Mile High Report
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote an article about 10 potential trades that could make sense for both teams in advance of the 2025 regular season. In this piece, he has the Denver Broncos shipping a former 4th-round selection to the Carolina Panthers.
Barnwell has the Denver Broncos trading away former fourth-round pick, cornerback Damarri Mathis, to the Carolina Panthers for a 7th round selection.
The Broncos have a rare problem among NFL teams: too many cornerbacks. ESPN’s Jeff Legwold projects they could move on from Mathis, who was very good as a rookie in 2022 before losing his starting job after the defense’s slow start in 2023. He played just 27 defensive snaps after Week 6 that season and 80 more across 10 games in 2024. With the Broncos using their 2025 first-round pick on cornerback Jahdae Barron, they could justify moving on from Mathis, who might not be active on game days even if he sticks around.
Mathis’ best season came with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero in Denver, and he hasn’t been able to reach those same heights since Evero left for Carolina. The Panthers are set with Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson and nickel corner Chau Smith-Wade as their three starting corners, but Mathis could push the 28-year-old Jackson and serve as Carolina’s primary reserve on the outside. Mathis is owed $3.4 million in 2025, so Denver might essentially buy a draft pick by eating some of that cash, similar to what the Commanders did when they sent running back Brian Robinson Jr. to the 49ers.
If the Broncos can get anything for Mathis at this point, it would be another big win for General Manager George Paton and the rest of the Front Office. Mathis did show some promise in his rookie year, but struggled a ton in year two and has served as depth and played primarily on special teams in recent years. Since being drafted by the Broncos, the team has gone out and drafted Riley Moss in the 3rd round, Kris Abrams-Draine in the 5th round, and Jahdae Barron in the 1st round. All three of these players are ahead of him on the depth chart, and have Mathis likely off the roster this upcoming season.
So, if they are able to get anything for him at this point, even if it is just a 7th-round pick, that is better than simply cutting him (which seems like the likely outcome here).
We did see General Manager George Paton get great value back in a Devaughn Vele trade already, so we will see if he can continue his hot streak and do some more wheeling and dealing over the next 24 to 48 hours.
