On the roster (9): Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian, Jahdae Barron, Kris Abrams-Draine, Reese Taylor, Jaden Robinson, Brent Austin, Sean Fresch Jr.

How many on the 53? 5-6

Most impactful offseason move: Placing a second-round tender on McMillian

This is a position where it����ap certainly possible the offseason’s most impactful move is still to come between now and the start of the regular season, as either McMillian or Moss could end up landing a lucrative extension. For now, it����ap ensuring McMillian, a restricted free agent, returned to the fold with a tender for 2026 valued at $5.77 million. Nickel is a premium position in today’s NFL and McMillian is one of the league’s best. He played 66% of Denver’s defensive snaps in 2025, picked off two passes, ran one back for a touchdown, forced two fumbles and recovered another, logged four sacks and five tackles for a loss, ran communications from his spot in the slot and, of course, made one of the defining plays of Broncos postseason history with his game-saving interception of Josh Allen in overtime of the divisional round. He’s not the best player on Denver’s star-studded defense, but in many ways he’s the heartbeat. And he’s the tie that binds the cornerback group, which is headlined by Surtain, the multi-time All-Pro.

Biggest question to answer in camp: Is there a major surprise around the bend?

From here, the best bet is probably not. It����ap difficult to imagine a situation, however, in which there’s a change in Denver’s cornerback group without it being a major one. Yeah, maybe Barron becomes the next man in on the perimeter over Abrams-Draine. But what if he beats out Moss? Or what if a team offers a Day 2 pick plus for Moss or McMillian? Denver’s in Super Bowl mode, so perhaps the front office rebuffs anything other than a completely ludicrous offer, but the odds of both Moss and McMillian landing big deals after 2026 seem unlikely, so there could be some sense in cashing in if the interest runs hot enough around the league. More likely: The Broncos roll with Surtain, the best cornerback in football and on a Hall of Fame track at 26 years old, Moss and McMillian across the top line and a deep No. 2 line behind them.

Battle to watch: Barron against… pretty much everybody

That����ap not to say the second-year man has to be antagonistic. He just currently occupies a unique airspace that speaks to the Broncos’ depth and talent but also could understandably be frustrating for him. The 2025 first-round pick is versatile enough to play literally any spot in defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s secondary. There also happens to be an established starter in every one of those jobs in Surtain, Moss, McMillian and safeties Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga. It����ap not exactly the most electrifying training camp goal for Year 2, but if Barron shows in August that he’s a better option at safety than Devon Key, a better option outside than Abrams-Draine and a backup-in-name-only in the slot, it shouldn’t be long before he’s playing major time for the Broncos… somewhere.

Under the radar: Abrams-Draine

Every time Abrams-Draine has been called into action, he’s delivered. It started his rookie season in a tilt-a-whirl “Monday Night Football” game against Cleveland. It����ap continued through periodic injuries to Moss and Surtain, too. Abrams-Draine has some of the best ball skills in Denver’s supremely talented cornerback group. He’d almost certainly start on at least a few teams around the NFL. It����ap a luxury not many teams possess that they can put him in a game if an upper-echelon player misses some time. Teams around the league have capable pro scouting departments, but it����ap also natural to wonder if, as former Sean Payton and George Paton personnel fan out around the league — think Darren Mougey with the New York Giants, Jim Leonhard in Buffalo, Addison Lynch with the New York Giants and more — some familiar face will call back to Colorado in August and inquire about Abrams-Draine.

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.

“I think (Stidham) had a tough go in there, but the elements (in the AFC Championship loss to New England) weren’t in his favor,” Ward, the Broncos’ legendary No Fly Zone enforcer who helped win Super Bowl 50, told me Monday by phone.

“You know, it was a tight game. The starting quarterback for the Patriots (Drake Maye), and didn’t play well. So I think (Stidham) gets a little pass for that, coming in for his first start.”

Actually, a few more little passes back in January would’ve gone a long way. Still, by all visual and whispered accounts, Nix and his ankle are good to go for the start of training camp next week. It’s just that “snow” and “Stiddy” still gives us night sweats. When last we saw Stidham leading a Broncos offense, he looked like a lifetime backup, an understudy corpsing on center stage — completing 17 of 31 throws for just 131 yards during a frustrating, frosty 10-7 defeat in front of a snowy, flustered Empower Field. If the worst would ever happen again …

“Is Stiddy still your guy?” I asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Ward replied.

No. 43 in orange and blue is a NorCal dude based in SoCal these days. Ward still gets back to the Front Range four or five times a year, though. And, at age 39, he’s still got his finger on several pulses in the gridiron game, from preps to the pros.

In addition to hosting , the three-time Pro Bowler and former Broncos Super Bowl 50 champion safety is hosting . It’s the second camp in consecutive weekends for Ward, who on July 18 held a youth camp for players 8-15 last weekend at his old high school, De La Salle, in Concord, Calif., as part of the nonprofit founded by the ex-Broncos star and his brother Terron a few years back.

Saturday’s event, presented by Exos Sports and the Ward’s new management agency, kicks off with almost 300 prep prospects from Colorado and surrounding states at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus’ Campers will undergo official combine-style tests; position-specific drills and instruction; performance evaluations by Exos; and coaching on leadership and mentorship from Ward himself.

“That way they can take these measurements home, just like they would do at something like a combine,” Ward explained, “(and can) share with colleges and GMs and coaches to say, ‘Hey, these were my numbers. This is comparable to this player. And this is why you should give me a scholarship. (And) a salary.’ Now they’re giving (those players) a salary.”

Everybody gets a little something out of the moment. It’s a chance for Ward and his partners to be in front of local high-schoolers who want Name/Image/Likeness (NIL) guidance. And a window, in turn, for prospective college players to soak up advice from sage veterans such as Ward and polish skills in scenarios that replicate an NFL combine experience.

