George Paton, the general manager who’d just traded for Waddle hours earlier, was there. So was running back J.K. Dobbins, whose ground game stood to benefit from Waddle’s field-stretching speed. So was newly-minted offensive coordinator Davis Webb, suddenly gifted a precise route-runner in his first year as a play-caller. And so was quarterback Bo Nix, of course, who Waddle got an instant picture of.

“He’s different, in a good way,” Waddle told The Post on Thursday, on his first sitdown with Nix. “He’s in tune. He’s a family man. He loves playing football.

“He loves just being around, and he’s got one of them personalities you just gravitate to.”

The last time the Broncos mortgaged this much of their future on a player also brought a celebratory dinner at a steakhouse. It was Elway’s, for quarterback Russell Wilson in 2022. That outcome ended in disaster. The Broncos no doubt hope Waddle’s outcome will be different, because the situation is. Wilson was tasked with the entire foundation in Denver; Waddle simply needs to be the organization’s final piece of the puzzle, slotting in next to Dobbins and Webb and Nix.

“There was a crystal-clear vision prior to the trade,” head coach Sean Payton reflected Thursday. “As to — ‘All right, this is what we see, this is where he plays, and these are the things we feel like he’s exceptional at, and then let’s apply them into what we’re doing.'”

Three months later, the integration process is coming along smoothly. Payton said Thursday the 27-year-old Waddle “picks things up quick,” and there is no supplement for accelerated learning like accelerated talent. Nix won’t actually throw to Waddle in live situations until later in June, as the quarterback is still rehabbing his broken ankle. He was on the field to watch Thursday, though, as Waddle veered all across formations in 11-on-11 periods, broke off lighting-quick cuts on out routes and torched cornerback Riley Moss so badly on one in-breaker that Moss simply resorted to grabbing him.

After the third day of OTAs wrapped up, safety Talanoa Hufanga gave his initial impressions of Waddle.

“Everything he’s expected to be,” Hufanga said.

Fast and smooth

On Thursday, Waddle smiled and shrugged off a reporter’s question about whether he viewed himself as a “hired gun.” And teammates have not described the sixth-year receiver as some sort of savior, because the Broncos do not need him to be. They need him, simply, to do what he’s good at to upgrade the Denver offense, a process that has already turned plenty of navy-blue helmets.

“He’s a special dude,” veteran receiver Courtland Sutton said Thursday. “There’s a lot of things that he has, his qualities, that are very unique to himself. And I say that in a very specific way, because he has some qualities that only he could do. And it����ap fun to be able to watch it up close and personal, and I think Coach Webb and Coach Payton have done a really good job of trying to figure out the things that he can do well.”

The things Waddle can do well, Sutton smiled, are obvious. At Episcopal High in Bellaire, Texas, former offensive coordinator Kary Kimble dubbed Waddle “Magic.” Defenders saw him, until they didn’t. He was named an All-American returner as a sophomore at Alabama 40-yard-dash, and led all qualified NFL receivers in yards-per-catch (18.1) in his second year with the Dolphins in 2022.

The niche Waddle fits in Denver, though, goes much deeper than surface-level speed. Payton places a premium on smooth deceleration in evaluating wideouts; after Troy Franklin’s shaky first season in Denver, for example, Payton told the young receiver he wanted him to learn how to start “stopping like a Tesla.” The brakes are already innate to Waddle, who Payton praised Thursday for his ability to stop fast.

That single trait adds a complete unpredictability to Waddle’s breaks. The receiver grinned when asked by reporters on that Thursday, joking he couldn’t “give away the sauce.”

Hufanga, though, defined it well enough.

“I think his ability to make every route look the same is pretty important,” Hufanga said. “As a defender, when you can make a 10-yard stop look like a go, a 10-yard dig (route) look like a go, a 10-yard out-route — it����ap just, everything looks the same. And it puts pressure on your backpedal, as a DB.”

The best version of Waddle to date came in 2022, immediately after the Dolphins’ trade for Tyreek Hill but before the eventual decline of the Mike McDaniel-Tua Tagovailoa era in Miami. Hufanga, who faced the Hill-Waddle tandem firsthand while playing for San Francisco back then, noted the duo’s ability to accelerate and decelerate to disguise in-breaking routes as deep routes and vice versa. In Denver, now, Waddle can play off another “elite playmaker” — as he termed it — in Sutton, as the two give Payton and Webb options to interchange through a variety of alignments and route concepts.

“You could start slot to outside, or outside to slot,” Payton said, describing the vision for Waddle. “Just pick.”

The 30-year-old Sutton, of course, is nowhere near as quick as Hill. Few are. Quietly, though, Sutton finished second in the NFL in 2024 and tied for 10th in 2025 in catches on balls thrown more than 20 yards in the air, according to Next Gen Stats. It’s an open secret that Sutton is usually Nix’s go-to look on third downs, which could conversely pen up one-on-one looks for Waddle in high-leverage spots.

On the flip side, opposing secondaries keyed in on Sutton in 2025, often putting a natural cap on Denver’s offense. If Sutton was bracketed, Nix often didn’t have a consistent deep threat last year, and finished 17th in the NFL in completion percentage of throws 20-plus yards downfield.

