— 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.

Broncos draft previews
Offense: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | Offensive line
Defense: Defensive line | Outside linebackers | Inside linebackers | Cornerbacks | Safeties

Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Re-signed Matt Henningsen to a one-year, vet-minimum deal; re-signed Jordan Jackson to a one-year exclusive-rights deal; re-signed Kristian Williams and Jordan Miller to futures contracts.

Under contract: Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike, Sai’vion Jones, Jackson, Henningsen, Williams, Miller

Need scale (1-10): 6. There is a 7.5-sack hole in the middle of Denver’s front, after John Franklin-Myers signed with the Titans in free agency. Replacing Franklin-Myers is a near-impossible task given his symbiotic effect on Allen and Denver’s No. 62 slot in this draft; that being said, it’d make a lot of sense for Denver to bring another body into the room. Uwazurike could reasonably compete for a starting job, and Denver needs to see what it has in Jones, last year’s third-round pick. But there are plenty of solid names available in this crop on Day 2 and Day 3, and George Paton and company will be looking.

The Top Five

Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

A nose tackle, through and through. The 6-foot-2, 326-pound McDonald is a force in the run game, with 65 tackles and nine tackles for loss in an All-American season last year for the Buckeyes. Will he be a truly impactful pass-rusher in the NFL? Unclear. But McDonald should grade out as an immediate starting-ready force in the trenches.

Peter Woods, Clemson

Woods’ production declined this fall after a monster 2024 season, but he still profiles as a versatile havoc-wreaker with plenty of NFL upside. He hasn’t run a 40-yard dash, but  He’ll be a fun piece for a late-first-round defensive coordinator to shift around in their scheme.

Lee Hunter, Texas Tech

NFL insiders generally pinpoint a pretty clear gap between the McDonald-Woods tier and the next crop of interior defensive linemen in this class. Hunter’s profile is rather complicated, carrying plenty of power (6-foot-3, 318 pounds) but not much speed (a 5.18-second 40-yard-dash, second-to-last among all defensive linemen at the combine). He’s racked up more than 9.5 tackles for loss in each of his last three seasons between UCF and Texas Tech, though, and the Broncos should be able to piece together a strong evaluation on him after drafting UCF RB RJ Harvey last year.

Christen Miller, Georgia

Here’s a potential Broncos second-round target. Denver hosted the powerful Georgia defensive tackle on a top-30 visit. Miller has a great frame at 6-foot-4 and 321 pounds, and has graded out extremely well as a run defender the past two seasons. Again, though, this is a projected nose tackle in the NFL, and Denver already has two starting-caliber options there in Jones and Roach.

Caleb Banks, Florida

A potential upside play for Denver in the second round, if Banks falls that far. A year ago, it would’ve been a ludicrous proposition for Banks to land anywhere outside Day 1; he’s endured a rocky 2025, though, as he missed all but three games of his final season with a foot injury and then suffered a broken foot at the NFL Combine. If he’s healthy, though, the 6-foot-6 Banks has as much pass-rush upside as anyone in this interior defensive-line group. Denver hosted him on a top-30 visit, too.

More Broncos fits

Chris McClellan, Mizzou

A general pre-draft riser for good reason, McClellan racked up six sacks during his senior year at Mizzou and was one of Denver’s first top-30 visits this cycle. The Broncos scout Mizzou well, as 2023 All-American running back Cody Schrader and longtime Mizzou DT Williams are both on Denver’s roster on futures deals. McClellan would be a strong option to supplement Franklin-Myers’ loss — but he might not be around in the fourth if the Broncos pass on him at No. 62.

DeMonte Capehart, Clemson

A six-year alumnus of Clemson and Woods’ teammate on the line, Capehart didn’t have explosive production in college, with just 16 pressures combined in his last two seasons (according to Pro Football Focus). The raw athleticism here, though, is bonkers: a 4.85-second 40-yard-dash and 33.5-inch vertical, both in the top four at his position at the combine. Denver swung on Alabama’s Que Robinson as a developmental prospect in the fourth round last year on sheer upside, and Capehart could be a similar interior fit in this class.

Landon Robinson, Navy

Denver’s shown some interest here, meeting the 287-pound Robinson at Navy’s Pro Day. He stands 6-foot-0, which isn’t exactly ideal. But Robinson has jaw-dropping strength that stood out from even his military compatriots: squatting 665 pounds and benching 465, . He bulked up from an outside linebacker to a defensive lineman across his collegiate career, and could offer pass-rushing potential in the NFL.

Gary Smith III, UCLA

The Broncos have three seventh-round picks, and could spend one of them here. Broncos general manager Paton is a noted UCLA alumnus, and the 319-pound Smith III could be a run-stopping fit at the next level. He’s been a productive player for three seasons in a Bruins jersey, and his tackle production skyrocketed in 2025.

Uar Bernard, International Pathway Program

Here’s the most athletic player in this draft class. Period. Bernard, a 306-pound prospect discovered at a camp in Lagos, Nigeria, through the NFL’s International Pathway Program, rocketed onto the pre-draft scene thanks to a 4.63-second 40-yard dash and a 39-inch vertical. The only problem? He’s never played a snap of professional football in his life. The upside here, though, is too tantalizing for some team to not swing on Bernard.

Yes, the move for Jaylen Waddle cost Denver its first-round pick. Yes, the team absorbed the three years and $50.4 million left in base salary on Waddle’s deal. But in sheer cap-value terms, it’s pennies on the dollar. After restructuring Waddle’s deal post-trade to convert his 2026 salary to a signing bonus, Waddle will cost just $4.9 million against Denver’s cap room in 2026. And if it all goes horribly wrong, . Presto.

As it stands, then, Denver managed to land one of the highest-impact additions of the 2026 offseason without making a massive impact on its financial future. Factoring in the Waddle add, the Broncos now stand at a workable $19 million in available cap room. Plus, they’ll get an $8.2 million bump once Dre Greenlaw’s release processes after June 1.

The franchise now heads into April’s NFL Draft with several remaining roster needs, but just one pick (No. 62) in the first two days of selections. The Broncos’ main avenue for further immediate roster improvement, then, might just come via the buyout or mid-offseason trade market — waters they’ve splashed into before.

Take 2024, for example. After trading for pass-rusher Haason Reddick from the Eagles that April, the Jets knew it would be “next to impossible” to keep starting defensive end John Franklin-Myers on his salary, . Denver had been studying Franklin-Myers’ film since free agency began that March, and swooped two days after the draft to send a mere sixth-round pick for a defensive lineman who racked up 14.5 sacks the last two seasons.

“We saw a guy that could rush, get off the ball, and cause disruption,” Broncos defensive-line coach Jamar Cain told The Post this winter, reflecting on the deal. “I was like, ‘Check, check, check.'”

Two years later, with Franklin-Myers now gone to Tennessee, Denver could elect to pull off the same kind of move to replace him. Across the NFL, there’s a fleet of starting-quality names at positions of interest for Denver — tight end, defensive line, and more — sitting on bloated contracts. If any team chooses to tighten the purse strings and cut bait, the Broncos will have the necessary cap flexibility to pounce. At the right price, of course.

With that in mind, The Post reviewed contract data across the NFL to identify a handful of potential salary-cap casualties that could be fits for Denver. Here’s a breakdown.

TE Cole Kmet, Bears

Cap savings for Chicago: $8.4 million if cut pre-June 1, $10 million if cut post-June 1

2025 stats: 16 games, 30 catches, 347 yards, two touchdowns

Here’s the do-everything, in-line tight end that the Broncos have been looking for. Kmet’s usage as a pass-catcher cratered in 2025 as Bears rookie Colston Loveland emerged, and Kmet is an obvious cut candidate for a franchise that currently has all of $243,078 in available cap space, according to Over The Cap. He’d likely have a strong market, and the Broncos already committed three years and $17 million to Adam Trautman. But it remains a definite possibility that Denver could offload Evan Engram (saving $8.8 million in a pre-June 1 trade), creating room for Kmet or another veteran option.

The 27-year-old Kmet primarily played in-line (62%) in 2025, but has demonstrated slot production in three straight years of 50-plus catches from 2021 to 2023. He’s a red-zone option at 6-foot-6, and is an able blocker. He’d fit well into a Sean Payton building, too.

DL Arik Armstead, Jaguars

Cap savings for Jacksonville: $14.49 million if cut post-June 1

2025 stats: 16 games, 5.5 sacks, 28 tackles, eight quarterback hits

If Jacksonville chose to save some coin and offload Armstead with a post-June 1 designation, the 33-year-old defensive lineman would likely be a cost-efficient Franklin-Myers replacement for Denver. The similarities are striking, as interior pass-rushers who have versatility across the line. Armstead was less productive snap-for-snap than Franklin-Myers in 2025, but could also come cheaper than the $7.5 million Franklin-Myers made last season.

Armstead would fit right into the Broncos’ collection of former San Francisco 49ers, from Talanoa Hufanga to D.J. Jones and Mike McGlinchey. Plus, he’s a culture guy, winning the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2024.

LB Christian Elliss, Patriots

Cap savings for New England: $5.06 million if cut pre-June 1, $7.31 million if traded pre-June 1

2025 stats: 15 games, 94 tackles, three passes defensed, three quarterback hits

The Patriots probably wouldn’t trade Elliss to the AFC foe that came four points from putting them out of a Super Bowl in 2025, making this a much more likely addition if New England cuts Elliss. The Colorado native and Valor Christian alumnus emerged as a starting-level inside linebacker in 2025, and Denver is in need of more linebacker depth after cutting Greenlaw. Elliss could reasonably push Justin Strnad for a starting job or serve as depth and an impact special-teamer, where he’s contributed for a few years between Philadelphia and New England. His brother Jonah also just so happens to be a Bronco.

