THE Denver Broncos received a lot of criticism this past offseason for the way they handled the quarterback room. The Broncos and head coach Sean Payton traded Russell Wilson and began their expected search for a quarterback in the NFL Draft. They used their first-round selection on Oregon’s Bo Nix. Even with the criticism of Nix being selected in the first round, he played quite well as a starter.

On Sunday, the Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 28-14 to improve to 5-3 on the season. Yes, it was against the Panthers, but the important thing in the NFL is to win winnable games. Nix had a solid game, completing 28 of 37 pass attempts for 284 yards and three touchdowns, while recording his own rushing touchdown.

The Broncos are sitting in the playoffs after this win, but their schedule will only get tougher as they face the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs (twice), Los Angeles Chargers (once), Ravens of Baltimore and the Atlanta Falcons. all of whom are playoff contenders as of this writing. To ensure the Broncos can survive and stay in the playoffs once the season ends, they’ll need to give Nix some help. Specifically, a wide receiver.

One name they should target is a Panthers wide receiver – Diontae Johnson.

There was a lot of receiver movement in the weeks leading up to the November 5 deadline. Davante Adams was dealt to the New York Jets. Amari Cooper was traded to the Buffalo Bills. The Kansas City Chiefs acquire DeAndre Hopkins. The best options are off the board.

Johnson is part of the next tier of wide receivers. He’s played pretty well with the Panthers so far, recording 30 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns on 58 targets. So what would it take for Denver to acquire Johnson from Carolina?

According to reports from ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, Panthers seek mid-round draft pick in exchange for Johnson. So based on that, the Broncos are giving up their fourth-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft for Johnson.

Johnson is expected to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, so his price tag won’t be that high. So why a fourth-round pick? Well, that’s because the Broncos don’t have a fifth-round pick available to them in the upcoming NFL Draft, due to their trade with the Miami Dolphins surrounding Bradley Chubb.

The Broncos passing offense hasn’t been the most productive, even with Courtland Sutton. But they could use a little more star power for the latter part of the season. Bringing in Johnson could do wonders for Nix and help the Broncos return to the playoffs for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50.