Enter Waddle.

“I think that he and I being able to manipulate the outside is going to help the run game,” Sutton said Thursday. “And then ultimately, whenever we do get a chance to get these one-on-one looks, I think it����ap going to be interesting to see where that safety does decide to shade.”

Low maintenance, high potential

The arrival of one star, of course, will naturally dim the light of those around him. On Thursday night, Sutton received the heartiest cheers and took the heartiest swings at UCHealth’s annual “Healthy Swings” home-run-derby at Coors Field; as he accepted a winner’s trophy, a fellow teammate off to the side cracked a joke labeling Sutton as “Mr. Bronco.” The eight-year veteran made a Pro Bowl in 2025 on the back of two straight 1,000-yard seasons, and Denver wouldn’t have made the Waddle trade if there was any risk that either receiver would lose sleep over lost targets.

Sutton, though, has established himself as one of the lowest-maintenance receivers in the NFL. Waddle, meanwhile, never publicly complained about diminished targets through two sub-1,000-yard seasons in Miami in 2024 and 2025.

“I think last year, we saw what it would take for a selfless offense to be able to get to where we want to get to,” Sutton said “It����ap not the — I don’t think we have any individual personalities that are saying, ‘Hey, I need this. I need that.’ I think we got a bunch of guys that are willing to put their pride aside and say, ‘Hey, look, what do I need to do for this team to be successful?’”

Payton often refers to locker-room favorites as “force multipliers.” Dobbins is one. So is boisterous defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, for instance. Waddle does not project in the same vein; former coaches describe him as quiet, and he doesn’t carry himself with any particular gravitas when speaking at a public podium.

That personality, though, is a fit in itself. And Waddle has already begun force-multiplying with his first routes down in Dove Valley.

“I just think he takes us — unlocks another dimension for us, especially with RPOs and stuff like that,” Roach told The Post Thursday night, at Coors. “I think the best is yet for him to come, and the best is yet for us to come.

“So I think it����ap going to be a good marriage.”

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 if Thursday night on social media was any indication, ����apountry has indigestion.

At age 62 and a first-time grandpa, Sean Payton operates on the premise that everything that demands attention does not deserve attention. But even he must take notice of the Broncos’ buzzsaw of an opening schedule.

Who did Payton (bleep) off in the league office now?

In the first six weeks, the Broncos host five playoff teams from a year ago. The one that did not qualify? The Kansas City Chiefs. And Denver gets them on the road on Monday night to open the season.

How is that for a punch in the eyeballs?

In Payton’s first three seasons, the Broncos never faced more than two previous postseason qualifiers in the first six weeks, and played six total. They went 2-4 in those games.

Payton might as well puff on a Sherlock Holmes pipe, given how much he loves all the smoke. But this is a bit much.

It looks like the NFL put out a fraud alert on the Broncos, and wants to find out if 2025 really happened. You know the 14 wins, the AFC’s No. 1 seed, the ending of the Chiefs’ nine-year stranglehold on the division?

It is unfair. And it is perfect.

Payton never has feelings of inadequacy or insecurity. Give him a test, make him an underdog and he rallies players around the cause like Mel Gibson in “Braveheart.”

Remember the Chiefs’ game last season without J.K. Dobbins and Patrick Surtain? Or the smothering win at Tampa Bay in 2024 after an 0-2 start?

The Broncos’ first goal is to win the AFC West. That guarantees a home playoff game. Staying tethered early represents the biggest challenge to a second straight division crown, along with surviving the final three weeks against the Bills, Patriots and Chargers.

There is a strong chance that the Broncos will be better and win fewer games. You probably know this if you have gone through the schedule game by game and realized they face 10 playoff teams in 2025.

Thank goodness for the Jets, who have the league’s longest playoff drought, the Cardinals, who hired Nathaniel Hackett to run their offense, and the Dolphins, whose roster suggests they are not even trying.

By the morning of Oct. 16, we will know whether the Broncos are legit. That is the day after facing the defending champion Seattle Seahawks at home on Thursday night, one of five standalone games. If they navigate at the Chiefs, Jaguars, Rams, at the 49ers, at the Chargers and Seattle with a 3-3 record or better, they will be poised to reach the Super Bowl.

Anything less will be alarming and likely feature questions about Payton’s next contract and quarterback Bo Nix’s health.

So, let’s borrow Nathan MacKinnon’s goggles, flippers and snorkel and dive in:

Week 1 at Chiefs

San Jose Jazz Summer Fest annoyance index on scale 1-10: 7. The Broncos would have preferred this game at home. The Chiefs are 8-2 in their last 10 openers at Arrowhead Stadium, and it likely marks the return of Patrick Mahomes. But the future Hall of Famer is coming off ACL surgery, might lack mobility, and has a receiving corps that frightens nobody. Steal this game, and the Broncos will have a card up their sleeve all season.

Week 2 vs. Jaguars

Jazz Fest annoyance index: 6. The “smaller market” Jaguars delivered a big punch to the Broncos’ gut last season, snapping their 12-game home winning streak. Denver fears no one. But facing the Jaguars after the Chiefs and before the Rams is nasty business. Trevor Lawrence is willing to take sacks to make big plays. This needs to be the game the Broncos show how takeaways have become a top priority.

Week 3 vs Rams

Jazz Fest annoyance index: 3. Sean McVay is who Sean Payton used to be. The wunderkind continues pursuing a second Super Bowl title. Payton, who is close friends with the Rams coach, was 46 when he won his ring. He hasn’t been back since. McVay claimed his at age 36. He boasts the reigning MVP in Matthew Stafford and weapons that conjure images of the Broncos with Peyton Manning. This could be the day where we find out if Davis Webb is really calling plays or the offensive coordinator in name only.

Week 4 at San Francisco

Jazz Fest annoyance index: 8. The music has died. But the Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon takes over the streets, including a 5K and KIDS ROCK event on Saturday. If vice president of operations Chip Conway, a tireless worker in a thankless job, books the wrong hotel, he will likely be forced to run back to Denver. The good news? The 49ers are aging like Nick Nolte, making this a very winnable game.

Week 5 at Los Angeles Chargers

Jazz Fest annoyance ranking: 4. Forget the glitz. Los Angeles is a business trip. Jim Harbaugh has given the Chargers a jolt, but this isn’t exactly like playing Pete Carroll’s 2004 USC Trojans at the Coliseum. The problem with the Chargers in this spot is the physical games leading up to it. The Chargers want a rock fight. The Broncos’ ability to pull off the upset will depend on limiting penalties and multiple big strikes from Justin Herbert, who figures to improve under former Smoky Hill grad Mike McDaniels.

Week 6 vs. Seattle Seahawks

Jazz Fest annoyance index: 6. By my math, the Broncos are facing the league’s best two teams back-to-back. It was for games like these that Denver acquired Jaylen Waddle. You have to be able to keep up with the Rams, and deliver a few gash plays through the air (looking at you Waddle) and on the ground (hello, J.K. Dobbins) to stiff arm the Seahawks’ pass rush.

It definitely feels like something is up with this schedule set up. It is tilted with heavyweight matchups. And September has not been their friend. Payton is 4-7 in the first month as the Broncos coach.

If they can hold serve through mid-October, the next eight weeks offer a runway for a long winning streak or a 6-2 stretch.

The schedule matters more to teams with poor coaches and bad quarterbacks. That is no longer the case with the Broncos. They are equipped to get in the ring or an octagon.

But even for those who believe orange sunsets are an ode to the Broncos must acknowledge the challenge ahead. Those opening six games are straight out of the SEC. In all, they play six teams projected to win 10 games.

The Broncos will return to the playoffs. Mother Nature helped knock them out last year. The challenge this season will be avoiding a haymaker from September and October.

— Fred Waiss, Prairie du Chien, Wis.

Hey Fred, thanks for reading, as always, and thanks getting us going from the confluence of the Mississippi and the Wisconsin.

It����ap a fascinating question and the true answer is that there’s no clear answer yet, but city officials — particularly Mayor Mike Johnston — are really excited about the possibilities. In fact, when I talked to Johnston back in September as the Broncos finalized Burnham Yard as their preferred site for a new stadium, the mayor was equally excited to talk about the future of the current Empower Field site. He called it, “a once-in-a-century opportunity.”

“When will you ever get 80 acres of central Denver back, that the city owns, to be able to completely redevelop with community voice?” Johnston said then. “That����ap unheard of. It����ap just such a critical place where it����ap deeply engaged in Sun Valley and the identity of West Denver. It����ap also the connection to downtown. You can imagine how you could live right there on the old Mile High site and you could walk right under the bridge and you’re at the Auroria campus or you’re at Ball Arena or downtown.

“It����ap going to be an incredible opportunity for the West side of Denver.”

It, of course, will not be an incredible opportunity any time in the very near future. In fact, the city website says the planning process to develop a vision for what happens at the old Mile High site is set to kick off in “late 2027.” Then, if everything proceeds on time at Burnham Yard and the project moves forward, the Broncos wouldn’t start playing there until the 2031 season. Once the lease runs out after the 2030 season, then the city would take over control of Empower Field.

In general, though, there is a wide range of possibilities for what happens to the land, and part of what makes it unique is that the city owns it. There will almost undoubtedly be some community uses, such as parks, open space, and public facilities. But, in Johnston’s telling, the city’s stewardship of the land also means the potential for more affordable housing or creative development projects.

“If it����ap all owned by a private developer, we’re begging them to do a little more affordability here and a little more affordability there,” Johnston said back in September. “When we own the land, the people get to set all the terms for what happens there. That����ap unheard of. There’s not a place where we could afford to acquire that much land to be competing with private developers who would jack up the prices.

“This is a real game-changer for West Denver to have these two neighborhoods that will be places that are both incredibly exciting and attractive and can stay affordable. That����ap the big win for the city.”

There could also be some Denver Water presence in the area, given that the utility submitted a concept plan that includes using the current Lot M at Empower Field as part of its partial relocation from the Burnham Yard area.

So, the short answer to your question, Fred, is that there aren’t concrete answers or fleshed-out ideas yet. But it����ap something the mayor and city officials are already excited about the possibility of.

How does this current Broncos roster compare to last year’s team at this same point of the offseason? Better? Worse? Same?

— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.

Hey Ed, thanks for writing in.

With the caveat that we haven’t seen this group on the field and won’t in any meaningful way for a while, it looks like a better roster to me. There are certainly positions where you’re not quite sure exactly who fills a spot — John Franklin-Myers’ on the defensive line and P.J. Locke as a third safety, for example — but there are also upgrades and development to take into consideration.

At this stage of the offseason last year, J.K. Dobbins hadn’t yet signed. We didn’t know if Troy Franklin would take a Year 2 leap or what contributions Denver’s offense would get from rookies like Pat Bryant and RJ Harvey.

This spring, you retain the vast majority of contributors from last year’s team and add a fresh draft class to the mix. Oh, right, and also the mega spring trade for receiver Jaylen Waddle.

There are always twists and turns through training camp, and injuries always crop up, but this is going to be a really tough 53-man roster to make. Start with the quarterback and a crop of All-Pros and work your way through the depth chart. As a first-blush starting point, it����ap difficult to find more than maybe 8-10 spots up for grabs.

Hey Parker, my big question for you is: Have the Broncos done enough this offseason to win the AFC West again? While we were the best team last year, we had a lot of close calls. I love that we traded for Jaylen Waddle because he’s going to open up our offense, but we still need a strong No. 1 tight end. We need an answer at ILB to counter opposing tight ends. We need a better running game (J.K. Dobbins is good, but he’s fragile).

Tell me why this team will do well next year.

— Mike, Denver

Hey Mike, thanks for writing in and good question. The Broncos won the AFC West by three games a year ago and head into training camp feeling like they’ve got a roster that’s deeper and more talented than last year’s. Not a complete list, obviously, but you can look at the starting group and say they essentially lost John Franklin-Myers and gained Jaylen Waddle. They added a draft class that may not be asked to produce a ton right away, but running back Jonah Coleman and tight end Justin Joly have a chance to help solidify the depth chart right away and maybe push for time depending on how veterans who have dealt with injuries in their careers — J.K. Dobbins and Evan Engram, respectively — hold up through the fall.

The Broncos are widely considered to have few major areas of concern, assuming quarterback Bo Nix is fully healthy when training camp begins. They’re peppered near the top of outlets’ post-draft NFL power rankings (No. 3 on ESPN and The Athletic, as a couple of examples). However, the betting odds tell a little bit of a different story at this point. DraftKings, for example, has a tight AFC West race brewing but puts Kansas City (+160) and the Los Angeles Chargers (+190) ahead of Denver (+220) to win the division. BetMGM pegs the Chiefs’ and Chargers’ win totals at 10.5 and the Broncos’ at 9.5.

Part of that is Denver’s schedule being far more challenging than it has been in recent years. They’ve got 10 games against 2025 playoff teams and that, of course, does not include a pair against division-rival Kansas City. The Chiefs’ prospects in 2026 look a lot different, of course, if QB Patrick Mahomes (ACL), is on the field from Week 1 rather than missing the first few weeks. The Chargers won 11 games last year despite a slew of injuries, including to their terrific pair of starting tackles. Losing defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is a big blow, but gaining Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator is big, too.

The regular season always takes its toll, but sign me up for a stretch run where all three teams are right in it. That sounds like fun.

I feel like if Bo Nix didn’t break his ankle after the Bills game, we would’ve beaten the Pats and gone to the Super Bowl. Do you think the Broncos would’ve been able to beat Seattle? I think we’d put up a better fight than the Pats did.

— Tim, Golden

Hey Tim, thanks for writing. One of the most popular questions of the offseason and my answer is, I think, similar to what a lot of others would say. I do think the Broncos would have beaten New England and played in the Super Bowl. I don’t think anybody was beating Seattle. Would it have been more competitive than the game we all saw? Yeah, probably.

Alas, we’ll never know for sure.

Hey Parker, do you think Bo Nix will use his legs earlier in the season as he did in his rookie year, or will they try to make him more of a pocket passer in Year 3?

— David M., Denver

Hey David, thanks for writing in and good question.

The Broncos coaches and Bo Nix all believe that he can play and win from the pocket, but it����ap also clear when you watch him play that his legs are a big part of what makes him special. I’d be really surprised if Nix used the fractured ankle and two subsequent operations as a reason for being less aggressive running. If he were limited in some way, that’d be another story, but at this point, there’s no indication that would be the case by the time September rolls around.

More than the ankle, some of how Nix plays and the kind of running situations he’s put in will depend on whether we see any substantial change in offensive approach with offensive coordinator Davis Webb taking over as Denver’s primary play-caller. Will he be interested in dialing up the usage of the designed quarterback run game? Will he want Nix in the pocket more frequently? Obviously, head coach Sean Payton is still going to have a heavy influence on game plan design, but if Webb is calling all or most of the plays, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Nix’s usage — and the roles of other offensive skill players — change at least a little bit.

Or, at least for the Broncos, the 2026 offseason program kicks off Monday.

This is in many ways the start of the long march toward September and the start of the season, though players and coaches still have a five-week break to look forward to this summer.

Denver head coach Sean Payton decided to start this spring’s program later than usual and later than everybody else in the NFL, citing a Broncos 2025 season that lasted until late January.

Payton is also a longtime believer that running and lifting are more important this time of year than getting on the field for football-related activities.

So, players start the voluntary part of the offseason program Monday, but outside of a rookie minicamp May 8-10, Denver will abstain from on-field work until the first week of June.

“All of May will just be weightlifting,” Payton said earlier this year. “You’ll see us on the field in June. We’ll have two weeks of OTAs and a week of mini camp, but I don’t want them to feel like they were just here.”

Payton has also said in the past that he doesn’t want his players feeling like they’re going to football practice in the spring.

Still, Monday morning will feature the Broncos’ first 2026 team meeting, the first messaging about starting over and building toward a title run this fall. It’ll feel like the start of something in the building.

With that in mind, here are four questions about the coming months in ����apountry.

When will Broncos QB Bo Nix be back in action?

The likely answer now: Not for a while. Nix will likely still be around for Phases 1 and 2 of the offseason program over the next several weeks, but he’ll be rehabbing from the recent clean-up procedure on his surgically repaired right ankle rather than doing the full lifting and running regimen his teammates will be on.

OTAs and minicamp are still a month-plus away, but from here, sources expected Payton and Denver’s medical and training staffs to be cautious with Nix through those weeks. The start of training camp is still nearly three months away. Having Nix back to full go then is the new priority for the staff.

There is still no clear understanding of what the recent procedure entailed for Nix, but sources indicate the cleanup work was going to have to happen at some point — if not now, then likely after the 2026 season. Nix’s rehab from the initial fracture repair in January went well enough that Dr. Norman Waldrop III, Nix and the Broncos decided they had a window to get it done now. It will cost Nix most of the early stages of the offseason program, but in return, he enters the year without the prospect of another procedure hanging out there somewhere on the horizon.

Could Denver add a veteran free agent of note?

It����ap always a possibility.

Denver signed RB J.K. Dobbins in June last year. In 2023, the club signed OLB Frank Clark around the same time.

For a time, the Broncos looked like they could perhaps use a veteran defensive lineman. Then they used their top draft pick, No. 66 overall, on Tyler Onyedim. There’s a long way to go to late August, but right now Denver looks like it could again easily take seven defensive linemen into the season: Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike, Onyedim, Sai’Vion Jones and Jordan Jackson.

If there’s a spot to add a Dobbins-esque veteran, what about outside linebacker and what about Cam Jordan? The 37-year-old has a decade of history with Sean Payton, he’s still playing well even after 15 years in the NFL and, while the Broncos are by no means short at outside linebacker, they don’t have huge numbers there after sliding Jonah Elliss inside. Now, Denver’s top line is among the best in the business with Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. The club is high on Que Robinson and Dondrea Tillman provides quality depth. Denver could always kick Elliss back outside if it needed. But Jordan had 10.5 sacks a year ago and, critically, is hardly a situational pass-rusher. He’s still a force against the run and could be used creatively both on third down and early downs. The Broncos have one of his biggest fans in Payton and also a New Orleans native in Vance Joseph as their defensive coordinator.

Are there any big contract extensions on the table?

Not like last year, where the Broncos had a laundry list of mega deals to do with cornerstone players like Courtland Sutton, Allen and Nik Bonitto.

The biggest decision to make is in the secondary, where nickel Ja’Quan McMillian and corner Riley Moss are each entering contract years and 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron is waiting in the wings.

Other starters and key players entering the final years of their contracts include safety Brandon Jones, left guard Ben Powers, receiver Marvin Mims Jr. and tight end Evan Engram.

Overall, there’s far less certainty about who from that group will end up in Denver long term than there was a year ago, when it seemed all but certain that the big three would get deals done eventually.

Denver typically has done offseason extensions closer to training camp (Quinn Meinerz in 2024) or during (all three last year and Pat Surtain II in 2024) rather than in the spring.

What else is on the spring cleaning list at Broncos Park?

A handful of other projects. Now that the NFL draft is in the rearview mirror, an extension for general manager George Paton moves closer to the batter’s box. CEO and owner Greg Penner has made it clear Paton’s wanted long-term and has essentially said a deal is a matter of when, not if. Most front office movement of all kinds comes after the draft and into the summer. On a related note, Paton’s front office is highly regarded and has been raided repeatedly over the past two offseasons, so more movement on that front cannot be ruled out.

Denver also has a major move ahead in June, when the club relocates from its current headquarters to its new building across the practice fields, which is nearing completion.

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

— Ryan Smith, Commerce City

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Mark, Arvada

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Phillip K., Denver

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Walter, Pueblo

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

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

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

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

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

— K.J., Cheyenne, Wyo.

