They have very few starting spots up for grabs, at least on paper.

They have, relatively speaking, very few question marks.

And yet, Sean Payton’s fourth team will have plenty of competition throughout the early portions of the summer and into training camp.

There are, by The Post����ap count, somewhere in the neighborhood of seven to nine spots up for grabs on the 53-man roster at the moment and a pool of perhaps 18-20 players vying for them. Those counts come before any of the inevitable injuries that will crop up between now and the end of August.

This early projection comes before any potential substantial roster move, of which Denver has typically made at least one between OTAs and the start of the regular season. A year ago, for example, the Broncos signed running back J.K. Dobbins in June and then traded receiver Devaughn Vele in August.

It also comes before any big training camp surprise, a young player who makes a strong push or a veteran who suddenly appears out of gas.

Before Payton’s team starts OTAs on Tuesday, here’s an early attempt at a 53-man roster projection. The point of this exercise at this calendar waypoint is merely to mark a starting point and to attempt to determine where the most uncertainty — and opportunity — lies on the Broncos’ current 91-man roster.

Finding 53 among this group requires tough decisions even before any actual football activity has started. There are players that were difficult to leave off the roster and some groups — offensive and defensive lines, in particular — that are deep enough to impact other spots. Payton and general manager George Paton have shown time and time again they value quality players in the trenches.

There are a handful of veterans who could theoretically be considered cut candidates because of a combination of depth and salary, like tight end Evan Engram ($14.14 million cap hit) and left guard Ben Powers ($18.16 million). Denver could trade a veteran or quality player from a position of strength to help fortify elsewhere or accumulate future draft capital.

Among the players who look from this distance likely to exist somewhere around the bubble, however, none has a bigger cap number than offensive lineman Matt Peart����ap $2.39 million or more guaranteed money than quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s $1 million.

So, away we go. Players in the bubble conversation, both above and below the roster cut in this exercise, are in italics.

OFFENSE (25)

Quarterback (3)

Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger

The question, really, with Denver’s quarterbacks is this: two or three? Denver started last year with two when Ehlinger agreed to start the season on the practice squad. If a similar scenario plays out — he’s got $1 million guaranteed — then the Broncos could well take two. Denver values Ehlinger, though, and he’s going to get a bunch of work in OTAs and likely minicamp after Bo Nix had a second ankle procedure last month. This makes for tougher calls at other spots on a deep roster, but let����ap not mess around with the quarterback position when you’ve got players you like. If nothing else, using three as the starting point in this exercise ups the difficulty level the rest of the way.

Running back (4)

J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jonah Coleman and Adam Prentice (FB) 

Also: Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie and Cody Schrader

Coleman’s selection in the fourth round changes the complexion here by quite a bit. He’s a potential third-down back right away and the Broncos are high on him if he’s needed beyond that early on. With a cleaner-fitting trio of backs, McLaughlin and Badie both have a tough road to the roster. If Denver wanted four plus Prentice, McLaughlin probably heads into the summer with the lead.

Tight end (4)

Adam Trautman, Evan Engram, Justin Joly and Caleb Lohner 

Also: Dallen Bentley, Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull

One of the toughest projections. Lohner gets the nod for the moment after Payton raved about him earlier in May, especially because Payton was particularly impressed with Lohner’s physicality and blocking. This, like many bubble decisions, could come down to who Denver thinks it can get to the practice squad between Lohner and Bentley, the No. 256 overall pick in April. With a bounce-back summer, Adkins could re-establish himself as a key role player. He could end up competing for a spot with Prentice, though, as much as it seems he could play some fullback; the Broncos just haven’t asked him to do it much so far in his career.

Wide receiver (5)

Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr.

Also: Michael Bandy, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Michael Woods, Cam Ross, Kolbie Katsis, Joseph Manjack and Dane Key

Assuming no trades, it����ap hard to see how anybody besides the top five makes the initial 53-man roster. Waddle was the Broncos’ big offseason splash and, though he will impact playing time for the rest of the room, Denver’s brass has been consistent in saying they’re not looking to move on from any of the regulars. Bandy and Humphrey are no strangers to starting the season on a practice squad and eventually seeing time on the 53-man roster. It’ll be interesting to see if an undrafted rookie like Ross can make the Broncos think twice about going status quo, but that����ap a tall task.

Offensive line (9)

Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Alex Palczewski, Frank Crum, Kage Casey and Alex Forsyth 

Also: Matt Peart, Nick Gargiulo, Calvin Throckmorton, Tyler Miller, Gavin Ortega, Michael Dieter and Nash Jones

The Broncos have enviable depth on their offensive line, but, like with wide receiver, the roles are defined enough that it����ap difficult to imagine a ton of wiggle room. Palczewski and Crum are valued depth and development pieces and Casey, a fourth-round pick, joins them in a similar mold. Forsyth has been the clear No. 2 center for two seasons behind Wattenberg. That����ap nine. Peart and Throckmorton are veterans who have stepped in and played, while Gargiulo showed some promise before a bad preseason knee injury last summer. Miller and Ortega are interesting undrafted rookies but, outside a rash of injuries or major training camp push, it����ap reasonable to think they’re ticketed for the practice squad.

DEFENSE (25)

Defensive line (7)

Zach Allen, DJ Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwauzurike, Tyler Onyedim, Sai’Vion Jones and Jordan Jackson

Also: Matt Henningsen, Jordan Miller and Kristian Williams

A key part of the rationale for going heavy here again: Each of the past two years the roster cutdown has passed and Payton and Paton have made it clear that Jackson made the 53-man roster easily. We’ll bet for now that the same ends up happening this summer. They might decide they just have to have a player at another position. Maybe somebody else is a surprise cut, though among this group 2025 third-rounder Sai’Vion Jones is the only real candidate and that would be a major surprise given they traded up for him and also liked his development last season. So, Payton and Paton instead stick to their principles and go heavy up front once again.

Outside linebacker (4)

Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Que Robinson and Dondrea Tillman

Also: Drew Sanders, Johnny Walker and Dasan McCullough

The first three are absolute locks and there’s not much doubt about Tillman, either. The going gets tough from there. Health has been a major obstacle for Sanders, but if he plays all summer, he’ll probably be productive enough to make the roster. The numbers just get tight elsewhere in a hurry. Keeping four here is really 4.5 in a way because Jonah Elliss can play on the edge if needed, plus a deep defensive line group can help take some work off the edge guys against heavier teams. Sanders is a training camp wild card, though.

Inside linebacker (4)

Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Jonah Elliss and Red Murdock 

Also: Jordan Turner, Karene Reid, Levelle Bailey, Taurean York

Once again, this is about roster management and who makes it to the practice squad after the top three. Murdock was Mr. Irrelevant in the draft at No. 257, but forced 17 fumbles in his college career at Buffalo. Turner’s got real promise, so it was not an easy call to leave him off. Reid was a special teams regular after making the initial roster as an undrafted rookie last year, but this is maybe a tougher roster to make despite the release of Dre Greenlaw earlier this spring.

Cornerback (5)

Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian, Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine

Also: Reese Taylor, Jaden Robinson, Brent Austin, Ahmari Harvey and Paul Manning

Pretty straightforward here. The major storyline is more about beyond 2026, as McMillian and Moss are both entering contract years. For now, though, this is one of the deepest and most talented cornerback groups in football. Taylor has been a regular on the practice squad and was promoted to the active roster from mid-November on last year. The only question is if new secondary coaches Rob Livingston and Doug Belk see any of the personnel differently than Jim Leonhard and Addison Lynch previously.

