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. 

The Broncos have acquired 31-year old C/G Ross Hochstein from the Patriots for a 7th round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.  Hochstein played in 15 games (2 starts) for the Patriots last season.  He has now played in 92 games (20 starts) in his 8 year NFL career.  This will probably turn out to be a good trade for both teams.