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

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

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

They provide context. A frame of reference.

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

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

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

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

There is consistency. And there is monotony.

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

It has not been as fun. Or interesting.

It has been boring.

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

Boring can also be dangerous.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Again, did the Broncos do enough?

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is now a realistic goal.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We have everything we need,” he said Jan. 25, standing just down the hall from the Broncos’ team meeting room-turned-draft room. “We just need a couple more playmakers and the sky’s the limit for this team.”

It wasn’t the only thing the Broncos’ veteran left tackle mentioned, but it stood out after a season in which Denver at times lacked explosion on his side of the ball.

As the final day of the NFL Draft proceeded Saturday, it stood as the final big milestone on the league’s calendar before Denver starts its official 2026 offseason program a week from Monday. Most of the past three months felt quiet around the Broncos’ building, but suddenly it looks as though coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton have indeed outfitted their offense with substantially more playmaking potential.

Quarterback Bo Nix, dubbed by Paton earlier this offseason as someone who “sometimes considers himself a quasi GM,” was almost certainly smiling as the actual GM did his thing on Day 3 of the draft.

“We feel really good about the past couple of days and about the team in general,” Paton said Saturday. … “We our depth and helped our team in a lot of areas. We wanted to get younger on both lines and felt like we did that.

“We wanted to get some offensive help, as well. More explosion. I think we helped ourselves at running back and tight end.”

Denver jumped right into action Saturday morning and drafted running back Jonah Coleman out of Washington with the No. 108 overall pick, then snapped up Boise State offensive lineman Kage Casey three picks later. Faced with a long wait to No. 170 overall, Paton and Payton used the sixth-rounder they acquired Friday night from Buffalo and sent both to Cleveland to move up to No. 152. That allowed them to pick North Carolina State tight end Justin Joly. They added another tight end at No. 256 overall in Utah’s Dallen Bentley, an in-line option to go with the pass-catcher Joly.

It was a flourish on the finish of the last big piece of the player acquisition season. Roster building never really ends — Denver signed running back J.K. Dobbins in June last year — but the Broncos now head into offseason workouts and a rookie minicamp early next month with several new pieces offensively.

The biggest, of course, is Jaylen Waddle. The Broncos happily sat on the sidelines during the draft����ap first round Thursday night and watched after dealing the No. 30 overall pick plus a third-rounder to Miami last month for the star receiver.

After that, patience paid off.

Denver kept its pair of picks at the top of the fourth round and still landed a pair of players with exceptional versatility.

Coleman is a powerful early down runner, but he also caught 51 passes over the past two years at Washington and is also considered one of the class’s best pass protectors. He’s a complementary add to Dobbins and RJ Harvey — and potential early down protection considering Dobbins has never finished a full season healthy — but is also a strong candidate to begin his career as Denver’s third-down back.

The Broncos, a source told The Post, believe Casey has the traits and the smarts to play any position on the offensive line. He’s likely to start his career as a reserve, but could end up the heir apparent to left guard Ben Powers, left tackle Garett Bolles or right tackle Mike McGlinchey.

Then there’s Joly, a pass-catching threat at tight end who does not have much of a blocking resume but was also used essentially as a big slot receiver at N.C. State.

“I always feel like my hands work really well and I’m a security blanket for my quarterback,” Joly said Saturday. “When you have a great quarterback like Bo Nix, you live life a little bit easier. Overall, just getting better at the run game. I’m just here to do whatever they need me to do.”

He will get plenty of opportunity to earn playing time in the coming months, though Evan Engram is entering the final year of his contract and it����ap much cleaner to project a big role for Joly in 2027. Bentley, meanwhile, jumps in as more of an in-line tight end to compete for a roll behind Adam Trautman.

“There’s a little bit of a different vision for those players, but feel like they really add to the depth of the tight end room,” Broncos assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt said Saturday afternoon. … “(Joly)’s ability is run-after-catch, in the scramble drill and then to win one-on-one. And so he fits a lot of those things that Sean’s looking for. He’s got to develop and he’s got a ways to go like all of our rookies to, but he has upside in those areas.”

However it shakes out over the coming months, this is what Paton meant when he said Friday night that Day 3 is about building the roster depth that����ap made Denver one of the best teams in football over the past two seasons.

“We felt really good about it,” Burckhardt said of buffeting the offensive depth chart.

Coleman, Casey, Joly and Bentley don’t figure to be Day 1 starters unless injury strikes at their positions. At the same time, Coleman and Joly add tangible talent, upside and youth to positions that needed it. Casey is the Broncos’ highest-drafted offensive lineman since they took Quinn Meinerz at No. 98 in the 2021 draft and has multiple routes to a starting job over the next 12-24 months.

Waddle is the offseason acquisition meant to help Denver’s offense find another gear right out of the gates this fall. This Day 3 quartet, though, is part of the plan to keep the unit in good shape long after Nix becomes eligible for a massive extension next summer.

Given the Broncos’ needs and the players they managed to find on Saturday, however, this group might be called upon to make noise much earlier than that.

