Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports proposes targeting New England Patriots player Austin Hooper.
“Sean Payton has prioritized tight end before, but none of his current options have emerged as steady targets for rookie Bo Nix,” Benjamin wrote on Monday, October 8. “Hooper has at least been a higher-volume pass catcher in the past.”
This Heavy Sports trade proposal leverages the Broncos’ trade of Albert Okwuegbunam to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs’ trade of Peyton Hendershot from the Dallas Cowboys as criteria to get Hooper to Denver.
The Broncos get:
Austin Hooper
The Patriots get:
2025 seventh-round selection
In August 2023, the Broncos traded Okwuegbunam and a seventh-round pick to the Eagles for a sixth-round pick.
The Chiefs traded a conditional seventh-round pick in August 2024.
Hendershot and Okwuegbunam are younger than Hooper. However, Hooper outperforms Hendershot and Okweugbunam in terms of productivity. Because of this, as well as the Patriots’ current circumstances (they are 1-4 and are switching quarterbacks to rookie No. 3 pick Drake Maye), compensation may fluctuate.
Even a conditional sixth-round pick could be worth considering if the Broncos decide they need more from the tight end position for Nix to grow properly this season.
Broncos Could Improve TE Room With Austin Hooper Trade
Hooper is in his ninth NFL season. He has seven receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown with the Patriots after five weeks in 2024, more than any other Broncos tight end.
Hooper finished 2020 with 75 receptions for 787 yards and six touchdowns.
It was his second consecutive Pro Bowl season. The 6-foot-4 Hooper turns 30 on October 29. He has a one-year, $1.2 million deal and a career earnings total of $37.5 million, according to Over The Cap. That is a manageable figure for the Broncos if they trade for him.
Hooper was drafted in the third round by the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, and he has since played for the Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, and Tennessee Titans.
However, he has only started nine games (2022) in a single season since 2021.
Broncos Bench: Struggling Starter
The tight end group’s production is weak. Payton benched Greg Dulcich in Week 5 and replaced him with Lucas Krull, although this did not result in increased production.
Dulcich started three of his four games in 2024 before being declared inactive in Week 5. He has caught five of 12 targets for 28 yards this season. During 2023 OTAs, Payton praised Dulcich’s ability to fit the offense’s “joker” position.
However, the choice to keep him inactive could reveal a lot about how the Broncos coaching staff feels about the position right now, especially with the trade deadline approaching.
“The Broncos made a curious move ahead of Sunday’s game, activating Lucas Krull for his season debut instead of Dulcich. “Denver has long talked about Dulcich making an impact on offence,” The Denver Post’s Ryan McFadden wrote on October 7, citing the tight end’s poor stat line.
“It’s evident that the Broncos haven’t received the results they expected from that group. Moving forward, what is Dulcich’s next step? Was his healthy scratch a one-off? Is he being phased out?
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