Chad Henne's New Best Friend

The Denver Broncos finally dealt wide receiver Brandon Marshall, one day after he signed a one year tender with the club. Many people believed the destination for Marshall was going to be Seattle. But the Seahawks used the 2nd round pick in this years draft to acquire Charlie Whitehurst. Denver shopped around and found a buyer in the Miami Dolphins.

Upon hearing the news, Chad Henne must be grinning ear to ear. He now gets to throw to a receiver that is one of a handful of players who has three consecutive seasons of 100+ receptions. He now has a legitimate #1 target that he did not have last season. All of this is courtesy of a franchise that seems bent on self implosion on the offensive side of the ball.

I'm still trying to figure out how a team can trade a quarterback in Jay Cutler and a receiver in Brandon Marshall that were going to be the cornerstone of their offense for years. I can't remember any team making trades like that in recent memory. One thing the Broncos did that the Steelers did not do is get some value in a trade for a receiver. Granted, the Santonio Holmes case may have been a bit more extreme, but Denver now has three of the top 45 picks in a very deep draft.

I have had the Broncos pegged to take Dez Bryant with the #11 overall selection, mainly because of the uncertain future of Marshall with the club. Now that seems to be a certainty. They have plenty of holes on the defensive side and they should be able to shore them up with the 43rd and 45th picks.

The fact that Miami did not have to give up their first round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft makes them the winner in this trade. I have had them taking Rolando McClain with the 12th overall selection all along, and I can still see them taking the Alabama middle linebacker with that pick. Bill Parcells had great defenses with the New York Giants, and though he had Lawrence Taylor on the outside the defense was anchored in the middle by Harry Carson. I see McClain filling the same role in Miami. Now the question seems to be can Denver and Josh McDaniels handle another receiver with a new set of baggage.