– Anthony, Denver 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

– Dan Dorn, Phoenix 

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

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

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

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

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

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

– Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y. 

Hey Ed, thanks for writing in as always.

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

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

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

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

– Tim Delphia, Denver 

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

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

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

–  Mike C., Santa Clarita, C.A. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Defensive lineman

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

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

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

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

Nose tackle

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

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

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

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

Defensive lineman

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

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

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

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

Outside linebacker

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

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

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

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

Outside linebacker

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

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

Inside linebacker

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

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

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

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

Inside linebacker

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

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

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

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

Cornerback

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

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

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

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

Cornerback

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

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

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

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

Nickel

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

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

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

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

Safety

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

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

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

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

Safety

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

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

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

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

Punter

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

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

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

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

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

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

What we’ve learned

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Questions remaining

Will anybody get a contract extension before the opener?

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

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

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

When will Jonathon Cooper’s criminal case be resolved?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Defensive line

�ٷ�:��Zach Allen, Sai’vion Jones

����:��D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach

�ٷ�:��Eyioma Uwazurike, Tyler Onyedim

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

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

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

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

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

Outside linebacker

������:��Nik Bonitto, Que Robinson

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

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

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

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

Inside linebacker

������:��Alex Singleton, Red Murdock

������:��Justin Strnad, Jordan Turner

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

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

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

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

Cornerback

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

���:��Riley Moss, Jahdae Barron

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

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

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

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

Safety

��:��Talanoa Hufanga, Devon Key

��:��Brandon Jones, JL Skinner

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

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

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

Special teams

K: Wil Lutz

��:��Jeremy Crawshaw

LS:��Mitchell Fraboni

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

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

On the roster (6):��Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, Tycen Anderson, JL Skinner, Miles Scott, Parker Robertson

How many on the 53? Four or five. Five made the cut last year, but it would be easy to see the Broncos shave that down and rely on Key, Skinner, Anderson or Scott to fill two backup-safety and key special-teams slots.

Most impactful offseason move:��Letting P.J. Locke walk.

Not exactly a busy positional offseason when the winner in this category is a guy who had 16 tackles last season, but Locke was an important piece of Denver’s roster for years and filled a key role as a third safety last season. After Jones suffered a season-ending pec injury late last season, Locke stepped in capably for three regular-season and two playoff starts, including a massive interception in the Broncos’ wild-card win over the Bills.

The Broncos opted to let Locke hit free agency — likely for a seventh-round compensatory pick in 2027 — and sign to play in Dallas under old Denver assistant Christian Parker. Makes enough sense, given it’d be cheaper for Denver to replace their third safety than match the $4 million one-year deal Locke signed with the Cowboys. And the Broncos filled the void this offseason by signing veteran special-teamer Anderson to a one-year, $1.5 million deal and drafting Illinois safety Scott in the seventh round in April.

There’s enough quality depth in this room, now, to identify a Locke replacement. Someone has to seize that spot in camp.

Biggest question to answer in camp:��Did Hufanga and Jones get on the JUGS machine?

No, seriously. Hufanga could’ve wound up a down-ballot candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year in his first season in Denver in 2025 if he’d managed to simply catch and secure the approximate five or six potential interceptions that cracked off his hands last year; he finished with zero. He and Jones, in fact, ran smack-dab into each other while chasing a meatball from New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart in Week 7.

All in all, the Broncos’ safety duo finished with a combined total of one interception in 104 combined targets as the closest defender in coverage last season. Simply not good enough for a pair of rangy defensive backs who form one of the most back-end tandems in the NFL. Denver needs all the help it can get to widen its margins after a rollicking season of comeback wins in 2025; start here as one of the most obvious areas for growth.

Battle to watch:��Key vs. Anderson vs. Skinner vs. Scott for the third-safety job.

As previously mentioned, Locke is gone, and a stable of capable reserves are ready to seize his place. Especially important here: Hufanga just played a 17-game season for the first time in his career in 2025, and Jones has played a full slate just once in a six-year NFL career. Somebody in this group will likely see a substantial snap share this fall.

