– Anthony, Denver 

Hey Anthony, thanks for writing in and getting us going this week. We’re finally almost there. There’s actual football to be played, though not until Monday for the Broncos and Chiefs.

That will also provide us with our first glimpse at what changes Vance Joseph and company make defensively. They won’t be wholesale, most likely, considering all of the success Denver’s had defensively over the past two years. What����ap interesting, though, is that Joseph hinted at a couple of the things he and his group think they’ve learned over the course of the preseason. Teams don’t do a full scout and full gameplan for you in August, of course, but nonetheless Joseph said recently he thought he sensed a pattern.

He thinks teams are going to try to use his group’s speed and aggressiveness against them with misdirection, boot action and more. That also helps quarterbacks — particularly fairly mobile ones — get out of the pocket and maybe stand a little bit more of a chance against the Broncos’ withering pass rush.

Joseph also thinks teams are going to try to dink and dunk on early downs rather than take big shots down the field.

“They’re trying to get four yards,” Joseph said a couple weeks ago. “They don’t want to be in second-and-7-plus or 8-plus, because that����ap obviously a pass-rush down. I thought last year we did a great job of basically playing third down twice. Most of our sacks came on second down. Third down is where they practiced their protection plans and slid to] Nik (Bonitto) or chipped (Jonathon Cooper). Second down is where we made our hay as far as the pass rush.”

Now, Joseph said, he thinks teams will try to be more conscious of setting up second-and-manageable and third-and-short,

“We have to understand how teams see us and adjust how we play third down and to continue to win first down,” Joseph said. “That����ap important for us.”

How exactly Joseph wants to go about that remains to be seen. One thing that����ap interesting: Every time the topic of creating more takeaways was brought to Joseph by reporters — and it happened literally almost every time Joseph talked — he’d acknowledge that Broncos want more but also would always also talk about playing good football. That seems to indicate that he doesn’t feel the need to make many changes to the overall way he deploys coverage — heavy match-and-man principles — and pressure. Part of generating interceptions in general is having eyes on the quarterback, but Joseph doesn’t seem inclined to suddenly start playing a ton of shells and zones just to do that and take away what he sees as this group’s stinger.

Regarding the NFL’s bye weeks, spreading them out over 8 weeks can be unfair for teams that have to wait until Week 14 for their bye week. While those teams that get an early bye, say in week 5, have to then play out the remainder of the season. Why can’t the NFL implement each bye week with 8 teams instead of 4? That way, weeks 8, 9, 10 and 11 would be more reasonable as it’s more in the middle of the season.

– Dan Dorn, Phoenix 

Hey Dan, interesting question. The bottom line is it����ap about television inventory. The league doesn’t have exactly even sets of bye weeks, either. Most weeks in the middle of the season, four teams are off, but one week, six are. Everybody plays the week of Thanksgiving. Only two teams have Week 14 byes.

But, yeah, to your point, four is kind of the standard number. If you have eight teams on byes plus Thursday night, Sunday night and Monday night games and maybe an early morning international game, that really hollows out the rest of Sunday in terms of programming options. The league is already stretched some on that front as it continues to expand to more Wednesdays, more streaming platforms and more standalone windows generally.

The Broncos have actually benefited from the late bye the past couple of years because it has allowed a week to get healthy and refreshed for the stretch run of the postseason. It����ap hard to complain about the middle of the season like they have this year, though.

Teams continue to figure out how to squeeze rest out of different pockets, too. Denver’s got the mini-bye after its Week 6 Thursday night game. The bye week is Week 10. Short weeks are tough in the lead-up, but the Broncos will welcome the rest that comes after their pair of holiday Friday games — Black Friday and Christmas Day — which come with a weekend off on the back end.

If the NFL goes to an 18-game schedule sometime in the near- to mid-term future, one point of interest is the idea of teams getting two bye weeks. That part would be good for players, though some of it will likely get chewed up by an expanding international slate and more and more standalone windows, odd days and so on.

What are you liking or disliking about this current Broncos roster as opposed to previous years?

– Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y. 

Hey Ed, thanks for writing in as always.

You never know for sure until the games start, but on paper, this looks like clearly the best set of offensive skill players overall since Sean Payton has been in Denver. My tenure on the beat only goes back a year before that, but it looks like the best I’ve seen here and perhaps the best since the Manning heyday. Adding Jaylen Waddle and Jonah Coleman without losing any standout contributors and then factoring in potential growth from Pat Bryant and others makes for an explosive, well-rounded group that also looks to have real depth.

We’ve covered this in other ways, but a year ago the Broncos’ third inside linebacker and third safety were Justin Strnad and P.J. Locke, respectively. Strnad’s a deserved starter now, but Dre Greenlaw is gone and so is Locke. They both played quite a bit last year due to injuries. Do the Broncos have real replacements for them if needed? The answer isn’t necessarily no, but it����ap an open question at this point, whereas last year the pecking order was quite clear.

Similar on the offensive line, I think. The starting quintet is set in stone and should be really good. Alex Palczewski and Frank Crum (out at least the first four games) are trusted reserves, but neither had a standout camp. If one of them or Matt Peart had to play a long stretch at tackle, how would it look? Maybe fine. Maybe not.

Who is going to replace John Franklin Myers (7.5 sacks, constant quarterback hits, knockdowns & pressu? Is is it Tyler Onyedim, Savion Jo,nes or Jordan Jackson?

– Tim Delphia, Denver 

Hey Tim, thanks for writing in. How about D) None of the above. OK, that����ap overstating things a little bit. But the bet here is that most of John Franklin-Myers’ snaps from last year — predominantly in pass-rush situations — will be handled by Malcolm Roach and Eyioma Uwazurike. Franklin-Myers played 46% in 2024 and 49% in 2025. That����ap slightly more than 500 snaps per year. The other defensive linemen last year, just for reference: Zach Allen played 797 (71%), D.J. Jones 431 (46%), Uwazurike 409 (36%) and Roach 401 (36%). Denver was mostly healthy last year up front, but Roach’s numbers are a bit skewed because he missed the first five games of the season. Over the final 12, he played half of Denver’s defensive snaps.

Generally speaking, the Broncos don’t want guys playing 800-plus snaps. Allen has rare stamina, but even with him, the coaching staff has been concerned about overwork over the past couple of seasons. Still, you can see a path to Uwazurike and Roach each playing, say, 150 more snaps this year and Jones playing a fairly similar role. That����ap tilting the mix fairly heavily toward four players. Right out of the gate, the best bet for a fifth is probably Jordan Jackson, given his veteran status and that he’s played real snaps for this staff. Perhaps at some point in the season, Onyedim will get a shot, too.

Why didn’t the Broncos keep Joly on the roster and try to get Justin Joly back on the practice squad? I’m assuming neither will be playing on game days anyway, at least initially. Wouldn’t Bentley have been easier to get through waivers?

–  Mike C., Santa Clarita, C.A. 

Hey Mike, thanks for writing in. That certainly would have been conventional wisdom given that Justin Joly was drafted in the fifth round and Dallan Bentley in the seventh. However, the simple answer is that the Broncos must have believed the opposite to be true. Otherwise, they’d have done exactly what you suggested.