Safety (5)

Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, Miles Scott and JL Skinner

Also: Tycen Anderson and Parker Robertson

There will be competition across multiple position groups based on special teams output. You can put Skinner, Anderson, Scott, Taylor, Turner, Reid, Sanders and more all into that group. The Broncos gave Anderson $650,000 guaranteed in part to be a key special teams player, so he might well make it. But over who? That signing was before Denver drafted Scott. Skinner is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is at a critical point in his career. The way coaches have talked about Key this offseason, he feels like the early favorite to replace P.J. Locke as the No. 3 safety. Denver signed Sam Franklin and gave him $1.34 million in guarantees last year, then cut him in August.

SPECIALIST (3)

PK Wil Lutz, P Jeremy Crawshaw and LS Mitch Fraboni

Also: LS Luke Basso

Not much mystery here. The Broncos signed the rookie Basso as summer competition, but Fraboni’s been solid and is under contract through 2027.

Sean Keeler: Like Fox Mulder, But as precedent goes, the best we’ve got to work with is new offensive play-caller Davis Webb’s dry run pushing the buttons during last August’s 27-7 preseason win over Arizona. The Broncos had 39 pass attempts between Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger, who completed 30. But here’s the catch: Of the 36 recorded targets that night, only six went to tight ends — Evan Engram, who logged one for 58 yards and a score; three to Caden Prieskorn for 52 yards in receptions; one for Caleb Lohner, who turned it into a 4-yard catch; and one to Lucas Krull for 3 yards. Small sample size, granted. But color me more skeptical than hopeful.

Troy Renck: Jaylen Waddle comes in and out of breaks better than any receiver on the roster. He starts and stops like a Porsche. He can run deep, and slice like a knife on slants. Why bring this up? His versatility should create room in the middle of the field for tight ends. Based on his roots in uptempo offenses, new offensive coordinator Davis Webb should be more open to using Engram, a player he recruited to Denver. Will Payton let him? Will Engram even be on the team if one of the prospects breaks through in training camp? Last season, the Broncos’ five tight ends caught 78 catches for 719 yards, the latter ranking 26th in the NFL. They combined for three touchdowns, good for 24th. No player had more than one. Bentley and Lohner are intriguing prospects. Bentley can block so he should see the field as a rookie, making him available for sneaky targets. And why not make Lohner a red-zone target with his vertical leap honed from his basketball background? Let’s be real. Waddle cannot make the Broncos more explosive on his own.

Keeler: I was banging the Lohner drum a year ago to try him as an end-zone specialist — you won’t find many linebackers with a 6-foot-7 frame, an 80-inch wingspan, a 4.69 40-yard-dash time and you’ll find even fewer safeties who could match up. If you could combine Bentley’s physicality with Lohner’s (literal) upside, you’d have the perfect Joker. Alas, Payton and Webb are likely going to have to draw the line at one of the two former Utes, once push comes to shove at the end of camp.

Renck: Where Bo Nix must improve over the middle and against zone coverage and tight ends can help. The idea the Broncos cannot incorporate dig, hook and leak routes is preposterous. The running back screen has not worked. Maybe it will improve with R.J. Harvey and Jonah Coleman. Regardless, the tight end must become more of a weapon for the Broncos to produce a top-10 offense and reach the Super Bowl as a top two team.

Keeler: You know what the last two Broncos Super Bowl teams had in common besides Peyton Manning at the controls? The 2013 and 2015 Denver offenses featured at least two tight ends in each of those campaigns who’d snatched at least 25 targets during the regular season. Fast forward a decade, and under Payton, the resurgent Broncos have had one tight end with 25 or more targets (Trautman) in ’23; none in ’24 (Krull led the TE room in targets, though, with 23); and one in ’25 (Engram, with 76). Seam routes matter. Keeping linebackers honest matters. Is Nix averse to throwing the rock across the middle of the field because he doesn’t trust his options, or because his options are so rarely open? It’s your classic chicken-or-the-egg dilemma, and I can’t wait to see Davis take a crack at it.

In 2024, after two years racking up bench minutes at Baylor, Lohner asked Driver if it wasn’t a crazy idea for him to switch to football for his final collegiate season of eligibility.

“I just wanted a little bit of feedback, like, ‘Hey, is this something that you think I should pursue? Is it worth doing? Be honest with me,’ kinda thing,” Lohner told The Denver Post, on Saturday. “So he’s had a little hand in some of my success, and hope to be, future successes.”

That hand has pulled even more strings, now, after Lohner transferred to Utah to play football as a tight end in fall 2024 and became an out-of-nowhere Broncos seventh-round pick in spring 2025. After a rookie season spent entirely on the practice squad, Lohner has spent considerable time this offseason training with former four-time Pro Bowl receiver Driver — drilling the raw tight end’s footwork, hands and releases on his routes.

And between a year of scout-team reps and an offseason spent with one of the NFL’s modern-great route technicians, the 6-foot-7 Lohner has finally stopped treading water.

“I feel like a different person,” Lohner said. “I feel like my mind can finally take a step back, and breathe.”

A year ago, Lohner walked into the Broncos’ facility for rookie minicamp as a 23-year-old who’d played exactly 57 game snaps of organized football in his life. A year later, Lohner walked back in for another rookie minicamp as a 24-year-old who’s still played exactly 57 game snaps of organized football in his life. The difference lies between the margins and between the ears, as the Broncos drafted him late in 2025 knowing they’d need to stash him early on for developmental reps.

On Saturday, asked how Denver decides what returning players to invite to its rookie minicamp, head coach Sean Payton paused and offered a rare unprompted name-drop.

“I’ll tell you who stood out — Caleb,” Payton said. “Like, he looks entirely different in this camp. Now, he was here in this camp a year ago as a draft pick, but he stood out.”

Payton was asked, a beat later, what exactly looked different. He didn’t hesitate.

“Everything,” Payton said. “Everything … one year into the program and how he’s moving, what he’s doing, everything looks entirely different.”

Easy for Payton to say, cynically. The man, after all, made a sales pitch to Lohner that the Broncos would turn him into “the next Jimmy Graham,” as Payton told Lohner before taking him at pick No. 241 in 2025. The young tight end, though, has also caught the eye of those even younger at this weekend’s minicamp.

“Super, uber-athletic,” fifth-round rookie tight end Justin Joly told reporters Saturday, on Lohner. “He can jump out the sky. Fast, quick-twitch. It was great, all the tight ends, we get to learn from him, just asking as many questions as possible.”

“He’s a basketball guy,” added seventh-round TE Dallen Bentley, who played a year with Lohner at Utah in 2024. “But you can’t say that anymore. He’s definitely got his stuff down, and he’s working really hard every single day.”

Back in that senior year, Lohner walked away from a chunk of NIL basketball money to transfer to Utah for football and make $0, as tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham told The Post last year. He started, at first, not knowing how to as much tug on his pads. He caught a total of four passes in 2024 — all red-zone box-out touchdowns.

And still, his old Utes coaches came away convinced he was destined for ���dz���ٳ󾱲Բ���at the NFL level.

“His ceiling is – he hasn’t even tapped into how good of a football player he can become,” Morgan Scalley, now Utah’s head coach, told The Post last year.

Lohner, entering his second NFL season, is getting there. He is gentle by nature, a young man who preferred swimming in the Provo River to taking ice baths in the training room back in his two years playing hoops at BYU. But the physicality of playing NFL football came naturally, from years spent boxing out on basketball courts. Lohner even spent time as a scout-team outside linebacker on game weeks last year, Payton said, helping mimic opposing rushers for Denver’s tackles.

