Although the Denver Broncos fell short in their quest to hoist a fourth Lombardi Trophy this past season, they had quite a bit of success worthy of praise. In my opinion, the Broncos are in a great position
and have a lot of positive momentum riding with them heading into the offseason.
Stability and continuity are two major themes for the franchise. It will be the fourth year of the Sean Payton era. Under his leadership, the team has improved and our beloved orange and blue are once again formidable contenders. Additionally, a strong defense lead by Vance Joseph is set to return most every starter—though changes at inside linebacker and a potential John Franklin-Myers replacement appear to be likely.
However, the franchise did experience some coaching changes. The dismissal of wide receiver coach Keary Colbert and defensive backs coach Addison Lynch, and Jim Leonhard being hired by the Buffalo Bills to be their next defensive coordinator were the three biggest moves. It remains to be seen who will replace them, but I’m optimistic Denver will make some great hires.
Last week for Future Broncos, we talked about philosophies regarding draft selections. A few weeks ago, I gave a bit of a blueprint as to how Denver could get better in the offseason. Though, it’s time I got more specific with that. Earlier this week, I wrote about three players I’d love to see them add in free agency. It appears the Broncos will be aggressive upgrading their roster. So, let’s talk about some potentialities that come along with that.
Don’t be afraid to spend in free agency and in-house
The Broncos have roughly $30 million in cap space, but the ability to more than double that with simple restructures. I think a few obvious players would be Quinn Meinerz and Jonathon Cooper. They’ve performed well, and the added money to future years isn’t worrisome because they’ve performed well and the cap will continue to increase. By just approaching them, Denver can be over $50 million in space.
I mentioned Cade Otton at tight end, Travis Etienne at running back, and Kaden Lewis to bolster the inside linebacker corps as three major signings Denver should pursue. That addresses three key needs and would give them a lot of draft flexibility. They might not be premier signings. Nevertheless, would be welcome additions at positions that need new faces in the room.
I’d wager the initial cap hits from all three in year one would be equal to the savings on hypothetical Meinerz and Cooper restructures. That would get them back to where they started roughly $30 million in space. With that cap room retaining Ja’Quan McMillian should be Denver’s top in-house priority. Even if it’s just a high-end RFA tender. He deserves the significant pay increase.
And it isn’t talked about a lot, but key contributors Riley Moss and Marvin Mims Jr. from the 2023 NFL Draft are eligible for new extensions at the beginning of the new league year. It would be tough to keep both McMillian and Moss, but my gut tells me they’ll try and keep one. With respect to Mims, I’d love to see Denver keep him. He makes plays when targeted as a receiver and is an incredible returner. I want him to stay in the Mile High City.
Addition by subtraction isn’t the best approach
There has been some chatter about moving on from several high-priced veterans. Left guard Ben Powers and tight end Evan Engram come to mind and appear to be the top two candidates. Though I don’t feel moving on from either is necessarily the best approach. It’s not a situation of addition by subtraction.
Truth be told, Denver eats more dead money than they save with Engram. That room is already lacking in talent, so why make it worse? With Powers, an amicable restructure—considering his two void years already—would allow him to stick around for ‘26 but just kick a few million down the road over that period. The Broncos had a lot of offensive line injuries this past year, I don’t think it is wise to carve out another hole to fill.
However, if you do, that gives Denver another $15 million to go out and make a splash. It would also mean addressing offensive line earlier would have to be a draft priority for Denver. Which leads me to my last topic of discussion—pathways in the ‘26 NFL Draft.
Find prospects ready to make significant contributions in Year 1
I still have high hopes for Denver’s 2025 draft class, but it is safe to say the immediate returns weren’t as plentiful compared to other teams. I know the Broncos are picking late this year, but with five picks scheduled in the top four rounds—they have a lot of room for maneuvering their draft day approach.
What they ultimately end up doing in April will certainly be influenced by what transpires in free agency. Nobody knows how it will play out, but I figure they will add three starters into the fold. That may sound bold, but I believe that’s what happens.
Long-term, the inside linebacker and tight end rooms have to be revamped. They need to focus on the offensive line (regardless of what they do with Powers) considering the age and contract status of Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey. On top of that, replacing John Franklin-Myers isn’t going to be an easy task.
Offensive line, defensive line, and inside linebacker are two positions I think they could find impact players on early in the draft. Pending what happens in free agency, I’d argue those three positions would be the route to go early on. I think there will be Day 1 starters available there at #30 and I’ll dive deeper into those in future segments over the next two months.
Wide receiver or tight end, if they so choose, could have a few options. Denzel Boston of Washington and Kenyon Sadiq of Oregon are players I feel the Broncos’ brass will be high on. They just seem like prospects Sean Payton and George Paton would love. Though I think a modest move up the draft boards would have to happen in order to make either prospect become a realistic possibility.
Bottom line, I think with five early selections, they need to get at least a handful of players who come in and make some waves. “Who has something we were really missing last year?” should be a question they are asking when going over this year’s draft class. And if a player exists that checks off a few of those boxes, don’t be shy about going and getting him.