“I just love being around the kids,” Ward said. “I love being around and working with athletes, inquisitive athletes who want to learn and get better and understand the process …

“I tell them all the time, ‘Just because you’re here right now, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to stay in this position.’ And that goes negatively and positively. You could be playing terribly right now and in a few years, not be so good. You could be hurt right now and never get hurt again, right? You could never be hurt and then get hurt later.”

In a perfect world, that ‘hurt later’ part never comes for Nix, who boasts a 24-10 regular-season record in two seasons as the Broncos’ QB1 and was just voted as the No. 59 player in the league by his NFL peers.

“I think this year we’re going to see a free, an uncaged Bo,” Ward said.

“A lot of people talk about, ‘Oh, Bo had the most passing chances, but they were mostly check-downs or whatnot.’ And I think we’re going to see a lot more down-the-field passes, obviously, with (Jaylen) Waddle in there now. It’s going to clear the way for (Courtland) Sutton, and now we have a deep-ball threat. Really, two deep-ball threats.”

The only question is whether there’s a Plan B in the QB room, if pressed into duty again, who can get them the rock consistently. Unlike the tight margins the Avalanche are navigating, or the uncomfortable conversations in the Nuggets front office at the moment, the Broncos have some wiggle room to spend on improvement around the margins.

, the Broncos had $29.487 million in cap space to play with as of Monday — and after handing out a boatload of extensions to core pieces of AFC’s best regular-season team last fall.

If you’re curious about the market rate, Justin Fields is slated to get $11 million from the Chiefs this fall. Davis Mills is on track to make $7 million with the Texans, with geriatric Joe Flacco getting $6 million with the Bengals.

Stidham will make $6 million in 2026 while the camp’s presumed No. 3 QB, Sam Ehlinger, is slated to make $2 million. And he does things with his feet, even Bo-esque things, that Stiddy can’t.

“Well, it’s always a competition,” Ward mused. “No one’s job is safe, even the backup. I guess we’ll see this preseason, right?”

Speaking of the preseason, Ward’s trying to get back this way soon to check out the Broncos’ swanky new training digs in Dove Valley. Not that he’s jealous.

“Not at all,” Ward laughed. “Those guys (now) are going to be jealous of somebody else. What I’ve learned coming up in football (is), ‘The class behind you always gets more.’ We got more than the guys before us. And the guys after us are going to get more than us. And the guys after them are going to get more than them.

“When I went to Oregon, we had the best in the world. Three years later, they built on top of it. And now they’re building another one. Just when you think it can’t get any better, it keeps getting better. As long as I get to come back and do a few workouts, I’ll be all right.”

Pretty sure they can make that work, yeah. In the meantime, Stiddy as you go, man. Stiddy as you go.

“But I definitely think that (Jarrett) is a great backup for us,” Ward continued. “He knows the system. He’s been there. And he’s playing well. We’ve seen him play well. Yeah, give him another opportunity.”

With that, 43 laughed.

“Hopefully,” he chuckled softly, “he doesn’t get one.”

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On the roster (8): Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson, Dondrea Tillman, Drew Sanders, Johnny Walker and Dasan McCullough.

How many on the 53? 4-6

Most impactful offseason move: The ongoing uncertainty around Jonathon Cooper as he faces a felony assault charge.

This obviously is not a roster move or a transaction, but it is the story of the offseason for the Broncos outside linebackers. Cooper, 28, was expected to pair with Bonitto for yet another season as one of the league’s most disruptive edge-rushing duos. Instead, his own immediate playing future with the Broncos is in limbo and so, too, is Denver’s plan at the position. Cooper could be released by the Broncos and, even if he’s not, faces a potentially lengthy suspension from the NFL given the domestic violence-related nature of the charges he faces stemming from incidents involving an ex-girlfriend earlier this year. On the field, Cooper has played in every game for Denver over the past three years and, in that span, collected 27 sacks and 27 tackles for loss while playing 74% (2023), 71% (2024), and 61% (2025) of defensive snaps. If he is gone or misses a chunk of the season, his absence will rival John Franklin-Myers’ as the defense’s biggest to fill.

Biggest question to answer in camp: How do the Broncos fill the Cooper void?

There are still steps to play out, but for the purposes of this exercise, let����ap assume Denver is going to play, at minimum, some games without Cooper. Maybe all of them. Are they as well equipped as they appear to fill the snaps he played? Cooper is not only a good pass-rusher, but he’s been stout against the run, too. That����ap important opposite Bonitto, who has worked hard to turn himself into a competitive player against the run, but whose calling card is world-class pass-rush ability. Among the rest of the outside linebacker group, Tillman and Robinson are bigger players and have earned high marks in run defense. Elliss’ most natural ability is rushing the passer, but he’s shown he can handle the run game, too, and Denver likes his versatility so much that in some sub packages he may end up playing more in the middle of the field. That trio is capable of rounding out an upper-echelon four-man rotation with Bonitto, but only if each takes the next step in his game this fall.

Battle to watch: The starting job opposite Bonitto

Again, for this exercise let����ap assume Cooper’s starting spot is up for grabs. It’ll be a heated battle. There’s a realistic outcome in which playing time varies depending on opponent, but outside linebackers coach Isaac Shewmaker and coordinator Vance Joseph want players they can count on in any game situation. Elliss and Tillman have more experience than Robinson, but Robinson looks like a true breakout candidate going into his second season. He played only 370 defensive snaps in his collegiate career at Alabama and then dressed for six regular-season games as a rookie, but showed tantalizing flashes whenever he got opportunities over his rookie year. Now, can he turn himself into a regularly impactful player in his second season? That����ap a big jump, but if he can make it, Robinson will have every chance to win a starting job opposite Bonitto.

