Keeler: Broncos, Sean Payton need to give QB Bo Nix Cadillac at NFL trade deadline, not an old Marcedes

Why are the Broncos test-driving a used Marcedes when they should be looking for Cadillacs At - Denver is actively shopping before the Nov NFL commerce deadline which is the tantalizing alluring stuff of dreams The Broncos have so far been openly shopping for a third tight end which is the NFL equivalent of buying socks To that tight end veteran Marcedes Lewis reportedly got a tryout at Dove Valley on Tuesday Lewis ticks boxes although not very fancy ones He s big -foot- pounds He s durable He can block He can move He can pick up Payton s offense in a hurry He ll also turn in May You going for this thing or not And yeah we know how NFL currency works Nothing is more sacred or valuable than draft picks You can flip them to move up in the draft You can flip them to land a sexy veteran In a salary-capped sport cost-controlled talent is the spine of a dynasty Smart general managers George Paton included hoard them the way evil leprechauns hoard their gold But you know what else is rare precious and fleeting Star quarterbacks who hit really hit while they re playing on a rookie contract Bo Nix is eating up just million cap space this season making him one of the biggest bargains in the NFL He ll take up million in and million in according to Spotrac Team-friendly QB contracts don t accumulate interest as time goes by They accumulate zeroes OverTheCap com says the Broncos cap cushion jumps from million this fall to million in If you re going to buy Bo particular toys for this window why not shoot for something sexier than a Slinky Reports have Denver sniffing around on a wideout exchange with the Saints dangling Rashid Shaheed a -foot burner who does Marvin Mims things for a - squad It s New Orleans so the interest goes without saying Shaheed worked with current Broncos assistant Pete Carmichael for two seasons in the Big Easy I d sooner try to shake down the Saints for former Ohio State star Chris Olave personally But given Olave s age production touchdowns and yards per catch over games and alleged willingness to consider a Saints extension the asking price is presumably too high The Broncos have eight picks available in the draft including two seventh-rounders If one of those packaged with a high Day- pick could somehow land Shaheed who s in a contract year you d be nuts not to bite While Broncos Country is frustrated over the unexplored routes over the middle of the field it s Nix s misfires on those deep shots in Weeks - especially ones in Los Angeles that burned coach Sean Payton s britches Shaheed on paper would give Payton one of the things he craves majority a WR who stretches the field Among Saints wideouts with at least catches Shaheed leads New Orleans in air yards per reception per completion and yards per catch Against the Giants in Week the former Weber State standout reached miles per hour on an -yard touchdown rainbow from Spencer Rattler according to the NFL s Next Gen Stats That was the fastest recorded speed on any offensive count from Weeks - Related Articles Broncos NFL power rankings tracker How national experts rank Denver entering Week Broncos search for tight end help continues as NFL exchange deadline nears Broncos All-Pro Pat Surtain II to miss time with pectoral strain sources say What do Broncos do with Pat Surtain II out Why Denver trusts second-year CB Kris Abrams-Draine Broncos stock analysis Quinn Meinerz Denver s skill players relish blocking excellence It s not hard to close your eyes and picture Shaheed making the type of impact for the Broncos in that Kadarius Toney did for the Chiefs in Kansas City traded two picks during the season to the Giants for Toney who eventually ran a punt back yards in the Super Bowl and caught a short TD pass against the Eagles Payton s tight end room is the one that requirements more urgent help however Lucas Krull is out eight more weeks Nate Adkins injured his knee in the fourth quarter of the Dallas rout Meanwhile thanks to the emergence of Harold Fannin Jr Cleveland is reportedly shopping David Njoku who s and in the final season of a four-year deal If that name sounds familiar it s because Njoku caught two touchdowns from Jameis Winston at Empower Field during that wild - Monday night accomplishment last fall Winning a cold-weather playoff match in the AFC requires better tight ends than Lewis at age Buffalo goes two-deep at that spot with Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox The Ravens can rock personnel with Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely The Broncos reportedly put in waiver states Monday on two tight ends Brendan Bates and Ben Sims That s nibbling when you should be punching Settling when you should be swinging Payton s tight end room is at the moment led by -year-old Evan Engram who s picked up steam but was hobbled for weeks After that Adam Trautman king of Payton s trust tree Then Patrick Murtagh an Aussie on the practice squad and rookie seventh-round pick Caleb Lohner the former basketball participant The pickings are awfully slim On that front Lewis would largest part definitely help He d be fine cromulent to the core But the trouble with old socks is that their usage is to put it kindly limited The thread frays Old seams break Before long in the heat of the postseason you ve suddenly got more holes to fill And nobody wants to find themselves walking around Buffalo barefoot in January again Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis