NFL Trade Rumors: Why Eddie Royal Has More to Offer Than Brandon Lloyd

The Denver Broncos are the center of all trade controversy as the deadline approaches.

Not only do they have a starting quarterback worth trading, but they also have two receivers who have demanded to be traded.

Brandon Lloyd is one of those receivers. The 30-year-old led the Broncos in receiving yards a year ago under Josh McDaniels, but has since been linked to the St. Louis Rams, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.

The other receiver is 25-year-old Eddie Royal.

While Royal is not nearly as well-known, he is actually the better trade prospect of the two.

Both players are in the final year of their contracts and pose an interesting dilemma for potential trade partners.

This is one of the few problems with Lloyd. He's coming off the best (and most consistent) season of his career. At his age, he's likely to look for the last big contract of his career.

He truly hasn't done much to warrant it, though. A year ago, he went bonkers and averaged 18.8 yards per catch on his way to over a 1,400-yard, 11-touchdown season on 77 catches.

It was far and away the most receptions of his career (his previous high was 48 catches with the 49ers in 2005) and he made quite a name for himself.

Ironically, his career year was hardly leaps and bounds better than that of teammate Eddie Royal.

The 25-year-old former Virginia Tech Hokie burst onto the NFL scene in 2008 with 91 catches for 980 yards and five touchdowns.

His numbers have since decreased (37 catches in 2009 and 58 catches in 2010) but he's battled with injuries and hasn't been utilized by coaches in the same way since that year.

However, Royal's career isn't completely different from Lloyd's to this point. They've both had one big year, but have struggled to be consistent contributors.

Royal, however, is five years younger and offers teams a much better bang for their buck.

He's an experienced return man (with two career return touchdowns), has the potential to return to his rookie-year form and won't demand nearly as much as Lloyd when it comes to his contract.

The potential for Lloyd to change locations (again) and struggle is just as likely as it is for him to succeed.

He's played for four different teams in his nine seasons so far in the NFL. He'll demand bigger money and there is no telling what that will do to his mindset.

However, with Royal, teams at least get a player they can work with, develop, deploy in the return game and get at a cheaper price now and for the future.

The two aren't comparable in terms of what types of players they are, but their production hasn't been much different.

Somebody will likely overpay for Lloyd and be suckered in by his one big season, but don't be surprised if more teams are interested in Royal.

Looking at the big picture, those teams would be far from wrong.