There was no glitz to his profile then, though, entering a rebuilding program with exactly one total win in its last two seasons. Coleman was wedged behind two seniors, too, in D.J. Williams and Michael Wiley. So then-Wildcats RBs coach Scottie Graham offered a word of advice stuck.

“Coach Graham told me the only way I’m going to get on the field,” Coleman recalled Saturday, “is if I pick up blitzes.”

It’s become a staple of the 22-year-old running back’s game ever since, through two years growing into all-around stardom at Arizona and two years following head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington. NFL.com gave 28 true running backs a draftable grade in this class. Coleman ranked third, according to data collected by The Denver Post, . In a late-September loss to Ohio State in 2025, Coleman picked up eventual star linebacker Sonny Styles on a blitz — and sent the eventual No. 7 pick falling from heaven to earth.

Jonah Coleman meeting Sonny Styles in pass pro

— Drew Beatty (@IronCityFilm)

That rep, and dozens of others like it, formed the foundation for the Broncos’ interest in the stocky Coleman — their chosen running back among a long list available on Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

“Now I get to go protect Bo Nix, and I take pride in that,” Coleman said on a conference call Saturday afternoon, shortly after the Broncos drafted him at pick No. 108 in the fourth round. “And I may not have, like, all the exciting plays, all that. But I do the dirty work.

“I do the things that not a lot of people pay attention to.”

They’ll be paying attention in Denver, where the Broncos’ backfield fell into utter flux last year after veteran J.K. Dobbins’ season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week 10. Denver was left, after a regular-season stretch run and a berth in the AFC Championship Game, with a mishmash of running backs with noteable holes in their skill sets.

Dynamic 2025 second-round rookie RJ Harvey excelled in the receiving game and was the heaviest back on the roster — but averaged just 2.8 yards a carry on runs outside the tackles in 2025 (according to Pro Football Focus), trying to bounce out one too many carries. RB3 Tyler Badie excelled in pass protection — but had four drops in 31 targets and offered little in the ground game. Change-of-pace vet Jaleel McLaughlin was the Broncos’ most productive per-touch back — but has never been trusted for third-down work in his three seasons in Denver.

Enter Coleman, a grinder who lacks top-of-the-line athleticism but can fill in every possible gap in the Broncos’ current backfield.

“I can ultimately add to that culture that they have, and be that thumper runner that they have,” Coleman told reporters Saturday. “And just being able to come in, and being with guys like RJ Harvey and J.K. Dobbins and stuff like that, you ultimately have a three-headed monster in the run game.”

A day after Denver’s season ended with 79 total rushing yards and a 10-7 loss in a blizzard to New England, head coach Sean Payton stepped into offensive-line coach Zach Strief’s office with a directive to improve the Broncos’ run-game consistency. For months thereafter, the Broncos stood pat with their backfield. They re-signed the productive but injury-riddled Dobbins. They expressed faith in Harvey as an eventual three-down weapon. They brought back Badie and McLaughlin on one-year, minimum deals.

Payton hinted at league meetings, though, that running back would still be “a focus” in Denver’s draft plans. Quietly, the Broncos evaluated a number of running-back options in free agency — even after re-upping with Dobbins. One name they were interested in, as multiple sources have told The Denver Post: former Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Jr., a 220-pound back who profiled well in short-yardage work.

Coleman also weighs exactly 220 pounds, . Denver has needed a heavier back who can handle some between-the-tackles and short-yardage work to preserve Dobbins’ body and keep Harvey fresh; Coleman could step into immediate red-zone snaps for the Broncos, running for a combined 25 touchdowns across his last two seasons at Washington.

Denver, though, spent the most time with Coleman pre-draft evaluating his abilities as a third-down back, where he can provide an immediate all-around upgrade from Badie. Two months ago, Coleman told The Post that he’d “really just talked about pass protection” in a pre-draft interview with Broncos staff, and they drilled him in situational work in anticipating his assignments for blitz pickups.

The Washington product played all four of his collegiate seasons for Fisch, a one-time Broncos assistant who’s part of the coaching trees of Mike Shanahan and Sean McVay. Coleman told The Post in February, too, that Washington and Denver “run the same schemes,” and he felt confident, from an initial meeting, that he could catch on to Payton and Davis Webb’s offense quickly.

“We just hit it off right off the bat,” Coleman said Saturday, recalling that initial combine meeting. “As soon as I walked in, I felt the energy, and really the love, from the start. And went in there, and we just talked some ball, and just crushed it.

“And when I went up there on a visit,” Coleman continued, noting a pre-draft top-30 visit in Denver, “all I kept hearing was they were really impressed with my interview at the combine.”

Coleman’s durability, despite his size, is a definite concern: he’s averaged less than 4 yards per carry in the final four games of both his 2024 and 2025 seasons. An ankle injury hampered his production down the stretch in his senior year in particular, as he finished with a middling 758 rushing yards on 4.9 yards per carry last winter.

The running back, for his part, pointed to his declining production in 2025 as an injury-related coaching decision.

“Coach Fisch knew that I was a Sunday player,” Coleman said, “and ultimately, it was about my future. So, just being smart there.”