There are a couple of factors to consider beyond the baseline, which is that the Broncos were more willing to risk losing Joly than Bentley. One is considering why Denver took Bentley at No. 256 in the first place. The Broncos relished the idea of controlling the final two picks of the draft, in part because it gave them flexibility to choose between drafting players and building their undrafted free-agent class. By the time those picks arrived, the Broncos had a good feel for who they would get signed after the draft and who they wouldn’t. So they used the picks on players they wouldn’t have otherwise landed. That means Bentley was likely headed elsewhere in free agency if Denver didn’t sign him. On the other hand, they knew they’d land the likes of Tyler Miller and Gavin Ortega, so they took the free-agent route with them.

It����ap no surprise that Bentley would have had other suitors in free agency post-draft, but sometimes that plays a role, too. When running back Blake Watson made the 53-man roster a couple years ago, Payton said there were a half-dozen teams trying to sign him post-draft and therefore they guessed he’d get claimed if he was waived. Turns out, they had to put him on waivers a few weeks later anyway and they snuck him through to the practice squad.

Of course, you can make the same argument about Joly in the draft. The Broncos moved up from No. 170 to 152 to pick Joly, giving up Nos. 170 and 182 to do so.

Joly goes down as a miss, either on the evaluation, the likelihood of getting him to the practice squad or both. But the only real explanation for the way it played out at the roster cutdown is that the Broncos thought Bentley was a bigger risk to lose.

It is experienced. It is accomplished. This group has set records the past two seasons, racking up sacks at a rate few defenses in NFL history have ever maintained.

The Broncos have to replace John Franklin-Myers in the starting lineup and a pair of contributors last year in Dre Greenlaw and P.J. Locke. They appear poised to do so ably, particularly on the defensive line, where several younger players have shown flashes in training camp.

This group is convinced it’ll break its own sack record again, though Joseph told them they don’t need to. They just need to perform and win games. If they create well more than last year’s 12 takeaways, all the better.

Here’s a look at the Broncos’ probable defensive two-deep come the fall.

Defensive lineman

Zach Allen | 99
6-foot-5, 285 pounds, 29 years old, 8th season, Boston College

Allen’s best two years came with close friend John Franklin-Myers playing next to him, so the challenge for the $100 million man and first-team All-Pro is pretty simple: Maintain his standing as one of the best in the business with some new faces around him.

Tyler Onyedim
6-foot-3, 292 pounds, 23 years old, Rookie, Texas A&M

The promising rookie may not crack the starting lineup right away, but he’s got the ability to play in the rotation in some form or fashion this fall. If injuries strike, Onyedim will need to be ready quickly.

Nose tackle

D.J. Jones | 93
6-foot, 305 pounds, 31 years old, 10th season, Mississippi

Jones just keeps going and going and going. He played some of the best ball of his career in 2025 and looks primed to keep it going this fall. Jones is a high-end run-stuffer and a critical, under-the-radar leader of the defense.

Eyioma Uwazurike
6-foot-6, 320 pounds, 28 years old, 4th season, Iowa State

The list of Broncos breakout candidates doesn’t go far before landing on Uwazurike. He’s had a monster training camp and appears ready to show it to the rest of the league. He’s a massive human, and he can move.

Defensive lineman

Malcolm Roach | 97
6-foot-3, 290 pounds, 28 years old, 7th season, Texas

Roach keeps adding to his repertoire. First he was a high-end run-stuffer. Then he added leader and culture-setter once he arrived in Denver. Now he’s a feisty pass-rusher, too. That adds up to a truly valuable player and person for Joseph’s group.

Jordan Jackson | 94
6-foot-5, 289 pounds, 23 years old, 2nd season, LSU

Every year Jackson is billed as a bubble player, and every year so far he’s made it and then found himself on the field. Sai’Vion Jones is a third-round pick from 2025, and maybe that ends up mattering here, but Jackson’s a better player at this stage.

Outside linebacker

Nik Bonitto | 15
6-foot-3, 240, 26, 5th season, Oklahoma

Bonitto has improved in each of his pro seasons and now has a $100 million-plus contract and a reputation as one of the most feared pass-rushers in the NFL. He’s probably already underpaid. If he takes another step forward this fall, look out.

Jonah Elliss | 52
6-foot-2, 246, 23, 3rd season, Utah

Elliss couldn’t stay healthy in 2025, but he’s had a terrific training camp this summer and looks primed to take a leap in his third pro season. He’s a naturally talented rusher who’s strong enough to handle run duties and versatile enough to play in the middle of the field some, too.

Outside linebacker

Que Robinson
6-foot-4, 243 pounds, 25, 2nd season, Alabama

One of the prime breakout candidates for the Broncos, Robinson showed tantalizing flashes as a rookie and now looks set to be a regular. He could start if Cooper is suspended. Dondrea Tillman figures to factor in here, too.

Inside linebacker

Alex Singleton | 49
6-foot-2, 240 pounds, 32, 8th season, Montana State

Fans may not have liked Denver’s ILB production last year, but you know who did? Vance Joseph. His opinion, obviously, is the one that matters. Singleton is cancer-free, healthy, back on a new two-year deal and is Joseph’s eyes and ears on the field.

Jordan Turner | 55
6-foot-1, 231 pounds, 24, 2nd season, Michigan State

Turner played special teams last year and is a player the Broncos think has developmental traits. Now he’s potentially a snap away from being counted on defensively.

Inside linebacker

Justin Strnad | 40
6-foot-3, 235 pounds, 30, 7th season, Wake Forest

Strnad put together the best year of his career in 2025 and landed a new three-year contract as a result. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s on the field rather than Singleton in some sub packages and, if so, if that means he wears the green dot.

Karene Reid | 47
6-foot, 226 pounds, 26, 2nd season, Utah

Reid made the team last year as an undrafted rookie primarily as a special teamer and could be next in line defensively after Levelle Bailey was injured in the preseason. Second-year man Jordan Turner could make a run and so could rookie Taurean York.

Cornerback

Pat Surtain II | 2
6-foot-2, 202 pounds, 26, 6th season, Alabama

Superlatives for Surtain almost don’t move the needle anymore. The best corner in football? Yeah. Four Pro Bowls, three All-Pro nods and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year? Yep. Hall of Fame track? Inarguably. He’s the best player on the team, and the most disruptive defense in the NFL is built around the idea that there are very few better on the planet.

Kris Abrams-Draine | 31
5-foot-11, 178 pounds, 24, 3rd season, Missouri

Every time Abrams-Draine has been thrown into action, he’s acquitted himself well. There’s little doubt he’d start for at least a handful – and maybe more than that – of teams around the league. He’s luxurious depth to have outside.

Cornerback

Riley Moss | 21
6-foot-1, 193 pounds, 26, 4th season, Iowa

Few Broncos have had better training camps than Moss. He is a terrific athlete and is wired for the job. If he plays a little smarter, a little less handsy and with a little more refined technique this fall, he’s not only going to make an elite pair with Surtain, but he could play his way into a massive payday.

Jahdae Barron | 23
5-foot-11, 200 pounds, 24, 2nd season, Texas

Who’s first up outside if the Broncos have a need? Barron or Abrams-Draine? The early bet is on KAD, but Barron has got a ton of work both outside and in the slot so far in training camp. The perimeter isn’t his strong suit just yet, and it occasionally shows against Denver’s deep receiver group.

Nickel

Ja’Quan McMillian | 29
5-foot-10, 183 pounds, 26, 4th season, East Carolina

McMillian went from undrafted to backup to one of the best slot men in football. He’s been a playmaking machine, made one of the great plays in Broncos playoff history with a game-saving pick against Buffalo in January and is the heartbeat of Denver’s defense.