TE Colby Parkinson, Rams

Cap savings for Los Angeles: $7 million if cut pre-June 1

2025 stats: 15 games, 43 catches, 408 yards, eight touchdowns

Back to the tight-end market. Los Angeles has four capable tight ends on its roster and needs more snaps for 2025 second-round pick Terrance Ferguson, making a Parkinson move obvious here.

The 26-year-old 2020 fourth-round pick would be another strong in-line option for Denver, playing 80% of his snaps there in 2025. Parkinson stands 6-foot-7 and had monster red-zone production in 2025, which would offer a dimension that the Broncos haven’t had at tight end since the days of Julius Thomas. He could be a snug fit in two-tight-end sets with Trautman, too.

RB Breece Hall, Jets

Cap savings for New York: $14.29 million if traded pre-June 1

2025 stats: 16 games, 243 carries, 1,065 rushing yards, five total touchdowns

Okay, maybe this narrative needs to die. The Broncos have their top-two-RB tandem for 2026 set, with J.K. Dobbins re-signed and RJ Harvey back But Hall-to-Denver will never ��ܾ��ٱ���go away as long as he remains without an extension from New York, and as long as former Broncos assistant general manager Darren Mougey remains the Jets’ GM, and as long as Hall’s former college RBs coach Lou Ayeni remains Denver’s running-backs coach.

Denver would’ve gone after Hall had he hit free agency, too. There’s mutual interest here. But there’s no real reason for the Broncos to give up more trade capital to swing on Hall unless there’s a dramatic shift or injury in their backfield.

Well, much of the Broncos’ 2026 NFL Draft capital has up and Waddled away.

Denver’s entire outlook come April is radically different, now, after the Broncos gambled a first-round, third-round and fourth-round pick in 2026 for the dynamite addition of star receiver Jaylen Waddle (and a fourth-round pick). Suddenly, general manager Paton has significantly fewer picks to work with, as the Broncos now face the increased importance of hitting a few key roster needs in this year’s class.

The organization’s current arsenal of picks is all over the place: No. 62 (second round), No. 108 (fourth round, from Saints), No. 111 (fourth round, from Dolphins), No. 170 (fifth round), No. 246, No. 256, and No. 257 (seventh round). The clusters there strongly hint that Denver will make some sort of move up or back in the draft order. And with the haul given up for Waddle, it’s easy to see Paton wanting to take advantage of a needy franchise and moving back in April to accumulate some more mid-round capital.

With that in mind, Broncos beat reporters Parker Gabriel and Luca Evans took a new approach to this iteration of The Post’s mock draft: trades were on the table. And very much encouraged.

Once again, The Post used Pro Football Focus’s mock-draft simulator — which also allows trades and approximates fair value in pick swaps — for this exercise. The last mock draft in this space, in early March, had the Broncos selecting Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr. at the end of the first round. This one is … rather different.

Round 3, pick No. 70: RB Jonah Coleman, Washington

OK, let’s break this down.

There’s a realistic scenario in which the Broncos, now lacking a first-round pick, end up throwing a package together to try and move up for a gem like Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price or Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers. But it’d be difficult to see Paton, who has historically preferred trading back rather than trading up, taking that kind of swing after the Broncos’ trade for Waddle. Instead, The Post explored a scenario in which Paton and the Broncos trade back from No. 62.

In this PFF-massaged but not-impossible development, the Broncos find a trade partner in the Cleveland Browns, who are evidently eager to jump up a few slots to take their guy at the back of the second round. Here, Denver trades pick No. 62 and pick No. 170 for pick No. 70 and pick No. 107 from Cleveland, .

Coleman would fit neatly into the Broncos’ current running-back room, which still needs an injection of juice after re-upping with J.K. Dobbins, Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie during free agency. If Denver is still confident in the Dobbins-RJ Harvey tandem, it’ll need a durable running back who can pick up first-down work between the tackles, bruise at the goal line, and bring some third-down heft. Coleman checks every box.

The 5-foot-8, 220-pound back is solid in pass protection, and broke down schemes with Denver’s offensive staff during his NFL Combine meeting with the Broncos. He’s not especially explosive outside the tackles, but ran for 5.5 yards per carry across his collegiate career and had 15 touchdowns on the ground in 2025. He fumbled twice in 551 collegiate carries and dropped one pass in 109 total targets, according to PFF. That’s an NFL-ready ceiling-raiser right there.

Other options considered: RB Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas. Washington is shooting up draft boards after a monster performance at the combine, with a class-leading 4.33 40-yard-dash and a 39-inch vertical jump. The issue for Denver: he hasn’t been good in pass protection in college, and the Broncos need a third back whom Nix trusts in that area.

Round 4, pick No. 107: DL Chris McClellan, Mizzou

Here’s the other Browns slot, which kicks off a hilarious run of three Broncos selections in the span of five picks.

McClellan was Denver’s first known top-30 visit of the pre-draft process, and could factor into Denver’s plan to replace the departed John Franklin-Myers. He projects as more of a nose tackle at 6-foot-4 and 313 pounds — which the Broncos don’t necessarily need, with D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach on multi-year deals — but McClellan has clear pass-rushing upside, with six sacks in 13 games last year. He’d bring another talented young body to compete in the room with veteran Eyioma Uwazurike and 2025 rookie Sai’vion Jones.

Other options considered: TE Michael Trigg, Baylor. Trigg will likely be sitting there for Denver in the middle rounds of April’s draft. He had terrific production last season, with 50 catches for 694 yards and six touchdowns. He played more from the slot than at in-line tight end in 2025, though, which would overlap with the strengths Denver already has at receiver.

Round 4, pick No. 108: S Bud Clark, TCU

The Broncos just signed a safety Thursday, agreeing to a one-year deal with former Bengals reserve Tycen Anderson. Anderson will likely compete for Denver’s third-safety job in 2026, but he profiles more as a special-teams ace. And the Broncos will have some decisions to make regarding Brandon Jones in the upcoming season, as the veteran starter enters the final year of his contract.

Enter Clark, who brings good size (6-foot-1 and 188 pounds), program loyalty (six seasons at TCU) and elite collegiate ball production (15 interceptions and 21 passes defensed across his last four seasons). His abilities in coverage would be an excellent complement next to hard-hitting chaos agent Talanoa Hufanga, and Clark’s lengthy stint in college would likely help his evaluation here in Denver’s eyes.

Other options considered: Nobody. The Post likes Clark.

Round 4, pick No. 111: G Beau Stephens, Iowa

It’s high time for the Broncos to actually spend some draft capital on an offensive lineman: they’re set to keep the same starting front around Nix for the third straight year, but have several aging starters and upcoming contract questions in that mix. It’s almost a certainty that Denver looks to their offensive line in this class, and Stephens would be a solid option.

Denver scouts Iowa well (see: Riley Moss, 2023 third-round pick), and Stephens grew from a reserve into a top-end starter across five years with the Hawkeyes. He allowed just four quarterback pressures in 304 pass-blocking snaps in 2025, according to PFF, an absurd number. Plus, he’s started solely at left guard the past two seasons — where incumbent Ben Powers’ contract is set to expire after the 2026 season. The only issue here: the arm length and overall athleticism aren’t strong.

Other options considered: LB Bryce Boettcher. At present, it’d probably be strange for the Broncos to go through April without drafting a linebacker, after cutting Dre Greenlaw at the start of free agency. Boettcher would bring another Oregon standout into the fold, and profiles similarly in makeup and play-style to current Broncos captain Alex Singleton.

Round 6, pick No. 209: FB Eli Heidenreich, Navy

This might require some tequila to be wheeled into the draft room to even think about pulling this off. But, presto! Denver suddenly has a sixth-round pick again.

At the present moment, the Broncos are sitting with three not-especially-valuable picks at the back of the seventh round. It’d be quite hard to imagine Denver taking the second-last and very-last players of April’s draft back-to-back, at compensatory picks No. 256 and No. 257. Therefore, The Post looked for a deal to move up and add an impact Day 3 skill player, and couldn’t pass up on Heidenreich here after packaging all three seventh-rounders for

Heidenreich could be Payton’s new Taysom Hill, in all but size. He has one of the more unique profiles of any player in this 2026 class, running for 499 yards and catching for 941 in his senior season in Navy’s triple-option offense. Is he a receiver? Is he a running back? Is he a fullback with slot-receiver flex? Who knows. But he ran a 4.44-second 40-yard-dash at the combine.

Perhaps Heidenreich could be an eventual replacement as both a returner and gadget weapon for Marvin Mims Jr., who’s currently slated to hit free agency after 2026. The potential here in Denver’s offense was too great to pass up.

Other options considered: TE Oscar Delp, Georgia. Delp was often stuck at the back of the pecking order of Georgia’s pass-catching options, and never caught more than 24 passes in a single season in college. His stock should rise , after being held out of the combine with a hairline fracture.

“It’s past the point of like, getting the league to notice,” Franklin-Myers told The Denver Post in early September. “Now it����ap just like, I’m going to make it undoubtable, you know? And I’m just — I’m going to do what I know I can do, but I’ma play harder than I have because I know I can.

“And shoot, I owe it to this team, owe it to my teammates, fans, my family, you know what I’m saying?”