The 28-year-old Key just put together one of the best special-team seasons in franchise history, and should be the runaway favorite here for the job. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, even, said point-blank last year he’d be comfortable starting Key at safety in a pinch. But Denver also signed 2022 fifth-round pick Anderson in part to compete at depth safety, as a source told The Post in March. Skinner is a former sixth-round pick himself, and Scott is a mature seventh-round rookie who still has some clear developmental upside.

Key, Anderson and Skinner all bring considerable special-teams value, with no clear leg up from that standpoint on a roster spot. And in another interesting wrinkle, Jones is currently set to hit free agency in 2027; this year’s camp battle could prove an early audition for his starting job next season.

Under the radar:��Skinner.

Joseph often deployed Skinner in late-game units to counteract desperation offensive situations last year, a move that theoretically made sense given the 6-foot-4 Skinner’s length. But a handful of late-game snaps against Philadelphia in Week 5 proved a complete and utter adventure, as Skinner was whistled for a costly pass-interference call that nearly gave the Eagles an opportunity for a game-winning score on their final offensive drive.

After another season as a primary special-teamer, though, Skinner revealed this offseason on his social media that he’d played the entire 2025 slate with a torn labrum and underwent surgery after the year. Upside still drips off his frame, and Skinner now enters the final year of his rookie contract in Denver. This could be the camp that he proves himself ready for an expanded defensive role in Joseph’s system.

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.

— 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.

Just maybe not as an outside linebacker.

“If I don’t go back to Denver and play as a football player,” Miller told The Denver Post on Monday, “I would like to go back to Denver and be in the front office, or whatever, in some capacity.”

In 2011, a 22-year-old Miller sat down in Indianapolis for a combine meeting with then-Broncos general manager John Elway, and felt something. After winning a Super Bowl ring and making eight Pro Bowl appearances in more than a decade in the NFL, he figured out what it was. In the room shadowing Elway, as Miller remembered, was former NFL Pro Bowler and Broncos safety John Lynch. Miller noticed, then. And he noticed, six years later, when Lynch was hired as the San Francisco 49ers’ general manager .

“As I played throughout my career, and I started to think about things I wanted to do and how to stay attached to football without playing — those core memories just kinda chose me,” Miller said.

Quietly, in 2023, Miller — going into his second year with the Buffalo Bills — returned to the NFL combine to begin rubbing elbows with some of the league’s decision-makers. He told Bills general manager Brandon Beane of his future ambitions, and Beane “stoked that flame,” Miller said. For three straight years, Miller has returned to the combine to continue relationship-building with NFL front offices.

Now, as the 37-year-old Miller can see the end nearing for his playing days, he’ll make it plain: he wants to become an NFL general manager.

And he’d like the path to lead him back to Denver, soon enough.

“I’m not a contract guy,” Miller said, when asked where he sees himself climbing the ladder in a front office. “I’m not going to sit in there and deal with contracts, and find numbers — I’m not a numbers guy. When it comes to scouting, I’m not going to sit there and watch film for 20 hours a day, either. I think my talent is just, people. Knowing people. The infrastructure of a team, knowing how to put together a schedule – just the daily grind of being a player in the National Football League. I know what it takes, and I know what it looks like to be a championship organization.”

, of course, that he wants to re-sign with the Broncos as an edge rusher this offseason, first and foremost. He is quick to point out that he finished with nine sacks for the Commanders in 2025, the most he’s tallied since the season Denver traded him in 2021. After a one-year deal with Washington expired, Miller said he’s had no communication with the Broncos during this free agency; he’s hopeful, he said, that general talks with organizations heat up post-NFL Draft.

“I know I can still play,” Miller said. “I know I at least got one more year in me. So I’m just waiting to see whatever the universe gives me.”

The stars aren’t exactly pointing toward Denver. Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper are entrenched as Denver’s starting outside linebackers, and the Broncos are so loaded at edge rusher that they’re moving 2023 third-round pick Jonah Elliss to inside linebacker to open up more snaps for both him and 2025 fourth-round pick Que Robinson.

If the Broncos are interested in Miller or other veteran help, though, now is the time to strike. According to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, the compensatory free-agent window officially closed Monday at 2 p.m. This has major implications for Denver, as the Broncos stand to be gifted a 2027 mid-round pick after losing key defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers to a massive contract with the Titans in March.

