Minor NFL Transactions: 11/3/18
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Released with injury settlement: P Marquette King
Detroit Lions
- Activated from Reserve/PUP list: WR Andy Jones
- Waived: CB Cre’Von LeBlanc
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: T Storm Norton
New England Patriots
- Promoted from practice squad: C James Ferentz
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/2/18
Here are today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Designated to return to practice from IR: TE Noah Brown
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: WR River Cracraft
- Waived: WR Isaiah McKenzie
Miami Dolphins
- Activated off IR: C Jake Brendel
New York Jets
- Activated from PUP: S Rontez Miles
- Waived: S Ibraheim Campbell
Oakland Raiders
- Placed On IR: OT T.J. Clemmings
Broncos To Activate Su’a Cravens
The Broncos will activate safety/linebacker Su’a Cravens off of the injured reserve list before the Saturday deadline, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Cravens is expected to play on Sunday against the Texans, giving the Broncos a glimpse at their offseason acquisition. 
In March, the Broncos shipped a fifth-round pick to the Redskins for Cravens. The former second-round pick’s exit from Washington was strange, to say the very least. After a promising rookie campaign in 2016, Cravens abruptly announced his retirement prior to the 2017 season. He quickly reversed that decision, but the Redskins countered by placing him on the reserve/left squad list, barring him from playing last year.
This year, Cravens was sidelined by meniscus surgery. Fortunately, his IR stay gave him an opportunity to clamp down on his diet and exercise routine, and he says he’s lost ten pounds at the behest of coaches.
The Broncos recently lost backup safety Jamal Carter to a season-nullifying injury, so Cravens will have an opportunity to pitch in as both a safety and sub-package linebacker. If the Broncos are to climb out of their 3-5 hole, they’ll need all the help they can get.
Broncos Trade Demaryius Thomas To Texans
The Broncos have agreed to trade Demaryius Thomas to the Texans, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal will send Thomas and a seventh-round pick to Houston for a fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The trade paves the way for Courtland Sutton to receive an uptick in targets and gives the Texans a veteran receiver for the final stretch of the season. 
Thomas’ name has been all over Pro Football Rumors for weeks and he wound up being involved in the first major trade of deadline day. Thomas, 31 in December, entered the league as a first-round pick of the Broncos in 2010 and was in his ninth season with the club. Along the way, Thomas racked up four Pro Bowl nods and a Super Bowl ring after the 2015 season.
When Thomas was at his best, he was among the most feared wide receivers in the NFL. From 2012-2015, Thomas averaged 100 catches for 1447 yards and ten touchdowns. Thomas cleared 1,000 yards in 2016 and nearly hit four digits last year, but he has not looked the same in 2018.
Thomas supporters would argue that Case Keenum‘s woes are to blame for his drop off in production. Soon, we’ll find out whether Thomas can turn back the clock with Deshaun Watson under center.
“I’ve been watching him for a long time, since he was at [Georgia Tech] and since he’s been in the NFL,” Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said when asked about Thomas (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post). “Excellent athletic skills. Great hands. Really good route runner. Very smooth route runner. He’s a tough guy to defend.”
The Patriots were said to be considering Thomas this month and the Titans and Eagles were also linked to the veteran. Those clubs and other WR-needy teams may pivot elsewhere between now and the Tuesday afternoon deadline.
The Broncos’ return may not seem impressive at first glance, but they did manage to shed $4MM in cap space this season and $14MM next season. And, given Thomas’ age and perceived decline, there was no way they were getting more than a fourth-rounder for him.
Thomas’ first game with the Texans will come against the Broncos, in Denver.
Brandon Marshall Has Knee Injury
- Broncos plans to trade Brandon Marshall, if that was ever the case, look to have hit a snag. The longtime Denver starting linebacker now has a bone bruise in one of his knees and will likely miss time because of it, Denver7’s Troy Renck tweets. Marshall, whose contract makes him far from a lock he’ll be on next year’s Broncos, surfaced in trade rumors over the weekend. One of the handful of Denver starting defenders left over from Super Bowl 50, Marshall has been a full-time starter since 2014. He signed an extension in 2016, but that deal includes a $9MM cap number next year. Rookie Josey Jewell has played well in part-time duty as well, and the Broncos could get an early look at the fifth-round pick as a starter if Marshall is forced to miss time.
Patriots Interested In Acquiring WR, Have Discussed Demaryius Thomas
The Patriots are interested in acquiring a “bona fide, premium” receiver before Tuesday’s trade deadline, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (Twitter link), and New England has at least discussed Broncos wideout Demaryius Thomas, reports Michael Girardi of NFL.com (Twitter link).
New England, of course, has already made one move for a pass-catcher earlier this year, picking up Josh Gordon and a seventh-round pick from the Browns in exchange for a fifth-rounder. But adding another receiver to a depth chart that already includes Gordon, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, and Cordarrelle Patterson could prove appealing for the Patriots as they head into the second half of the season.
As Girardi tweets, the Patriots aren’t necessarily focused on any one player or position as the trade deadline approaches, but Thomas is undoubtedly available for the right price. The Broncos have reportedly received interest in both Thomas and fellow wideout Emmanuel Sanders, but they’d prefer to move Thomas — and his contract — off their books. Thomas is signed through 2019, but the Patriots — or any club that acquired the veteran receiver — could cut him after 2018 with no dead money accelerating onto their cap.
For the rest of the 2018 campaign, Thomas would be relatively affordable, as he’s due roughly $4.5MM over the next nine weeks. The Patriots currently have ~$5.1MM in available cap space, per Over the Cap, meaning they’d just barley be able to fit Thomas onto their books without making any other moves. Thomas, 30, has posted 33 receptions on 49 targets, managing 372 yards and three touchdowns in the process.