The blocking part of playing tight end, then, has been “a little easier to develop,” as Payton said. The receiving part — ironically, the traits the Broncos swung on — has been slower to come along.

That’s where Driver came in, this offseason.

“Being with someone that����ap done it – he’s able to look at it and tell me, ‘Hey, you gotta do this a little bit better. I want your hands up here, your feet need to be a little tighter,'” Lohner said. “So I think he helped me with a lot of small things.”

Those details will be the separator, in a room that’s become cluttered. There’s no guarantee Lohner even makes the practice squad in 2026, after the Broncos drafted Joly and Bentley in this year’s draft. Denver began last season with four tight ends on the active roster and one (Lohner) on the 16-man practice squad; they now return key veterans Evan Engram and Adam Trautman, rookies Joly and Bentley, blocking favorite Nate Adkins, and returners Lohner and Lucas Krull. It’s a math problem that will inevitably cross out several variables.

If the Lohner leap is as real as Payton’s words, though, that grand experiment could see results as early as this season.

“You knew there was going to be a developmental upside — but that,” Payton said, on Lohner’s Year Two growth, “was encouraging.”

Denver wrapped up standard four-year rookie deals with fifth-round tight end Justin Joly and seventh-round safety Miles Scott on Thursday, sources confirmed to The Post. They join seventh-round tight end Dallen Bentley and seventh-round linebacker Red Murdock in having their first professional contracts done.

Denver’s top three selections in the draft are at this point set to attend and participate in rookie minicamp on injury protection deals rather than having their actual contracts agreed to. The arrangement is a common one in the NFL, particularly with mid-round picks. Those players have a little bit more to negotiate with clubs over, including how much of a guarantee the player gets over the life of the four years in the event of injury.

The injury protection deal allows rookies to participate in minicamp on essentially the same terms as if their contract were done.

Last year, Denver didn’t agree to contract terms with first-round pick Jahdae Barron and second-round pick RJ Harvey until July, but they participated in all of Denver’s offseason program. In 2024, quarterback Bo Nix played in rookie minicamp on an injury protection deal.

The three players set to do so this weekend for Denver are third-round defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim, fourth-round running back Jonah Coleman and fourth-round offensive lineman Kage Casey.

Joly, meanwhile, has now agreed to his deal and arrives as one of the Broncos’ more intriguing rookies. He’s a natural pass-catcher and pairs with Bentley, more of an in-line tight end, to make a rookie duo that could be the club’s future at the position.

Once the full team is together, Joly will slot in behind veteran Evan Engram and Bentley behind Adam Trautman.

As the No. 152 overall selection in the draft, the slotted value of Joly’s four-year contract is $4.9 million. It comes with a $514,996 signing bonus.

Scott, the seventh-round safety who started his collegiate career at Illinois as a wide receiver, is in line for a four-year, $4.51 million deal with a $125,444 signing bonus.

The Broncos’ rookie minicamp runs Friday through Sunday.

The veterans started Phase 1 of the club’s voluntary offseason program Monday, but they’ll be just lifting and running for the month of May. Denver is set to hold organized team activities June 2-4 and 9-11 and then its mandatory minicamp June 16-18.

Rookie minicamp invites assembling

As is customary, the Broncos are inviting a slew of veterans and undrafted rookies alike to rookie minicamp this weekend on a tryout basis. One particularly fun prospect to watch for: 6-foot-6 kicker/punter Paul Geelen, a Northern Illinois product who hails from the Netherlands and would qualify for an international roster exemption if the Broncos wanted to officially sign him. Former Colorado OL Zarian McGill and Colorado State DB Jahari Rodgers have also earned invites.

Here’s a complete list of 33 names The Post has confirmed will be in attendance from Friday to Sunday.

Rookies (with previous school)

OL Tim Anderson, Ferris State

OL Davion Carter, Texas Tech

S Ian Conerly-Goodly, Southeastern Louisiana

DE Sam Dankah, East Carolina

RB Julius Davis, Montana State

TE Stone Eby, SMU

DT Braxton Fely, Boise State

CB Randy Franklin, Charlotte

K Paul Geelen, Southern Illinois

DT Herbert Gums, Boise State

RB Rodney Hammond, Sacramento State

LB Max Harris, Arizona

OT Christian Hilborn, Washington State

DB Paul Manning, Henderson State

OL Marcellus Marshall, Minnesota

DE Tamatoa McDonough, Iowa State

OL Zarian McGill, Colorado

LB John Miller, Utah State

LB Nic Mitchell, Mississippi State

RB Jordan Nubin, Kent State

DE Hunter Peck, Montana

CB Jahari Rodgers, Colorado State

S Kekoura Tarnue, West Virginia

WR Tommy Thomas, Chadron State

QB E.J. Warner, Fresno State

OL Brett Weaver, Grand Valley State

DE Tyce Westland, Wyoming

OL DJ Wingfield, USC

P Jeff Yurk, Elon

Veterans (with previous NFL team)

DB Brandon Hill, Texans (2025)

QB Nathan Peterman, Falcons (2024)

DE Isaiah Thomas, Bengals (2025)

WR Mike Woods, Packers (2025)

Jonah Coleman looks like he could be the second coming of C.J. Anderson: A short, tanky back with big-time pass protection skills. It looks like we’re going into 2026 with J.K. Dobbins as RB1 again, but can he beat out RJ Harvey for that RB2 slot? Thanks.

— Ryan Smith, Commerce City

Hey Ryan, thanks for writing and getting us going this week.

The other Broncos running back that Coleman has drawn early comparisons to: Dobbins himself. In fact, head coach Sean Payton brought it up during the draft and assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt after the draft called the comp “very valid.” That����ap a pretty good starting point for the fourth-round pick out of Washington.

Dobbins will indeed lead Denver’s running back group into the 2026 season. It����ap early to know exactly how roles shake out, but to my mind the early blueprint is essentially Dobbins and Harvey in similar roles to what they did last year and then Coleman as the third-down back plus maybe a little more.

Let����ap just make the overarching disclaimer once, since most of the questions this week are about guys who have not yet stepped on an NFL practice field, let alone played in preseason or regular season games: It����ap April. Every rookie has a lot to do to get onto the field and there are months of work, development, signings, injuries and all the rest before we even get to the season’s starting point.

The Broncos would of course love it if Harvey took a big step in Year 2 and added every-down rushing efficiency to his obvious talent and explosiveness catching the ball and working in space. They would love it if Dobbins plays the entire season for the first time in his career. They’d love it if Coleman made himself difficult to keep off the field.

Coleman’s going to have to prove he can pick up Denver’s protection plan — not an easy task for a rookie — in order to lock down the third-down job, but the Broncos like his ability in that department. Add in 51 catches over the past two years at Washington and there’s a chance he can essentially consolidate the roles of Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin. In an ideal world, Coleman and Harvey can perhaps take a bit of the load off Dobbins and complete the orbit of needs around him and then also serve as complementary options should Dobbins miss time.

On paper, it looks good. If everyone is healthy going into the season and Harvey looks poised to take a leap, Coleman’s role right out of the chute might be third down only. But even that����ap an important spot, and the rookie could push for more.

Hey Parker! What do you think of our draft class? I like Jonah Coleman and I think he can be a contributor this year. But how do you feel about Tyler Onyedim? And what’s up with us not going for an inside linebacker until literally the last pick in the draft?

— Mark, Arvada

Hey Mark, thanks for writing and, more importantly, for agreeing with me on Coleman.

Onyedim, too, is going to have a real chance to carve out a role, even if it����ap not a massive one. Basically, he’s going to get thrown into the mix of players attempting to replace John Franklin-Myers, who got more than $20 million per year from Tennessee in free agency.