Denver was silent in the initial wave of free agency, with just one external signing: Bengals safety and special-teams player Tycen Anderson. This was strategic, not merely about valuing roster retention. Signing another big-money free agent during the compensatory period would’ve wiped out any pick awarded from Franklin-Myers’ signing.

“It does — I mean, it doesn’t dictate what we’re doing, but we obviously know it����ap there,” general manager George Paton said at league meetings in March, asked if preserving compensatory picks factored into Denver’s offseason decision-making.

“Next year, we should get the 4, and maybe a 7th,” Paton continued later, referencing the additional departure of safety P.J. Locke to Dallas. “That����ap what you want to get to. It took us a while to get here, where we can get compensatory picks. And you see other teams do it, and I like that we’re doing it.”

Now, though, the Broncos are free to throw a few million at remaining free agents, with no fear of losing the pick gained from Franklin-Myers. There’s still a wealth of talent left on the market, too: the most obvious fit is former Saints All-Pro Cam Jordan, who racked up 10.5 sacks in 2025 and has remained close with head coach Sean Payton from their New Orleans days. Denver native Calais Campbell could also be a target if he decides to play a 19th NFL season, still highly productive as an interior disruptor at the remarkable age of 39.

And Miller remains as a potential reunion candidate, too, before his eventual foray into the personnel world.

That journey may not be far off, though.

“I’m confident in that — I’ll be back in Denver, in some capacity,” Miller said. “If not a player, as a GM, or front-office.

“It’s just, I think it was the same way with Elway,” he continued, noting Elway’s player-to-executive path in Denver. “When you have that much love, and the energy is just so loving that — we just gotta figure it out. If it����ap not a player, it����ap a spot for me in Denver. We just gotta figure it out.

“And it����ap just a matter of time.”

Denver made the biggest splash of its offseason — and one of the biggest single moves of the spring in the NFL — on Tuesday when it landed Miami receiver Jaylen Waddle in a blockbuster trade.

A quiet opening week in free agency moved into a different light for many fans and observers when news of the trade broke.

The Broncos’ run of retentions early on in free agency inspired plenty of run-it-back vibes, but now Waddle’s addition gives Denver an element it didn’t have in 2025 and, really, hasn’t had for the better part of a decade.

He is a true take-the-top-off threat, dangerous after the catch and in the middle of the field and capable of playing multiple positions. He will help add diversity and explosion to the Broncos’ passing game, but he can also have an impact in the running game, not so much by blocking but by keeping defenses honest in how many players they can commit to the box on early downs.

“I’m here to help in every fashion,” Waddle told reporters Wednesday.

Denver also cracked the lid on external free agent signings, agreeing to a one-year deal with former Cincinnati safety and core special teamer Tycen Anderson. Anderson hasn’t played as much defense as P.J. Locke did, so it����ap unclear exactly how good the Broncos feel about their No. 3 spot behind Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones. Denver’s staff liked what Devon Key showed defensively in practice over the 2025 season.

More broadly, the Broncos are not a finished product. Nobody ever really is in football, especially this time of year. The draft is a month away, and there are still players available via free agency and trade. The search for help rarely, if ever, actually ceases.

“We got J.K. Dobbins in, what, June?” general manager George Paton said last month. “You’re always looking and it never stops. There is always something out there that hopefully can help you.”

With the opening waves of free agency and one tsunami of a trade in the books, here is an updated look at the positions where the Broncos still need help.

Tight end

Tight end, like the next two positions, isn’t a true “must” for Sean Payton and company in a strict sense because the Broncos brought back all of their guys from 2025 between the NFL Combine and the start of free agency.

All the same, that group was underwhelming a year ago. Upgrading should remain a focus for Denver. The question: How? Most of the quality options went quickly in free agency, and that was without much of a list of surefire, major-impact players.

The draft is interesting because there aren’t the top-of-the-board type options like last year (Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren) but the closer late April creeps, the deeper many people believe the tight end crop is on the whole.

Dane Brugler, a draft analyst for The Athletic, recently said on social media that as he grades the group, “I have more draftable TEs in this class than any other I’ve done.”

Still haven't found the bottom of this TE draft class. There are going to be some useful guys still around late rounds/PFA.