Broncos NFL free agency 2026 tracker: J.K. Dobbins is back and JFM is gone

He, indeed, made his value undeniable in 2025, with a career-best 7.5 sacks in 16 games for the Broncos. And Franklin-Myers is now headed for a monster payday elsewhere, signing a three-year deal worth a total of $63 million with Tennessee, a source confirmed to The Post on Monday.

Denver ultimately never put an offer in front of Franklin-Myers, after sensing his value would inflate too high beyond the front office's price point. In the past year, the Broncos have signed nose tackle D.J. Jones, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, defensive end Zach Allen, and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach to long-term deals. Allen was the highest priority in the summer of 2025, followed by Bonitto; Roach is a high-quality reserve who ultimately signed for less than half of what Franklin-Myers commanded in free agency.

Even as nearly every impact name in the room around him received a nice handout from the Walton-Penner ownership group, Franklin-Myers continued to remain gracious to Denver and never careened around in public with his demands for a new contract.

“Man, I don’t care, shoot," Franklin-Myers told reporters after the Broncos' season ended in January. "I mean, I’m so happy for these dudes, and they changed they lives — they changed their family’s life. And these people work hard, as hard as I’ve ever seen in my life. And man, anybody that gets that opportunity to change their life, I can’t be mad at.

"When my time comes, it comes," Franklin-Myers said, a few words later. "And man, I’m happy. I’m happy to be here. I was happy to be able to play football for the Broncos this year. And we’ll see what happens.”

His time has come in Tennessee, now, where the 29-year-old Franklin-Myers will join the same team his contract year began against. The Titans' writing was on the wall, really, since former Jets defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton was hired by the Titans before the 2025 season; Whitecotton coached Franklin-Myers for three years in New York, and made clear in an August conversation with The Post that he still loved Franklin-Myers.

Tennessee also traded for Franklin-Myers' former Jets teammate Jermaine Johnson a week ago, and Johnson's set about not-so-subtly recruiting Franklin-Myers on Twitter since. Johnson, in fact, called Franklin-Myers during the week of the NFL Combine -- on the very same day he was traded.

The 29-year-old Franklin-Myers was a key contributor to the Broncos' NFL-best pass rush in 2024 and 2025, racking up a total of 14.5 sacks and 33 quarterback hits across his two years in Denver. He had a "low-key telepathic" connection on the interior with Allen, as rookie Jordan Miller told The Post at one point last season. And he served as a mentor for Denver's 2025 third-round pick Sai'vion Jones, even with Jones likely in a position to compete for Franklin-Myers' vacant job come 2026.

"It just shows his character,” Jones told The Post. “To me, it����ap clear what he values. He doesn’t value football more than his teammates."

With Franklin-Myers now gone, the attention invariably turns to Jones, who will become a key part of Denver's 2026 plans. The Broncos need either Jones or reserve Eyioma Uwazurike to assert themselves come training camp; it's possible Roach also gets more rotational looks in a by-committee approach. Denver, too, could look to bring another cheap veteran piece in the room in free agency.

Broncos land two comp picks. Mr. Irrelevant in the 2026 draft may just don Broncos colors.

Denver on Monday was officially awarded two compensatory seventh-round picks by the NFL and they're the final two selections of the draft.

The pair of picks is due to the Broncos losing more players in free agency than they gained last spring.

Denver is expected to add the picks. Now they are finalized: Nos. 256 and 257 overall in the 2026 draft. The Broncos have nine overall selections now, beginning with No. 30 near the end of the first round.

The Broncos are currently in line for a likely fourth-round comp pick in 2027 for losing Franklin-Myers, though a major free agency signing could cancel that out should Denver make one.

Adkins near minimum. The Broncos' one-year deal with tight end Nate Adkins, agreed to Sunday, is for $1.635 million total, according to OvertheCap data. That breaks down as follows: $1.165 million base salary, just above league minimum, a $300,000 signing bonus and $170,000 in per-game roster bonuses. Adkins will count $1.555 million against Denver's 2026 cap.

The thing about windows, though, is that they close. Denver has two more seasons before it has to start thinking about a massive extension for quarterback Bo Nix, which will put considerable strain on their long-term cap. It’s no secret. The world knows it. Those inside the Broncos’ facility know it. Their time to strike is now, heading into 2026 free agency with roughly $28 million in current cap room — — and plenty of levers to pull to create more space and throw money around in the market.

It’s also no secret that the Broncos need more skill talent. They need to add a running back, tight end, and potentially wide receiver. They need a linebacker either in free agency or the draft, and quietly have some options at safety. In January, owner Greg Penner described Denver’s approach with a phrase that’ll come to define this offseason, whatever size of swing the front office takes: “We’ll be opportunistically aggressive.”

The legal tampering period of free agency, when teams can officially make contact with players and agents, begins at 10:00 a.m. MT Monday. New contracts can officially be signed come 2:00 p.m. MT on Wednesday. Here’s The Denver Post’s position-by-position Broncos guide to 2026 free agency, informed via numerous conversations with NFL agents and sources across the past two weeks.

Quarterback

Who Denver has: QB1 Bo Nix, QB2 Jarrett Stidham

Who Denver could lose: QB3 Sam Ehlinger

What Denver needs: Another QB in the room, and to re-sign Ehlinger

Key market options (former team in parenthesis): Zach Wilson (Dolphins), Sam Howell (Eagles), Teddy Bridgewater (Buccaneers)

This will depend entirely on whether the Broncos actually shop Stidham, and potentially save themselves $6.5 million in corresponding cap room. If they trade Stidham to a quarterback-needy team for some draft capital, Denver could easily look to re-sign Ehlinger and promote him to Nix’s official backup, after Ehlinger stuck to Davis Webb’s hip in 2025. The Broncos would clearly need another name to push Ehlinger in such a circumstance, though.

If that wouldn’t be a young draft pick, the Broncos could look to bring back Zach Wilson, who was part of a tight-knit group with Nix and Stidham in Denver in 2024. Paton also did plenty of work on longtime backup Howell in the 2022 draft, and former Bronco Bridgewater was Sean Payton’s trusted backup in New Orleans in 2018 and 2019.

Running back

Who Denver has: RB1/RB2 RJ Harvey, RB3 Tyler Badie (likely to sign ERFA deal)

Who Denver could lose: RB1/RB2 J.K. Dobbins, RB4 Jaleel McLaughlin

What Denver needs: A true RB1 or Harvey complement, and depth

Key market options: Kenneth Walker III (Seahawks), Travis Etienne Jr. (Jaguars), Rico Dowdle (Panthers), Tyler Allgeier (Falcons), Kenneth Gainwell (Steelers), Emanuel Wilson (Packers)

Here’s the spot that’ll draw the most buzz next week. The Broncos have already been connected to some of the top names on the market, clearly needing an upgrade in the room even if Denver brings back Dobbins on the cheap; the oft-injured veteran simply can’t be relied upon to play a full season. The Seahawks elected not to give Walker a one-year, $14 million franchise tag after a Super Bowl MVP, and the star RB could easily command upwards of $12 to $14 million on the market.

Would Denver swing on that price, though? Walker wasn’t good in pass protection last year (two sacks and nine pressures in 51 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF), and the Broncos need a third-down back whom Nix trusts. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Etienne is a highly intriguing fit for Denver, a bigger back who’s dynamic in the passing game (six receiving touchdowns in 2025). The 25-year-old Allgeier is a power back without excessive tread on the tires who could be available at a lower price, but expect Denver to look elsewhere.

Don’t be surprised if the Broncos walk away with Dobbins, Harvey and a supplemental piece instead of swinging big here. Wilson is an interesting name, a 226-pound RB who ran for 496 yards in Green Bay last season.

Wide receiver

Who Denver has: WR1 Courtland Sutton, WR2 Troy Franklin, WR3 Pat Bryant, WR4 Marvin Mims Jr.

Who Denver could lose: WR5 Lil’Jordan Humphrey

What Denver needs: A high-upside complement to Sutton, or at least another trustworthy WR4/5 option

Key market options: Alec Pierce (Colts), Jauan Jennings (49ers), Wan’Dale Robinson (Giants), Rashid Shaheed (Seahawks), Mike Evans (Buccaneers), Stefon Diggs (Patriots), Romeo Doubs (Packers), Jahan Dotson (Eagles), Jalen Nailor (Vikings)

The Broncos like their current receiver room. The Paton-Payton braintrust has made that clear this entire offseason, and their firing of receivers coach Keary Colbert and hire of longtime Payton associate Ronald Curry signal that Denver believes in unlocking the potential of its current group rather than needing a drastic personnel overhaul. That being said, they need to add a piece here, whether in free agency or via a deep draft class.

Pierce is the true difference-maker on the market. There are few in the NFL like him, a 6-foot-3 deep-ball extraordinaire who racked up 1,003 yards last year on 21.3 yards per catch. Denver got an up-close look at him in a Week 2 loss to Indianapolis. But one agent The Post spoke with pinpointed Pierce’s likely market value at $27 to $30 million, which would be a steep price for a team already giving Sutton $23 million yearly. Don’t expect Denver to get into a bidding war for him.

The rest of the market is somewhat iffy. Jennings has the frame (6-foot-3), blocking prowess and red-zone ability (nine TDs in 2025) that Payton would love. Robinson will likely land somewhere in the $10 to $15 million range, and would bring a high-volume slot weapon that Denver doesn’t currently have.