Jahdae Barron | 23
5-foot-11, 200 pounds, 24, 2nd season, Texas

Barron’s most natural position is in the slot. He didn’t beat out McMillian as a rookie in 2025, and it wasn’t really even a competition this summer. Barron, though, will be used occasionally in the slot, certainly as Denver’s dime back. How many ways can Joseph find to get him on the field?

Safety

Talanoa Hufanga | 9
6-foot, 200 pounds, 26, 6th season, USC

Hufanga’s first season in Denver was a smashing success, both in that he played the entire year and that he brought a physical element to the back end of the defense. Hufanga’s played so much football but is still just 26 years old. Year 2 in Joseph’s system should be fruitful.

Devon Key | 26
6-foot, 208 pounds, 28, 3rd season, Western Kentucky

Midway through camp, Key looks like the next man in if either safety misses time. His defensive time in the starting lineup a couple years back wasn’t pretty, but coaches and teammates think he’s grown considerably as a player since then.

Safety

Brandon Jones | 22
6-foot, 191 pounds, 28, 7th season, Texas

Jones was playing really good football last year before a torn pec ended his season in December. He’s good in coverage, a sure tackler and yet another veteran in Denver’s secondary.

JL Skinner | 34
6-foot-4, 220 pounds, 25, 4th season, Boise State

Skinner has been a high-quality special teams player so far in his career but has not broken through as a reliable defender. This is a key autumn for him in that department. He played through a torn labrum last year. Eventually, this spot could go to veteran Taylor Rapp.

Punter

Jeremy Crawshaw | 16
6-foot-3, 205 pounds, 25, 2nd season, Florida

Crawshaw hit some big punts in the postseason, and this summer looks capable of jumping into the NFL’s upper echelon. He’s got major power behind the ball and has been steering it well, too.

As if the Broncos needed any reminder of how close they came last year, the NFL season kicks off Wednesday night with a Super Bowl rematch between New England and Seattle. Then, San Francisco and the Los Angeles Rams square off in Australia on Thursday night.

Denver plays all four of those teams this season and three of them by Week 6, but the Broncos have a long wait until Monday night, Sept. 14, before finally kicking off at Kansas City.

Tuesday marks six weeks since Broncos veterans reported for training camp. In that time, we’ve learned quite a bit about Sean Payton’s team. There also remain a handful of outstanding questions as prep for the Chiefs is set to kick into gear Monday and then really ramp up midweek.

Let����ap set the table as we head into the final week of the year without games that count on the menu.

What we’ve learned

Bo Nix has passed every test so far and looks primed for Week 1

When camp began in late July, Nix hadn’t opened up and ran in a practice setting since before he broke his ankle in January and had a follow-up procedure in April. It didn’t take long, though, for the third-year quarterback to show he felt good. Nix took every rep in training camp and he ran and cut hard off the right ankle. He showed no signs of any kind of rehab plan or workload moderation, outside of Payton mentioning that he likely still had scar tissue. The staff held him out of the preseason opener, but otherwise it����ap been full throttle for Nix heading into Week 1. And his teammates say he “is playing out of his mind.” The physically taxing part for all players is just beginning, but the summer has gone as well as it could have so far for Nix and the Broncos.

This should be the best collection of skill talent the Broncos have had in years

Camp featured glimpses of Denver’s offensive potential in 2026, but the whole No. 1 group has only played together in practice so far. Running back J.K. Dobbins didn’t play a preseason game snap and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle played six.

When this group hits the field for the first time against the Chiefs, though, it should be the most dangerous since Peyton Manning retired. Waddle’s arrival and Pat Bryant����ap ascension will certainly impact — and maybe transform — the wide receiver room. Payton and company have invested in the running back room and it finally appears to be in a good spot with Dobbins, RJ Harvey and rookie Jonah Coleman. The tight end room didn’t change much, but Evan Engram sees growth for himself, and the group could see residual benefit from the uptick in skill at the other positions. Bottom line: Nix and new play-caller Davis Webb have a lot to work with at their disposal.

The questions on defense are not where we thought they’d be when camp opened

The Broncos appear poised to cover the free-agency departure of John Franklin-Myers with players on the rise. Eyioma Uwazurike had one of the most impressive camps on the roster, Malcolm Roach continues to improve each year, and they pair with Zach Allen and D.J. Jones to make a high-quality top four. They’ll need Jordan Jackson to handle some snaps and rookie Tyler Onyedim to progress over the season, but this group looks ready to hit the ground running. When JFM got $21 million a year, it would have been a bit strange to think that safety P.J. Locke and inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw would be the departures that left more lingering questions, but that����ap how it feels heading into Week 1.

Questions remaining

Will anybody get a contract extension before the opener?

Each of the past two seasons, the Broncos have inked a major contract extension with a defensive stalwart during Week 1 preparations. In 2024, it was cornerback Pat Surtain II. Last year, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto.

The Broncos don’t have the kind of obvious to-do list they did last year when Courtland Sutton and Zach Allen both also got extensions during camp, but they do have a big group of key players entering contract seasons. These things can change fast, but it����ap been quiet on the contract front so far. There’s been no solid indication that an extension is on the immediate horizon for Ja’Quan McMillian, Riley Moss, Uwazurike, Bandon Jones, Marvin Mims Jr., Ben Powers or anybody else. Deadlines spur actions, of course, and Payton has expressed interest in having multiple players on that list around long-term, but nothing has materialized.

Payton and owner Greg Penner have downplayed the impact that Nix’s impending extension eligibility, which begins next offseason, has on Denver’s contract decision-making from here forward. It����ap also true that the Broncos have spent a ton to lock up their core over the past two years. Still, if nothing comes over the next 10 days, Denver will enter the season looking like a team that could well be entering its last season with such extensive continuity.

When will Jonathon Cooper’s criminal case be resolved?

When veterans reported on July 29, Payton said the Broncos stood firmly behind Cooper and that he thought resolution could come “sooner than later.” Six weeks later, Cooper’s been arraigned on felony assault for strangulation and other lesser charges stemming from a pair of domestic violence-related arrests in June. He is not on the Broncos’ 53-man roster and is instead on the commissioner’s exempt list, which is essentially paid leave. His trial date is slated for mid-November, after nine Broncos regular-season games. The league could conclude its review of Cooper’s case for potential violations of its personal conduct policy before a trial starts, but neither the league office nor the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office appears to have much incentive to rush to a conclusion. Cooper’s in line to miss the opening portion of the season, but beyond that, there’s still uncertainty about what resolution looks like and if and when Denver’s starting outside linebacker might be back on the field.

How will Payton handle his new game-day role when they actually count?

The biggest outstanding question for the Broncos, really, is how Davis Webb will fare as a first-time play-caller. Particularly against a run of top-flight opponents out of the gate. Players and coaches are confident. So, too, is Webb. The interesting undercard is how Payton himself handles game days. He swears he’s not going to be like his mentor, Bill Parcells, who he said sighed or questioned many of his calls as games unfolded. He’s adamant this is going to work swimmingly and he won’t be tempted to take play-calling duties back. He’ll have “some suggestions, some mandates,” he said with a smile. New-look Gameday Sean in the preseason is one thing. How it looks in the regular season will be fascinating. There will undoubtedly be plenty of camera shots along the way to help tell the story.