Under the radar: Sanders

Throw Sanders in the mix of 2023 Broncos draft picks entering an interesting final year of his rookie deal. Sanders, of course, has played less and is more of an unknown than second-round pick Marvin Mims Jr. or fellow third-round pick Riley Moss. He played in all 17 games as a rookie but has appeared in just four since then, first because of a torn Achilles tendon in the spring of 2024 and then because of a training camp foot injury last summer that cost him the entire season. Sanders, though, remains an intriguing athlete at 6-foot-4 and when he’s been healthy, he’s been a dangerous pass-rusher. The question is whether he’s simply missed too much time to make up enough ground to carve out a role in Denver’s rotation, though the number of players in front of him gets smaller if Cooper ends up out of the picture. Joseph has a knack for finding ways to use unique athletes — Sanders logged a sack from a blitz package on the first defensive snap he played late in the 2024 season — so if he can put together a healthy training camp and looks good on special teams, he could still be a factor this fall.

“He’s a dog,” Raiders outside linebacker Maxx Crosby said, . “I’ll give it to him.”

On Monday, Nix was announced as No. 59 on the , voted on by players across the league. It’s a tangible point — despite the triviality of offseason rankings — to rising league-wide respect for the 26-year-old Broncos quarterback, who put together an utterly disjointed sophomore season that nonetheless ended with a momentous playoff win over the Buffalo Bills and a spot in the AFC Championship.

The NFL’s�� ultimately��made clear his placement had little to do with advanced metrics, which reporters and fans across the league have bandied about for two years in discussing Nix’s flaws. Little to do, even, with counting stats, where Nix currently stands at the top of a loaded 2024 quarterback class. Nix has risen to No. 59 — up from No. 64 after his rookie season in 2025 — because of an ability to seize the moment that is nearly impossible to define but innately easy to identify.

No. 59 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026… QB Bo Nix!

— NFL (@NFL)

“I don’t know what it is,” teammate and All-Pro Pat Surtain said in an interview with the NFL for Nix’s placement. “But like, when he’s down, and he feels like the urgency picks up, it����ap like — he turns into Superman.”

The NFL pointed out, in Nix’s video announcement, that the rising third-year quarterback led the league in total comeback wins (13) in 2026. That was good enough for his peers to rank him above a slew of notable quarterbacks: San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and former Ravens Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson, to name a few.

Elsewhere this offseason, Nix came in at No. 18 among quarterbacks in , reflecting a clear disconnect in league-wide opinion around the Broncos’ franchise quarterback. He led the league in game-winning drives in 2025, finished eighth among all quarterbacks in passing yards (3,931) and 10th in Next Gen Stats’ Expected Points Added metric; he also ranked 28th of 33 qualified quarterbacks in yards per attempt and 29th in passer rating on throws on intermediate routes.

Both of those last points are clear growth areas for Nix and are also inexorably tied to deficiencies in Denver’s offense that the franchise has taken steps to address this offseason. New star receiver Jaylen Waddle saw 57% of his receiving yards come in that intermediate part of the field last year, and adds a kind of run-after-catch dynamism that Nix didn’t have previously in his receiver room.

“You could be first-and-10 and starting a drive and go one-and-done because he takes it 75, 80 yards,” Nix said in June of Waddle. “That����ap the kind of weapon that we added, and that����ap I think what we all have been out here watching.”

Nix was the second Bronco to appear in this year’s NFL Top 100, after Zach Allen placed No. 73. The NFL rolls rankings out in descending order from No. 100.

A reunion with Michael Wilhoite? It’s possible

The Broncos could be reintroducing a familiar face to their defensive staff this fall, after a one-year absence marred by legal troubles.

After misdemeanor charges were dropped in June against former Denver assistant coach Michael Wilhoite, stemming from a 2025 incident in which Wilhoite allegedly punched a police officer at Denver International Airport, a source with knowledge of the situation told The Denver Post that it’s entirely possible Wilhoite will be back on the Broncos’ staff this fall in 2026. No agreement has been formalized, the source said.

Wilhoite served as the Broncos’ outside linebackers coach in 2023 and 2024 under head coach Sean Payton, whom he previously worked with in New Orleans in 2019 and 2020. Payton fired Wilhoite in March 2025 shortly after Wilhoite was originally charged with felony assault, a charge later downgraded and fully dropped.

That criminal case would remain sealed as long as Wilhoite completed a diversion program, which he has not yet finished, as a representative of the Denver District Attorney’s office told The Post Monday. Wilhoite is still facing a pending civil suit from the police officer, Jesus Galvan Chavez, involved in the 2025 incident.

On the roster (10): Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, Tyler Onyedim, Eyioma Uwazurike, Sai’vion Jones, Jordan Jackson, Matt Henningsen, Kristian Williams, Jordan Miller

How many on the 53?��Six to seven. The Broncos carried seven last year at this spot, and the top six names above are likely roster locks in training camp. Jackson has made the roster comfortably in each of the last two seasons, but played just five games in 2025 and then for head coach Sean Payton’s anger toward defensive staff for elevating him in the AFC wild-card game.

Most impactful offseason move:��Letting John Franklin-Myers walk.

This was determined long before this offseason. But in a stretch where the Broncos prioritized retention to near-unfathomable degrees, Franklin-Myers’ absence looms as the most important departure from 2025’s roster to 2026. He finished third on Denver’s defense in sacks last season, with 7.5; more importantly, his ability to create interior pressure often teed up All-Pro Allen and the Broncos’ stable of outside linebackers.

“He was an impact player,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said in June. “After watching the cut-ups, you kind of realize what you’re missing there.”

The Broncos’ front office made an understandable choice to not extend Franklin-Myers on a long-term deal likely worth $15-million-plus a year, and will now recoup a valuable compensatory pick in 2027. But his absence will be felt, in one way or another. That leads directly into the subsequent section here.

