Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season and periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.
Hey Parker, so I’m quite, um, whelmed by the Broncos’ moves on Day 1 of free agency. We need to get Bo Nix more weapons. George Pickens would be amazing, but I feel like that’s a pipe dream. Are we looking at Romeo Doubs, Calvin Austin III or Jauan Jennings? Dallas Goedert? How about Deebo Samuel? He seems like he’d fit that joker position for Sean Payton.
— Mike, Denver
Hey Mike, you’re certainly not the only one. It didn’t figure to be a spending bonanza for the Broncos, but even given what Sean Payton, George Paton and Greg Penner said earlier in the offseason, itap been a slow start.
Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean ineffective. They’ve retained a bunch of their own guys, which means they think their roster is in a good spot. Itap good to have a group of players that you want back.
Still, this was the first time since George Paton became the general manager in 2021 that Denver didn’t sign at least one external free agent on Day 1. Itap perfectly fair to say itap been slower than many expected.
The Broncos came out of the 2025 season recognizing they needed more offensive playmaking. They’ve retained tight ends Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins (along with Evan Engram) and, of course, have a two-year deal in place with running back J.K. Dobbins.
But if you thought you needed more playmaking and you retain the group you had, then conventional wisdom would be that you still need more playmaking.
Of course, if the Broncos get a full, healthy season from Dobbins, that issue is partially resolved. Dobbins ardently believes thatap going to happen. He’s also never played a full season.
I agree with your assessment of weapons and the idea of adding a dangerous pass-catcher, whether a receiver or a tight end.
The issue: Where are you going to find one? Working through your list, George Pickens would indeed be massive, but now that he’s been franchise tagged, that would require trading Dallas a premium pick and then signing him to a massive extension. Romeo Doubs agreed to sign with New England on Tuesday. Denver had interest in him, but never felt like the favorites. Calvin Austin and Jauan Jennings are still available as of this writing. So, too, are Deebo Samuel and Dallas Goedert, though age is a factor with both of those guys.
Several of the other tight ends still available fit the Engram profile as a receiver-first move player, so doubling up there doesn’t quite square. I was intrigued by Cade Otton and Charlie Kolar for their all-around abilities — certainly some projection involved there, especially with Kolar — but Otton went back to Tampa Bay and Kolar got a strong deal at $8 million per year with the Los Angeles Chargers. There, he’ll play for Jim Harbaugh after playing for John Harbaugh in Baltimore.
Denver could see if Goedert, 31, has another productive year or two left in the tank. Maybe there’s a receiver still out there on the free agent market that they like.
At this point, itap also worth looking forward to the draft and considering the trade market.
At receiver, there have been persistent rumors about the availability of Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown, Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr., Miami’s Jaylen Waddle and others. Thomas makes the most sense from a money perspective, but I’ve heard they’re not actually interested in trading him and Tuesday afternoon, they seem to be reiterating that to national reporters. There had been back-and-forth reporting on that in recent days. Miami, similarly, has repeatedly said Waddle is a player to build around.
The combined acquisition cost and $29 million guaranteed for 2026 with Brown is a steep hill to climb for anybody and Payton and Paton have rarely carried two expensive receivers on their rosters.
On the draft front, itap a deeper receiver class than running back or tight end, but there are interesting players at all three positions. The search continues.
I’ve seen lots of WR draft and free-agent recommendations for the Broncos, but not much analysis of the type of WR they need. Is there a WR style you think the Broncos lack today and who would fit that need? For example, Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant are big receivers capable of winning contested catches. Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin are speedsters who seem to lack shiftiness. To me, they lack shifty route runners. Who do you think could fill that need? Thanks!
— Chad, Austin
Hey Chad, thanks for writing and good question. Payton likes receivers that can play in multiple spots, but he also has specific roles that he wants filled.
Denver, the past couple of seasons, has waited until the later waves of free agency and then looked for bigger guys who can run and block. Payton often points back to Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem from his years in New Orleans as sort of the archetypes. The Broncos haven’t found that guy so far in Payton’s time in Denver.
Two years ago, they tried with Josh Reynolds. Last year, it was Trent Sherfield. Neither stuck a whole season. They could be in the market for a similar body type this year.
I agree with you that a pure route-runner would be a value add, too. Payton, though, doesn’t normally look for those smaller, shiftier players to operate in the slot. He likes big, power slots.
In my mind, then any search for a receiver is in one of two buckets: That big, physical player or a guy who elevates the room across the board. The former is maybe still out there in free agency. Itap hard to see the latter being a free agent at this point, so a trade or the draft are more realistic routes.
Itap worth continuing to point out that Denver likes its receivers and has either spent a Day 2 pick, traded up or both in each of the past three drafts to select Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant.
It wouldn’t be a surprise at this point if they followed a similar path this spring, though letap not count them out at No. 30 overall in the draft, either.
Hi Parker, I’m amazed at all the new metrics and stats that are now available. I recently saw one that measured tight ends and missed blocks rates. It showed that some of the TEs I’ve seen linked to the Broncos, like Cade Otten was rated poorly. How does the Broncos staff use these advanced stats? Sean Payton seems like an old-school guy and might rely on feel or the eye test. Thanks.
— Gene Ryan, Green Valley, Ariz. (by way of Aurora)
Hey Gene, thanks for writing and great question. The amount of information out there these days is staggering. The stuff thatap publicly available or accessible via subscription has changed a ton in the past few seasons. Now imagine what kinds of systems NFL teams are building.
This is one of the areas where artificial intelligence is booming in football, just like it is across any number of other industries. I was talking with a front office executive of another team at the combine last month about the ways in which they’re building models and tools in-house that can be used across football operations. It could be draft prep, pro scouting, salary cap management, film study or any number of other things.
The Broncos are working on all those kinds of things, too, like every team in football is.
Payton last year marveled at some of the stuff Denver’s technology could do. That will only continue to ramp up into the future and, I’d imagine, when the Broncos move into a new, state-of-the-art building this summer.
Having all of that at your fingertips might help you sniff out something you want to know about a player who has been playing in a different system. Can he move the way you want, even if he’s not moving the way you’d teach? Is he getting to where he needs to go and not finishing a block? Or can he not get there? Is he good only at certain things, or is he used only in certain ways? So on and so forth.
Thatap all good stuff, but the Broncos and other teams around the league also have to see it with their own eyes. Extra data is good, but teams aren’t going to commit to somebody based on analytics alone.
Hi Parker. Longtime subscriber and appreciator of the Post’s Broncos coverage. You guys do a fantastic job.
Thinking about the Broncos’ enviable secondary depth, I was wondering: if Denver extends Ja’Quan McMillian (they should) and also keeps Riley Moss, could Jahdae Barron be converted full-time to safety? Does he have the skillset to play there, for if/when Brandon Jones is let go after his contract expires?
— George, Seattle (Not a “12”)
Hey George, thanks for the nice note and for subscribing. We really appreciate it. Interesting question, too.
In the exact situation you outline, yeah, itap a possibility. The Broncos believe Jadhae Barron can play inside, outside or safety and do so at a high level.
From right here and right now, that doesn’t feel like the most likely scenario, but you never know.
There are several machinations in play when it comes to the Broncos’ secondary over the next year and they essentially count as good problems to have because Denver has quality depth that a lot of teams don’t.
The first step is McMillian. He’s on the tender now, so they can either extend him now or during the season or risk him hitting the free agent market next spring.
Itap a little early to say categorically that the Broncos have to choose between paying McMillian and Moss, but the way the roster is currently constructed and with a potential Bo Nix extension looming out there as early as the summer of 2027, itap reasonable to wonder if they can play with both corners, the nickel and at least one safety on big contracts long-term.
Nothing has to happen right away. They can keep everybody right where they are through this season if they want. But each move made in the secondary is going to have a ripple effect over the next few months.
A fascinating group to watch.
