The Denver Broncos had a chance to do something fun on Monday.
Unfortunately, they didn’t pull the trigger.
Former Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery will a member of the Houston Texans not the Broncos. He was traded from the NFC to the AFC in a deal that involved offensive lineman Juice Scruggs and a pair of draft picks. The selections are a fourth-round pick in 2026 and a seventh-round pick in 2027.
Quite frankly, that doesn’t seem like too steep of price that the Texans had to pay.
If they were really interested Broncos GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton could’ve pulled that off. Montgomery is a stud, ready to get out of Detroit where he’s geeing buried too often behind Jahmyr Gibbs.
He instantly would’ve been Denver’s best running back, especially with J.K. Dobbins a free agent and RJ Harvey still having some question marks after his rookie year.
On one hand, it’s disappointing that if Montgomery could be had for a couple of non-premium draft picks and an offensive lineman that the Broncos weren’t the ones doing the trade. As I’ve outlined before, it’s paramount they add offensive weapons around QB Bo Nix this offseason. That has to be priority No. 1.
Still, to be fair to Denver’s front office and head coach, free agency doesn’t start for another week. Montgomery would’ve been a nice early prize, but hopefully something bold is coming.
Signing Super Bowl MVP, running back Kenneth Walker of the Seattle Seahawks, certainly would fit the bill. So would trading for a big-time wide receiver or tight end — or landing one in free agency.
But coming off an AFC Title Game in which the Broncos scored only seven points, fans certainly want to see the offense improve. Yes, that day against the New England Patriots had two reasons for being so miserable.
One, Nix couldn’t play after breaking his ankle the weekend before against the Bills. Backup QB Jarrett Stidham was very underwhelming after a nice touchdown drive early in the game.
And two, anyone who’s lived in Denver knows this has been a strange winter. It’s way too warm and dry, other than the second half of the AFC Championship where we got our one and only blizzard thus far. With the calendar now reading March, that’s absolutely nuts.
But even with Stidham in for the injured Nix and the wild weather, the Denver offense wasn’t good enough that day just like we saw for large chunks of the 2025 season.
Yes, it was a magical year and going 14-3 and reaching the NFL’s version of the “final four” was incredible. But there were also some comebacks and crazy wins that masked some of the Broncos’ issues. Even the most optimistic supporters know this was probably an 11-6 or 12-5 team that stole some victories along the way.
Hence why the Denver decision makers can’t trick themselves into thinking they don’t need to be aggressive this offseason. The defense is more or less set, the offense could us upgrades at running back, receiver and tight end.
The first opportunity to do that has passed the Broncos by, with Montgomery headed to Houston in a trade that Denver could’ve made happen if they really wanted to.
Again, it’s not the end of the word, but it’s also something to keep an eye to see just how gutsy Paton and Payton will be over the next couple of months.
If they want to win the Super Bowl following the 2026 season, offensive improvements are definitely needed. Missing on Montgomery is a bummer, but the clock is just getting started on what should hopefully be a stretch that Broncos Country can get excited about.