Biggest question to answer in camp:��Who steps up in place of Franklin-Myers?

Perhaps the answer is who��doesn’t. Joseph clearly indicated during the Broncos’ offseason program that Franklin-Myers’ void could be filled by a sort of three-man rotation among Uwazurike, Sai’vion Jones and rookie Onyedim, with the athletic Jones perhaps in a third-down pass-rushing role.

Denver will carousel all of them during training camp, plus veterans Jackson and Henningsen, and see what cream ultimately rises. The early favorite is Uwazurike, who flashed legitimate starting-level potential with 3.5 sacks and 39 tackles as a reserve last season. Asked about replacing Franklin-Myers in 2026, Uwazurike told The Post at the end of the 2025 regular season that he felt he could “take over that role completely.” He’ll have his chance this summer.

Don’t count out Onyedim, though, who Denver’s defensive staff sees as an immediate potential Franklin-Myers replacement after drafting him in the third round this fall. And Roach could quietly pick up some of Franklin-Myers’ workload. More on that later.

Battle to watch: Sai’vion Jones vs. everybody for snaps.

After the Broncos moved up in the third round of the 2025 draft to nab Jones, the LSU product played exactly 39 total snaps in his rookie year. That was fine. And partly expected. Broncos general manager George Paton noted after the season that the staff knew Jones would “need a little development.”

“We were just so deep last year, it����ap tough for him to get in games,” Allen said in June. “But we saw in practice how great he was.”

The Broncos, now, need those glimpses in practice to show up in training camp. The 6-foot-5, 289-pound Jones has flashed the ability to push the pocket from the interior and blends an edge rusher’s speed with an interior rusher’s power. But he still needs work in the run game, as evidenced by Joseph’s suggestion that he could be a rotational pass-rusher. It would be a dream scenario for the Broncos if Jones shows in camp he’s ready, at least, to take up Uwazurike’s 36% defensive snap share from last season.

Under the radar:��Roach.

The Sixth Man might become the Fifth Man on Denver’s defensive line, soon enough. The Broncos extended Roach on a three-year deal worth over $29 million total in November, a not-insubstantial number; clearly, Denver prioritized retaining Roach at a lower number rather than shelling out for Franklin-Myers. And Roach quietly put together a standout season on the interior in 2025, with six total sacks and six tackles for loss in 14 games between the regular season and playoffs.

“I felt like I was rushing the way I play the run game,” Roach told The Post in June. “And I know how to play the run game, so by me rushing like that, I knew, like, I wasn’t thinking. It’s just the instincts kicking in.”

For two seasons in Denver, Roach has been generally thought of as a one-two punch at nose tackle, behind starter D.J. Jones. But Roach clearly has the greater ability to create pressure from different gaps along the defensive line. It’s possible, ultimately, that Denver’s Franklin-Myers replacement has been staring everyone in the face all along.

This week, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix placed 18th in ESPN’s , compiled from anonymous conversations with various NFL staffers. Indicative, certainly, of league-wide belief that Nix has steps to take entering Year 3: he did finish 26th of 33 qualified quarterbacks in passer rating (87.8) and 28th in yards-per-attempt (6.4) last year, after all. But the mid-tier placement given Nix’s league-leading seven game-winning drives in 2025 and playoff win over Bills star Josh Allen.

Was such a ranking fair? Who knows. Probably a bit low. But we here at The Post are not here to speculate about league-wide hot takes; we��have��decided to speculate, though, about Broncos-specific hot takes that have been simmering in the back of our minds for an offseason since Denver fell to New England in last year’s AFC Championship.

With that in mind, Broncos beat reporters Parker Gabriel and Luca Evans have assembled individual lists of five sizzling predictions for Denver’s 2026 season (plus one completely off-the-wall take), a couple of short weeks removed from the start of training camp. Time for our own slightly informed think-piece. Let’s dive in.

Disclaimer: We are in no way advocating for these to come true or rooting for these predictions to take place. These are solely opinions and should be viewed as such.

Parker Gabriel’s takes

No. 1. I am less confident in the Broncos making the postseason this year than I was at this time last year.

To be clear, I think the Broncos will make the playoffs and will be surprised if they don’t. But the first-place schedule is no joke. The opening six games are brutal. The stretch run is no joke. Denver has been largely healthy in the regular season since Payton arrived. The changes on defense in both personnel and staff might be a bit underrated. Plus, when a team is so good in one-score games one year, there’s natural wonder about regression the next year. Plus, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson didn’t make the playoff field last year. Teams will beat up on each other, but 10-7 isn’t a sure ticket to the playoffs this fall in the AFC.

No. 2. Que Robinson will finish second on the team in sacks

Part of this, naturally, is because of the uncertainty around Jonathon Cooper’s future as he faces a felony assault charge stemming from June’s domestic violence-related incidents with his former girlfriend. Part of it, though, is because Robinson looks like a true breakout candidate going into his second season. Could Jonah Elliss get to 10 sacks with more playing time? Sure. Might Zach Allen set a new career-high and flirt with double digits? Certainly possible. But Robinson’s explosiveness and his ability to play in any down-and-distance situation make him an intriguing candidate behind clear team sack leader Nik Bonitto.

No. 3. The Broncos won’t trade a player who is slated to have a substantial role this summer, but they should

Nearly every move Denver has made this offseason has been about winning this fall. Certainly, they’ve done some long-range planning in how they structured contract extensions and they opted to let John Franklin-Myers walk even though technically they could have afforded to keep him, but by and large this looks like a team that����ap putting a lot of chips in right now. Makes sense with Bo Nix still on his rookie contract. We also know depth is paramount as seasons grind on. Still, if the Broncos are relatively healthy by the middle of training camp, there’s a decent chance somebody else around the league will want somebody on Denver’s roster. Is that Ben Powers? Riley Moss? Troy Franklin? Jarrett Stidham? The Broncos profited nicely by trading Devaughn Vele last summer. They can afford to do something similar this summer if a team comes calling in a similar fashion, and it’d be good business for the future.

