The Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions have sent each other a couple players they otherwise likely would have cut.
In a player-for-player straight-up trade just hours before the 53-man roster limit deadline, the Broncos sent cornerback Alphonso Smith to Detroit for tight end Dan Gronkowski.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus, who represents both players, announced the move on Twitter.
The Broncos had high hopes for Smith, giving up a first-round draft pick to move up in the second round and acquire him, but he was a disappointment in Denver, and there was talk this week that he could be released. The Lions selected Gronkowski in the seventh round of the 2009 draft, and he played in two games as a rookie.
Just wait, McDaniels is outsmarting you all, LOL nevermind.
So effectively the Broncos traded the 14th pick in the 2010 draft for a 2009 7th rounder. Nice job Josh.
Broncos still can make every opportunity for working the Cutler trade entirely in their favor, but if any of the Bronco’s picks acquired from the Bears turn out even half as bad as Alphonso Smith, it should serve as an eternal reminder of why high draft picks in exchange for proven commodities is always a dangerous endeavor.
Maybe Josh just wanted to see if Dan can be just as good as his brother Rob is going to be with the Patriots
I just wished Buffalo wouldn’t sit there the whole day and just sit there ……
Man what a joke. Are you telling me he couldn’t find some better option than trading a 14th overall pick for a 7th rounder? What a failure. I am huge Broncos fan and this shit is getting ridiculous.
Jay Cutler the 2010 NFL MVP finds this story amusing.
Wow, obvioulsly terrible move for the Broncos, and great move by the Lions.
I think Smith is very talented and might just work out in Detroit. And the Lions have a pair of really good TE’s already (including Scheffler, who McDaniels also squandered).
So wait, they traded a guy who took first and second round picks to get for a 7th rounder.
I guess they needed a TE, since they traded their 2nd round pick TE that was actually good, for a 7th rounder.
I think they should have just kept Smith because Tebow is gonna have to switch to TE anyway.
McDaniels is insane.
Yep, yr all sooo smart. I’d love to seen any of you idiots try and run an NFL team.
I don’t know if I can run an NFL team… but I know McDaniels can’t. He should be posting here with us.
McDipshit had to have Smurf, so he trades away a first-rounder to get him. Those who questioned the move at the time were merely fools who didn’t know anything.
McDipshit didn’t want pass-catching tight end Scheffler, so he jettisons him to the Lions. After all, pass catching tight ends have no place in his system.
McDipshit no longer wants Smurf, so he jettisons him to the Lions. For their back-up pass catching tight end. A player nowhere near as good as Scheffler.
And Broncos fans everywhere hope Bowlen wakes up from his long nap sometime very soon.
LOL, before this summer’s draft I said the three best players would be Thomas, Tebow, and Gronkowski. Rob unfortunately.
Still for all the whining dopes, the pick they got for Scheffler (5th round) was used on Perrish Cox, who effectively made Smith redundant. The original pick used on Smith had nothing to do with Cutler. It was a straight swap of the Bronco’s own first rounder in 2010 for Seattle’s 2nd in 2009. Hindsight is 20/20, but Smith was a consensus late first round rated pick at the time of the 2009 draft. He still could be a good player, but the Broncos are stacked at cornerback.
@rx same goes for you.
“He still could be a good player, but the Broncos are stacked at cornerback.”
Someone is still drinking the kool-aid. “He’s really good, we just need a 7th round TE more”
As a Lions fan, I am sad to see Gronkowski go. The guy makes plays. Denver fans will be pleased with him.
Well, the team got a lot smarter at least. If Gronkowski, Decker, and Thomas are in the lineup at the same time at the receiver spots, Denver will probably triple the collective I.Q. of any possible threesome around the league. Matter of fact as a team they probably double the Wonderlic average of most NFL teams.
Two issues here, besides the kids that post with hate, Alphonso Smith may still be good but a top quality CB he will not be. 5’8 1/2″ tall (mom’s fault) with no tackling skills (could be taught) but only 4.72 40 (speed can not be taught) really gave him away the last two pre-seasons. He should be used as a cover-2 CB only, man-man he can not perform.
TE is a NEED for Denver right now. Graham has problem back and ribs. Branson may be out with the knee.
NAH to the kids above, this great McX has again turned a minus into a plus.
****TO ALL DENVER FANS****** this was a great move for both teams… Dan gronkowski is gonna be awsome!! so stop whinning over it…
No surprise here. Smith was a bust last year and in the preseason this year and would have been cut. He’s slow, he can’t cover and he can’t tackle, other than that……
The pick McDaniels made with Smith, trading away this year’s first round pick to move up to take him illustrates how unprepared McDaniels was (and is) to evaluate talent. (Richard) Quinn was also a bad pick last year, and isn’t long for the Broncos or perhaps the NFL.
Trading Smith straight up for a pass catching TE (to fill a need) is laughable since the Broncos already had one who was arguably better than Gronkowski since the Lions felt he was expendable after acquiring Scheffler, but McDaniels didn’t like him, period.
The only two people in the Broncos organization who look more foolish than McDaniels are Bowlen and Ellis for hiring him.
Gronkowski played good for the Lions who are stacked at TE…Got a bit more depth at DB now…Should be good for both teams..
That’s funny VB…NFL com says he ran a 4.51 so are you right about the rest of your post? Can’t believe you guys threw all that money out the door after one year. No one sane does that..If Tebow is horrible this season as a rookie..is he gone too?
I don’t think Bronco fans are “whining” over it. We saw Smith play over the past two years. Read his letter to the fans. He admitted it was his lack of play that prompted this.
The dude was just outplayed by pretty much every other corner on the team.
Vegas is right on the money. If you watched him play, and take out the numbers/slots/etc., this is a decent trade for Denver.
BTW, are there any adults on this site using the Mc________ nicknames? If so, you should be ashamed.
2 years? He was a rookie last year. How is that 2 years? I guess that means D. Thomas is in his second year then?