It����ap worth saying there’s no guarantee that Denver will play its defensive rotation exactly like it did a year ago. Franklin-Myers played very similar rates each of his two years in Denver — 46% in 2024 and 49% last year. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Broncos will see those 517 snaps as the exact shape of the hole. They could use Malcolm Roach even a bit more (career-high 50% play time in his 12 games last year) and Eyioma Uwazurike (36% playing time) figures to be a key in the equation, too. If Denver keeps Roach in essentially the role he excelled in last year, then it has three options to replace JFM’s approximate snaps: Uwazurike and Onyedim — former teammates at Iowa State — and 2025 third-rounder Sai’Vion Jones.

Uwazurike has the most experience, even after missing 2023 due to suspension and playing just 63 snaps in 2024. Overall, though, that����ap a good battle going into this summer. Plus, Uwazurike is entering the final year of his rookie contract this fall.

As for the linebacker conversation, there’s never a good way to say exactly how or why a team didn’t draft a position during a particular draft. Burckhardt made it clear afterward that Denver wanted a linebacker, but didn’t see it as a critical need after re-signing Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton earlier this spring. It����ap also worth considering how the second round developed.

Remember, GM George Paton said the club had a group of six players targeted as options at No. 62.

“They all started going,” Paton said Friday night after selecting Onyedim while noting that the defensive lineman was in that group of six.

Combine that with the fact that five ILBs (and four TEs) went in the 19 picks before Denver’s original slot. ILB Anthony Hill Jr. and TE Max Klare were selected in the spots immediately preceding Denver. It����ap not difficult to figure out where, at least in part, the Broncos were initially looking.

Do you think either of the tight ends we drafted will do much this year? I don’t know much about them.

— Phillip K., Denver

Hey Phillip, thanks for the question. They’ll each have a chance to contribute early, but I’m not sure you look at either as a surefire rotation member right out of the gate.

They are different kinds of players. Justin Joly, the fifth-rounder out of NC State, is a pass-catcher first and foremost. He’s, in positional parlance, an “F” who will move around the formation, play from the slot or wing and factor in the passing game. Dallen Bentley, the seventh-rounder out of Utah, is a “Y.” He’s the classic tight end who can line up in-line, attached to the tackle on either side of the formation.

The shorthand: Joly begins as an Evan Engram-type and Bentley begins as Adam Trautman-type.

Those aren’t Denver’s only tight ends, of course, though injuries limited the rest of the group in terms of playing time in 2025. That trio came in this way: Nate Adkins (199 snaps in nine games), Marcedes Lewis (81 snaps in five games) and Lucas Krull (53 snaps in three games).

Trautman’s 57% playing time checked in between 2024 (52%) and 2023 (70%). Engram played less in Year 1 with the Broncos than any healthy season previously in Jacksonville and with the New York Giants.

The Broncos need to figure out how to get more production out of this group. If that����ap via Joly or Bentley right away, great. Maybe they can help Denver play heavier or feature more TE variety. If it����ap as simple as unlocking Engram more, that����ap more than fine. As a starting point, I’m not sure there’s a massive role for either rookie right away, but perhaps one or both can make some summer noise and alter that conversation.

What can you tell me about this Red Murdock kid? I’ve been watching videos about him and it feels like we found a gem that fell through the cracks. He owns the NCAA record for most career forced fumbles! How did he not get drafted higher?

— Walter, Pueblo

Hey Walter, thanks for writing in. First thing, make sure to catch Sean Keeler’s column from early this week. It����ap a good one and will tell you a lot about Murdock the person. He’s a smart, interesting guy.

The stats are indeed wild. Murdock forced 17 fumbles over 34 games at Buffalo. He was credited with 298 total tackles in the past two seasons. So on and so forth.

Not only that, but plenty of services thought Murdock would go sooner than No. 257. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, for example, had him graded as a fourth or fifth-round pick and the No. 138 overall player in the class. Murdock checked in two spots behind Boise State OL Kage Casey on Brugler’s overall list. The Broncos drafted Casey No. 111 overall.

As for why Murdock was available late, teams see players in increasingly disparate ways as the draft enters its latter stages. Murdock also doesn’t have a huge wingspan and isn’t a top-shelf athlete, comparatively speaking. He also dealt with a foot/ankle injury last year that he played through but which lingered long enough to cut his pro day short this spring.

Which of the undrafted free agents do you think will have the best shot at making the team?

— K.J., Cheyenne, Wyo.

Hey K.J., good question and definitely one to revisit after rookie minicamp, which will be next weekend. There’s always somebody who jumps out when reporters get a chance to watch guys on the field. That doesn’t always equate to making the 53-man roster, but it����ap always an interesting exercise. Plus, it����ap hard to complain about seeing football-related activities in May.

The first guide is typically money. If you see a big guarantee for an undrafted free agent — some teams committed as much as $300,000 in total guarantees this spring — that means the team believes that player will at least be on their practice squad. The base practice squad salary for a rookie is $13,750 per week, totaling $247,500 for the season. So some players are essentially being guaranteed an entire PS salary plus a little.

By that measure in Denver, you’d look to players like ILB Taurean York (Texas A&M), OLB Dasan McCullough (Nebraska) and OT Tyler Miller (Iowa State). Of course, offensive line and outside linebacker are going to be two of the toughest position groups to crack, assuming good health. So let����ap say York as an early candidate, but see what happens once the guys have been on the field a couple of times, too.

Eventually, they started looking. That was good. That also brought questions, though. And one very specific inquiry.

“What’s the big thing,” Whittingham recalled scouts asking, “on his hand?”

After a Week 3 win over Wyoming in early September, as Bentley was cementing himself as one of the Utes’ primary receiving weapons, a trainer walked into Utah’s meeting room and announced Bentley had a spiral fracture in one of his fingers. A surgeon was recommending a procedure that would knock him out for six weeks, the trainer said. The staff, as Whittingham recalled, was floored.

Bentley, though, got a second opinion. Another doctor told him he didn’t �󲹱�����to get the surgery, Whittingham remembered. It’d heal eventually, that doctor said, if he just immobilized it for long enough.

Seventh months later, the Utah tight end became a Broncos seventh-round pick — and a near-Mr. Irrelevant upside play — after catching passes the near-entirety of his senior season with a club-like contraption on his hand.

“He was essentially playing one-handed this year,” Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham told The Denver Post.

By the final picks of last Saturday’s NFL Draft, the Broncos had already made their move on an athletic tight end, packaging together a fifth-round and a sixth-round pick to move up 18 slots and nab NC State’s Justin Joly. Before a Broncos scout reached out the week of the draft, a source told The Post, Denver hadn’t had much communication with Bentley. Freddie Whittingham, even, said point-blank he didn’t expect the Broncos to take Bentley. But magically — thanks to a combination of age (25 years old) and previous injury history (32 total collegiate games), a was sitting there at No. 256.

And thus, the Broncos snagged an under-the-radar Utah tight end in the seventh round for the second draft cycle in a row.

“We must be making a good impression on them,” former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham cracked.

The situational optics are strange. The logic, though, is clear. Bentley stands 6-foot-4, weighs 253 pounds, and his testing ranks inside the top 7% of all tight end pre-draft athletic profiles since 1987, . He is old, but has only actually played tight end for four seasons. After being thrown a football exactly six times as a junior, he broke out for 620 yards and six touchdowns as a senior.

And the most eye-popping fact of all: he recorded exactly zero dropped passes in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus, despite playing nine games with that club.

