When the Denver Broncos traded for Duke Dawson, I was excited. He was a draft prospect I really liked, but he was buried in a deep cornerback room in New England.

Fighting a lingering hamstring injury, Dawson started off behind the eight-ball and just couldn’t crack it the Patriots' depth chart.

What comes to mind is the saying, 'one man’s trash is another man’s treasure' and that is exactly the case with Dawson and the Denver Broncos. He had a rough game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 9, but the rest of his season has been top-notch.

Having Dawson at nickel has helped stabilize the Broncos' coverage because of his play in the slot. He will need to bounce back after the game he had against the Browns, and clean up his tackling. If he can do that, it will really help the Broncos make some decisions after this season.

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Right now, cornerback is a need for the Broncos. Chris Harris, Jr. is poised to be an unrestricted free agent in the spring, Bryce Callahan is injured, as is De’Vante Bausby, while Issac Yiadom is a bad scheme fit and looking like a bust and even Davontae Harris has questions about his consistency.

There are just so many question-marks going forward. If Dawson can ease those concerns even a little bit, that is a huge win for the Broncos.

Denver didn’t give up much for Dawson, so the value for is tremendous. Hopefully, he can bounce back, play at a high level and really make the trade a steal for the Broncos.

It is already trending that way with the flashes, but consistency is needed. How good has Dawson been at times? Check out the video above for the full story and context of his contributions thus far.

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.