The Denver Broncos 2025 regular season kicks off on Sunday, September 7th when they host the Tennessee Titans. Fans across Broncos Country and even national analysts and pundits are bullish on this year’s squad. Heck, the Broncos are favored to make the playoffs for the first time in ages.
The playoffs would be nice, but do you know what would be even better? Dethroning the Kansas City Chiefs from their nine-year streak of AFC West Division titles. In order for them to accomplish that, several of their young
players are going to need make a big leap this season. Here are three Broncos players I believed are poised to make that jump in ‘25.
Jonah Elliss — Edge Rusher
The Broncos’ top edge duo of Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto should once again be amongst the best in the league when it comes to sacks and pressures. That’s something fans should be excited for. However, the overall quality and depth of the team’s group of edge rushers is quite special.
The first player that came to mind talking about ‘big leaps’ is edge rusher Jonah Elliss. A third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Elliss had a productive rookie season. Appearing in 38-percent of the team’s defensive snaps (434 total), the former Utah Ute racked up 38 tackles, 5 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, and 6 quarterback hits.
Though undersized with a lack of length, Elliss makes up for those traits with a great football IQ and tremendous motor. Whenever he was on the field, he always seemed to be making plays around the ball. I thought he flashed great potential as a pass rusher and also had a knack for disrupting the run game.
During training camp and the preseason, the second-year pro appeared to play with more strength and poise. He’s one of the key players on defense that I expect to be on the field quite a bit more for his sophomore campaign. Denver led the league with 63 sacks in 2024 and will have a good shot of retaining that accolade of Elliss is able to continue his ascent this season.
Troy Franklin — Wide Receiver
Reuniting Troy Franklin with Bo Nix seemed like a meant to be moment during the 2024 NFL Draft. Nix was taken in the 12th overall pick in the first round. A projected Day 2 pick, Franklin tumbled a bit on draft day, with the Broncos moving up to the early fourth round to snag Nix’s former collegiate teammate at Oregon.
It usually takes a few seasons for collegiate wideouts to hit their stride in the NFL. Occasional drops and issues tracking the ball downfield hindered his rookie performance, but at times you saw his big-play ability. With 53 total targets, he sported a 53-percent catch rate. That’s extremely concerning, but I expect that to be much better in ‘25. Overall, Franklin finished his rookie season with 28 catches for 263 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
With Devaughn Vele out of the picture, I expect the second-year pro to earn a modest uptick in targets for the coming season. He performed well over training camp and the preseason and looks far more comfortable this year. His versatility, speed, and ability to separate should help him make an impact as a receiver for Denver this season. Maybe it’s my orange and blue shaded sunglasses, but it would not be surprising if he tripled his production this season. I can’t wait to see how Head Coach Sean Payton utilizes his skill set.
Riley Moss — Cornerback
A handful of other players were under consideration for the third spot, but I ended up settling on cornerback Riley Moss. Entering his third season in the NFL, Moss is hoping to take flight in order for the Broncos’ secondary to continue to be amongst the league’s best.
With the game’s best corner (Patrick Surtain II) on the other side of the field, it’s expected that a lot of targets and volume will come your direction. I felt that Moss did a great job handling that responsibility for most of ‘24. Unfortunately, his play suffered a setback in consistency after his knee injury suffered against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The former Hawkeye’s standout was lauded during the pre-draft process for his ability to make plays on the ball. Earlier during training camp, he mentioned how he had added strength to be better in contested catch situations. I’m confident he will continue to grow and develop and think he is prime to turn some of those pass deflections (8 last season) into interceptions to give a boost to the defense’s turnover margin.
What do you think, Broncos Country? Who would be your top trio of players to make a big jump this year in order to help the Broncos secure the AFC West title? Let me know in the comments section.
