The Denver Broncos are finalizing a trade with the Houston Texans for wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Houston will send a mid-round pick to Denver, per Rapoport. Thomas (6 feet 3, 229 pounds) was selected by former Broncos coach Josh McDaniels in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft out of Georgia Tech. His career got off to a somewhat slow start with Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow, but Thomas’ numbers exploded when Peyton Manning arrived in Denver in 2012. During his four years playing with Manning, Thomas hauled in 402 receptions for 5,787 yards and 41 touchdowns. In his four-and-a-half seasons playing without Manning, Thomas has 263 receptions for 3,268 yards and 19 touchdowns. Thomas was 2,334 yards away from Rod Smith’s all-time receiving record in Denver (11,389) and eight touchdowns away from Smith’s record (68). Thomas set a record with 13 receptions in Super Bowl XLVIII (a mark that has since been broken) and he has been voted to five Pro Bowls during his career. Thomas had just one catch in Denver’s Super Bowl 50 win. Thomas, who will turn 31 years old on Christmas Day, has a base salary of $8.5 million this season and will be owed $14 million next year, according to Spotrac.com. He is scheduled to become a free agent following the 2019 NFL season.<doc-sep>The Deal The Texans have traded a fourth-round pick to Denver for receiver Demaryius Thomas and a seventh-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The two teams play each other in Denver this week, so Thomas’s first game as a Texan (if he is active) will be a homecoming. The Texans Are Going for It Less than a week after the Texans lost receiver Will Fuller to a torn ACL against the Miami Dolphins, they’ve acquired another receiver. Yet while Thomas is coming in after Fuller’s injury, he’s not exactly a cookie-cutter replacement. The nearly 31-year-old Thomas no longer possesses the same skills as Fuller, who averaged 15.7 yards per reception this season (tied for 16th in the league) before his injury and is one of the league’s premier deep threats. Thomas, who has averaged 11.2 yards per reception (tied for 75th in the league), hasn’t looked like the same dynamic threat since Peyton Manning left Denver, and he is likely a bigger name than he is an actual contributor at this point in his career. But with more than $80 million in cap space next year, Houston has more than enough room to take on Thomas’s $14 million 2019 cap hit, and the fourth-rounder is a low-risk gamble on a proven contributor. Fuller’s injury was a blow to the Texans’ playoff aspirations, but protecting Deshaun Watson should be the next priority for Houston after bolstering his receiving options. Watson is the second-most pressured and second-most sacked quarterback in the NFL, and Houston’s line may be the worst in the league. (A good life rule: protect quarterbacks who throw five for touchdowns with a partially collapsed lung the season after they tear their ACL.) The 5-3 Texans are clearly trying to plug holes in their roster to maintain their two-game lead in the AFC South, but the biggest holes are the ones torn through Houston’s pass protection. Even if Houston wins the AFC South, it likely won’t have any playoff success until Watson is healthy enough to board a plane. The Broncos Are Pulling Back John Elway refuses even to say the word “rebuild” (as if the word were “Voldemort”). This trade may not be the start of a rebuild, but it’s certainly a recalculation. The Broncos went back in on making a playoff run this offseason by signing Case Keenum in free agency and eschewing a quarterback in the draft despite possessing a top-five pick, but their 3-5 start in the AFC West already has made the playoffs a difficult hike, and this move may signal that Elway isn’t confident in this team. If so, parting with Thomas is a logical move. The four-time Pro Bowler had an onerous cap hit that would have hamstrung Denver’s 2019 roster. Now the team has more playing time to give to this year’s 40th overall pick out of SMU, Courtland Sutton (add him in fantasy! ), more flexibility next year, and the additional fourth-rounder. The Broncos aren’t rebuilding, but they are retooling.<doc-sep>DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 31: Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas #88 of the Denver Broncos celebrates a fourth quarter touchdown catch against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on December 31, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) Denver Broncos: Three tricks and treats in the 2018 season by Sayre Bedinger The Denver Broncos are going to be fine despite trading away receiver Demaryius Thomas. Here is why I believe that will be the case. When the Denver Broncos traded wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Houston Texans on Tuesday before the deadline, many people among Broncos Country were upset. Rightfully so. He was the longest-tenured player on the team, since being drafted alongside Tim Tebow back in 2010. He accumulated 665 receptions, 9,055 