving Franklin-Myers has already been discussed this offseason. Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports recently listed one player from every team in the league who could be traded and for the Broncos, he selected Franklin-Myers.
Anthony Palacios of Last Word on Sports took to that idea and came up with some possible destinations the Broncos could send Franklin-Myers to. The most interesting name on the list is the Los Angeles Chargers.
"The same can be said about the Los Angeles Chargers, who will likely have one of the worst pass rush defenses. Despite losing Poona Ford, the team did not do much to find a capable replacement. While they did re-sign Teair Tart, he isn’t ready to start full-time. Myers could easily be a better defender than De’Shawn Hand, who the Chargers are rolling the dice on, but he’s more of a journeyman", wrote Palacios.
The other teams on the list are the Ravens, Saints, Cowboys and Commanders, all much more likely to be trade partners in a potential deal than the Chargers, simply because teams rarely trade within the division. That doesn't mean it would never happen, but it's highly unlikely.
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The Broncos are not going to want to help out a team like the Chargers unless they are willing to overpay for Franklin-Myers. Denver would just as soon let him walk in free agency at the end of the season.
Though Franklin-Myers is a player the Broncos may have a tough time retaining beyond this season, the team doesn't have great depth to have someone just slide into his starting role. That makes finding a defensive lineman in the upcoming draft a likely scenario for the Broncos, perhaps even in the first round.
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