Sean Payton is worried about Sunday, not Tuesday.
Sunday, of course, the Broncos host Kansas City as eight-point underdogs but with a chance to end the Chiefs’ 16-game winning streak against Denver.
Tuesday, then, is the NFL’s trade deadline.
Could the difference between 2-6 and 3-5 alter Denver’s decision on whether to try to sell on the trade market at the deadline?
“No, no, no,” Payton said. “(The deadline) is next week sometime, I think. But no. We’re focused on winning with this group and these guys here. We went through this in the offseason, too, and it’s the news cycle and it’s part of the deal.
“But no, not at all.”
Payton has said previously that the Broncos will listen when teams call and ask about players but that they’re not actively shopping.
The number of players who come up in discussions, of course, far outstrips the actual number of transactions that take place. A year ago, there were 10 trades executed on Nov. 1 — including Denver sending Bradley Chubb to Miami for a first-round pick — and that number was an NFL record.
New face. Payton in the past has downplayed the significance of poaching a player off another team’s roster when that team is coming up on the schedule.
All the same, Denver claimed rookie defensive tackle Keondre Coburn to its active roster after Kansas City waived him.
Coburn, a sixth-round pick out of Texas, is listed at 6-foot-2 and 332 pounds.
“When you claim a first-year player, you’re looking at your (draft) grades that you just had six months ago,” Payton said. “When you see a graded player, that catches your eye. It’s hard to find big guys inside. Makeup is good. There are a few checkmarks that you hit and then we had the roster space.”
Slowing Mahomes and Kelce. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had seven catches on seven targets for 109 yards in the first half alone Week 6 against Denver. He finished with nine for 124. Then last week, Kelce went triple digits in the first half again (nine catches on nine targets for 143 and a touchdown) against the Chargers.
The past two weeks in total: 22 targets, 21 catches, 303 yards and a touchdown against division opponents.
“We talked today about, there’s the first act — that’s the pass on time,” Payton said. “Then there’s the brief intermission and then there’s the second act. That’s out of the pocket. They do that as well as anyone.”
Inside linebacker Josey Jewell on Monday marveled at the way Kelce will adjust a route or make something up and Mahomes always seems to be on the same page anyway.
“After those first two seconds, we’ve got to be able to understand that (Mahomes) is looking for different routes. Maybe the main ones are closed,” Jewell said. “After those first two seconds it’s usually Kelce he’s looking for because he knows he’ll find that middle spot in the defense. Got to get match-y with him late in the down.”
Healthy group. The Broncos had only three players listed on their Wednesday injury report. Running back Dwayne Washington (knee) didn’t practice, S Justin Simmons (hip/groin) was limited as he’s been for multiple weeks and OLB Baron Browning (knee) was a full participant.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.