“I think I’m a really great hybrid tight end who’s able to go out there and make some big plays in the passing game, and stick my hand in the dirt and make some big plays there,” Bentley said, on a post-draft conference call with reporters. “I have great hands, so I don’t drop balls. So you can trust me, in some situations.”

At the end of Day 2, Broncos general manager George Paton made plain Denver’s plan this cycle: look for “young, developmental backups with some traits that we can develop,” as Paton put it. They found several on Day 3, from Washington running back Jonah Coleman to Mr. Irrelevant linebacker Red Murdock. And Bentley fits that profile better than anyone, a one-time JUCO product who was on absolutely nobody’s radar at the beginning of last season.

After graduating from Taylorsville High in Utah, a then 5-foot-11 Bentley embarked on a year-long mission trip in Colorado through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Somehow, he “grew like 5 inches” by the time he returned, as Freddie Whittingham recalled. Bentley decided to try football, enrolled at Snow College in Utah as a walk-on, caught eight passes in eight games, and drew Utah’s attention as a big local kid who could move.

That single spiral fracture, though, threatened to wipe out any hope Bentley had of realizing his potential as a Ute. His first year at Utah brought a hamstring strain that he tweaked several times in practice, as Freddie Whittingham remembered. His second year brought a broken hand in fall camp and a majority-blocking role as a backup. 2025 was meant to be his breakout, until he was thwarted again by his own body.

Instead, he wrapped his pinky, ring and middle fingers together in a hard cast for more than two months.

“A lot of guys would’ve just pulled the plug,” Kyle Whittingham said, “and gotten that surgery. But he wanted to prove himself because of the frustrations he had, in years previous.”

After Bentley’s first practice with the splint, Freddie Whittingham looked down at his hand and wondered if he’d still be able to catch a football. After practice, the Utah tight ends coach chuckled, and the staff realized that wouldn’t be an issue. Bentley managed to figure out how to use the cast to brace a pass against himself as it came in, and Utah began wrapping his brace in the same red-and-black color as his gloves to try to throw other programs off the scent.

“I don’t know how many teams noticed,” Freddie Whittingham said, “or didn’t notice.”

Maybe they did. Maybe they didn’t. Bentley still caught 48 passes — again, without a drop -— and had the seventh-highest PFF run-blocking grade of 22 Big 12 tight ends with at least 100 run-blocking snaps in 2025.

When the cast finally came off for a Las Vegas Bowl matchup against Nebraska, Bentley had his best game of the season in a 44-24 win: six catches, 106 yards, a touchdown.

“It was pretty impressive,” Kyle Wittingham said, “given the circumstances.”

He’ll have his work cut out for him in training camp, as the Broncos will introduce widespread competition with a slew of tight ends of varying skillsets: veteran receiver Evan Engram, veteran blockers Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins, and youngsters Joly and Caleb Lohner. Bentley is a dart thrown into the mix, a traditional in-line blocker who can also split out to the slot and beat zone coverage.

Importantly, he should also have both hands available this fall.

“He’s just sneaky athletic … he can line up in-line at the line of scrimmage and block, you can also involve him in the pass game,” Freddie Whittingham said. “So I think it’ll be interesting to see what they do.”

They provide context. A frame of reference.

After watching the Broncos essentially finish their offseason Saturday with the final day of the draft, it is clear they have identified a new equation to win.

Forget addition by subtraction, they have adopted addition by a little something, something. As in a very little.

When the Broncos line up for their season opener, there is a realistic chance they will feature only two new starters: receiver Jaylen Waddle and defensive end Sai’vion Jones or Tyler Onyedim.

Of the 53 active players in the AFC Championship Game, roughly 45 will be the same.

There is consistency. And there is monotony.

Last offseason the Broncos were a blast. They talked about becoming a contender and signed safety Talanoa Hufanga, running back J.K. Dobbins, tight end Evan Engram and linebacker Dre Greenlaw. Two of the four hit, Engram had a mild impact and Greenlaw was a bust. This spring, they talked about winning a Super Bowl, and traded for Waddle.

It has not been as fun. Or interesting.

It has been boring.

Boring can be good. keeps it simple. Almost never changes its menu. And business is booming.

Boring can also be dangerous.

The Broncos were the last team to add an external free agent this offseason, signing special teams safety Tycen Anderson (you receive a door prize if you remembered his name). The Broncos were the last team to make a pick in this year’s draft, selecting Onyedim.

NFL Draft 2026 tracker: Picks, instant reaction and more live coverage

They have preached patience. They will not disrupt the locker room culture. They are comfortable with stability.

But it is fair to wonder if the Broncos did enough to win a Super Bowl.

After the heart-in-a-blender loss to the Patriots, an outcome that would have been different had Bo Nix played, ����apountry wanted a tight end. Denver brought back Adam Trautman, a coach on the field, whom coach Sean Payton loves for his blocking.

The fans wanted a running back. The Broncos kept Dobbins, giving him a $5 million raise for playing in 10 games.

The fans wanted a playmaking linebacker known for his coverage skills. The Broncos re-signed Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad.

It is impossible not to like these players. They were part of a group that made the Broncos relevant, put them in the national conversation, turned them into AFC's top seed.

But Denver, if we are being honest, had luck on its side. The Broncos went 12-3 in one-score games. If they only play seven such contests next season, history suggests they are likely to go 3-4 or 2-5. They were redlining without an airbag.

No one is saying they will become Evel Knievel, bones sticking out of the skin from crash landings. But there is almost no chance they repeat last season's success in the clutch.

Again, did the Broncos do enough?

Based on the conservative offseason, it seems like they are satisfied with winning the division and not prepared to take a risk with an extra check to win the whole (darn) thing.

They put the brakes on offers to running back Travis Etienne once he reached $12 million per season, feeling he was always going to New Orleans. They never made a big play for linebacker Devin Lloyd.

They made the decision to trust general manager George Paton's process, to believe in Payton's vision for players and his coaches to develop them. It has worked. On this, let me be clear.

The question now is whether a virtually static roster can win a championship?

The Broncos, like the Avs and Nuggets, are a victim of lofty expectations. The only thing left is for the Broncos to deliver a fourth Super Bowl parade.

That was a motivating factor in Payton taking the job. He was not interested in hanging up division championship gear in his closet. He has a chance to make history as the only coach to win a Super Bowl with two different teams.

That is now a realistic goal.

But in pursuing it, the Broncos operated in a vacuum this offseason, unbothered by other contenders or a brutal schedule.

They were not concerned with the Rams, who added cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, the Bills, who addressed their receiving corps, the Patriots, who are expected to acquire receiver A.J. Brown in June, and the 49ers, who are trying to squeeze another Super Bowl victory from Mike Evans.

And there is no denying the improvement within the division. The Chargers will always Charger, but they are a sneaky team with healthy offensive tackles and Mike McDaniel calling plays for Justin Herbert.

The Chiefs signed running back Kenneth Walker and used three picks in the top 40 to bulk up a defense that could not get off the field on third down last season. Though to be fair, any game Justin Fields starts sets back their recovery process.

And the Raiders hired coach Klint Kubiak, drafted quarterback Fernando Mendoza, and overhauled their roster in free agency.

Fun offseasons are not always smart ones. What happens in March and April does not guarantee playing in February.

What the Broncos did last season hit all the right notes. But were they wrong to stay so loyal, so conservative?

Maybe Waddle -- and perhaps critical snaps from running back Jonah Coleman -- will help Nix and the Broncos cross the finish line.

It feels like they needed one more big addition. Then, again, maybe it's nothing.