No. 4. The next Broncos assistant to get a head coaching interview is Evan Rothstein and it will happen this winter��

Three Broncos assistant coaches got head coaching interviews this winter: Webb, Joseph and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, so they’re off the board. Rothstein isn’t an on-field coordinator like those three — his title is director of game management and assistant QB coach — but Payton holds him in extremely high regard. He’s instrumental in the building, even if he doesn’t get a ton of public mention by Broncos coaches and staffers. He’ll get some head-coaching buzz and will be a sneaky offensive-coordinator candidate in Denver if Webb gets a head-coaching job.

No. 5. Sam Ehlinger will win the No. 2 quarterback job in training camp��

Stidham has been the No. 2 for each of the past three years and is the favorite to win that job again. Webb, though, was really high on Ehlinger as a free agent last spring and the former Colt and Texas Longhorn impressed coaches in his first season with the Broncos. Let����ap say they’re about even through training camp. Do Payton and Webb carry on with the status quo? Or might a bit of a shakeup — with the possibility that Ehlinger’s mobility might be appealing in a short stint relieving Nix — be in order? In this situation, the Broncos probably keep all three on the 53 unless a trade partner materializes for Stiddy.

And one (crazy) extra: If the Broncos win the Super Bowl, Sean Payton will publicly muse about retirement but find the allure of a potential dynasty too much to pass up

One of the more hilarious nuggets in Seth Wickersham’s opus on the Broncos’ postseason run was Payton saying he wants to outlast NFL commissioner Roger Goodell by at least a year, essentially just so he could say he did. But if Denver wins a Super Bowl, Payton will have little left to prove. His Hall of Fame bona fides will be beyond doubt. There would be a post-Super Bowl Sean McVay-esque ‘will he or won’t he’ period fueled by Payton himself. Ultimately, though, the bet here is he’d decide he was about to win three more in the next four years.

Luca Evans’ takes

No. 1. The Broncos start the season 0-3, Myles Garrett sacks Bo Nix at least twice in Week 3, Sean Payton slowly inserts himself back into play-calling duties, and the Webb-Payton hybrid brain trust rides to a top-10 offensive finish.

Is the 31-year-old Davis Webb built to handle the natural ups and downs of his first full NFL season as a play-caller? Yes, if you ask him. Will the notoriously hyperactive 62-year-old Payton give him the full leeway to work through the bumps, in literally the first time Payton has ever given up play-calling? Hard to see. I keep thinking back to a text I sent former Saints running back Deuce McAllister in February before Webb was officially given the keys, on whether he could actually see Payton making the move.

“Hey Luca nice to meet you,” McAllister wrote back. “Sean’s not giving up play calling.”

Of course, Payton did. That text was still indicative of how tightly the coach has gripped his offense over the years, as central to not only his NFL identity but his identity as a person at large. Payton’s Broncos teams have started the season 0-3, 1-2 and 1-2 in his Denver tenure; these Broncos will now face a healthy Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead on “Monday Night Football” to start the year, then come home to play a Jacksonville team that outplayed them last season, then play the arguable Super Bowl favorites in the Los Angeles Rams.

In this scenario, I think Payton quietly maneuvers for more play-calling influence after an early-season slump, a combination of tough love and natural acclimation steadies the ship, and a Webb-Payton hybrid attack puts the Broncos back in the playoffs as a middle-ish AFC seed.

No. 2. The Broncos trade Riley Moss by November’s trade deadline, and maybe sooner.

Moss has a near-perfect demeanor as Denver’s CB2 opposite Pat Surtain. But there is a wide set of factors working against his long-term staying power in Denver. Firstly, he’s a proven, productive cornerback who could hit free agency after 2026 and earn a few million more than the Broncos would be willing to pay him. Secondly, the Broncos may need to pick between an extension for him or nickel Ja’Quan McMillian, who’s arguably more valuable to coordinator Vance Joseph’s defensive system. Thirdly, the Broncos have 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron now likely set to compete with Moss at outside cornerback come training camp.

The Broncos are in a tricky spot here. If they start Moss, first-round pick Barron would likely play a reserve, situational role for the second year in a row. If they bench Moss, he will naturally lose trade value over the course of the year. The most logical option for the front office would be to either start Moss with the idea of moving him closer to the deadline or trade him sometime before the start of 2026.

No. 3. Rookie running back Jonah Coleman catches 40-plus passes in 2026.��

This isn’t really that hot of a take. Third-string back Tyler Badie saw 31 targets last season, and Coleman will likely play more than Badie did. He caught a bunch of passes during the Broncos’ summer program and had 31 catches for 354 yards in 12 games at Washington last year. And despite the heavy involvement of RJ Harvey, Payton’s offenses have long featured two running backs in the passing game: think Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles in 2013 (77 and 71 catches, respectively).

No. 4.��Que Robinson racks up at least eight sacks.��

Robinson is a high-upside pass-rusher who took time to develop as a rookie and finished with 1.5 sacks combined across the regular season and playoffs. There’s direct precedent here with the name ahead of Robinson on Denver’s depth chart: Nik Bonitto, a high-upside pass-rusher who took time to develop as a rookie and jumped from 1.5 sacks to eight in his second NFL season.

The Broncos already wanted to create more snaps for Robinson in 2026, and now face an uncertain situation at OLB, as starter Jonathon Cooper is facing a felony assault charge in Douglas County District Court that could lead to league discipline. Regardless of how Cooper’s legal process plays out, Robinson will see the field more in his second season and is poised to capitalize on snaps playing alongside Zach Allen and Denver’s interior pass-rushers.