Sean Payton’s team took the field six straight days — the last without him and several others as they traveled to Ohio for Drew Brees’ induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame — and came out the other side with a lot of work banked.

A week from now, Denver will have already played a preseason game at Atlanta.

The roster cutdown is three weeks away.

The Broncos open their season on Monday Night Football at Kansas City in 36 days.

OK, that����ap still a ways out, but the countdown is now on.

Jobs aren’t won and lost in the first week-plus of camp, but we’ve seen a lot of the Broncos and learned a lot, too.

Here are nine quick thoughts after 10 days on the field.

The Broncos offense is going to feel… different.

It����ap not yet clear how, but it����ap become increasingly clear that Denver’s offense is going to look and feel different with Davis Webb at the controls. Players talk about slightly different formations, slightly adjusted routes, more motion and changed assignments. Webb, Payton and company must decide what they want to hang their hat on in the run game, and that answer hasn’t availed itself to onlookers yet. Webb himself talked about offensive identity taking the early part of the season to form. But the notion that this is just going to be Webb calling plays off Payton’s sheet feels off. There might be plenty of Payton stuff to go along with some fresh ideas, but it will be with Webb’s spin, tempo and sequencing.

“I feel like Davis is doing a really good job of communicating with me and not over-communicating, but just give me a few things here and there,” quarterback Bo Nix said recently. “Reminders, little things about a play, like, ‘Hey, don’t forget this. Hey, remember you have this.’ So I think that����ap going to be great as we go with that communication in my ear.

“He’s been waiting for this moment for a long time. He’s been preparing for this, and he’s really put us in a good spot.”

“He’s got a bunch of wide-open concepts in practice because of shifts and motions,” Joseph said Saturday. “He’s worked very hard from the spring to now to put together and it looks really good. … The shifts and motions and the window dressing pre-snap has been good for all of us to see.”

The Broncos defense is going to look mostly the same

Vance Joseph’s defense, on the other hand, doesn’t have much need for change. Joseph has most of the same players back, and they know what they’re doing. It����ap been PhD ball for a veteran, cohesive group early in camp. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Joseph will tweak and adjust because you have to in the NFL, but this recipe hits just fine.

“You’re not coming into camp kind of stressed about learning,” veteran linebacker Alex Singleton said. “That’s the hardest thing when you go to a new team or have new guys where you’re teaching guys, ‘Hey, this is our check in this situation.’ No, instead it’s, all 11 guys know.

“So, we’re one step ahead of where we would’ve been last year or the year before that at this time of the year.”

Ehlinger has a real shot at the No. 2 QB job

Sam Ehlinger’s had two days running the No. 2s so far in camp, which may not seem like a lot, but it����ap two more than he got in all of last year’s camp. After the first, Payton said, basically, nothing to see here. It looks like something to see, though. In fact, it feels like Ehlinger’s making a real run at the gig. The Broncos like both Ehlinger and Jarrett Stidham and could keep all three on the 53-man roster despite a deep group and a good argument for keeping an extra guy somewhere else. But if Ehlinger plays well in the preseason — remember, he was pretty darn sharp last year — the Broncos will have a decision to make. Plus, if you’re toying with the idea of change after one guy has had the job for three seasons, you might just be looking for a reason to change.

Uwazurike might be a real problem for opposing offenses

The biggest loss on Denver’s defense was supposed to be John Franklin-Myers. It may still be, but the Broncos’ defensive line has been rolling so far in camp. Nobody in that group looks primed for a bigger leap than Eyioma Uwazurike, whom veteran D.J. Jones recently called “unblockable” and “scary.” Uwazurike is a force against the run and has budding pass-rush potential.

“I’m proud of him because, you guys know this, in our sport, any sport really, to just be out for a year can be difficult,” Payton said of Uwazurike, who was suspended for the entire 2023 season for violating the league’s gambling policy. “He’s really come back, developed. He’s strong, he’s big, and he’s having a real good start to camp. So I think you have to look at it as one less year than what����ap listed because of the year out.

“He’s doing really well.”

Malcolm Roach has seen an uptick in pass-rush reps, too. Can they generate consistent pressure in real games? Time will tell on that, but those two plus rookie Tyler Onyedim and second-year man Sai’Vion Jones — he’s stronger this summer but might have already fallen behind the rookie — look poised to fill the substantial gap JFM left.

There are two major questions on defense, even if they don’t seem pressing

Funny enough, while the d-line looks capable of covering up for JFM, the two biggest question marks on Joseph’s defense now are who replaces Dre Greenlaw at ILB and P.J. Locke at safety. You might say, what����ap the big deal? A No. 3 inside ’backer and a No. 3 safety can’t be that hard to figure out. Greenlaw played 324 snaps, though, and Locke played 173 after Brandon Jones was hurt. Of the Broncos’ four starters at linebacker and safety, only Justin Strnad has not dealt with a serious injury in the past two seasons.

Right now, the next man in at each spot looks like Levelle Bailey at ILB and Devon Key at S. Will that be the case come Sept. 14? Key’s in a strong position, but Bailey may have to fend off rookie seventh-rounder Red Murdock, who’s starting to make plays more consistently as camp moves toward its third week.

Bryant is making an early claim as Denver’s third wide receiver

Troy Franklin had 104 targets last year. Marvin Mims Jr. is putting together the best training camp of his career so far. But Pat Bryant, the second-year player out of Illinois, looks like the man. He makes plays day in and day out, and he’s got a complete skill set. He’s tough in the middle of the field. He can run after the catch. He’s Denver’s best blocking receiver, too. That����ap the profile of a guy who is going to play a lot. “It’ll be easy creating his role,” Payton said despite talking repeatedly about how stiff the competition is at receiver.

“It����ap healthy competition is what we like to call it,” Bryant said Friday. “At the end of the day, everybody’s job is on the line, but to come out here and compete, push each other, make sure everybody’s doing their job, helping each other out when it����ap needed. At the end of the day, we all have the same goal: let����ap go out there and win.”

There’s another wrinkle here: Courtland Sutton has no guaranteed money left after 2026. The Broncos will have to pay Jaylen Waddle sometime either next year or not far beyond. Denver’s been holding Sutton back this week in camp as part of a “load-management” protocol. Is a dip from 86% playing time next?

Lohner had a golden chance to make a push, but is missing out

Payton spoke glowingly about the second-year tight end who played just a handful of college snaps earlier this spring, but Caleb Lohner has yet to practice due to injury. He’s watched from off the field in recent days with a boot on his left foot. Perhaps he’ll be back to turning heads soon, but for now it����ap a missed opportunity because the Denver tight end room looks wide open.

Adam Trautman and Evan Engram have big roles, but there are just not a ton of splash plays and the rest of the room is a bit of a jumble. If Lohner gets back to being a rugged blocker with some athleticism in the passing game, he could still be a 2026 surprise.

Denver’s got real depth on the edge – and is clearly standing behind Cooper

The Broncos sent a clear message at the outset of training camp that they’re standing behind Jonathon Cooper — he’s facing a felony assault charge and other lesser charges related to a pair of domestic violence arrests in June — and Payton indicated the club believes there may be a resolution to the proceedings soon. Even if that happens, Cooper will still be subject to a potential NFL suspension. Regardless of his status at the start of the regular season, the Broncos have enviable depth on the edge. Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman are trusted rotation members from a year ago, Que Robinson has played well in camp so far, and Drew Sanders is healthy, as well.

