After one of the more unconvemtional free agencies in recent memory, the Broncos look to bolster their roster in the 2026 NFL Draft later this week. Outside of safety Tycen Anderson, Denver’s focus was locked in on resigning players from their AFC Championship roster. Throw in a little Jalen Waddle trade for the cost of a day-one draft pick and, boom, that’s your 2026 offseason in a nushell.
On Thursday, the Broncos will begin the draft thinking about all the touchdowns and yards Jalen Waddle is going
to get in this offense. They’ll fantasize about all the touchdowns and yards having a dynamic playmaker will not just score for himself, but the ones that are made possible for others by his mere presence on the field. While it is a bummer that the Broncos don’t have a first rounder (again) this year, it would be hard to argue that a late first-rounder could come in and immediately contribute the way that Waddle will.
Starting on day two of the draft, the Broncos will begin to work to turn the 6-picks they have into players that will contribute, hopefully, for years to come. When George Paton remarked lat Thursday that, “It’s hard to get snaps in this program,” he hinted about the Broncos draft strategy. GMs desperate to draft day-one starters don’t usually say things like that. It would appear that, while diamonds in the rough are always appreciated, the eye in this draft is going to be geared toward depth.
While it’s easy to feel a bit deflated that the Broncos won’t get to share the draft spotlight in the first round, there has been a bit of intrigue about what might go down. Broncos legend Aqib Talib hinted at something big before the Waddle trade went down. Recently, Talib has hinted that there could be another move the Broncos will make just before or during the NFL Draft. With Denver still looking for upgrades at a number of positions (TE, RB, LB), such a move could be seismic depending on which player(s) and draft picks are involved in the swap. This is something to certainly keep an eye on as the days tick toward the draft this week.
When the Broncos kept nearly all 2026 free agent signings “in the family,” the football world received the message that the brass in Denver thought the world of the 2025 roster. How Denver turns a handful of draft picks into contributors, depth, or a blockbuster trade will be the drama in Pittsburgh when the clock finally begins to count down. It’s draft week in the NFL! Get hyped, Broncos Country!
