Looks like the Denver Broncos want to work a trade with the Washington Redskins, swapping stud RB Clinton Portis for stud CB Champ Bailey and this years second round pick.

You might think, hey, if they can find the cash to pay Bailey, why can’t they find it to pay Portis?

Or maybe you think, man, this is all about Clinton wanting his due, they’re just punishing him for standing up for himself.

Maybe you even say, but Champ is three years older than Portis?

But, this is a good trade (if it works out) and you’re wrong on all counts.

The problem isn’t so much that Denver can’t find the money to reward Portis. At least, it wouldn’t be a problem if Denver had fewer needs and better cap position.

The real problem is that they have to pay Al Wilson (just re-signed for $42 million w/ $10M siging bonus), John Mobley (if he can come back from his spinal injury), Bertram Berry AND still have to take another shot at signing a shut down CB. This last has been a priority for several seasons and is a glaring need – as those of you who saw Denver’s secondary destroyed by Payton Manning will have noticed. But Carter was a huge failure, the young guys haven’t stepped up (think O’neal) and Denver lost their bid for Rodney Harrison last year.

Denver won’t have a problem getting 1,500 yards out of whoever replaces Portis. That isn’t to say that whoever it is will be fit to sniff Portis’ jock, but the Broncos’ system and O-line will make him look a good deal better than he otherwise might.

On the other hand Denver can’t afford another offseason without successfully addressing it’s massive need for a top notch CB. They’ve spent too many consecutive seasons sitting at home for the month of January (or most of it) specifically because of letdowns in their defensive secondary.

What good having possibly the best runner in the league if your defensive backs are giving critical games away?

This isn’t at all about punishing Clinton Portis, it’s about Denver’s inability to wiggle enough cap space to keep Portis AND make all of the other signings that are critical to their improvement to a serious SB contender.

The Broncos have proven that they can survive, even excel in the running game with otherwise average backs (Gary and Anderson), but it’s impossible for them to reach their desired destination without a top notch CB.

And while Portis certainly is the younger of the two, you'll usually get a lot more high level years out of a top DB than out of a top RB -- as former Broncos OG Mark Schlereth has said.

Portis, sadly, is expendable. Bailey is a necessity.