The Broncos closed out their preseason undefeated, watched an undrafted rookie put on a show at quarterback and found comfort in a defense that remains deep and disruptive.

But the biggest storyline, the biggest news coming out of Denver on Thursday — and all week, really — was about T.J. Ward, the three-time Pro Bowl safety who has been thrust into trade discussions and left a locker room in shock.

“Nothing on that,” coach Vance Joseph said when asked about Ward following the team’s win Thursday. “Again, it is going to be a long weekend of a lot of transactions you know, so I cannot speak to that. At the end of the day, we want the best guys for our football team, and if he is one of them, he will be.”

Two days earlier, Joseph said he hadn’t heard about any trade rumors involving Ward and that, “he’s one of our better players, so I would be surprised if he was, but I have not heard that.”

Ward was among 29 Broncos who did not play against the Cardinals. Because of a hamstring injury, he did not play the enter preseason and only recently resumed on-field activity. The hope of his teammates, still, is that news isn’t true.

“I spent the last three years with him. It can’t be real,” Von Miller said. “He’s such an impactful player on and off the football field, in and out of the locker room for the Denver Broncos. It’s just the nature of the National Football League. You can only control what you can control … I’m with him. I’m with him 100 percent. I don’t think he should be going. That’s a cornerstone of the ‘No Fly Zone.’”

But the possibility couldn’t longer be ignored.

“It was shocking just to come out of nowhere toward the end of camp,” safety Will Parks said. “But at the end of the day it’s a business. He’s been through it once already, so I’m pretty sure he knows how to handle it.”

The Broncos have made and fielded trade calls on Ward, who is entering the final year of his contract and due $4.5 million in salary. The team will eat about $1.3 million should they deal or release him, but the impetus for moving on would be less about the money and more about the future.

Behind Ward is second-year safety Justin Simmons, a third-round pick out of Boston College who was drafted on his athleticism, smarts and potential. In his rookie season, Simmons played 13 games (three starts) and recorded 24 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, four pass-breakups and that blocked extra-point that led to the Broncos’ game-winner at New Orleans. Related Articles September 18, 2020 Broncos’ Phillip Lindsay ruled out for Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh as running back deals with toe injury

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Where Ward is hard-hitting safety who spent time at weakside linebacker in subpackages, Simmons is a lankier (6-foot-2) safety who can drop back in coverage more.

Ward felt like he turned in his best season in 2016, when he amassed 87 total tackles, one sack, one interception, eight pass-breakups, three forced fumbles and two recoveries. But perhaps indisputable were the intangibles that could be difficult to replace.

He’s a leader of the defense, a spark plug for the team and a mentor to Simmons and Parks, the two rising stars behind him.