Payton thinks he finally has the Broncos running back room right

Payton and Co. really muddled through the first two years of his tenure here at running back. A 2025 overhaul brought in J.K. Dobbins via free agency and RJ Harvey via the draft, but the group never felt like it quite fit together neatly, and then it fell off a cliff when Dobbins was injured. Now with rookie Jonah Coleman added to Dobbins and Harvey, Payton’s got a trio he loves. “We’re a lot further along in that position group than maybe — well, I know we are (better) than three years ago.”

Coleman’s made quite an impression in the building already as a rookie. Whether he or Harvey ends up the third down and two-minute back remains to be seen, but Denver’s got talent and depth rather than one or the other for the first time in Payton’s tenure.

The Broncos will start training camp without a pair of young reserves who figure to be squarely on the bubble this summer competing for roster spots.

Inside linebacker Jordan Turner will begin camp on the non-football injury list and offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo (knee) will start on the physically unable to perform list, the team announced Sunday afternoon.

The players both count against the team’s 90-man roster despite the injury list placements. They can be removed from the list at any time during training camp and return to practice once they are cleared.

Turner appeared in seven games as an undrafted rookie last season and is part of a big group of young and mostly unproven players trying to earn spots on the depth chart behind starting inside linebackers Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad.

Turner, who finished his college career at Michigan State before earning a spot on the Broncos’ roster last spring as a rookie minicamp tryout player, quickly emerged as a viable special teams option last fall. He played 64% of the club’s special teams snaps in the games he was active for and chipped in with 23 defensive snaps, mostly in mop-up duty, as well.

The nature and extent of Turner’s injury was not immediately clear, though if he misses any substantial time during training camp it will mean valuable reps while competing against several other young players at the position group.

Denver re-signed Strnad and Singleton while releasing Dre Greenlaw this spring, setting the top of the room. Behind them, though, Turner is joined by seventh-round rookie Red Murdock and a host of undrafted free agents from recent years in Taurean York (2026), Karene Reid (2025) and Levelle Bailey (2024). Bailey has appeared in 13 games over two seasons and Reid played in 10 as a rookie in 2025.

Gargiulo starting on PUP was an expected outcome. He sustained a gruesome knee injury in August last year during a preseason game against Arizona. The 2024 seventh-round draft pick missed the entire season and was limited during Denver’s offseason program, though he was around the team and present at multiple practices open to reporters. Gargiulo spent his rookie season on the practice squad and was elevated for three regular-season games plus Denver’s Wild Card loss to Buffalo. He has yet to appear in a game as a pro.

If the Broncos’ offensive line group stays healthy through training camp, it is going to be tough to crack the 53-man roster. Gargiulo is well thought-of as a young, developmental player, however, so his progress once fully healthy and cleared will be interesting to track.

The Broncos rookie class officially reported for training camp Wednesday and showed up healthy. Veterans officially report Tuesday. Denver has ramp-up practices slated for Wednesday and Thursday followed Friday by the first training camp practice of the summer open to fans.

Months earlier, he had little idea what was going on.

He was one of a few newcomers to the Broncos’ offseason program in 2025, and felt like it, finding his place as one of the levers and pulleys in Vance Joseph’s defensive system. So Hufanga would glance across the field at his safety partner Brandon Jones. Or north, at All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II.

“Like, ‘Hey, what are we running right here?'” Hufanga recalled in June. “‘I’m still learning the defense.'”

He is not, anymore. Few consequential members of Joseph’s defense are still in the elementary stages, entering the coordinator’s fourth season in Denver. These Broncos will head into training camp for the 2026 season still carrying 10 of the 11 defenders who started Week 1 in 2025, and those 10 starters average out at 28 years old. Not long in the tooth, exactly. But far beyond baby teeth.

That organization-wide emphasis on retention, though, has embroiled Joseph in a unique paradox after a second straight year crafting a top-three NFL defense.

“I think the challenge is human nature,” Joseph said in June. “I told the guys the very first day (of the offseason) that we’re not chasing what we’ve done in the last two years, but we’re chasing the process that got us there.”

This Broncos defense has little room for complacency, now, largely betting on the same personnel in 2026 to capitalize on a Super Bowl window that the outfit opened in 2025. An entire offseason came and went without any obvious on-paper upgrades to Joseph’s units; instead, Denver actually moved on from two notable contributors in John Franklin-Myers and Dre Greenlaw to cut costs. The gang’s mostly back, as the rest of the NFL has retooled.

“Starting over and chasing the process is our goal,” Joseph said, “and being better than we were last year.”

But how does one of the league’s most fearsome defenses — tied for fifth all-time in single-season sacks in 2025 — improve without actual personnel upgrades? Much of that will fall on Joseph, in yet another audition for an eventual second chance at a head-coaching job. Much of that, too, will fall on individual growth within his depth chart, as All-Pros like Hufanga and edge rusher Nik Bonitto are a year older and a year wiser.

As veterans are set to report for training camp this coming Tuesday, that depth chart looks awfully similar to the one the Broncos finalized at the end of 2025’s camp. But there are still a handful of key positional battles to play out — with a particular mind to cornerback.

Here’s an early two-deep defensive projection before the Broncos march into the start of the (pre)season.

Defensive line

�ٷ�:��Zach Allen, Sai’vion Jones

����:��D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach

�ٷ�:��Eyioma Uwazurike, Tyler Onyedim

Starting point:��Here’s where roster shifting will be felt the most on Denver’s defense. John Franklin-Myers’ time as a Bronco expired the minute his contract did, through no fault of his own. Can’t pay everyone. The Broncos, evidently, felt they had enough quality depth in the room to cobble together snaps to fill Franklin-Myers’ 7.5-sack void, and drafted to their defensive line in April by taking a body-type carbon copy in Onyedim in the third round.

The process of recongealing, though, might not be so smooth.

“Anytime you lose a great player, you know there’s gonna be a big hole that you gotta replace,” Roach told reporters in June, at a charity softball event. “But also, when you lose a great friend, a great brother, it kinda hits hard.”

It could hit Allen the hardest, a bona-fide star who’s made two straight All-Pro teams and knocks around opposing quarterbacks more than anyone in the NFL. As the Jones-Roach rotation seems stable at nose tackle — even as the ascending Roach could continue growing in his versatility — the most movement here during camp will happen at boundary end, with a few hungry mouths awaiting.

The 28-year-old Uwazurike figures to play a massive role in 2026, after a mini-breakout last season: a 36% defensive snap share, 3.5 sacks, 49 tackles in 19 total games. He’ll be the stabilizer. Onyedim, meanwhile, looked instantly ready for serious NFL snaps this summer before Denver even put on pads, and figures to play at least a rotational role. Keep an eye on Sai’vion Jones here, the Broncos’ 2025 third-round rookie who now will have a serious shot to wreak havoc on passing-down snaps with his 82-plus-inch wingspan. Denver will likely give veterans Jordan Jackson and Matt Henningsen long looks in camp for 53-man spots, too, given the potential reliance on youth here.

Outside linebacker

������:��Nik Bonitto, Que Robinson

������:��Jonathon Cooper (?), Jonah Elliss

Cooper’s mere presence on this roster — let alone his outlook for 2026 — is in flux, after he was arrested multiple times in June in relation to a physical altercation with his girlfriend. That, correspondingly, leaves the Broncos’ entire edge outlook here in flux, as Cooper has racked up 27 sacks and 49 quarterback hits across 51 straight regular-season games as a starter in Denver.

However Cooper’s legal process and potential league and team discipline plays out, though, there’s still an overwhelming amount of talent in this room — enough to leave key contributor Dondrea Tillman off this two-deep entirely. If Cooper is suspended for any part of the 2026 season, expect Elliss to get the first crack at playing alongside two-time Pro Bowler Bonitto, who should be set for another leap in his own right. Head coach Sean Payton went public earlier this offseason proclaiming the Broncos would look at the 23-year-old Elliss to shift inside, only to walk that back months later and make clear that wasn’t an option simply because of Elliss’s talent playing the edge.

Another glaring breakout candidate here, too, is Robinson, enough for him to supplant Tillman as a rotational rusher beyond the Broncos’ top duo. His sack of Drake Maye in the AFC Championship Game made waves and his closing speed and upside are both ridiculous. Denver has some flexibility here.

Inside linebacker

������:��Alex Singleton, Red Murdock

������:��Justin Strnad, Jordan Turner

Utter crapshoot here behind a completely stable duo of Singleton and Strnad. Both veterans re-upped with the Broncos on multi-year deals in free agency as certified Joseph guys, and they head into camp as the unquestioned starters. They know it, too. Strnad, after all, told The Denver Post flat-out in January that he didn’t think he’d re-sign in Denver if he didn’t anticipate starting at ILB in 2026.

After two straight seasons of spot-starting at ILB, now Strnad will step fully into a featured role in the middle of Denver’s defense. And Singleton, for one, said in May he expects a “huge leap” from his running mate.

“You have that confidence where — a team finally gives you what you deserve, you have that confidence all offseason,” Singleton said. “So he’s had that already. There isn’t that question of, ‘Oh, what snaps am I going to play?’”

That question comes further down, in what projects as a slight mess of a depth chart. Red Murdock (2026 pick No. 257), Taurean York (2026 undrafted free agent), Jordan Turner (2025 undrafted free agent), Karene Reid (2025 undrafted free agent), and Levelle Bailey (2024 undrafted free agent) don’t have a single NFL start between them. Strnad, as the team’s third ILB, has wound up playing a rather important role the past two seasons; the Broncos need one or two youngsters to step up in camp. Murdock should have an inside track, a loyal Buffalo product with a mean streak and a fast processor. Turner impressed the Broncos so much at 2025’s rookie minicamp that he earned a contract, then earned a practice-squad spot in camp, then earned a full-time roster nod down the stretch; he’s a third-ILB candidate to watch.

Cornerback

���:��Pat Surtain II, Kris Abrams-Draine

���:��Riley Moss, Jahdae Barron

����������:��Ja’Quan McMillian, Reese Taylor

Here’s where the most eyes will fall in any defensive realm this August. Barron was the No. 20 overall pick in 2025’s draft, spent most of his season playing in dime and specific nickel packages, and left quite a few fans wondering about the Broncos’ long-term plan for him. The short-term plan, at least, seems clear: have he and Moss duke it out for a CB2 spot to determine who Denver could extend long-term between Moss and McMillian.

Barron couldn’t beat out McMillian as a rookie for Denver’s starting nickel job, though, and supplanting Moss to play opposite Surtain will be no easy task. The 26-year-old Moss went public plenty of times in 2025 for a variety of pass-interference flags, but also surrendered just a 58% completion percentage despite seeing a ridiculously high volume of targets. Barron would need to showcase a leap from an uneven rookie season to win Moss’s job, particularly after playing limited doses of outside cornerback in 2025.

McMillian’s hold on his nickel duties, meanwhile, seems ironclad after a standout 2025 season. Abrams-Draine is an interesting piece here, a rising third-year cornerback who would likely be good enough to compete for a starting job on a handful of NFL teams.

Safety

��:��Talanoa Hufanga, Devon Key

��:��Brandon Jones, JL Skinner

The Hufanga-Jones marriage landed on hiatus in December, when Jones suffered a pec injury that ended up knocking him out for the season. Year 2 of their partnership could prove even better than Year 1, with Hufanga’s nose for the ball and Jones’ ranginess in coverage. The one glaring caveat there: the two have missed nearly 20% of their cumulative regular-season games throughout their career, putting obvious importance on Denver’s third-safety position after veteran P.J. Locke signed with the Cowboys.

Veteran Tycen Anderson, signed away from Cincinnati, could be a contender for Locke’s vacant job. But Denver hasn’t had much recent luck with signing impact-special-teamer safeties on the open market in recent years, cutting Sam Franklin at the end of last year’s camp and signing-and-cutting former All-Pro J.T. Gray midseason. Instead, look to Key, who has earned widespread organizational trust after a franchise-great season as a special-teams tackler in 2025.

Skinner, meanwhile, has played all of 54 regular-season defensive snaps in a Broncos uniform after Denver drafted him in the sixth round in 2023. The 6-foot-4 safety, though, could earn a foothold in camp with Locke gone, and was trusted by Joseph to play deep in hyper-specific closing-game situations last season.

Special teams

K: Wil Lutz

��:��Jeremy Crawshaw

LS:��Mitchell Fraboni

If the Broncos had a 2025 playoff MVP, it might well be Crawshaw, who improved over the course of his rookie season in Denver and promptly deposited five of 10 playoff kicks inside the opponent’s 20-yard-line. The 2025 sixth-round pick could — relative to punting — be in store for a monster sophomore year.

Lutz, meanwhile, will serve as Payton’s kicker for a fourth straight season in Denver and 10th season overall. That takes a rare breed.

On the roster (7): Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Red Murdock, Jordan Turner, Karene Reid, Levelle Bailey and Taurean York.

How many on the 53? Four or five. Singleton and Strnad are locked in as the starting duo; from there, it’s a free-for-all amongst youngsters for a couple spots.

Most impactful offseason move:��Choosing longstanding continuity over a more expensive injury risk in Dre Greenlaw — or anything else.

It was no secret that Denver needed to pick two of a group of three potential starters at ILB, after the 2025 season. Alex Singleton, for all his flaws in coverage and the fanbase’s not-so-gleaming reviews of his lateral quickness, had arguably the best year of his career against the run and has been key as the play-caller to Vance Joseph’s defense. Veteran Justin Strnad established himself as a versatile piece and is ready for a cemented top-flight role in an NFL defense. And Greenlaw, once the jewel of the Broncos’ 2025 free-agent haul, struggled through cascading injuries in the fall but still made an impact as an enforcer when he saw the field.

In the end, despite staring at their two expiring contracts, the Broncos’ front office decided to bring back Singleton and Strnad on multi-year deals and cut Greenlaw to save a nice little chunk of cap room. Despite widespread calls for another inside ‘backer, the Broncos stood pat for the rest of free agency and didn’t take a rookie ILB until the very last pick of April’s draft in Murdock.

That decision-making, ultimately, was an endorsement of the 32-year-old Singleton as Joseph’s defensive captain and a show of faith in Strnad to outperform what Greenlaw could’ve given them in 2026. And Denver will enter training camp with virtually no competition for those starting jobs at arguably the weakest point of an ironclad defensive unit. It’s up to Singleton and Strnad to showcase the reasoning behind that internal evaluation.

Biggest question to answer in camp:��Who’s the ILB3?

Strnad became a virtually irreplaceable piece over the last two seasons as the third inside linebacker on Denver’s roster, starting 16 of 33 games and playing over 50% of the team’s defensive snaps as both a fill-in starter and rotational ILB on passing downs. Greenlaw is gone, removing a massive injury risk on Denver’s roster. But it’s almost impossible to see veterans Singleton and Strnad combining for 34 regular-season games in 2026.

In another interesting front-office decision, the Broncos have thus far opted against bringing in a veteran linebacker for depth. Instead, Denver is rolling with a group of five ‘backers who have played a collective total of 42 NFL defensive snaps. Long live the youth!

This projects as a true training-camp melee, with no current favorite. Murdock is probably the best bet at the moment, the 2026 NFL Draft’s Mr. Irrelevant who put up some truly relevant numbers at Buffalo. Keep an eye on jacked Jordan Turner, too, who rose from a rookie-minicamp tryout signee to a 53-man roster staple by the end of his rookie season out of Michigan State.

Battle to watch:��Turner vs. Reid vs. Bailey, again

This room hasn’t drastically changed since last year’s training camp, when then-undrafted-rookies Turner and Reid battled it out with Bailey for a roster spot. Expect more of the same this fall, with a couple new pieces around them.

Bailey has been a training-camp darling for two seasons due to his natural nose for the football, but has never been able to find a foothold on Denver’s roster. The Broncos love back-of-the-roster depth pieces that can provide consistent special-teams value, and chose Reid over Bailey for a roster spot in 2025 for that very reason; Turner, meanwhile, ran out of practice-squad elevations as a rookie and wound up playing 64% of the Broncos’ ST snaps in seven regular-season games last year.

All have varying degrees of upside on the defensive side of the ball. If Bailey can showcase special-teams development in camp to head coach Sean Payton and ST coordinator Darren Rizzi, though, watch for him to finally seize a spot in his third season in Denver.

Under the radar:��York.

Payton and the Broncos have created a haven of sorts for undrafted free agents in Denver across the past few years, and York could be the next post-draft signing to find his way to the roster. He is betting on himself to do so.

“Don’t be fooled by the undrafted label,” York told The Post in May, asked if he had a message for Denver’s fanbase. “OK? My resume, my history, is public knowledge. It����ap out there. If you have a question if I can play or not, just go look my name up.”

Indeed, the 21-year-old York started for three straight seasons at Texas A&M as the Aggies’ defensive play-caller, and is described as a whiz-kid of sorts by former defensive coaches. His size — measuring at 5-foot-10 and 226 pounds — will prove a definite challenge at the NFL level. But there’s opportunity in the Broncos’ current ILB room, and York is toting a massive chip on his diminutive shoulders.

Instead, it went directly to representatives of Special Olympics Colorado — waiting to see if he’d be back in Denver so .

“Or else, I might’ve been having it in some other city,” Singleton said.

He spoke to reporters Friday very much present and accounted for in Denver, on-site at his second annual cornhole event with Special Olympics Colorado. Two months earlier, the Broncos captain received $11 million in guaranteed money on a new contract. The Special Olympics team got the green light. But for a brief period, this was all far from a certainty.

At February’s NFL Combine, Broncos general manager George Paton said point-blank they’d “love” to re-sign Singleton and fellow ILB Justin Strnad, both impending free agents. Words that drift through the haze of NFL contract negotiations, however, rarely equate to actions. Strnad told The Post on Friday that he “wasn’t nervous to go to the market.” Hours into free agency opening March 9, Singleton remained unsigned — and had a skeleton deal lined up with another NFL team in free agency if negotiations with the Broncos fell through, according to a source familiar with the process.

Paton’s word never wavered, though. Denver finalized multi-year deals with multi-year mainstays Strnad and Singleton, cut 2025 signee Dre Greenlaw, and immediately set the precedent for an offseason of unprecedented veteran retention.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton may hate the term “run it back,” as he said at the start of April. But his linebackers, for one, appreciate the sentiment.

“I think it’s everything,” Singleton said Friday. “Coaches say it all the time, like — ‘Ah, if we could just run it back, we could go be better.’ And then they let half the guys go, and sign all these free agents, and you’re just like, ‘Well, were they lying to us? What was the upstairs thinking?’

“But instead,” Singleton continued, “we’re in an organization right now that, what they’ve said is completely true. What Sean has said since Day 1 — he’s going to keep the guys here, they’re going to win football games for us — he’s done that. And now, we’ve had a year of winning where we got close. Instead of trying to fix something that isn’t broken with new pieces, we just kinda put together the band. And we’re going to see what happens.”

The heart of a defense that is the heart of these Broncos, then, is back to try to climb through a Super Bowl window everyone in Denver knows is open. Everyone across the NFL, too, if you ask Singleton.

“We’re not chasing targets anymore,” Singleton said Friday, asked about the team’s self-expectations. “We’re the target, now, I think, in the AFC. So we need to know that.”

Beyond a blockbuster trade for Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle, the Broncos placed a rather massive offseason bet on retaining their own pieces to successfully dodge that target. That begins with Singleton and Strnad, two veteran buddies who’ve been handsomely rewarded for their efforts and will now be tasked with rewarding the organization’s faith.

For years, Broncos fans have argued across social-media keyboards that the middle of coordinator Vance Joseph’s defense is, in fact, broken. Joseph himself has acknowledged that opposing offenses have attacked his scheme with tight ends across the past two seasons, and Singleton and Strnad have both had spotty records covering TEs in space. The two, however, also happened to be the two best inside linebackers on the NFL’s No. 3 defense in 2025, and Joseph has attached Singleton to his hip as his on-field defensive play-caller.

The Broncos could’ve easily signed a different linebacker in free agency for a similar cost. They did not. They could’ve drafted an early-to-middle-round linebacker, even as Texas’s Anthony Hill Jr. was ripped away two picks before the team’s second-round selection in April. They did not.

“We feel really good about Alex and Justin,” Broncos assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt said post-draft, on evaluating draft ILBs. “And so, it wasn’t a gotta-have-it.”

Singleton’s floor and ceiling are both obvious: a 32-year-old captain who struggled in coverage situations but put together arguably the best year of his career against the run in 2025 (just a 7.5% missed tackle rate, according to Pro Football Focus). Strnad, though, may have another leap to take entering his first season as a clear starter.

Entering his sixth season as a Bronco, the 29-year-old Strnad has still only started 21 games. He filled in capably for the oft-injured Greenlaw in 2025, and made himself impossible to take off the field in obvious coverage and pass-rushing situations even when Greenlaw was healthy.

Strnad told The Post Friday, at Singleton’s tournament, that it was “awesome” to see the organization “take care” of him after years earning his stripes. And Singleton said he thinks Strnad will take a “huge leap,” now that his role is finally set.

“Because you have that confidence where a team finally gives you what you deserve,” Singleton said. “You have that confidence all offseason. So he’s had that already. There isn’t that question of, ‘Oh, what snaps am I going to play?’”

The organization’s confidence in the locker room’s pre-established culture has even trickled down to offseason scheduling. At Payton’s behest, the Broncos will start Phase Three of its offseason program (organized team activities) later than any other NFL team, on June 2. Singleton, though, said Friday he believes the Broncos are weeks and months — if not years — ahead of “a lot of teams in the league.”