Coleman, though, has been Washington’s far-and-away bell-cow back in 2024 and 2025. That won’t be his role in Denver, where he’ll likely provide instant third-down work — Badie played 18% of the Broncos’ total snaps last season — and take some occasional early-down bruising off Dobbins and Harvey.

The Washington back won’t gleam as bright as the grills, perhaps, in rookie-year grunt work in Denver. But in due time, too, the Coleman-Harvey duo could shine as the Broncos’ backfield of the future.

“Right after the visit,” Coleman said, “I knew I was going to be a Denver Bronco. And it was always God’s plan.

“It worked out how it was supposed to.”

General manager George Payton and Sean Payton love their roster. They could pretend that jobs are open, that vacancy lights are flashing. But in reality, there is roughly one starting position up for grabs: defensive end.

John Franklin-Myers, who loved talking, sacking and eating Uncrustables, left as a free agent to the Titans. The Broncos wanted to keep him. But after they signed players to in-house contract extensions for more than $400 million over the last 18 months, JFM had to leave to cash in.

So when the Broncos finally got around to picking in the NFL draft — they had no selection in the first or second round for the first time since 1995 — they plucked Texas A&M defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim.

He might not be a dancing bear. But he can play anywhere up front. Just ask him.

“Man, I feel like I am a versatile player. I can play anywhere on the line,” Onyedim, voice still excited after realizing his dream of reaching the NFL as the 66th selection overall. “I have a good first step. I feel like I am a true defensive lineman.”

The numbers add up for him to push for playing time. He is 6-foot-3, 292 pounds with go-go Gadget arms and a thirst for stopping the run. He provides depth and youth, the type of athlete capable of competing for snaps with Sai’vion Jones, who was taken in the third round last season.

He is also familiar with the Broncos Orange Rush. Before transferring to Texas A&M, Onyedim was a teammate of Denver’s Eyioma Uwazurike at Iowa State. The two have remained close, with Onyedim saying they would be in each other’s weddings.

“That’s my big bro. That’s my dog,” Onyedim said. “I have studied all of those boys, you feel me. I can’t wait to learn from the best.”

It is sure not like it used to be, back in the days of desperation, when the Broncos’ draft felt like an expensive game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. In previous seasons, we would start talking about positioning for picks in October.

This spring, we have groused about the free agent yawnfest — they brought in special teams safety Tycen Anderson — and their desire to keep the band together. This could be a bad thing. But there’s no denying that it is a byproduct of a team that has become really, really good.

The Broncos went 15-4 last year, testing the expiration dates on miracle finishes, while suffocating opponents with a relentless defense.

The loss to the New England Patriots remains burned into memory because there are so many scenarios in which they should have won. Had Bo Nix not broken his ankle, had Jarrett “It ain’t pretty, it’s Stiddy” Stidham not turned the ball over inside the 20, had the Broncos run more successfully than a democrat in Wyoming, had Mother Nature not flexed its muscle with the only snow storm that would appear in months, Denver would have advanced to its ninth Super Bowl.

Instead, the Broncos were left with their noses against the windowpane, two wins shy of the most improbable season in franchise history.

They are banking on players improving, believing success through this path is more likely and preferable to adding outside influences to the locker room. Onyedim is, by all accounts, a good teammate who will fit in their culture.

What happened to Thursday and Friday? Jaylen Waddle. And the AFC Championship Game.

The Broncos chose to be strategic, their offseason a laser, not a crabbing net.

They sent away their first-rounder, 30th overall, to the Dolphins in exchange for an explosive, proven receiver. Waddle is everything the Broncos needed, a receiver capable of stopping and starting more effectively than a New York cabbie.

Indiana wideout Omar Cooper ultimately went to the Jets in that spot. No matter how much you like the Hoosier, there is zero chance he would have had Waddle’s impact this season.

In a Super Bowl window, the Broncos have very specific needs.

Now, this does not make them immune to second-guessing. Could they have packaged picks — there is no way seven new players make their roster — to move up in the second round for Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers (Philadelphia traded up and took him at 54), Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (61st to Titans) or Ohio State’s Max Klare.

With the Rams taking Klare, they now have seven or eight tight ends — lost count — better than anyone on the Broncos. Denver traded back last year and bit them when R.J. Harvey fizzled as J.K. Dobbins’ replacement, making it clear they would have been better off with TreVeyon Henderson.

Listen, I would have preferred they take an offensive player. Payton likes the unit more than the rest of us. And clearly, the Broncos did not think enough of the tight ends to be aggressive. It puts pressure on them, however, to land a running back on Day 3, somebody like Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson or Washington’s Jonah Coleman.

The reality is that the Broncos are now smart and have earned trust. Now that they are a legitimate contender, ����apountry is willing to give the benefit of the doubt.

They are counting on the Broncos to win a Super Bowl in the next few years. With a roster as stacked as it has been since 2015, these are the expectations.

It also means that Paton and Paton don’t see many open competitions.

So, on Friday, after a nearly hour wait, you get Tyler Onyedim.

It is boring. It is also a byproduct of winning.