The Houston Texans found a replacement for one of their key offensive contributors, and the Denver Broncos bid farewell to their longest-tenured player.
The Broncos have trade wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Texans for a third-round pick and a swap of seventh-round picks, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Thomas is poised to face his old team in his Texans debut, as Denver hosts Houston on Sunday.
The Texans, who have surged to the top of the AFC South with five straight wins after an 0-3 start, lost deep threat Will Fuller to a torn anterior cruciate ligament after last Thursday's win over the Dolphins. In adding Thomas to its receiving corps, Houston gives Deshaun Watson another weapon while taking some pressure off top target DeAndre Hopkins and rookie Keke Coutee.
Thomas, 30, has had diminishing production for the Broncos since 2014, though the team's quarterback play has also taken a hit since then. He had 36 catches for 402 yards and three touchdowns this season.
The five-time Pro Bowl selection said Sunday he believed there were "50-50" odds he was traded by Tuesday's deadline.
Thomas' departure opens the door for second-round pick Courtland Sutton to receive even more opportunities. The rookie posted a season-high 78 yards on three catches last week against the Chiefs.
Thomas has one year remaining on his contract and is set to have a $17.5 million cap hit in 2019.
Follow Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz on Twitter @MikeMSchwartz.
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