No. 5. Payton convinces Taysom Hill to come out of semi-retirement midseason.��

Payton loves his guys. Hill, a quarterback-turned-something��who played a key part in Payton’s offenses late in his time in New Orleans, is one of his guys. He is also currently unsigned, and his NFL career might be over at 35 years old after a season averaging 3.3 yards per offensive touch with the Saints.

At least one interesting name seems to find its way into Payton’s locker room every season with depth necessities, though. Remember Marcedes Lewis last year? I have no idea what role Hill would play, or if he’d even get a snap in 2026. I’m just thinking it’ll happen.

And one crazy extra: Frank Crum accounts for at least three offensive touchdowns.

The world changed on Jan. 17, 2026, the day that reserve tackle Frank Crum became an eligible receiver. Crum’s goal-line touchdown in the Broncos’ wild-card win over the Bills was lost in the immediate emotion of Bo Nix’s season-ending injury, but should not be forgotten.

Payton loves gadget players, and the 6-foot-7-plus Crum is agile and versatile enough to legitimately handle a handful of short-yardage touches. Plus, longtime Payton ally John Morton gave him the idea for that Crum play, and Morton is now back permanently on staff. The cards are perfectly aligned for some Crum-mania.

Naturally, the value of your neighboring home would rise. This, according to sports-business expert Patrick Rishe, is analogous to the current economic case of the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks — separated by slightly over 1,000 miles across the American West but approximate neighbors in sheer franchise value.

“When a franchise sells, it really kind of resets the market almost instantly for all the other markets,” said Rishe, a former Forbes contributor and the director of the sports business program at Washington University in St. Louis.

How Seahawks’ sale boosts Broncos

Last weekend, , the Seahawks were bought by a group led by venture capitalist Vinod Khosla for a league-record-setting $9.6 billion, a number longtime sports-valuation expert Drew Dormeiler told The Post was likely inflated due to “competitive bidding.” Just four years ago, the Walton-Penner ownership group bought the Broncos at less than half that price, for a then-record $4.65 billion. Valuation of an NFL franchise isn’t merely as simple as projecting off established price points — but several economic experts The Post spoke with agreed the Walton-Penner’s investment in the Broncos has seen massive appreciation since their 2022 purchase.

And Denver’s franchise valuation could rise comfortably into the top third of the NFL, too, if ownership’s plans for a new mixed-use stadium district at Burnham Yard come to fruition in the coming decade.

“The math on that is, what something is worth is what someone’s willing to pay,” Rishe said. “And the Broncos aren’t going to go on the market anytime soon, obviously. But I would say that it����ap safe to say that the team’s new franchise value at this particular moment, is going to be pretty close to 9.6 billion, because they were viewed in the marketplace as being comparable in terms of market size and brand strength relative to the Seahawks.”

In 2025, Forbes ranked the Broncos No. 13 and Seahawks No. 14 in NFL team valuations, at a respective and . Neighbors. And it takes just a basic understanding of real-estate principles, as Rishe pointed, to understand what that means for Denver’s franchise.

“For the Seahawks to sell for 9.6 billion,” Rishe said, “this immediately skyrockets the Broncos’ franchise value compared to the estimate Forbes produced last year.”

In the last 15 years — since Stan Kroenke became the controlling owner of the Rams in 2010 and Shad Khan took over the Jaguars in 2011 for similar, sub-$1 billion prices — NFL franchises have compounded exponentially in sale value. According to decorated economist Andrew Zimbalist, there are three general points contributing to this inflation: the country’s , the popularity of the NFL, and the league’s monopoly on the sport of American football.

That last point is key. Rishe noted that franchise revenues from broadcast and corporate partnerships and ticket sales can increase “only so much,” but valuations continue to increase because the NFL itself hasn’t expanded in size since adding the Houston Texans in 2002.

“Demand grows,” said Zimbalist, a professor of economics at Smith College, “but the scarcity of franchises remains there all the time.”

The power of the stadium

There remains, however, drastic gaps between the 32 teams on the totem pole of NFL valuations. And the Seattle sale doesn’t single-handedly lift the Broncos past other franchises; a rising tide lifts all boats, after all. But even as franchise upside is capped by sheer market size — Denver is — several factors in the coming years could contribute to the Walton-Penner group climbing the ranks.

The Broncos, of course, are regaining brand value from last year’s run to the AFC Championship Game, which creates more opportunities for corporate partnerships. Most importantly, too, franchise valuations are based in large part on the value of a — and the Broncos are now aiming for a modern, owner-controlled gem of mixed-use development at Burnham Yard.

“Expectations have just changed over the past 10 to 15 years, with these newer stadiums that have been built,” Broncos owner Greg Penner told The Denver Post in September, with the team’s preferred-site announcement. We’ll be able to provide all those things as well, from different types of seating — GA, premier, clubs, great (food and beverage). It will have all the bells and whistles.”

That is, naturally, framed as a benefit for fans. It is also, quietly, a direct benefit to Broncos ownership, a group that branches from the richest family in America. All but one team in the top 10 of Forbes’ NFL-valuation list, as Rishe pointed out, boasts some robust combination of market size and historical brand appeal: the top-ranked Cowboys, the fourth-ranked Patriots, the New York Giants and Jets.

All, except for ninth-ranked Las Vegas. So why the Raiders? Because of Vegas’s shining Allegiant Stadium, which hosted a Super Bowl in just its fourth NFL season after opening in 2020.

“Shows you,” Rishe said, “the power of the stadium.”