I have more draftable TEs in this class than any other I've done.

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler)

Vanderbilt����ap Eli Stowers isn’t likely to be around at No. 62, so trying to land him might require some creativity. Otherwise, the task will be sorting through a raft of mid-to-late-round options and trying to find somebody who can help right away, sure, but who can be a force in the future.

Running back

By the time Jaleel McLaughlin signed a one-year deal, the Broncos had gone 4-of-4 in bringing their 2025 running backs back into the fold. Still, the same role questions that cropped up with that quartet last year remain. Tyler Badie is a good pass protector, but didn’t provide much else. Jaleel McLaughlin is a nice change of pace, but he isn’t a true third-down back because his pass pro is lacking. RJ Harvey is explosive, talented and not a finished product. J.K. Dobbins is one of the best in the business when he’s on the field, but he’s never finished a full season.

The free agent crop is pretty good and well-picked over. Denver was in the mix for Trevor Etienne, but ultimately wasn’t going to go as high as the $13 million a year he got from New Orleans.

Inside linebacker

Denver is down one linebacker on net after bringing Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton back, but also releasing Dre Greenlaw.

Never say never on one more veteran — the Broncos were well past the opening wave of free agency in 2024 when they signed Cody Barton to a one-year deal and he ended up playing 91% of snaps after Singleton tore his ACL in Week 3.

More likely, though, this is a draft and also a development spot for Denver.

The 2026 draft class is considered deep at inside linebacker. Georgia’s CJ Allen and Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez likely won’t last until No. 62. Perhaps somebody like Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr. or Cincinnati’s Jake Golday will be an option there. But there are a ton to choose from.

Not only that, but the Broncos may decide they have a worthy third already in the building. The leading candidate is Jordan Turner, while Levelle Bailey has also flashed. Drew Sanders is a wild card, but at this point can’t be counted on to be a major contributor because of the amount of development time he’s missed.

Defensive line

Denver’s post-John Franklin-Myers plan is pretty clear: A combination of Malcom Roach, Eyioma Uwazruike and second-year man Sai’Vion Jones will be asked to fill in the production void.

Drafting a defensive lineman can’t be ruled out, naturally. Bottom line: There’s not an overwhelming need.

This is a spot, though, where, if the Broncos and a veteran saw eye to eye on a role and an opportunity to play for a contender, there are still good players out there on the market.

Calais Campbell is still playing well and, of course, is a Denver native. He’ll turn 40 in September, but what a story it would be if season No. 19 were a title pursuit in his hometown.

Cam Jordan has a deep history with Sean Payton in New Orleans and can still really rush the passer at 36. Broncos fans, of course, know Shelby Harris well. Denico Autry played less — and missed five games — for Houston this year, but has been part of their terrific defense over the past two years and, even at 34, had a 10.9% pressure rate in 2025, according to Next Gen Stats. He’s been at that mark or better in six of his past eight seasons.

Denver has agreed to terms with free-agent safety Tycen Anderson on a one-year deal, a source confirmed to The Denver Post on Thursday.

It’s a clear move to address both depth at safety and bring in a potentially impactful special-teams player. Anderson has played just a handful of snaps on defense through a three-year NFL career, but played 83% of the Bengals’ special-teams snaps last season.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Anderson was a fifth-round draft pick by Cincinnati in 2022 and appeared in every game for the Bengals in 2024 and 2025. He’s recorded a total of 42 tackles across his three-year career, primarily on special teams.

Multiple NFL sources told The Denver Post that the Broncos would look for a depth safety in free agency, a need made more urgent by the departure of key reserve P.J. Locke for the Dallas Cowboys. Anderson could reasonably compete for Denver’s third-safety job or primarily fill a role on special teams, as the Broncos also have reserves Devon Key and J.L. Skinner under contract for 2026.

Denver sought out external special-teams contributors last offseason, signing receiver Trent Sherfield and safety Sam Franklin to short-term deals. Neither panned out, ultimately, as Denver waived Franklin during final roster cuts and cut Sherfield midseason.

The 26-year-old Anderson played 23 snaps on special teams in the Broncos’ Week 4 win over the Bengals in 2025, and 20 snaps in Denver’s 30-24 overtime-thriller win over Cincinnati the previous season.