The Broncos have dealt 30-year old WR Brandon Lloyd to the Rams for a sixth round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.  The draft pick upgrades to a fifth round pick if Lloyd catches at least 30 passes in the Rams’ last 11 games (that is likely).  Lloyd played in 4 games for the Broncos this year and he caught 19 passes for 283 yards (14.9 avg) without a TD grab.  He played in 22 games in his three years with the Broncos and he caught 104 passes for 1,848 yards (17.8 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  This deal puzzles me as the Broncos are dealing Lloyd right before Tim Tebow gets his first start of the year.  Are the Broncos trying to sabotage Tebow?

The Broncos have acquired 27-year old DT Brodrick Bunkley from the Eagles for a undisclosed draft pick in 2013.  Bunkley played in 14 games for the Eagles last year and he had 20 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 3 tackles for a loss.  Bunkley has now played in 76 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 144 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 6 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries and 7 passes defensed.  The Broncos are trying to catch lightning in a bottle with Bunkley as he might earn a lot of P.T. in 2011 if he shows well in the pre-season and training camp.

The Denver Broncos have dealt 30-year old WR Jabar Gaffney to the Redskins for 23-year old DE Jeremy Jarmon.  Gaffney played in 16 games (11 starts) for the Broncos last year and he caught 65 passes for 875 yards (13.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He played in 32 games (18 starts) in his two years with the Broncos and he caught 119 passes for 1,607 yards (13.5 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  The Broncos will need to replace Gaffney in the free agent market as he was a solid WR for them.

Jeremy Jarmon played in 5 games for the Redskins last year and he had 3 tackles and 1/2 of a sack.  Jarmon has now played in 16 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 11 tackles, 1/2 a sack, 1 forced fumble and he has also defensed 1 pass.  Jarmon will get a chance to help the Broncos’ rebuilding on the defensive side of the football.  I think the Redskins got the better end of this deal, but only time will tell if I’m right or not.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Broncos have released Jeremy Jarmon.

The Broncos have acquired 25-year old running back Laurence Maroney and a sixth round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft from the Patriots for a 4th round pick in 2011.  Maroney did not play in the season opener for the Patriots.  He played in 15 games for the Patriots last season and he carried the ball 194 times for 757 yards (3.9 ypc) with 9 TD runs.  Maroney also caught 14 passes for 99 yards (7.1 avg) last season.  Maroney has now played in 45 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 582 times for 2,430 yards (4.2 ypc) with 21 TD runs.  He has also caught 40 passes for 409 yards (10.3 avg) with a TD and he has also returned 41 kickoffs for 1,062 yards (25.9 avg).  Maroney has a nice upside so I really like this deal for the Broncos.

The Broncos have traded 24-year old cornerback Alphonso Smith to the Lions for 25-year old TE Dan Gronkowski.  Smith played in 15 games for the Broncos last season in which he had 14 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and he defensed 3 passes.  Smith also returned 10 punts for 47 yards (4.7 avg) and 4 kickoffs for 75 yards (18.8 avg).  The Broncos were very disappointed in him and they considered just releasing him.  Dan Gronkowski played in 2 games as a rookie for the Lions last season and he caught 1 pass for 4 yards.

The Broncos have placed 34-year old WR Brandon Stokley on the Injured Reserve List with a groin injury ending his season.  Stokley played in 16 games (2 starts) for the Broncos last season and he caught 19 passes for 327 yards (17.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He has played in 44 games (13 starts) in his three years with the Broncos and he has caught 108 passes for 1,490 yards (13.8 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  This will hurt the depth at WR for the Broncos in 2010.

UPDATE:  (9/14/2010) – The Broncos have released Brandon Stokley with an injury settlement.

The Broncos have acquired 25-year old inside linebacker Joe Mays from the Eagles for running back J.J. Arrington and a conditional draft pick in 2012.  Mays played in 11 games as a rookie last season and he had 18 tackles, 1 forced fumble and he had 1 tackle for a loss.  Mays has a nice upside so I like this deal for the Broncos who didn’t appear to give up much.  J.J. Arrington didn’t get to play for the Broncos last season as he was recovering from microfracture surgery to his knee.  

The Broncos have traded 27-year old TE Tony Scheffler and a 7th round pick to the Lions.  In return the Broncos will receive a fifth round pick from the Eagles while the Eagles get 25-year old OLB Ernie Sims from the Lions.  Scheffler played in 15 games for the Broncos last season and he caught 31 passes for 416 yards (13.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  In his four years with the Broncos, Scheffler played in 57 games in which he caught 138 passes for 1,896 yards (13.7 avg) with 14 TD grabs.  The Broncos continue to move guys that head coach Josh McDaniels doesn’t get along with for way below value.

The Broncos have traded 26-year old WR Brandon Marshall to the Dolphins for a second round pick in both 2010 and 2011.  Marshall played in 15 games for the Broncos last season in which he caught 101 passes for 1,120 yards (11.1 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 7 times for 39 yards (5.6 ypc) last season.  He played four years in Denver in which he played in 61 games and caught 327 passes for 4,019 yards (12.3 avg) with 25 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 16 times for 104 yards (6.5 ypc) with the Broncos.  The Broncos obviously are angry with the way Marshall handled himself which is the reason they traded him.  Add WR to the needs of the Broncos for the NFL Draft next weekend.

The Broncos have acquired 25-year old QB Brady Quinn from the Browns in exchange for 24-year old FB/RB Peyton Hillis, a 6th round pick in 2011 and a conditional late round pick in 2012.  Quinn played in 10 games for the Browns last season in which he completed 136 of 256 passes (53.1%) for 1,339 yards with 8 TD passes and 7 INTs (67.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 20 times for 98 yards (4.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Quinn has now played in 14 games in his NFL career in which he has completed 184 of 353 passes (52.1%) for 1,902 yards with 10 TD passes and 9 INTs (66.8 QB Rating).  Quinn has also carried the ball 25 times for 119 yards (4.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Quinn will likely be the Broncos’ 2nd string QB in 2010 but he might be able to challenge Kyle Orton for the starting job down the road.  This was a clear upgrade for the Broncos as Quinn will have much better players to throw to than he had in Cleveland.

24-year old Peyton Hillis was the Broncos’ leading rusher in 2008.  He played in 14 games for the Broncos last season in which he carried the ball 13 times for 54 yards (4.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Hillis also caught 4 passes for 19 yards (4.8 avg) and he also returned 6 kickoffs for 134 yards (22.3 avg).  Hillis played in 26 games in his career with the Broncos in which he has carried the ball 81 times for 397 yards (4.9 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He has also caught 18 passes for 198 yards (11.0 avg) with 1 TD grab and he has also returned 10 kickoffs for 199 yards (19.9 avg).  Hillis is a tough guy who served the Broncos in a lot of roles but they should have no problem replacing him.