The Broncos’ Burnham Yard development, in coming years, could single-handedly propel the franchise into a top-10 or top-12 valuation despite Denver’s mid-tier market size, Rishe said. And it’s in the Walton-Penner group’s own interest, as experts told The Post, to further make good on their investment by delivering a stadium district they’ve already spent more than $186 million on just in surrounding real-estate transactions.

“It seems to me like there would be a wider — more real estate assets involved in what����ap planned for Denver than what exists in Seattle, that are contiguous to the stadium,” said Dorweiler, . “So, yeah, I think that����ap real.

“Plus, take into account this is still 2031 … I think most people would expect there to be a significant increase in valuation, even if nothing was done at all between now and then,” Dorweiler continued. “So you’re definitely getting up into the double digits of billions I think for, certainly Denver, and probably many other of the leading franchises.”

Assuming Denver makes it through training camp and the preseason relatively healthy, here’s another safe bet: Sean Payton’s starting lineup figures to look an awful lot like the 11 that took the field for the first snap of Week 1 last fall against Tennessee.

There’s always the chance for a rogue opening formation to open offensive coordinator Davis Webb’s tenure as the Broncos’ primary play caller, but overall it����ap possible that the only change will be Jaylen Waddle in place of tight end Lucas Krull.

The other 10, in the form of the same starting offensive line, quarterback Bo Nix, running back J.K. Dobbins, tight end Adam Trautman and wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin all figure to have major roles again this fall for Denver.

There are, of course, twists and turns every summer. Injuries happen over the course of training camp. Last August the Broncos traded a potential starter in receiver Devaughn Vele. Sometimes a young player puts together such a strong camp that he snatches a job clean away from an established veteran.

Overall, though, Payton is betting that returning nearly every major contributor from Denver’s 2025 offense while adding Waddle and installing Webb as the play-caller is enough to elevate the Broncos’ offense away from the middle of the pack and toward the league’s upper echelon.

That means, on paper, there are not many starting jobs to be won. At most offensive positions, normal 53-man roster thresholds are met or nearly so before true competition for spots enters the equation.

And yet, there are many roles to be solidified and at least a handful of roster spots up for grabs as the Broncos near their reporting dates for rookies (July 22) and veterans (July 28). Here’s an early look at a projected offensive two-deep, with the obvious caveat that this represents a starting point ahead of camp’s outset.

Quarterback

1. Bo Nix

2. Sam Ehlinger

Starting point: The reality of life in the NFL: Much of what the Broncos want to accomplish in 2026 rests on Nix not just staying healthy for all or most of the season, but also on his game taking another step forward in Year 3, as well. Nix has a talented defense and an experienced, improved offense around him, plus Payton’s leadership and a new play-caller in Webb. He had played in every NFL game over his first two seasons until fracturing his ankle in the divisional round in January. Two operations and six months of combined rehab later, Nix and the Broncos say there’s no reason for concern. If they’re right, Denver’s in great shape. If the ankle issue lingers or comes back, that would be trouble.

Projecting Ehlinger as the No. 2 is perhaps a bit out on a limb considering Stidham has earned considerable equity with the front office, staff and locker room as he enters his fourth season with the Broncos. The notion that Ehlinger could beat him out is not rooted in Stidham’s performance in the AFC title game, but rather just in the staff’s excitement about Ehlinger a year ago, his mobility and a potential jump in performance in his second summer with the Broncos. Whoever ends up No. 3 might have the chance to be a No. 2 somewhere else at the end of August. That makes it basically a straight-out battle to be Nix’s primary backup. If there’s a way for Denver to keep all three — especially if the Broncos can get one to the practice squad to start the season as they did with Ehlinger last year —the club will almost certainly give it strong consideration.

Running back

1. J.K. Dobbins

2. RJ Harvey

Starting point: Dobbins is adamant he would have played in the Super Bowl after a November Lisfranc injury to his foot. He’s been healthy through Denver’s offseason program and enters camp as the clear lead back. Through 10 weeks last year, he was one of the most efficient runners in the NFL. The pecking order after him is likely to shape up more by role than anything else, unless Harvey takes a major leap in Year 2 – which, of course, the Broncos would more than welcome.

Harvey enters camp as the favorite to be second in terms of playing time and is the kind of player who, in Payton offenses, previously has racked up touches in the passing game. Rookie Jonah Coleman, a talented pass protector in college, looks like Denver’s third-down back right off the bat. That����ap a cleaner-fitting trio than last year if Coleman earns that trust right out of the gate. One interesting wrinkle here is what would happen if Dobbins were to get hurt. There’s a world in which Coleman might be a better lead back than Harvey; Harvey’s role stays about the same or expands some, and somebody else – a practice-squad Tyler Badie, perhaps — becomes the third-down back. The Broncos, naturally, hope Dobbins plays his first healthy season in the NFL and as long as the group stays on the field, it has the makings of a dynamic, dangerous trio.

Wide receiver

1. Courtland Sutton

2. Pat Bryant

1. Jaylen Waddle

2. Marvin Mims Jr.

1. Troy Franklin

2. Lil’Jordan Humphrey

Starting point: Waddle’s arrival changes this room in ways big and small. It goes from being one of the Broncos have seemed to like better than the industry does over the past couple of years to one that has a chance to be among the most dangerous in the NFL. They’ve got a dynamic pairing in Waddle and Sutton atop the room and they’ve got a myriad of skill sets behind. One of the most interesting questions of training camp is what the pecking order will look like behind Sutton and Waddle. The answer, at least early in the season, might be as simple as what the game situation is. The Broncos can mix up looks with Mims and even play him out of the backfield. They can be fast with Franklin on the field alongside Waddle. Or they can be big and physical with Bryant as the third man. One thing is certain: Denver is shaping up to play a ton of three-receiver and even four-receiver sets in Webb’s first season as a play-caller. The group is a clear strength on offense with Waddle’s addition.