Doubs is a definite potential fit for the Broncos here; Denver has interest in the former Green Bay receiver, an NFL source told The Post. He’s a big-bodied target who doesn’t demand the ball but has good red-zone production and can play in a variety of alignments. Keep an eye on Dotson as a potential depth piece, too, as Dotson’s agency CAA also represents Nix. He’s a former 2022 first-round pick whose production stalled out in Philadelphia, but he can block, play from the slot and hasn’t dropped a pass since 2023.

Tight end

Who Denver has: TE1/TE2 Evan Engram

Who Denver could lose: TE1/TE2 Adam Trautman, TE3 Nate Adkins, TE4 Lucas Krull

What Denver needs: A legitimate in-line TE who can complement Engram as a pass-catcher, and stay on the field on any down

Key market options: David Njoku (Browns), Isaiah Likely (Ravens), Cade Otton (Buccaneers), Chig Okonkwo (Titans), Dallas Goedert (Eagles), Daniel Bellinger (Giants), Charlie Kolar (Ravens)

Denver can’t simply run it back from 2025 and expect better production from Engram, who caught 50 passes for 461 yards in 2025, under new play-caller Davis Webb. The Broncos need a versatile weapon whom they trust as both a blocker and a matchup-threat receiver. Otton might just be that guy: he played in-line (attached to the offensive tackle) on nearly half his snaps in Tampa Bay in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus, and has caught 59 passes in each of the last two seasons.

Otton’s yearly value has been pinpointed in NFL circles somewhere around Jake Ferguson’s four-year, $50 million extension with Dallas in 2025. If Denver wants to spend at TE, he and Likely would be the most well-rounded options on the Market. Njoku and Goedert are likely past their primes, and Okonkwo’s not a blocker.

Bellinger had 88 yards and a touchdown for the Giants against Denver in Week 7, and is seeking $7 to $8 million yearly. Kolar is the most intriguing upside swing here, a 6-foot-6 blocker who was stuck behind multiple TEs in Baltimore in the receiving game.

Offensive line

Who Denver has: LT1 Garett Bolles, LG1 Ben Powers, C1 Luke Wattenberg, RG1 Quinn Meinerz, RT1 Mike McGlinchey, OL2 Alex Palczewski, OT2 Matt Peart, OT2 Frank Crum, C2 Alex Forsyth

Who Denver could lose: Nobody

What Denver needs: Maybe another swing tackle

Key market options: Wide-open

Denver doesn’t need to spend here, with its current starting offensive line set again for 2026. The Broncos could always look to cut or deal Powers to create cap room and have a ready successor in Alex Palczewski, whom they inked to a two-year extension Thursday. It’s more likely they look to the draft to bolster depth here, although they could certainly cut Peart to save over $3 million in cap room and target another backup tackle in free agency. Players like former Vikings veteran Justin Skule or Seahawks backup Josh Jones could be good value there.

Defensive line

Who Denver has: DE1 Zach Allen, NT1 D.J. Jones, OLB1 Nik Bonitto, OLB2 Jonathon Cooper, DE/DT2 Eyioma Uwazurike, DT2 Malcolm Roach, OLB2 Jonah Elliss, OLB2 Dondrea Tillman (likely to sign ERFA deal), OLB3 Que Robinson, DE/DT3 Sai’vion Jones

Who Denver could lose: DE1 John Franklin-Myers, DE/DT3 Jordan Jackson

What Denver needs: A cheap, productive interior defensive lineman to push Uwazurike, Roach and Jones

Key market options: Logan Hall (Buccaneers), David Onyemata (Falcons), Calais Campbell (Cardinals), Sebastian Joseph-Day (Titans), Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Giants)

The Broncos already have massive amounts of money tied up in their defensive line, and Franklin-Myers is already all but gone. His likely landing spot is Tennessee, where recently-acquired defensive end The thinking from agents who spoke with The Post is that Denver could bring in depth to help supplant Franklin-Myers, but will likely rely on its pieces already in the building to fill the void.

Ironically, the Broncos’ movements in the defensive-line market will depend on Franklin-Myers’ own movements. Agents are completely across the board on projecting Franklin-Myers’ yearly value in a weak class; one suggested $12 to $14 million, one suggested $16 to $18 million, and one went as high as $20 to $22 million. If teams end up bidding closer to that higher end, it could price the Broncos out of what they’d be willing to spend for another body in the room. Onyemata, Joseph-Day and Nunez-Roches could all offer cheap, veteran depth.

Inside linebacker

Who Denver has: LB1 Dre Greenlaw, LB2/LB3 Karene Reid, LB2/LB3 Jordan Turner, LB2/LB3 Levelle Bailey, LB2/LB3 Drew Sanders

Who Denver could lose: LB1 Alex Singleton, LB1/LB2 Justin Strnad

What Denver needs: An instant-impact starter, or at the very least a high-end LB3.

Key market options: Devin Lloyd (Jaguars), Nakobe Dean (Eagles), Quay Walker (Packers), Quincy Williams (Jets), Kaden Elliss (Falcons), Alex Anzalone (Lions), E.J. Speed (Texans), Bobby Okereke (Giants)

It’s a great year to need a middle linebacker. Denver could certainly look to a strong draft class to address this spot. But an NFL source who met with Denver at last week’s NFL Combine told The Post that the Broncos will have a “significant appetite” in the free-agent linebacker market.

That could mean they’ll take a monster swing on Lloyd, a 2025 All-Pro and the kind of playmaker that Vance Joseph would have a field day with in the middle of Denver’s defense. It could also mean they’ll re-sign Singleton as their green-dot defensive leader — he’s been pinpointed by multiple NFL sources at somewhere between $5 to $8 million yearly — and add another piece to compete for a starting job. Strnad is likely headed for new pastures, as he told The Post after the season he wouldn’t be back in Denver unless it was in a clear starting role.

The Broncos have interest in Anzalone and Speed, sources said, both potential green-dot options or LB3 pieces who will come in below the top of the market, where NFL sources pinpointed Lloyd likely to come in between $15 and $17 million annually. Dean is another interesting and versatile option who told The Post at the Super Bowl he likes watching the Broncos’ defense and would be interested in Denver in free agency if the price was right.

Secondary

Who Denver has: CB1 Pat Surtain II, CB1 Riley Moss, NB1 Ja’Quan McMillian, NB2/CB2 Jahdae Barron, CB2 Kris Abrams-Draine, S1 Talanoa Hufanga, S1 Brandon Jones, S2 Devon Key (likely to sign ERFA deal), S2 JL Skinner

Who Denver could lose: S2 P.J. Locke

What Denver needs: A third safety to replace Locke and potentially push Jones

Key market options: Tony Adams (Jets), Dane Belton (Giants), Kyle Dugger (Steelers), Andrew Wingard (Jaguars), Alohi Gilman (Ravens), Ifeatu Melifonwu (Dolphins), D’Anthony Bell (Panthers), Rodney Thomas II (Colts)

A notable Broncos development to track in free agency: Denver has expressed interest in adding a safety, several NFL sources told The Post this week. Locke is likely headed elsewhere after a nice fill-in stretch for the injured Jones late in 2025, and the Broncos want to add another piece to replace him, as Hufanga and Jones are both injury risks. Wingard is a name to watch here, a seven-year Jaguars veteran who recorded 84 tackles and nine passes defensed as a full-time starter in 2025.

The Broncos also did work on Melifonwu in last year’s free agency, and Denver tracked Bell’s status on the waiver wire as the Seahawks pulled him between the practice squad and active roster in 2025, sources said. At the very least, expect Denver to sign a depth safety who can also be a special-teams contributor.

Special teams

Who Denver has: K1 Wil Lutz, P1 Jeremy Crawshaw, LS1 Mitchell Fraboni

Who Denver could lose: Nobody

What Denver needs: Nothing

Key market options: Wide open

Denver need not spend much time here on specialists.

He’s bought a couple, too.

The Texas Tech defensive tackle enjoys standing up double teams and he was paid well to do it for the NIL-rich Red Raiders.

He used the money he made to buy his mom a house and take care of his 5-year-old. He also purchased a pair of 18-wheelers to help his brother get a business off the ground.

“He’s just moving stuff from city to city,” Hunter said with a laugh. “I don’t get into all that. I play football, I got them for him.”

The Mobile, Alabama, native may not know much about trucking, but he excels in the football version of unglamorous work. He, too, moves heavy loads. Or refuses to be moved.

“I can beat people one-on-one,” Hunter said. “When you slide to me on third down and you’ve got 600 pounds (of offensive lineman) on me, that����ap that, but you get me a one-on-one, I’m going to get you.”

Hunter is part of a 2026 defensive line group at the NFL Combine that is considered a quality one, if not quite as talented and tantalizing as the edge rushers.

At 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, Hunter could hear his name called late in the first round of the NFL Draft come April 23.

That����ap Broncos territory.

Denver, of course, picks No. 30 and under head coach Sean Payton and general manager Geroge Paton are always going to at least consider taking a line-of-scrimmage player they think can be a difference-maker.

“You always have to feed the offensive line and the defensive line to sustain success in this league,” Paton said Tuesday.

The Broncos have deployed one of the best defensive lines in football the past two years, though they’re likely to lose John Franklin-Myers in free agency next month. In the past year alone, they’ve signed defensive tackles D.J. Jones through 2027, Malcolm Roach through 2028 and Zach Allen through 2029.

Still, Jones is entering Year 10 and the Broncos could end up in the market for a young run defender with upside to eventually be a good pass-rusher.