receiving yards and 60 touchdown receptions in eight-and-a-half years with the team. Every now and then, we as an NFL fan community see start players leave the team they were with for so long. That’s just the nature of the business. Tuesday was Thomas’ turn. His departure marks the end of an era. Now he gets to go to Houston. The Texans have an obvious starter at quarterback. He should be able to enjoy many years with the same supporting cast around him. As for the Denver Broncos, the team closed a significant chapter in their franchise. They are starting over. It felt like a foregone conclusion that Thomas would not finish the season with the Broncos and the decision to move on from him was easier since the team drafted Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton. Sutton and Hamilton were part of a 2018 draft class that was labeled by many to be the best draft class by any team this year. Sutton becomes a starter with Thomas’ departure and that is fantastic news. The move allows Sutton to be atop the depth chart alongside Emmanuel Sanders, therefore giving him more experience. Through eight games, Demaryius Thomas caught 36 passes for 402 yards and three touchdowns. Sutton has significantly less receptions (17), but is on a better pace than Thomas was in terms of yardage (324). Thomas averaged 11.6 yards per reception, while Sutton currently averages 17.8. Averages constantly change and every game is going to be different. However, it’s important to note that A lot of Sutton’s production comes from deep passes. His ability to stretch the field is amazing. Now, as the team’s number two receiver, Sutton’s role is going to change and the Broncos are going to use him in multiple ways. They’re going to give him more routes; more responsibilities. As a receiver, that can be a challenge. However, we have seen many great wide receivers in the history of the league. I also think that the Demaryius Thomas trade takes a little bit of pressure off of quarterback Case Keenum. Crazy, right? Well, it puts more pressure on Emmanuel Sanders being the top guy. The good news is that Sanders already has emerged as Keenum’s top receiver. The Broncos are already a run-first team but I anticipate the team having greater success through the air. I am hoping Keenum progresses better than he did during the first half of the season. If Keenum improves, that means that Sutton should have an even greater impact on the results of games. That’s exactly what the team needs. DaeSean Hamilton is currently injured, so the Broncos should be heavily reliant on their first two receivers. Any type of experience the young players get with Thomas gone is a good thing. I think trading Demaryius Thomas was the right thing to do. The team gets a head start in developing its younger guys and that is exactly what John Elway’s plan was. It may hurt now, Broncos Country, but the pain will let up.<doc-sep>
The Houston Texans and Denver Broncos kicked off the trade deadline fun with an agreement that sends receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Texans in exchange for a fourth-round pick. The official compensation for the trade was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Denver is sending a seventh-round pick with Thomas in exchange for the fourth-round selection from the Texans. Denver traded Pro-Bowl WR Demaryius Thomas and a seventh-round pick to the Houston Texans for a fourth-round pick, per source. Thomas’ first game for the Texans will be....in Denver, against the Broncos. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 30, 2018 Houston is looking to fill the void left by Will Fuller’s torn ACL, which he suffered last week in the Texans’ 42-23 blowout win over the Miami Dolphins. Thomas can come in and be a solid No. 2 option for Deshaun Watson across from Deandre Hopkins. Thomas hasn’t been as explosive as Fuller was this season, but he’s certainly no slouch — even in what’s been a down year for him. Thomas has caught 36 of his 56 targets for the season for 402 yards and 3 touchdowns. While Thomas might not be as effective as he was during his 2012-2014 stretch when he totaled 4,483 yards and 35 touchdowns, he still adds some value to the Texans’ offense that suddenly found themselves with a huge hole at their No. 2 receiver spot. Thomas should benefit from an upgrade at quarterback as well. Deshaun Watson is a big upgrade from Case Keenum and he’ll benefit from all the attention that Deandre Hopkins brings. This is a trade that makes sense for both parties. The Texans believe they’re legitimate AFC contenders with a defense getting back to form — sending over a mid-round pick for Thomas is a fair deal for them. Denver is falling behind in the AFC West with the Chiefs and the Chargers clearly establishing themselves as the top dogs. Since starting off the season 2-0, the Broncos have gone 1-5 and their chances of making the playoffs have greatly diminished. Getting a mid-round pick for an older receiver (Thomas will turn 31 in December) while they jump into a rebuild isn’t a bad return. A rare win-win on the NFL trade deadline.