Tight end

1. Adam Trautman

2. Evan Engram

Starting point: Engram, assuming good health, should easily lead the room in receiving targets again in 2026. Trautman, though, outpaced Engram in playing time by a wide margin last year (57% to 40%) and it would be a surprise if he didn’t do so again this fall. They are different types of players —��Trautman more blocking with a bit of pass-catching ability and Engram essentially a receiver who is referred to as a tight end —��but they are similar in the sense that Denver could have tried to replace either on the free agent market this spring and ultimately did not. What the Broncos did do, however, is use a pair of Day 3 draft picks to add players to the room who look like potential longer-term replacements. Fifth-rounder Justin Joly fits the Engram mold while seventh-rounder Dallen Bentley is more Trautman-esque. Payton spoke highly of second-year man Caleb Lohner and Denver also has Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull back on the 90-man roster for training camp. One of the positions where there are perhaps multiple 53-man roster spots up for grabs and where the Broncos hope the future of the position starts to come into focus this fall.

Offensive line

LT: Garrett Bolles, Matt Peart

LG: Ben Powers, Kage Casey

C: Luke Wattenberg, Alex Forsyth

RG: Quinn Meinerz, Alex Palczewski

RT:�� Mike McGlinchey, Frank Crum

Starting point: The front five is set to return for a rare third straight season together unless a surprise trade pops up, injury hits or somebody like Palczewski can cleanly beat out Powers for a starting job. Above, the second line is essentially only placeholders except for Forsyth, who will have to fend off veteran Michael Deiter to retain his hold on the No. 2 center job.�� “Palcho” could end up as the primary backup at both guard spots and right tackle. Or, he could be the next man in at guard and Crum at tackle, regardless of side. Either way, it����ap pretty easy to find nine for the 53-man roster here: The starters plus Palcho, Crum, Casey (a fourth-round pick this spring) and Forsyth. Denver not only has one of the best starting groups in football but also some proven, functional depth. It����ap not just going to be a task to make the 53 for anybody on the outside of that nine looking in, but there will be competition for practice squad spots, too. That could come down to choosing between veterans like Peart, Deiter and Calvin Throckmorton and younger players like rookie tackles Tyler Miller and Gavin Ortega or Nick Gargiulo.

On the roster (16): Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Alex Palczewski, Frank Crum, Alex Forsyth, Kage Casey, Matt Peart, Calvin Throckmorton, Nick Gargiulo, Michael Dieter, Reid Holskey, Gavin Ortega and Tyler Miller.

How many on the 53? 9-10.

Most impactful offseason move: Re-signing Palczewski to a two-year, $9.5 million deal

The Broncos really made three decisions that all float in the same nexus and could have made the cut here. They made an offseason priority of keeping ‘Palcho,’ the versatile fourth-year man out of Illinois, in the fold for multiple years going forward. They drafted Casey in the fourth round in April’s draft. They also did nothing with Powers’ contract, a quietly impactful move in absentia.

The nod goes to Palcho, though, because he started 10 games in 2025 and could theoretically be Denver’s primary backup at three spots going into the regular season this fall — left guard, right guard and right tackle. His ability to move to the left side and hold down Powers’ spot when Powers tore his bicep last fall was hailed throughout the building as an incredible feat. It seems a matter of time before he’s a starter, though where that will be remains to be seen.

Biggest question to answer in camp: Can the starting quintet stay healthy and keep this run going?

Yeah, there are some interesting developmental figures and potentially even maybe some playing time up for grabs — more on that below — but this is one of the most experienced, highest-rated and most expensive offensive lines. They have a pair of returning first-team All-Pros in Meinerz and Bolles and three others making top-10 money at their positions. They�� have combined to start 321 games for the Broncos (426 overall in the NFL). They have played in postseason games here and elsewhere. They’re an elite pass-protecting group and a good run-blocking one. If Webb taking over the play-calling helps Denver find a real identity in the run game, this can be the best group in the league. At the same time, Bolles (34), McGlinchey (32) and Powers (29) will all be on the back side of 30 by the time Denver hits its bye week. So, this is a group that����ap expected to continue its run from the past two years and also carries a moderate dose of age-related risk.

Battle to watch: Left guard (maybe)

Powers has been Denver’s starting left guard for the entire Payton era when he’s been healthy. Palczewski filled in ably last year, but Powers raced back from a substantial injury and, as soon as he was ready, the Broncos worked him back in. Not only that, but they could have cut him this offseason and saved considerable cap space or pushed hard to get him to take a pay cut. They obviously did not cut him and if they asked him to take a pay cut, they eventually blinked because just ahead of free agency this spring, the Broncos informed Powers they wouldn’t be touching his contract. So now Powers goes into the final year of his deal with the second-highest cap charge on the team ($18.16 million), which makes him look clearly like the starting left guard. The question: Can Palcho make a run at his job? Does Denver want him to in camp? If the offensive coaches start rotating them or pitching this as a battle for the No. 1 job, it’ll be a really good one. If not, the Broncos can be confident Palczewski is ready to play there should he be needed.

Under the radar: Casey

The rookie enters his first training camp in terrific position. He’s got coaches in Zach Strief and Chris Morgan who are considered top-shelf developers, he’s got veterans in the room to learn from regardless of which position of the several he could end up playing longer-term he’s looking at on a given day. At the same time, though, there will be a sense of urgency to get Casey ready to play. You never know when your number might get called. If this is indeed Powers’ last year in Denver, Casey could compete with Palczewski for the job next summer. He could end up competing with Crum for a tackle job instead. Or he could become what Palcho is at the moment —��a valuable depth piece capable of playing up to four (or, if we’re stretching it a bit, all five) positions. The Broncos would be happy if they only have to replace one starter over the next two-ish seasons. They also know that number could, in a worst-case scenario, be three or more.