They’ll need to be, to reach Super Bowl heights.

“I don’t think we like, really get too caught up in the, like, whole ‘window’ thing,” Strnad said. “But I definitely think it����ap obvious that it����ap time for us to do what we want to do.”

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

They have, relatively speaking, very few question marks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OFFENSE (25)

Quarterback (3)

Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger

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

Running back (4)

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

Also: Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie and Cody Schrader

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

Tight end (4)

Adam Trautman, Evan Engram, Justin Joly and Caleb Lohner 

Also: Dallen Bentley, Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull

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

Wide receiver (5)

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

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

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

Offensive line (9)

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

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

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

DEFENSE (25)

Defensive line (7)

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

Also: Matt Henningsen, Jordan Miller and Kristian Williams

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

Outside linebacker (4)

Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Que Robinson and Dondrea Tillman

Also: Drew Sanders, Johnny Walker and Dasan McCullough

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

Inside linebacker (4)

Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Jonah Elliss and Red Murdock 

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

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

Cornerback (5)

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

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

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

Safety (5)

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

Also: Tycen Anderson and Parker Robertson

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

SPECIALIST (3)

PK Wil Lutz, P Jeremy Crawshaw and LS Mitch Fraboni

Also: LS Luke Basso

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

And Denver, coming off a 14-3 regular season, will now have to stare down the concept of statistical regression to the mean against a true gauntlet of a 2026 schedule. The Broncos will play 10 games in 2026 against teams that made the playoffs last year, and that’s not even counting a Week 1 Monday Night Football opener against the Kansas City Chiefs in enemy territory.

“You always understand the next challenge,” Payton said at NFL league meetings. “We have a tough schedule. We don’t know when we’re playing these teams.”

They know now, as then NFL’s Thursday-night schedule release revealed both good news and significantly worse news on Denver’s 2026 outlook. Let’s dive in.

The slate

Week 1, Sept. 14: at Kansas City Chiefs (Monday Night Football)

Week 2, Sept. 20: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 3, Sept. 27: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week 4, Oct. 4: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 5, Oct. 11: at Los Angeles Chargers

Week 6, Oct. 15: vs. Seattle Seahawks (Thursday Night Football)

Week 7, Oct. 25: at Arizona Cardinals

Week 8, Nov. 1: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 9, Nov 8: at Carolina Panthers

Week 10: Bye

Week 11, Nov. 22: vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Week 12, Nov. 27: at Pittsburgh Steelers (Black Friday)

Week 13, Dec. 6: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week 14, Dec. 13: at New York Jets

Week 15, Dec. 20: at Las Vegas Raiders

Week 16, Dec. 25: vs. Buffalo Bills (Christmas Day)

Week 17, TBD: at New England Patriots

Week 18, TBD: at Los Angeles Chargers

Must-watch game: Sept. 27, vs. Los Angeles Rams

A lot of fantastic choices here, but this one could be a barnburner. Denver will head into Week 3 with a couple games to get their legs underneath them and for quarterback Bo Nix to get his ankle underneath him, and will face off here against arguably the most high-powered offense in the NFL. What can 31-year-old Broncos whiz-kid play-caller Davis Webb whip up against the NFL’s foremost whiz-kid in Rams head coach Sean McVay? There’s entire branches of offensive coaches spinning off from this coaching-tree matchup between Sean Payton and McVay, and this will be the first time the two head coaches square off since Payton took the reins in Denver in 2023.

Tune in at 6:20 p.m. on NBC for fireworks.

Tough-watch game: Dec. 13, at New York Jets

Yawn. This category was actually plenty hard, as there’s few gimmes on the Broncos’ schedule. The Raiders have Mendoza. The Cardinals have a new and potentially explosive offensive weapon in No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love.

The Jets have…um. Geno Smith?

The Denver-New York matchup is always somewhat interesting in the weeds, as former Broncos assistant general manager Darren Mougey heads into his second season as the Jets’ GM. New York had a pretty strong draft, anchored by No. 2 overall pick David Bailey, but the roster is still unsexy. And this matchup is a lot less interesting than it was in 2025, when these two teams met across the pond in London. This will be the fourth straight season these AFC teams have met — it’s probably time to wipe this off the slate.

Bring some popcorn: Sept. 20, vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Quietly, this whole matchup went down as one of the strangest matchups of the 2025 season. Let’s rewind. In game-week availability, Payton referred to the Jaguars — in a largely complimentary answer of their season — as “smaller-market.” Smartly, first-year Jaguars head coach Liam Coen weaponized that objectively true statement into a rallying cry for both his locker room and the city of Jacksonville at large. After snapping the Broncos’ 11-game win streak with a 34-20 victory last December, Coen fired off a shot postgame.

“A small-market team like us can can come into Mile High and get it done,” Coen said.

Multiple Denver players came away from that loss noting that they could see Jacksonville again in the playoffs. They didn’t. They will soon again, though, in Week 2. The Broncos’ locker room has often rallied around Payton’s messaging, and Denver’s head coach could weaponize the Jaguars’ 2025 response in turn a year later. This could get chippy.

Players’ revenge: Oct. 4 vs. San Francisco 49ers, Dec. 6 vs. Miami Dolphins

Publicly, there’s no hint of hard feelings from Denver toward inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who the organization cut after an injury-plagued season in 2025. Nor vice versa. But Greenlaw never found any kind of real rhythm last season, and admitted on a podcast appearance this offseason that he just “wasn’t happy” in Denver. He’s a ferocious competitor, and will likely bring some force to this inter-conference contest.

A couple months after that, the Broncos’ brightest offseason addition will get a chance to put his former franchise in the dirt at Empower Field. Star receiver Jaylen Waddle hasn’t taken any shots back at Miami, since the Dolphins traded him as part of a full-scale rebuild this offseason. But plenty in Waddle’s circle believe he was held back in two straight sub-1,000 yard seasons the last two years with quarterback and organizational instability. This could be a chance for him to tee off.

Toughest stretch: Literally the first six games of the year

The scheduling gods did Denver no favors here. The Broncos will kick off their season in primetime at Arrowhead Stadium, and that might be the easiest matchup they’ll get until late October. From there, they’ll play five straight teams that won at least 11 games last season. The worst of it all: two straight road games against the 49ers and the Chargers, rolling straight into a short-week Thursday Night Football matchup against the reigning Super Bowl Champions. Yikes.

That Week 6 game against the Seahawks will be delightfully ugly. The Broncos slogged through two TNF games last year, and took a ���ڱ�Բ���-�ɾ��Բ�-���󲹳��辱�DzԲ��󾱱����mentality in both. Now Denver will host the league’s No. 1 defense after coming off back-to-back road games. Time for the defensive line to step up.

Lightest stretch: Weeks 13-15 (Dolphins, Jets, Raiders)

Thankfully for the Broncos, after that early-season run, they’ll slide into a nice breather in December and a potential opportunity to make up some conference ground. After a Black Friday trip to Pittsburgh to play against a Steelers team that may or may not feature a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, they’ll take on the rebuilding Dolphins at home, travel to New York the next week and host Las Vegas Dec. 20.

Three teams with a combined 13 wins in 2025 — less than the Broncos themselves had last season. Denver has to hope to go 3-0 in this stretch, heading into a final-season run with Buffalo, New England and the regular-season finale against the Chargers.