They made Buffalo LB Red Murdock “Mr. Irrelevant” by selecting him with the No. 257 and final draft pick of the three-day process. One pick before that, Denver took Utah TE Dallen Bentley.

Bentley marks the third straight year Denver drafted a Ute in the seventh round, following WR Devaughn Vele in 2024 and fellow TE Caleb Lohner last spring.

Murdock was a second-team All-American in 2025 and forced six fumbles to go along with 142 tackles and 13.5 TFLs.

Broncos nab Illinois safety Miles Scott in seventh round

After a long, long wait from trading up for the fifth-round selection of Justin Joly — and no movement across the sixth or seventh round — Denver set off a slew of late-round picks by nabbing Illinois safety Miles Scott at pick 246 on Saturday afternoon.

Denver has scouted Illinois well in recent years, from the 2023 signing of undrafted offensive lineman Alex Palczewski to third-round receiver Pat Bryant in 2024. Scott, now, is the latest in the line of Fighting Illini to land in Denver, and fills a depth need at safety behind starters Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga.

The 6-foot-0, 203-pound Scott doesn’t have standout speed, at a 4.62-second 40-yard-dash, but combines an explosive vertical with a record of good ball production at Illinois. Scott has seven interceptions across the last three seasons, after converting from wide receiver prior to his sophomore season.

Denver likely sees developmental upside in Scott’s frame, and he’ll compete for snaps as a rookie with safety reserves Devon Key, JL Skinner and offseason signee Tycen Anderson.

Bo Nix had scheduled follow-up with surgeon recently

(3 p.m.): Broncos quarterback Bo Nix visited Dr. Norman Waldrop III last week for a scheduled check-up on his surgically repaired ankle, a source confirmed to The Post.

The visit did not change Nix’s prognosis or rehab timeline this offseason. He is expected to be involved when Denver’s offseason program begins May 4. Broncos coach Sean Payton and owner Greg Penner each said recently that Nix is on track to take part in the workout program when it starts and be fully cleared when Denver gets on the field for OTAs in early June.

Nix had surgery Jan. 19 after fracturing his ankle in overtime of Denver’s 33-30 AFC Divisional round win over Buffalo.

Broncos trade up, land pass-catching tight end Justin Joly (12:35 p.m.)

The Broncos traded back on Friday. On Saturday, they used one of those picks to move up.

Denver traded up to No. 152 overall, sending Cleveland Nos. 170 and 182 to jump up in the fifth round and draft NC State tight end Justin Joly.

Joly is a receiver first and projects as an “F” or move type tight end. In that way, he’s more similar to Broncos veteran Evan Engram than a player like Adam Trautman.

Joly had 49 catches for 489 yards and seven touchdowns for NC State in 2025 averaged 49 and 576 over three seasons spanning UConn (2023) and NCSU (2024-25).

12:15 p.m.: The Broncos are in the midst of a long wait from No. 111 to No. 170, barring a trade further up the order.

So, grain of salt here considering there are at the moment 25 picks between Denver and its next pick, but here’s a quick set of ILBs and TEs that are still on the board.

TEs: Justin Joly (NC State), Jack Endries (Texas), Joe Royer (Cincinnati), Michael Trigg (Baylor) and Tanner Koziol (Houston) and more.

ILBs: Deontae Lawson (Alabama), Keyshawn Elliott (Arizona State), Harold Perkins (LSU), Lander Barton (Utah)

Broncos add intriguing RB Jonah Coleman, versatile OL Kage Casey (10:45 a.m.)

The Broncos are adding to their offensive skill group early on Day 3.

They drafted Washington RB Jonah Coleman at No. 108 overall Saturday morning.

Coleman is a clean fit and took a 30-visit to the Broncos earlier in the spring. He is a powerful early down runner, is adept at catching the ball out of the backfield and is considered one of the better pass protecting running backs in the class.

Coleman said at the NFL Combine in February that he spent his formal visit with Denver there talking about pass protection.

“We talked about the run game, but it was more so my plays, because we run similar offenses,” he said then. “So just being able to recite the plays.”

Coleman scored 25 touchdowns over the past two seasons at Washington and in that span also also caught 51 passes. Coleman averaged 5.2 yards per carry over two seasons at UW and before that 6.1 yards in two years at Arizona.

They barely had to wait after selecting Coleman before coming up on the clock again at No. 111 overall and selecting Boise State offensive lineman Kage Casey.

Casey becomes the highest-drafted offensive lineman of the Sean Payton era in Denver and the first to go in the opening four rounds under GM George Paton since Quinn Meinerz was selected No. 98 overall in 2021.

Casey is listed at 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds and played left tackle at Boise State.

Casey was asked about his future position in Denver and he said, simply, “wherever they want me. As of now, I don’t know for sure.”

“In the pre-draft process, me bumping into guard and playing a little bit of center, even, at my pro day, was something that helped me out a lot,” Casey added.

One source told The Post that the Broncos believe he can play any spot on the offensive line. Given Denver’s got a highly paid starting quintet in place in LT Garett Bolles, LG Ben Powers, C Luke Wattenberg, RG Quinn Meinerz and RT Mike McGlinchey, Casey will at least begin his career as part of a reserve group that includes Alex Palczewski, Frank Crum, Alex Forsyth and others.

“Especially Garett Bolles, he’s a guy I try to model my own game after,” Casey said. “I’m excited to actually meet him in person and be part of the o-line with him. Just the whole o-line in general is going to be an awesome environment to be a part of.”

Broncos enter Day 3 armed with seven picks (9:30 a.m.)

The Broncos’ offseason has been one gigantic trade and otherwise a whole lot of nothing.

Denver enters Saturday morning having added a grand total of three external players to its roster since the AFC Championship Game in January.

Acquiring star receiver Jaylen Waddle via trade was a major move. Signing safety Tycen Anderson was not. And drafting defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim early in the third round of the draft Friday night was key, if not exactly flashy.

Saturday may not be chock full of big names, but it����ap a big day nonetheless.

The Broncos enter the final four rounds of the draft armed with seven picks. Even if they trade up a couple times, they will almost undoubtedly more than double their total of offseason additions.

“These two fourth-round picks will define this draft,” general manager George Paton said Friday night.

There are a bunch of players left at positions like running back, while tight ends flew off the board Friday. There are linebackers and receivers and offensive linemen to sort through and, who knows, maybe a developmental quarterback out there, too.
The Broncos have also swung multiple Day 3 player trades in head coach Sean Payton’s tenure here, from Adam Trautman in 2023 to John Franklin-Myers in 2024.

Denver won’t wait long to get going when the proceedings begin at 10 a.m. Saturday. Their first two picks are the eighth and 11th of the day.

Their total set of selections as action begins:

Round 4, 108 overall

Round 4, 111 overall

Round 5, 170 overall

Round 6, 182 overall

Round 7, 246 overall

Round 7, 256 overall

Round 7, 257 overall

— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.

Hey Ed, thanks for writing in and getting us going in a draft-a-palooza version of the Broncos mailbag.

Denver is almost certain to move some of its picks around. Will they go up from No. 62? Back from their fourth-rounders? Vice versa? That, of course, all depends and the most likely outcome is we won’t know until Friday evening as the second round unfolds.

Teams move picks, though, and the Broncos have moved them at a high volume recently under general manager George Paton and head coach Sean Payton. Last year alone they made their own selection at No. 20 in the first round — through Paton said they considered trading back from there — and then got busy. They didn’t actually pick at any of their original spots from then on and engineered four trades that included a total of 20 draft picks. They went back from 51 to 57 and then to 60. They went up from No. 111 to No. 101 to draft Sai’Vion Jones and in the process also moved back four spots from No. 130.