“I’m bringing to a team high energy. Football player. You’re going to love me in the locker room. You’re going to feel my presence and you’re going to enjoy being around me daily.”

Here are nine other quick hits from the NFL Combine. 

* Sean Payton is back on the NFL’s competition committee. He famously has a love-hate relationship with the group, which he previously served on for four years before swearing it off. He has said in the past that his opinions didn’t add up to much action and that “I’m the biggest cynic,” when it comes to talking about rules.

So why did he rejoin the group?

“I like the pain,” he said with a smile this week.

But, also, “I like our league. I like talking about stuff like that.”

* Payton reiterated his stance against banning the “Tush Push” quarterback sneak, which he’s expressed previously, this week. The league is not currently considering a ban on the play after an effort to remove it from the game failed last year.

“I think if that ever goes away, it����ap not a health and safety thing,” Payton said, citing the rationale behind the push to ban the play. “We discussed that last year for two hours and we had just adopted a thousand more kick returns. Which play do you think is more of a health risk? A thousand more kick returns.

“So I think if we choose to ever move on from that, it won’t be because of health and safety. It will just be like, ‘We don’t like it.’ Which is OK.”

Payton said the health-and-safety conversation around the Tush Push caused his “B.S. meter” to go off.

* A slowly but steadily growing number of teams are changing the way they staff the combine. Some teams have talked openly about not sending their coaching staffs and/or key front-office executives and instead relying on scouts to gather the information on prospects that they need. Those teams include several playoff clubs like Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco and more.

Paton, though, still sees value in spending the week with boots on the ground. Denver has not only Paton and the scouting department on hand for the week but also Payton and nearly all of the club’s assistant coaches.

“Maybe they just want to be more efficient,” Paton said of the teams that skipped. “It would be kind of cool to be home and just watching tape and grinding, yet the reason you want to come here is just to get in front of the players and get to know the players. It����ap another step in the process of trying to get to know these players in person, face-to-face.

“The more you get to know these players, I just think the better decisions you’ll make. Those teams are really sharp. It����ap good to talk to them, I haven’t talked to them yet.”

* ILB Lander Barton is the younger brother of former Broncos ILB Cody Barton. He also played three seasons at the University of Utah with now-Denver OLB Jonah Elliss. Needless to say, the likely Day 3 pick has seen plenty of Broncos football.

“My brother, I know he really enjoyed his time over there for his short stint,” Barton said. “Their front, they just eat. That front seven really eats and they’ve got some serious cover guys on the back end that makes the job easy for you. Really, that’d be fun to play there, too.”

* Among the Broncos’ must-haves this offseason is at least one inside linebacker. Paton acknowledged as much Tuesday, though he said Denver would love to have impending free agents Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad back on new deals. Turns out, a different standout linebacker may be about to hit the market. . If he can’t find a taker, Chicago will likely release him next month. Edmonds has played in 119 games but will be only 28 when training camp starts this summer. He’s topped 100 tackles in all eight of his seasons for Buffalo and Chicago.

* Teams meet with players up and down the draft board at the combine and collegiate All-Star games. Here’s betting the Broncos were impressed with — and also certain they will not be able to draft — Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles. Even though off-ball linebackers don’t typically fly off the draft shelf, Styles figures to be long gone by the time Denver picks at No. 30. Still, he said he had a good visit with the Broncos at the combine.

“It was awesome,” Styles said. “Coach Payton was awesome, I just love being there talking ball. Turn the film on, sometimes I break down some of their plays, things like that, break down your plays. You just got to go in there and be yourself.”

* New Broncos wide receivers coach Ronald Curry spent the past two seasons coaching Josh Allen in Buffalo. New Bills head coach Joe Brady called Curry “a stud” and a future offensive coordinator. Curry has interviewed for Denver’s OC job twice, in 2023 when Payton was first hired and again before Payton promoted Davis Webb.

“‘R.C.’ and I had a lot of success,” Brady said. “Josh Allen won an MVP with R.C. as his quarterbacks coach. He was like my right-hand man here. I’m obviously sad for him to not be working with us anymore but I know how Sean feels about him and I know he’s going to be a huge component for Davis. I have nothing but love for R.C. as a person and as a coach.”

* Buffalo and Baltimore appear to be in an arms race when it comes to adding former Denver coaches.

The Bills under Brady now have Pete Carmichael (OC), Jim Leonhard (DC) and John Fox (senior offensive assistant). The Ravens under new head coach Jesse Minter have hired even more. Minter’s added Keary Colbert (WR), Zack Grossi (TE) and Joe Lombardi (senior offensive assistant) from last year’s Denver staff in addition to Declan Doyle (OC) and Ben Kotwica (senior ST assistant).

* Leonhard would have been a candidate for Denver’s defensive coordinator job had Vance Joseph landed a head coaching job this winter, but instead, he ended up in Buffalo.

Brady called hiring Leonhard a “no-brainer.”

“Jim Leonhard, obviously we’ve gone against Denver and I’ve followed Jim going back to Wisconsin,” Brady said. “The Penn State days for me. I always try to write down coaches that, while I’m evaluating, I notice how their defenses play or their groups — the defensive backs. I go back to my notes from when we played them in the playoffs and just how well coached they were.

“The more that you talk with Jim and the more I’m around him even now, it was a no-brainer decision for me.”

The Denver defense will look at least a little different come the 2026 season, but it has a deep, talented core set to return.

The 2025 group was a unique one, disruptive to an elite level and good at virtually everything except taking the ball away.

Here is a look back on the regular season and what can be learned for the future.

Five key defensive numbers

18.3 — Points per game allowed (No. 3 in the NFL)

4.5 — Yards per play allowed (No. 1)

68 — Sacks (Franchise record and most in the NFL)

34.6% — Rate of drives against that ended in a score (No. 7)

6.8% — Turnover rate forced (No. 28)

High Point

There are a few to choose from over the regular season. Denver’s return from the bye week in Washington was anything but pretty defensively until Nik Bonitto made one of the plays of the season, batting down a deciding two-point conversion attempt in overtime and sealing the Broncos’ eighth straight win. Pat Surtain II’s flying interception against Green Bay sparked a dominant second half. Joseph’s group held five opponents overall to less than 200 yards, then recorded five takeaways against Buffalo in the divisional round of the postseason and kept New England to 206 yards in the AFC title game. No game was more dominant, though, than the Broncos’ 13-11 win against the New York Jets in London. Denver racked up nine sacks, including three in the final 4:19 alone. Jonathon Cooper and Brandon Jones closed the game out with a fourth-and-10 sack of Justin Fields, who finished with minus-10 net passing yards. The Jets’ offense stunk all year, so it wasn’t the highest degree of difficulty, but the win got Denver back across the ocean with a three-game streak in hand. That run, of course, eventually ballooned to 11 games.

Low Point

The Broncos had a formula that worked most of the season: Win on third down and in the red zone and pressure the heck out of opposing quarterbacks. Week 16 against Jacksonville and Trevor Lawrence provided a bit of a scare heading into the postseason. Denver’s defense had already lagged a bit after the bye week — the Commanders and Packers each scored 26 points and at times gave the Broncos fits — but Lawrence led one of the few offensive outings that really cracked this group open. The Jags went 4 of 5 in the red zone at Empower Field. They converted 8 of 15 on third down. Lawrence was sacked five times but hardly seemed to notice, throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another. That made him and the Jags offense one of only two to score more than three touchdowns on the regular season against Denver’s defense — rookie Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants were the other and it prompted head coach Sean Payton to issue a warning: Force turnovers in the postseason or else.

MVP: DT Zach Allen. There are several worthy candidates in this group. Bonitto came up one vote shy of All-Pro status and logged a career-best 14 sacks. Pat Surtain II missed 3.5 games with a partially torn pec but carried on as the finest corner in football when healthy. What Allen did in the middle of the Broncos’ defense, though, is difficult to overstate. He led the NFL in quarterback hits with 47, eight more than Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett in his record-setting 23-sack campaign. It����ap the most hits credited to a player since Nick Bosa’s 48 in 2022 and the second straight year Allen’s led the NFL. He had the second-most pressures (59) among defensive tackles, too. In three years with the Broncos, Allen has posted an 11.3% pressure rate or better, hit the quarterback 112 times, averaged 63.3 pressures per year and missed just one game. A foundational player.

Tough Season:  ILB Dre Greenlaw. This is more about injuries and availability than about performance. In fact, Greenlaw himself described his first year with the Broncos as being “very tough.” It started only a month after signing a three-year deal in free agency with a quad injury. Greenlaw and the Broncos thought he was past it when training camp start, but recurring issues ended up costing him the first six games of the season. At the end of his first game of the season, he got suspended for a game. Then a Week 16 hamstring injury cost him the final two games of the regular season. In between, Greenlaw was a force against the run and not used a ton in coverage. It sets up an open question about whether he’s in the Broncos’ defensive plan going forward.

Under the radar: ILB Justin Strnad. Greenlaw’s addition got a ton of offseason attention, but Strnad just quietly keeps getting better and better. He played the best football of his career in 2025 and stamped himself as a bona fide starter going forward. Good timing, too, considering Strnad’s a free agent and should command solid money either from Denver or elsewhere. The 2020 fifth-round pick is strong enough to play against the run, has improved in coverage and is a terrific blitzer. He logged a career-best 4.5 sacks this year. Pretty impressive for a player who went nearly three full years without playing a single defensive snap from mid-2020 into early 2024.

