Why the Broncos Should Trade for Tyler Warren, Not Jonathan Taylor
The Colts are selling and Denver is reportedly watching Jonathan Taylor. The smarter Broncos target is 24-year-old TE Tyler Warren. Here's a hypothetical deal.
The Indianapolis Colts are 2-5 and selling. On Oct. 27 they sent guard Quenton Nelson to Seattle for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth, and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to San Francisco for a 2027 fourth. The Denver Broncos are 5-2, and NFL on Prime insider James Palmer said Denver is one of the teams "monitoring the Jonathan Taylor situation," while adding that Taylor most likely stays in Indianapolis.
If the Broncos are going to make a call to Indianapolis before the Nov. 10 trade deadline (4 p.m. ET, 2 p.m. MT), we think they're asking about the wrong player. The better target is the tight end: Tyler Warren.
To be clear: there is no report of any Warren talks between Denver and Indianapolis. The trade below is a RookieRanks hypothetical.
Taylor is great, but he's the wrong price for this roster
Taylor is a three-time Pro Bowler who ran for 1,585 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2025. Nobody is arguing he can't play. The case against him in Denver is about age, money and fit:
- Age and miles. Taylor is 27 and has 1,691 career carries in seven seasons.
- Money. In August he signed a two-year, $44 million extension ($22 million a year, about $39 million guaranteed, per Spotrac). His cap hit is about $16.2 million this year, then roughly $21 million in 2027 and $23 million in 2028.
- 2026 form. Through seven games he has 587 yards on 140 carries (4.2 a carry) with 8 touchdowns. That's productive, but it's below his 4.8 career average.
- Fit. Sean Payton has run the ball by committee, Denver just paid JK Dobbins, and rookie Jonah Coleman is back. Our view: Coleman can give this offense a lot of what Taylor would, at a fraction of the price. Spending premium picks and $22 million a year on a running back is the kind of move that ages badly.
Why Warren is the better swing
Warren was the 14th pick in the 2025 draft. As a rookie he caught 76 passes for 817 yards and 4 touchdowns in 17 games. This season he has 30 catches for 213 yards and 2 touchdowns in five games, and before a groin injury cost him Weeks 6 and 7 he led the Colts in targets, receptions and touchdowns. Coach Shane Steichen says he's "good to go" for Sunday at Jacksonville.
| Tyler Warren | Jonathan Taylor | |
|---|---|---|
| Position | TE | RB |
| Age | 24 | 27 |
| 2026 games | 5 | 7 |
| 2026 production | 30 rec, 213 yds, 2 TD | 140 car, 587 yds, 8 TD |
| 2026 cap hit | $4.76M | $16.19M |
| Contract | Rookie deal through 2028 + 5th-year option | Through 2028 at $22M a year |
The contract is the big gap. Warren is on a fully guaranteed four-year rookie deal worth about $20.96 million in total, and his cap hit is about $4.8 million this season. Denver has about $21.6 million in cap space (Spotrac), so either player would fit this year. Only one of them leaves real money for 2027 and 2028.
The roster need is real too. Denver's top tight end, Evan Engram, is 32 and carries a $14.1 million cap hit. Spotrac lists him as a 2027 free agent. Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins are blockers first. Warren is a 6-6, 256-pound target who also takes snaps in the backfield (he scored a rushing touchdown at Pittsburgh in Week 5). That gives Bo Nix a young middle-of-the-field target for the rest of his rookie contract and beyond.
What a deal could look like (hypothetical)
This is our proposal, not a reported offer:
Broncos get: TE Tyler Warren Colts get: Denver's 2027 second-round pick, Denver's 2028 third-round pick, and TE Adam Trautman
Why it could work for both sides:
- For Indianapolis: a rebuilding team turns a player it may not pay big money in 2029 into two picks. That's more than the Colts got for Nelson, a former All-Pro. Trautman keeps the tight end room stocked for the rest of 2026.
- For Denver: a 5-2 contender adds a 24-year-old pass catcher with up to three more cheap seasons after this one, and doesn't touch its 2027 first.
Would the Colts actually move a recent top-15 pick? Maybe not. Teams rarely sell young cornerstones, and the price could climb toward a first. Even then, we'd argue Warren is the better use of a premium pick than Taylor.
Spend the rest on the line
The other half of this argument: if Denver wants a better run game, the line is the place to spend. Left guard Ben Powers and center Luke Wattenberg have drawn criticism this season, and right guard is also worth a look for the long run. A cheap Warren deal leaves cap space and picks to keep improving the blocking in front of Coleman and Dobbins, instead of paying a 27-year-old back to fix it on his own.
The bottom line
Taylor would be the louder trade. Warren is the smarter one: younger, cheaper, under team control longer, and at a position where Denver's best option is 32. If the Broncos call Indianapolis before Nov. 10, we'd ask about the tight end.
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