The day he traded outside linebacker Bradley Chubb to Miami, Broncos general manager George Paton expressed confidence in the rest of his edge group.
“We believe in the depth we have at outside linebacker, our young pass rushers,” Paton said as Denver went into its bye week at 3-5, insisting he would have made the trade regardless of his team’s record. “We’ve invested a lot in that position.”
Three weeks does not determine whether a move is successful — and Denver won’t make the first-round selection it received in the deal until the spring — but the early returns for the remaining group have not been pretty.