Overall conversion rates allowed – Broncos under DC Vance Joseph

Run Defense

Five Key Numbers

3.9 — Yards allowed per rush (T-2 in the NFL)

18.8% — Rush attempts against that went for loss or no gain (No. 6)

30 — Rushes of 10-plus yards allowed (No. 2)

0.87 — Yards before contact allowed per rush (No. 2)

0 — 100-yard rushers allowed the final 15 games of the regular season

The Good

They are not the most heralded players on the roster, but Denver’s interior, primarily the early down trio of defensive linemen D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach and Eyioma Uwazurike, did a lot of heavy lifting in 2025. Jones was a key, last-minute retention before free agency began back in March and he rewarded the Broncos with high-level play and leadership in Year 9. Roach’s game continues to expand, but he did his normal terrific work against the run. Uwazurike was suspended for the 2023 season, played 63 snaps in 2024 and then broke out this year. All three are under contract for 2026 and they will all have key roles, not just against the run but likely also in making up for the seemingly inevitable loss of John Franklin-Myers to free agency. Roach and Uwazurike, in particular, will likely see upticks in their roles. In 2025, though, this trio provided stalwart work against the run.

The Bad

It didn’t go bad on the Broncos against the run very often in 2025, but they got an early wake-up call from Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2. Taylor ripped off a 68-yard run and racked up 167 overall in Indy’s walk-off win against Denver. After that, Denver didn’t allow a rusher more than 80 yards. The Broncos overall did a good job against mobile quarterbacks, though Washington’s Marcus Mariota gave them fits with his legs in Week 13. And though this is primarily a regular-season retrospective, it����ap at least worth mentioning that Buffalo’s James Cook ran for 117 in the divisional round and that the Bills and Patriots averaged 163 rushing yards in the playoffs after Denver went from Week 3 onward not allowing more than 143 in a game. Patriots QB Drake Maye’s five first downs plus a touchdown on seven carries in the AFC title game were critical.

The Unknown

The Broncos do have a talented core set to return in 2026, but there are some holes to fill in the run game. Franklin-Myers is primarily a pass-rusher but his likely departure via free agency will mean changing roles for guys who have been counted on to stop the run. One of the biggest uncertainties defensively is what will happen at inside linebacker, where Strnad and Alex Singleton are free agents and Greenlaw is under contract but would not be difficult to move on from. Any substantial change in personnel, particularly in the middle of the field, can alter the chemistry of a group. Communication originates from the ILBs and emanates outward. If that group is overhauled and JFM departs, there will be a lot of learning to do through the spring and summer. Still, this is a unit that����ap well-positioned to be stout against the run again in 2026.

‘Stop’ rate played among NFL DLs

*A ‘stop’ is a tackle on a winning defensive play (negative EPA). Rates among top 70 DLs in stops. 

Credit: Next Gen Stats data 

Pass Defense

Five Key Numbers

62.3% — Pass rate against Denver in 2025 (Second-highest in the NFL)

40.7% — Pressure rate generated by the Broncos (No. 2)

4.8 — Passing yards per play allowed (No. 1)

-0.17 — EPA per pass attempt allowed (No. 7)

10 — Interceptions (T-18)

The Good

Not many teams rush and cover better than the Broncos. They broke a franchise record in sacks for the second straight season, got at least half a sack from 17 different players and paired that fearsome rush with one of the deepest sets of cornerbacks and best overall secondaries in football. They have transformed in the past two years from a mostly anonymous group to one that features four players named to All-Pro teams in the past two seasons — Allen, Bonitto, Surtain and safety Talanoa Hufanga — and is widely recognized as one of football’s best.

They’ve got more cornerbacks than they can get on the field, nickel Ja’Quan McMillian has solidified himself as one of the best in the business and even when safety Brandon Jones went down with a torn pectoral late in the year, P.J. Locke filled in admirably. On the front seven, Denver has developed enviable depth at outside linebacker. GM George Paton called fourth-round rookie Que Robinson the 2025 draft pick with maybe the most upside of the class and he was behind the second-line pair of Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman this fall. This is not an easy group to throw the ball against and the challenge may not get much easier in 2026.

The Bad

Two buckets here. The Broncos, for all their strengths and elite numbers overall in pass defense, struggled to deal with opposing tight ends. Denver allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards overall in the regular season and the sixth-most yards to opposing tight ends. Especially after Jones got hurt, teams tested Hufanga and Locke in coverage as often as they could. Joseph talked in detail about how he tries to combat the issue and part of the susceptibility is just how aggressive and man-heavy Denver plays. Still, it is an unsolved issue at this point.

The second is penalties. The Broncos committed a lot in 2025 and among the most high-profile were a series of defensive pass interference penalties against cornerback Riley Moss. The group took issue with more than one, but Moss also acknowledged a need to play with better technique and grab less. The penalty total dropped as the season hit the back stretch and Moss played well overall as the most-targeted corner in football, but he had occasional lapses in tackling, too, especially against Jacksonville.

The Unknown

The Broncos have an interesting set of decisions to make in the secondary and it could lead to either major change this offseason or could still be a year away yet. They revolve around McMillian, Moss and rookie first-round pick Jahdae Barron. Barron was drafted as a nickel primarily who can also play outside. McMillian is a restricted free agent whom teammates think should have been an All-Pro in 2025. Moss is a really good player — talented, athletic and wired to handle the attention opposite Surtain — but also at times got himself in trouble in coverage. He’s going into the final year of his rookie contract.

McMillian is going to command top-scale money, if not in the form of an extension this offseason, then a year from now as an impending unrestricted free agent. Barron’s going to play at some point, but in April, he looked like a potential McMillian replacement and now McMillian looks like exactly the type of player you want to extend and keep around. So does Barron compete with Moss outside? Do they keep it status-quo this year, let Moss walk in free agency and turn loose Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine to compete for the job across from Surtain? Do they entertain the idea of trading McMillian?

Nothing except putting a premium tender on McMillian has to happen in the coming months, but the way the Broncos sequence their moves here will be interesting nonetheless.

A record sack season

It wasn’t.

Instead, the offseason arrives in bitter fashion.

Here are 7 thoughts on Denver’s final game of the 2025 season.

1. The Broncos could not have asked for a better start to Jarrett Stidham’s first start in two years, and that means this one will sting even more.

The gut reaction was to doubt.

The football world wondered.

Sean Payton, a week ago, said, “Just watch.”

He expressed steadfast confidence in his backup quarterback, Jarrett Stidham, for a week after his starter, Bo Nix, fractured a bone in his right ankle last weekend against Buffalo.

That confidence was about Stidham and about the rest of the Broncos’ ability to navigate a game — two, Payton figured — without Nix.

And, boy, did Denver have a golden opportunity to do just that.

Everything Payton could have asked for, the Broncos delivered early in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.

The defense came out humming.

Stidham hit Marvin Mims Jr. for 52 yards on Denver’s second drive to help settle the nerves, then Courtland Sutton for a 6-yard touchdown on a beauty of a bootleg to the right.

The Broncos punted on their third drive, but dominated the field position game early. They started their first four drives at an average of their own 35.5. New England’s first four drive averaged their own 19.

When Stidham and the Broncos started moving the ball on Drive No. 4, it felt like everything was falling into place perfectly.

He hit tight end Evan Engram for the opening first down of the drive. Then Lil’Jordan Humphrey on a well-timed out-breaker to convert a third-and-3.

In all, the Broncos ran 10 plays. None of them went for more than 7 yards, but, critically, they all resulted in positive progress.

Denver looked poised to go 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-snow all the way to the Super Bowl.

Payton, too, in those first 20 or so minutes, called a terrific game. He got Stidham in enough of a rhythm and kept him enough out of harm’s way.

Stidham flirted with negative plays a couple of times early, but overall, he did what he needed to do.

Then, he came up a football short of a first down on a third-and-6 scramble and everything changed.

Payton decided to keep his offense on the field and go for it rather than kick a 31-yard field goal attempt that, given the still-docile weather, was a gimme for Wil Lutz.

A 10-point lead was good, Payton figured, but he felt like Denver had momentum and that 14 might be insurmountable.

Of course, that all backfired. Payton had a “nickel run” called, he said after the game, but then he called a timeout. He called a boot to the right instead, but the Patriots got immediate pressure, RJ Harvey had no space in the flat and Denver turned it over on downs.

The Broncos did not score again, and Stidham was not the same the rest of the way.

Before the fourth-and-1 play, Stidham was 7-of-11 for 79 yards and a touchdown. After, he went 10-of-20 for 54 yards and an interception.

“I know this. I’m going to look at it and be critical of myself,” Payton said of Stidham’s day and his offense’s outing in general.

Stidham’s big mistake came on Denver’s next offensive drive, but the Broncos shouldn’t have been working with that slim a margin in the first place.

If you’d have told Payton before the game that Stidham would throw an early touchdown and that his defense would allow 206 total yards, 12 first downs and go 10 of 12 drives, giving up one or zero first downs, he’d have asked which hotel the Broncos were staying at for Super Bowl week.

From the moment Payton found out Nix broke his ankle and was done for the season, he authored a masterclass in leadership that ran one week, one quarter and change. It put the Broncos in prime position to do what most around the league figured they couldn’t: Win an AFC title without their quarterback.

That it fell apart — and that he didn’t take a different course ahead of the snow that arrived during halftime when Denver was in advantageous position — won’t quite stack up to his worst lightning bolt postseason heartbreaks like the Minneapolis Miracle and the no-call pass interference. But it will certainly cause some restless nights over the coming days and weeks.