Generally speaking, it’d be a surprise if Denver wasn’t similarly active this year. Especially with just one pick on Day 2, it would make sense for Paton and Payton to try to move around. That could mean trying to pick up capital by moving back from their first pick at No. 62. They could get into the third round by moving up from No. 108 or No. 111. It could mean some combination of that or something else entirely.

Paton’s reputation is that of a pick collector, while Payton is more gung-ho about trading up. Paton said last week that their styles have melded together well.

A natural inclination going into the draft with seven picks would be wanting to preserve somewhere around that number, but there’s a pretty good argument for being aggressive and moving up. It����ap basically the same they used when explaining their trade for Jaylen Waddle. Essentially: This is a deep roster as is. It����ap not going to be easy to make. If they take six Day 3 players as their current cache lines them up for, are all of them going to be on the 53-man roster?

The counter: Do you have to move up to get the players you really want? Payton talked last week about the “spray” of evaluations across the league and how it widens as the draft progresses. The Broncos traded back twice in the second round last year and got the guy they wanted in Harvey. They won’t be needlessly aggressive, but their roster is in such a place where they can go get a particular player, even without the benefit of a first-round pick.

What are the top three things you have learned about the NFL draft?

— David Brown, Silverthorne

Hey David, thanks for writing in and great question. I’m going to take this as this upcoming draft particularly.

1. Many of the best players and deepest position groups in this draft are at what the league generally considers non-premium spots. This is a great draft for inside linebackers and safeties. It����ap not teeming with top-end tight ends, but there are a boatload of solid options to work through. Similar at running back after the one true blue-chipper in Jeremiyah Love. It����ap another good year for edge rushers and receivers, so those groups will go fast in the first round — and offensive line will, too — but there’s hay to be made at some of those other spots.

2. Related to that point, a team is always better off draft-wise if it����ap armed with a first-round pick or extra capital, but this weekend actually looks like it sets up fairly well for the Broncos. Their needs — call it tight end, linebacker, running back, safety and offensive line — line up well overall with the deeper parts of this draft class. That doesn’t mean there are going to be Week 1 starters sitting there waiting for them on Day 3, of course, but the Broncos should be looking at their board and seeing realistic options at some positions of need despite having traded away their first- and third-rounders.

3. The 2026 draft is already being colored, to some degree, by next year’s proceedings. You saw it in Denver’s willingness to give up multiple picks this year for Waddle while hanging on to all of its 2027 capital. Teams around the league widely view next year’s class as shaping up to be substantially better than this year’s.

“I think everyone feels like next year is going to be a strong draft and I think that����ap based on the quarterbacks and it feels like it����ap going to be a strong quarterback draft,” Paton said. “We definitely look at that when we’re making trades.”

Paton earlier in the offseason said the Broncos pay attention to the fact that they’re in line for a fourth-round comp pick for next year due to John Franklin-Myers’ departure and perhaps a seventh-rounder, too, but that it doesn’t dictate how Denver operates. Expect a similar approach when it comes to deciding whether to part with 2027 draft capital during the 2026 proceedings.

Extra picks can benefit the Broncos next year in a strong class, but it could also benefit them this week.

“We have 10 picks, we think, next year, including the compensatories,” Paton said. “So it gives us more flexibility if we need to use one of those to help ourselves now.”

Do you think the Broncos will make a splash at the draft?

— Roger, Aurora

Hey Roger, guess it depends on what you mean by splash. Two years ago Bo Nix’s selection got all of the attention, and rightfully so. The Saturday trade they swung with the New York Jets for John Franklin-Myers and subsequent two-year, $15 million extension flew much more under the radar, but obviously ended up being quite consequential.

It would probably be bigger news if Denver acquired a veteran player during the draft — especially if that player were at a clear position of need like tight end  — or if they traded a player off their existing roster to acquire more draft capital.

Not saying one or the other is a guarantee, but certainly you can’t count out the possibility of a trade involving an active player one way or the other.

Any chance we move back into the first round? We need a tight end and if Kenyon Sadiq slips, I could see us making some moves to grab him in the late 20s. What say you?

— Tim, Denver

Hey Tim, thanks for writing in. That would be spicy, but it just doesn’t seem feasible without making a dramatic sacrifice either from the existing roster or from the club’s stash of 2027 draft picks. Even then, the math is tough to square. Let����ap use the Jimmy Johnson trade chart as a guide. There are other ways of valuing picks and every team does so slightly differently, but Payton’s draft trades generally follow the Johnson chart.

Denver’s pick at No. 62 is worth 284 points. San Francisco’s pick at No. 27 is worth 680. So even if Sadiq made it that far and the 49ers were willing to deal the pick rather than take him, the gap is 396 points. Denver’s pair of fourth-rounders (Nos. 108 and 111) are worth 150. Not even close, so now you’re talking 2027 capital. Maybe 108, 111 and a 2027 second-rounder gets you there. Given the way teams generally value future year picks and the fact that Denver is likely to be good this fall, the 49ers wouldn’t be out of line asking for No. 62 and next year’s first-rounder. Maybe with a later-round pick this year coming back in return.

That just seems like an awfully steep price, which Paton said himself last week.

“You never say never, but it����ap unlikely,” Paton said about getting to the first round. “It would cost quite a haul for us to get up there. Most of our draft we would have to trade and then something next year.”

Do you think we’ll find our answer at tight end in the draft? Kenyon Sadiq is expected to go in the first round, so I know it’s not him. How about someone like Eli Stowers or someone else who’s under the radar in the middle of the draft?

— Mike, Denver

Hey Mike, it����ap possible. Sadiq will definitely be off the board and Vanderbilt����ap Eli Stowers may well be, too, by the time Denver’s pick rolls around. There will be options, though.

The terrific draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has an interesting clump of tight ends graded right in Denver’s range. His top 150 includes this run: No. 66 Stowers, No. 71 Oscar Delp (Georgia), No. 81 Max Klare (Ohio State), No. 83 Sam Roush (Stanford), No. 84 Marlin Klein (Michigan).

Stowers and Klare are pass-catchers first. Roush and Klein are more accomplished blockers than receivers in college. Delp is tantalizing as an all-around player but never had more than 24 catches in a collegiate season. There are others that could go in the Day 2 range, among them NC State’s Justin Joly. It’ll be fascinating to see if Denver is set on one of them or if they take the view that the group’s depth will present a quality option somewhere along the way.

Parker, what do you think about the Broncos picking up Washington RB Jonah Coleman? He’s got a little shake-and-bake. I’m not sold on RJ Harvey being our back of the future and J.K. Dobbins is a liability with his injury history.

— Mike, Denver

Hey Mike, I like Coleman and my beat partner, Luca Evans, is even higher on him. The 5-foot-8, 220-pounder — Coleman, not Luca — certainly looks like he fits what the Broncos like and what they need in that room. He visited the Broncos last week, too.

Coleman’s not the only option, of course. Does Denver feel the need to use an early pick on a running back after taking Harvey in the second round last year? Or are they looking more for a late-round add or even a post-draft veteran? One of many questions we’ll soon learn the answer to for certain.

I still don’t understand why they let John Franklin-Myers walk in free agency. I think he was a very good defensive end, an important spot next to Zach Allen, and they re-signed everybody else on the defensive line, why not him? Another thing I don’t get, if Adam Trautman is such a good blocker, how come RJ Harvey couldn’t get more than 2 or 3 yards? And if he is in the game instead of Engram, aren’t you telegraphing a running play?

— Anthony, Venice, Fla.

