Several days back, Denver Broncos general manager John Elway declared that they wouldn’t trade their veterans following back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and the Tennessee Titans that improved their record to 2-4.
According to Broncos' insider Troy Renck of Denver7, Elway said they won’t put wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and cornerback Chris Harris on the trading block despite their expiring deals amid rumors that the New England Patriots are interested in their veteran wideout. Earlier on Thursday, Denver-based talk show host, Benjamin Allbright tweeted that the Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and the New Orleans Saints inquired about Sanders’ availability. Still, the Broncos told them he’s “not available” right now.
However, Patriots insider Phil Perry of NBC Sports said it’s time for Elway to consider his position after the Broncos (2-5) dropped an embarrassing 30-6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football, with Fox Sports commentator Troy Aikman describing Denver’s offense as "about as bad an offense as I've seen.”
Patriots insider says Broncos should start selling
In his column on NBC Sports website, Perry said that the Broncos should start selling after they dropped to 2-5. Perry said with the Broncos’ latest loss, the possibility of Denver trading Sanders to the Patriots became more realistic. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has had interest in Sanders before, signing him to a restricted free agent offer sheet in 2013 that the Broncos matched.
Now, Belichick has a chance to bring in a veteran wide receiver who could provide immediate help for veteran quarterback Tom Brady. In his past three games, the 42-year-old Brady threw just three touchdown passes with three interceptions after tossing seven scoring strikes without a pick in his first three outings. Perry said the 32-year-old Sanders could provide immediate impact for the Patriots with his ability to play both inside and out.
Sanders would also provide a big lift to the Patriots’ wide receiver corps that has been badly hit by various injuries. During Thursday’s practice, Josh Gordon was out while Phillip Dorsett and Julian Edelman were both limited by hamstring and chest issues.
Sanders unhappy with Broncos’ latest loss
Following their loss to the Chiefs, Sanders expressed disappointment, saying he was aware of the problem, but he won’t say it.
"You know. You know the answers. You watched the same game I watched,” said Sanders, who finished with five catches for 60 yards against the Chiefs, bringing his season total to 30 catches for 367 yards and two touchdowns. As of now, Sanders is hoping to find a “silver lining somewhere” following their latest loss. “But at the end of the day, you gotta remain positive. It's the NFL. It's not easy to win,” said Sanders. The Patriots could entice the Broncos to ship Sanders to Foxborough with a third-round pick, but they must make additional moves to create salary-cap room for the veteran wide receiver’s cap hit.