“There are always regrets,” he said. “I mean,  look, I felt like here we are, fourth-and-1. We felt it was close enough that — and it is also a call you make based on the team you’re playing and what you’re watching on the other side of the ball. There will always be second thoughts.”

That call will lead the pack from this game, but more broadly, the overall inability to capitalize when, considering the week Denver had in the wake of Nix’s injury, the opening stanza of the game went so perfectly is going to hurt.

2. Just that fast, the offseason arrives and the Broncos have a clear need — which Payton alluded to after the game.

Payton and general manager George Paton have been bullish on Denver’s receiving group for two years. They love running back RJ Harvey’s potential and the rookie showed more flashes Sunday in a physical game.

Overall, though, Denver lacks juice among its offensive playmakers.

“There were a number of things that we just had to do better,” Payton said Sunday. “We didn’t finish some runs and we dropped some passes. Again, felt like that was a problem all year.”

Evan Engram had the best season for a Broncos tight end in years and it was still underwhelming at 40 catches and 461 yards. The rest of Denver’s tight ends combined for 258 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Troy Franklin’s season stat line — 65 catches for 706 yards and six TDs — will say Year 2 breakout, but it����ap fair to wonder if he is a true No. 2 receiver at this point or if Courtland Sutton is a true No. 1.

Harvey is not a finished product by any stretch and Denver just didn’t get a ton of production from the other backs besides J.K. Dobbins on the roster.

The Broncos need to likely add at all three positions this offseason but they need a top-flight receiver and a difference-making tight end, perhaps more than any other element on what is a deep and solid returning roster.

Look at the barnburner of an NFC Championship Game in Seattle that followed Sunday’s tilt in Denver. The Los Angeles Rams rolled out Puka Nacua and Davante Adams at receiver, three quality tight ends and running back Kyren Williams. Seattle plays Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp at receiver and, when healthy, a dynamic running back duo in Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.

Denver has to find more explosiveness in those positions, but likely will have to do so without breaking the bank. First, there may not be true top-flight talent to hit the free agent market other than perhaps Kyle Pitts, the tantalizing 25-year-old tight end who finally put together a big year in Atlanta in his contract season.

Plus, Denver will be drafting at No. 30. The Broncos will have to find talent without the benefit of a high draft pick and they have other areas they could address early in the draft, too.

3. One potential in-house solution to the issue: The guy who seems to make plays every time he gets an opportunity.

If the Broncos’ offensive coaching staff makes one vow when it turns its attention to the 2026 season over the coming weeks, how about this: Play Marvin Mims Jr. more than half of offensive snaps and see what happens.

Mims got more opportunities in the postseason because of injuries to Franklin and rookie Pat Bryant and he made the most of them.

STIDHAM GOING DEEP TO MARVIN MIMS JR.

NEvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on

— NFL (@NFL)

The third-year man had 37 catches (51 targets) for 377 yards and a touchdown in the regular season and then 12 catches (14 targets) for 155 yards and a touchdown in a pair of playoff games. He also drew the game-clinching, 30-yard pass interference penalty against Buffalo.

Sunday, he made Denver’s biggest offensive play when he ran past star cornerback Christian Gonzalez for a 52-yard gain. He might have made another big play in the first half had Stidham not zinged a well-set-up screen too wide for him in the right flat.

More broadly, Mims seems to find a way to make plays every time he gets a chance. He just doesn’t get a ton of chances.

Payton and Paton traded up for him late in the second round and made him the first draft pick of Payton’s tenure here.

In Mims’ first three seasons, though, he’s not seen more than 52 targets or played more than 34% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps.

Now he heads into the final year of his rookie deal at a crossroads. Is he a punt return specialist capable of making a big play here and there in the passing game? Or is he, despite being relatively small, a guy who can be a real, explosive, foundational piece of an offense into the future with Nix?

If this postseason was any indication, the Broncos should at least get him involved enough in 2026 to find out.

4. While we’re transitioning to offseason mode, it will be interesting to see just how much continuity the Broncos end up with defensively

The single biggest piece of that puzzle, of course, is Joseph and whether he lands a head coaching job. Either way, a strong core is set to return for the Broncos.

Perhaps the biggest player question is if Denver gets a long-term deal done with nickel Ja’Quan McMillian. He’s turned himself into one of the very best in the business and he’s just a restricted free agent, so Denver has control of his rights.

What a play in OT by Ja'Quan McMillian

BUFvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on

— NFL (@NFL)

Will the Broncos bother putting a second or even a first-round tender on him? Remember, teams can put those tenders on RFAs and it gives them the right of first refusal to match any deal another team offers the player, plus a draft pick equal to the tender. So the Broncos can protect McMillian with a high-round tender. That will also mean giving him a one-year deal with a decent cap number — at $7.83 million and $5.66 million, respectively. Denver could sign McMillian to a top-of-the-market long-term deal for a slot man and do better than that as it pertains to cap hits.

But, also, the Broncos just drafted Jahdae Barron in April and he didn’t play much because of McMillian. So, where does it go from here? Does Barron move outside and compete with Moss? Do the Broncos entertain trading McMillian, who is exactly the kind of player they’ve sought out over the past three years?

Other curiosities: What happens at inside linebacker and if the plan is as straightforward as it looks on the defensive line?

Start at linebacker. The Broncos signed Dre Greenlaw to a three-year deal in March because they felt like they needed to upgrade over Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad.

Greenlaw showed playmaking ability but also struggled to stay on the field, first with recurring quad injuries and then later in the season with a hamstring. He provided forceful play in run support but was not the coverage asset he made himself earlier in his career. Then again, Joseph didn’t put Greenlaw in a ton of passing situations because of the rate at which the Broncos deployed their nickel and dime packages, combined with wanting Singleton on the field at all times.

Greenlaw’s contract was structured as essentially a one-year deal, a move that felt prudent at the time and has aged well given the ‘backer’s durability issues. Denver can save $6 million on its 2026 cap while incurring about $4.3 million in dead cap charges by releasing Greenlaw, or it can retain him at a $10.4 million cap charge for 2026 the season.

Singleton and Strnad are each impending free agents and each could well command solid starting money. Will Denver be willing to give the 32-year-old Singleton, say, three years and $30 million to keep him from testing the market? Strnad could be in a similar range, given the year he had and that he’s three years younger than Singleton.

The Broncos don’t have surefire replacements in younger players, but they have seen promising signs from undrafted rookie Jordan Turner, got a solid camp from Levelle Bailey and have what amounts to a lottery ticket in the oft-injured Drew Sanders. A lot to sort through for the Broncos and their staff. If Joseph gets a head coaching job, he may well want Singleton — whom he’s been highly complimentary of throughout his time in Denver — or Strnad to come with him to help put together his next unit, too.

On the defensive line, Franklin-Myers is ticketed for free agency and should command a lucrative deal after a 7.5-sack season. One executive told The Post it wouldn’t surprise if Franklin-Myers’ market started at $15 million per year and potentially pushed up from there. Some believe he’ll be the best pass-rushing defensive lineman available in free agency.

Last year this time, it looked like D.J. Jones would hit the market, too, but the Broncos decided at the last minute to pony up and keep him. Not as likely this year with Franklin-Myers, but nothing is certain until March.

Denver looks poised to give his snaps to Eyioma Uwazurike and potentially Sai’Vion Jones.

All the same, put both defensive line and inside linebacker on the list of positions the Broncos could address with their first pick in the draft.

5. The coaching carousel is about to start spinning again and Denver’s staff figures to continue being popular

Now that the Broncos are eliminated, their coaches can not only conduct in-person, second-round interviews with any team that still has an opening, but they can also interview with teams whose openings didn’t come up until after the wild-card weekend — Pittsburgh and Buffalo.

The biggest names to watch on the head coaching front are defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb. Four teams still have coaching openings in Las Vegas, Arizona, Cleveland and Buffalo.

Joseph worked for Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill for four years as defensive coordinator from 2019-22. Webb is seen nationally as a strong candidate for the Raiders job and has described Bills quarterback Josh Allen as “my best friend.” He spent three years in Buffalo as Allen’s backup and said it����ap his favorite place he ever played.

Webb just turned 31 this week, but his star is rising fast.

“I think he’s going to be a really good head coach and I think a really smart organization would hire him,” Broncos quarterback Sam Ehlinger told The Post recently.

Webb has impressed Ehlinger all season and was a big part of the reason Ehlinger turned down a chance at returning to Indianapolis after Daniel Jones’ injury there.

He said this week was just another example of Webb’s teaching prowess when Stidham was thrust into the starting role for the AFC title game.

“Davis has stayed the same throughout the season,” Ehlinger said. “He coaches us all individually throughout the season. So nothing really changes. He’s always asking whoever it is. If you sat in the QB room with us, you would never know who the starter is. He’s always asking questions to other guys and making sure other guys are prepared as well.”

Joseph finished his third season as the Broncos’ defensive coordinator with a flourish and should have suitors, though the pool is shrinking quickly.

Does he think the Cardinals are a good fit for him, given an overall poor roster and an unclear path forward at quarterback with Kyler Murray a candidate to be traded this offseason? Does Buffalo have interest after firing a defensive-minded head coach in Sean McDermott? Who wants the Browns’ job?

The answers to those questions should start coming relatively quickly now that Denver is out.

