Denver sent Clem Turner and Jack Gehrke to Buffalo on May 2,…
Denver sent Clem Turner and Jack Gehrke to Buffalo on May 2, 1973 for a future draft choice. Draft records identify the return as Buffalo's 1974 tenth-round pick, No. 251 overall. Denver later sent that selection to St. Louis for safety Dale Hackbart, who appeared in three Broncos games with two starts. That modest downstream return exceeded Buffalo's realized value.
Buffalo Bills Received
- player Clem Turner
- player Jack Gehrke
Denver Broncos Received
- pick 1974 tenth-round pick, No. 251 overall; later traded to St. Louis for Dale Hackbart
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Buffalo's historical transaction ledger records the 1973 acquisition of wide receiver Jack Gehrke and running back Clem Turner from Denver for a future draft choice. The 1974 draft record identifies Buffalo's tenth-round pick, No. 251 overall, as moving through Denver to St. Louis. ProSportsTransactions links that selection to the Turner-Gehrke trade, while the Pro Football Hall of Fame draft ledger independently labels No. 251 as coming from Buffalo through Denver.
Buffalo's Return
Neither acquired player produced regular-season value for the Bills. Contemporary and later biographical records state that Turner failed his Buffalo physical and was released in July. NFL career data shows Turner's last regular-season games came with Denver in 1972. Gehrke's NFL career record ends with Denver in 1971, with no Buffalo appearance. The Bills therefore realized zero regular-season games from the two-player package.
Denver's Draft Asset
Denver controlled Buffalo's 1974 tenth-round selection, No. 251. Before the draft, the Broncos sent that pick to St. Louis in the July 1973 trade for veteran defensive back Dale Hackbart. The Pro Football Hall of Fame draft record shows St. Louis using No. 251 on Greg Hartle with the notation that the choice came from Buffalo through Denver, while Denver's own media guide identifies the same tenth-round selection as the price for Hackbart.
Downstream Denver Value
Hackbart appeared in three games for Denver in 1973 and started two, producing one team Approximate Value before his NFL career ended. That is limited value, but it is still realized franchise value directly produced by the draft asset Denver received in this trade.
Final Verdict
Denver Broncos Win, narrowly. Denver earns a C+ because the future choice was converted into three games and two starts from Hackbart. Buffalo earns a C because Turner failed his physical and Gehrke never appeared in a Bills regular-season game. The pick chain is corroborated by both draft and team records, supporting high confidence even though the overall value on both sides was modest.