Hey Anthony, thanks for writing in and for the questions.

First question: Franklin-Myers got as much per year from Tennessee as the Broncos gave D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach combined, so that����ap part of the equation. They could have paid him, but they knew he was going to make a ton of money and they’re planning around having already paid a bunch of other players while knowing that they may well be looking at a massive Bo Nix extension a year from now. Plus, they like their depth on the defensive line. And they get a fourth-round comp pick in next year’s draft. Doesn’t guarantee that letting him go was the right move, of course, but they didn’t wake up one day in early March and say, oh, dang, we can’t pay JFM. It����ap been part of the plan.

Second question: Easy to point at Harvey’s numbers, but if Trautman is such a bad blocker, then how did Dobbins go through 10 weeks as one of the most effective and efficient rushers in football?

And last: Yeah, that����ap got to be part of Denver’s calculus as it goes through the offseason and puts together its plan in Davis Webb’s first year as the team’s primary playcaller. They have to find ways to play one, the other or both TEs without being too predictable.

Hey Parker, I’ve been hearing rumors about the Broncos being in the mix to sign De’Von Achane. How serious are these talks and do we have the money to sign him?

— Raj P., Centennial

Hey Raj, thanks for writing in. Achane sure is fun, but reporting out of Miami recently is that he showed up for their offseason program in part because extension talks have progressed. Seems like he’s going to be staying in Miami a while.

Who’s making the biggest jump in 2026? My money’s on Jonah Elliss. I think he’s due for a breakout year.

— Adam Miller, Fort Collins

Hey Adam, thanks for writing in and interesting question. If Elliss broke out while making the switch to inside linebacker, that would have present-day and future ramifications for the Broncos. They’d undoubtedly welcome that.

With the caveat that it����ap very early, I’ll put some early breakout chips in for the guy who currently stands to benefit the most from Elliss’ move inside: Second-year outside linebacker Que Robinson. Paton said after the season that Robinson has as much upside as anybody Denver drafted last year. That combined with the flashes on the field are enough to pique substantial interest.

What are the odds that we would bring back some Broncos favorites in Justin Simmons and Von Miller that are available in free agency?  We are very deep at outside edge, so probably a harder sell for Von.  Safety seems to be a point of some need.  Is the price just too high for both of them?

— Michael Horn, Westminster

Hey Michael, thanks for writing. I guess you never say never never, but neither seems at all likely at this point. Miller, of course, would be a tremendous story, but if the Broncos end up adding a veteran edge rusher after the draft I wonder if longtime New Orleans star Cam Jordan is a more likely option.

In 2025, it also stands as the closest thing Denver got to an Evan Engram Game.

Coming off a bye week, Engram had season-highs in catches (six), targets (nine) and yards (79). Instead of a jumping off point for the stretch run, though, Engram didn’t log more than four catches or 45 yards in a game the rest of the way and didn’t approach the 54.3% of snaps he played that night.

Despite the modest numbers and season overall, Engram was still Denver’s best pass-catching option in 2025. He finished with 50 catches and 461 yards, which isn’t going to blow anybody away but is the top yardage number posted by a Denver tight end since Noah Fant had 670 in 2021.

The Broncos finished No. 26 in the NFL in tight end receiving yards (719), but that was actually a substantial jump from the club’s totals of 455 in 2024 and 362 in 2023.

At present, Denver’s 2026 group looks exactly like its 2025. Engram’s headed into the second and final year of his deal — he’s guaranteed $5 million in 2026 and has a cap number of $14.14 million — and Denver re-signed Adam Trautman (three years), Nate Adkins (one) and Lucas Krull (one).

On paper, then, the Broncos have moved tight end out of the “must” category because they literally have players on their roster.

Make no mistake, though, it����ap squarely a “need” as the NFL Draft arrives Thursday through Saturday.

“I’ll say this about this class, if you’re looking for a blocking “Y,” there’s a handful available that would be targets,” Denver head coach Sean Payton said Thursday. “If you’re looking for a move — a little bit undersized ‘F’ — they’re out there. So, to each his own. The different types of tight ends are available.

“It’s always a challenge at that position because sometimes you’re projecting from an offense that’s playing them differently.”

The Broncos need to find and develop a difference-maker of their own. The question: What type should they target?

There’s a compelling argument to be made for the “Y” tight end who can play in-line and also be a threat in the passing game. At the same time, Trautman (more of that type of player) just signed a three-year, $18 million contract and Engram — essentially a big receiver — is headed into the final year of his deal.

For a flavor of the variety of options in the upcoming draft, look no further than a pair of players who could be in contention for Denver’s first pick of the proceedings, whether that����ap at No. 62, slightly up or slightly back from there.

The first is Vanderbilt����ap Eli Stowers. There’s every chance he could be gone by the time Denver’s on the board. They may have to try to move up if they want him.

In recent days, there’s been reporting that some teams consider him a receiver rather than a tight end. He’s a proverbial “Joker,” but is his blocking a joke?

“I don’t know that he’s going to be a butt-kicker in there, but he can improve in that area,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said this week. “I don’t know how much you’re really going to put his hand in the ground, though. I just think he’s comfortable as that jumbo slot. I used to find it interesting that even some tight ends in the NFL that were flexed every time, you just put tight end next to their name, and way back when, defensive coordinators would match personnel because it said TE in the program. They get treated like, ‘this is a receiver.’

“You can put TE next to his name all you want, but he’s definitely a big slot receiver.”

He’s a heck of a receiver, though. Stowers jumped 45.5 inches vertical at the combine at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds. He had 62 catches for 769 yards in 12 games for the Commodores. Denver got an up-close look at him Tuesday when they hosted him on a top-30visit, one of a number of tight ends who have visited in recent weeks.

“He is explosive. He’s got unbelievable ball skills to track it and go get it down the field,” Jeremiah said. “The highlights are exceptional. He can break tackles after the catch. He’s got burst into and out of breaks. He’s been a little bit inconsistent on some of the combat catches. When you see him in crowds, that����ap something that he can continue to get better at. But he’s my No. 2 tight end. I think he’s a second-round pick all day long.”

Then there’s Michigan’s Marlin Klein. The German national is 6-6 and 248 pounds and has never caught more than 24 passes in a season in his career. Jeremiah, though, thinks Klein could get picked around Denver’s No. 62 and, if not, then by the time Friday ends.

“Just because teams are looking for these hand-in-the-ground, ‘Y’ tight ends that have size,” he said. “That can block but also have some speed and some ability to make plays down the field, which he does. The 4.61 40 is legit. You see that on tape. And he’s another one who, the trend line is going up there.

“He had to wait his turn behind (2025 first-rounder Colston) Loveland. If he was the featured tight end at Michigan for three years, I think we’d be talking about him as a guaranteed lock of a second-round pick.”

The bottom line is the Broncos could use both a potential young upgrade at “Y” and also a homegrown playmaker more in the Joker role. They looked at “Y” players ahead of free agency, but ultimately saw the price tag go to $8-10 million a year for players like Charlie Kolar, Daniel Bellinger and Cade Otton and instead re-signed Trautman at $5.7 million per year.

If that guy, Klein or someone else, is available in a range Denver likes, it����ap a good use of a pick. Given Engram’s contractual status and down year in 2025, though, the Broncos should be thrilled if they somehow end up in a position to land a player like Stowers.

The odds look low from here, but hey, stranger things have happened.

“You talk about that conversation that����ap taken place in Denver forever about trying to find that ‘Joker’ and those mismatch-type players,” Jeremiah said. “(Stowers) definitely fits that bill.”