Meanwhile, the coordinator landscape has changed quite a bit for hopefuls like Denver secondary coach Jim Leonhard in recent days. On Sunday alone, Green Bay and the New York Giants filled their defensive coordinator spots. Those two seemed like natural candidates for Leonhard because he grew up in Wisconsin — and turned down the Packers defensive coordinator job in 2021 — and because he played for new Giants coach John Harbaugh in 2008. Leonhard also interviewed in Dallas but the Cowboys hired former Broncos secondary coach Christian Parker.

The New York Jets are still in the market, as could be the Broncos if Joseph gets a job. There are likely other possibilities as well. Plus, Denver has other young assistants who could be in line for promotions or jobs elsewhere over the next couple of weeks, including offensive quality control coach Logan Kilgore, outside linebackers coach Isaac Shewmaker, cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch, running backs coach Lou Ayeni and more.

6. Another item on the Broncos’ offseason to-do list: Extend general manager George Paton

Pretty simple here. Paton signed a six-year contract when he was first hired in 2021, meaning the 2026 season would be the last on his original deal.

After early failures like trading for and extending quarterback Russell Wilson and hiring Nathaniel Hackett, Paton has not only steadied the ship, but he’s made a terrific pair with Payton and has turned the Broncos’ roster from light on talent to one of the deepest in football.

“I’d heard so many good things about him prior to meeting him and then when I met him that day we interviewed, I found him to be just like what everyone had described,” Payton said of Paton earlier this month. “I can’t speak for him, but I really enjoy working with him. We both are passionate about the same things. I think he likes that I love scouting, and I like that he comes from a coach’s family. … We come from a lot of similar backgrounds. I enjoy him and you have to because you spend so much time together, but it����ap probably one of the more undervalued aspects.

“Find me the head coach and GM tied at the hip, and then you have a chance. I feel like he and I have an extremely close relationship, trust, but also we see things in a similar fashion.”

����apEO and owner Greg Penner has repeatedly expressed confidence in Paton and, considering the club appears to have a long-term solution at quarterback and is coming off an AFC title game appearance, there shouldn’t be much to consider here.

Payton’s through three seasons on a five-year deal, so perhaps the only call to make is if Penner wants to extend them in tandem or tackle Paton this offseason and Payton a year from now.

Regardless, Denver looks like it����ap in position to have stability atop its football operation for years to come.

7a. A couple of more game-specific items to close this thing out

Denver engineered a touchdown on its second offensive possession of the game thanks to a 52-yard completion from Stidham to Mims Jr. After that, though, Stidham and the Broncos offense could not find any kind of rhythm. They came up empty on 10 straight possessions after the touchdown, including five punts, a turnover on downs, two missed field goals just before halftime and a Stidham interception in the fourth quarter. Most critical was Stidham’s fumble in the second quarter that set the Patriots up at Denver’s 12-yard line. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye finished that drive off with a 6-yard touchdown run. That sequence was part of the reason the Broncos allowed just 72 yards and four first downs in the first half and yet found themselves tied at 7 going into intermission.

7b. Payton lamented after the game that his team didn’t run the football better.

“I was frustrated,” he said. “I felt like we’d be able to run the ball more consistently. I thought that was going to be important. We felt like we had one of our better run plans going in.”

Instead, New England stymied Denver’s ground game from the start. The Broncos ran 24 times for just 79 yards and did not have a rushing play go for more than 9. They averaged 3.3 per carry for the game and 3.0 over two postseason games. Those marks sting all the more considering they may well have had Dobbins back in uniform for the Super Bowl had they survived Sunday. Denver got just 93 postseason rushing yards from its running back trio of Harvey, Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie. Against New England, the team generated just two first downs on the ground. When the snow fell, the Broncos had little in the way of security on the ground.

Before Dobbins got hurt, Denver averaged 133.6 rushing yards per game and 4.9 per carry. Afterward, 96.5 and 3.7.

Again, it����ap a position the Broncos will need to look at once again over the next couple of months.

7c. New England quarterback Drake Maye didn’t have a prolific outing passing, but he changed the game for the Patriots time and time again with his legs.

Maye ran seven times for 68 yards and a touchdown and almost every one of his carries did damage. The second-year Patriots quarterback generated either a touchdown or a first down on each of his first five carries of the game and six of seven overall.

First came a touchdown on a 6-yard quarterback draw. Then Maye picked up a third-and-15, a third-and-9 and a fourth-and-1, all with his legs.

He saved his best for last, beating Jonah Elliss to the edge on a game-deciding naked bootleg with less than two minutes to go. The No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 draft put together an MVP-caliber regular season by leading the NFL in completion percentage and throwing for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, but his ability to run the ball was an underrated element the entire time.

He had 450 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season and sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl with his legs, too.

7d. Thanks for reading this year.

We’ll have you covered from the locker room cleanout Monday, through the coaching carousel, the NFL Scouting Combine in February, to free agency in March, the draft in April and around the dial again when OTAs begin in May.

It����ap been a heck of a season for this Broncos team and it����ap been a privilege to bring you stories from a fascinating group. Let����ap do it again.

Tell me with a straight face that Nix fumbles the ball away in a panic, to set up the Patriots’ only TD of the day.

Tell me with a palm on The Good Book — doesn’t amount to points.

Tell me with hand over heart that the Broncos’ final drive of the first half, before Mother Nature took over the game, gets more out of a third-and-4 at the Patriots’ 34 than Stidham scampering out of bounds for a 2-yard self-sack.

By my math, if Nix plays, it’s 13-0 Broncos at the break. Maybe more. Probably more.

Then the third quarter comes, that insane squall rolls in, and Drake Maye spends the second half throwing into the teeth of a Front Range blizzard.

“That’s, again, a ‘what-if,'” Broncos punter Jeremy Crawshaw told me after Denver’s incredible season ended with a 10-7 loss to the Pats, and Maye, in a chilly AFC Championship Game. “But we all had full trust in Stiddy to do the job today. And we wouldn’t have anybody else do that.”

No knock on Stiddy, either. His 52-yard pass to Marvin Mims Jr. on the Broncos’ second drive was an absolute beauty. When it comes to pure deep shots, No. 8 might be the best option coach Sean Payton has in the QB room.

But when it comes to everything else, it’s advantage: Nix — a fact underscored once that winter hellscape rolled into Empower Field. It was always going to be a big ask of Stiddy to knock out the AFC’s No. 2 seed on short notice. But asking him to beat the snow, too, proved to be one ice-covered bridge too far.

“(The Broncos) will probably say it was all about what they didn’t do,” Pats left tackle Will Campbell told reporters after the game. “But our defense has been underrated all season.”

True, but that defense also had a little help. Injuries are a loser’s excuse, granted, yet the Broncos closed out a 15-4 campaign with some absolute doozies.

No Nix. No J.K. Dobbins. No Troy Franklin. No Brandon Jones. Denver faced New England without its QB1. Without its leading rusher during the regular season. Without its No. 2 wideout in terms of catches. When the football gods finally came for Payton, they didn’t miss.

Although Payton has no one to blame for Sunday but himself, in retrospect. That aforementioned fourth-and-1 at the 14, with the Broncos up 7-0? Saints alive. It’s one thing to have to draw up a winning game plan with Stidham in eight days. It’s another to try and get cute in the middle of a back-alley brawl.

““It just felt like we had momentum to get up 14. It felt like we had a good call,” the coach explained later.

Was it, though? Stidham is 6-foot-3. If you don’t trust him to wiggle forward 6 inches for a first down at your opponent’s doorstep, you probably deserve to lose some of the trust from your fan base.

From the fourth-down stop to Stidham’s backyard-pass fumble, the Broncos’ deepest wounds Sunday were self-inflicted. That fourth drive is going to sting for a while. You have to strike while the Stiddy is hot. Sure, the Broncos’ run game had slowed down once they’d crossed the Patriots’ 40. But they’d run it five consecutive plays with three different rushers — tailback RJ Harvey, fullback Adam Prentice and Stidham — for 21 yards to the Pats’ 14. Why give up the ghost?

Stiddy was admirable in a pinch, especially as the conditions worsened. But this was a game you should’ve led 10-0 or 13-0 and spent the second half handing off.

“I think the big thing was that first half, that first half momentum and field position didn’t yield what it needed to yield,” Payton said later. “We needed more than that, and (our reflections) start there.”

It was awfully hard to see much upside through all that snow. But if there was, it’s that this feels like the next phase in the Broncos’ revival under Nix and Payton — not the end.

Denver went into Week 1 with the eighth-fewest number of players among NFL rosters who were aged 29 or older. Nix is 25 and on a rookie contract through 2027. CB Pat Surtain II, RT Mike McGlinchey, DL Zach Allen, WR Courtland Sutton, LT Garett Bolles, OLB Jonathon Cooper, OLB Nik Bonitto, S Talanoa Hufanga, DB Jahdae Barron, DL D.J. Jones, LB Dre Greenlaw, G Quinn Meinerz, DL Malcolm Roach, Harvey, Crawhsaw, and K Wil Lutz are all signed through the end of the 2027 season. The window is still wide open here. Even if it’s freezing outside.

“As a young team, it’s only up from here,” cornerback Riley Moss told me. “Every guy’s confidence is up. Every guy’s goals are higher. And so, yes, it (stinks) to lose, but if there is probably a positive that would come from it, (it’s that) we were in this game. We know what the standard is now. And we know what to expect.”

We expect to see Nix vs. Maye in the postseason again — and in a fair fight, hopefully. If No. 10 plays on Sunday, the Broncos are planning for Santa Clara right now. There’s snow doubt.