Broncos Could Trade Brandon Marshall, Shane Ray; Will Be Difficult To Deal Chris Harris, Bradley Roby
- Breer names a number of other players whose names we have not heard in recent rumblings but who could nonetheless be on the move: the Packers‘ Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the 49ers‘ Pierre Garcon and Jimmie Ward, the Cardinals‘ Chandler Jones, and the Broncos‘ Shane Ray and Brandon Marshall. Breers adds that San Francisco would need to get something “significant” to deal Ward. He also says that, while teams are certainly interested in Denver corners Bradley Roby and Chris Harris, he thinks it would be difficult for the team to trade either.
Poll: Should Broncos Be Sellers?
Entering a crucial Week 8 game in Kansas City in which the Chiefs are 10-point favorites, the Broncos may be on the verge of a tough decision.
A loss to the Chiefs would drop them to 3-5 and behind in a pursuit of their first playoff berth since winning Super Bowl 50. What makes Denver’s case interesting is the number of veterans from that championship season the team still has in key roles who are attractive trade chips.
Beyond Von Miller, who should be considered untouchable, the Broncos’ defense relies on versatile All-Pro cornerback Chris Harris and longtime starters Derek Wolfe and Brandon Marshall. Denver’s starting wide receivers — Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders — are in their fifth season together. Bradley Roby and Shane Ray are both in contract years. Each has played key roles for the Broncos for years, Roby in particular.
Even if the Broncos play out the season trying to creep back into the playoff picture, how many of these players will be on the 2019 team? Denver does rank a surprising fifth in DVOA and has a softer second-half schedule. But even after a 45-10 win over the Cardinals, the Broncos are just 2-9 on the road during Vance Joseph‘s tenure. This makes a late-season run appear difficult.
Thomas is probably the most interesting case. He may be the second-best wideout in Broncos history, behind Rod Smith, and remains a useful contributor. But Sanders (603 receiving yards) is on pace for his best season since his Peyton Manning-aided 2014 slate, sliding Thomas (372 yards) into the No. 2 role Sanders played for years. Thomas also has a $17.5MM 2019 cap number, much higher than Sanders’ $12.9MM figure. This, and emerging second-rounder Courtland Sutton, point to Thomas almost certainly not being part of the 2019 Broncos.
But how much could Denver get for its high-priced, soon-to-be 31-year-old wideout? Unlike a Roby, Ray or Shaquil Barrett free agency departure, the Broncos couldn’t land a compensatory pick for Thomas. Trading him before Tuesday’s 3pm CT deadline would make sense if the Broncos don’t believe they can realistically compete this season.
On the other hand, Denver’s struggled for years to find a viable wideout behind Thomas and Sanders. Sutton (17.6 yards per catch) has provided that. Trading Thomas would weaken an offense that already doesn’t have much at tight end and depends on a lower-tier starting quarterback. Denver could also shop Thomas in the offseason, though the compensation likely would be minimal.
Teams are more interested in Sanders, but the 31-year-old wideout is a better bet to be on the 2019 team in the final season of a three-year, $33MM deal. Denver appears open to dealing Thomas.
Suitors are also inquiring about Harris, but that would gut a Broncos defense that doesn’t have the cornerback depth it possessed for years. Pro Football Focus has Harris again among its top-10 corners, and he has another season remaining on an affordable, five-year, $42.5MM deal. It’s possible Harris could join Miller as a defensive cornerstone into the 2020s, with Roby’s status beyond 2018 uncertain. That would probably be more valuable to the Broncos than the mid- or late-round draft capital they’d acquire in exchange for the 29-year-old corner.
A fifth-year starter, Marshall may be in his final games as a Bronco. Fourth-round rookie Josey Jewell could take over as a starter next season at a rate obviously much cheaper than Marshall’s $9MM 2019 cap number. Playing on a $8.5MM fifth-year option, Roby’s drawn interest, too. No substantial extension talks are known to have taken place. Ray’s high ankle sprain likely will keep him in Denver throughout his contract year.
With two games against the Chargers, and matchups against the Steelers and Bengals, still on the Broncos’ docket, should they be ready to deal non-essential cogs if they lose to the Chiefs? Or, does Denver’s DVOA position indicate a late-season turnaround is possible, making an all-hands-on-deck approach worthwhile?
Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Should the Broncos be sellers?
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Yes 87% (621)
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No 13% (89)
Total votes: 710
NFL Workout Updates: 10/26/18
Here are today’s reported tryouts:
Denver Broncos
- P Brock Miller
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Saints have had some injuries on the defensive line recently, so it makes sense why they’d bring in this group. With this large of an amount of players brought in, they will likely be signing someone soon. The Buccaneers are clearly evaluating their kicking options after Chandler Catanzaro has struggled to start the year. He made a game-winning 59-yard field goal in overtime last week, but missed an extra point and a 40-yarder at the end of regulation before that. Both Ficken and Santos have kicked for the Rams this season.
Latest On Broncos, Bowlen Family
Recently we broke down the latest drama in the Bowlen family regarding ownership of the Broncos. Since then, even more information has come pouring in with a pair of new reports. Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic went through the entire 21-page lawsuit filed by owner Pat Bowlen‘s brother Bill, and broke down all of the complaints. Essentially, Bill is challenging the legitimacy of the trust that has been running the Broncos, by claiming the trust was formed after Pat had already lost his ability to act as his own attorney. Jhabvala writes that the filing “may only be [the] start of [a] messy battle for control” of the team.