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

Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Traded first-round, third-round and fourth-round pick for Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle and fourth-round pick; re-signed Lil’Jordan Humphrey on one-year, veteran-minimum contract; re-signed Michael Bandy to futures contract.

Under contract: Waddle, Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr., Humphrey, Bandy

Need scale (1-10): 4. The Waddle trade completely upended the outlook at this position. The Broncos landed the truly elite route-runner they’d been searching for. Waddle and veteran Sutton, now, will lead the room as interchangeable pieces at the X and Z receiver, with Franklin continuing to develop as a field-stretcher and Bryant needing sun as a possession target. The key here is Mims’ contract: his rookie deal is up after 2026, and the Broncos want another returner in the kicking game to preserve Mims for punt and receiving duties. It’s highly unlikely Denver targets a receiver with any of its first few picks, but the franchise could look to add speed late.

Top Five

Carnell Tate, Ohio State

The latest off the Buckeye assembly line. Tate steadily improved over three years at Ohio State and flourished as a senior in 2025, with 875 receiving yards and nine touchdowns while playing alongside Jeremiah Smith, who’ll be leading this space next year. He’s got ideal size at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, but didn’t exactly explode at the combine, with a 4.53-second 40-yard dash. Still, he’s probably as NFL-ready as anybody in a deep receiver class.

Makai Lemon, USC

Not the biggest. Not the fastest. Not the strongest. Just a player. Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award for the best receiver in college football this past season for a reason, after racking up 1,156 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s got strong hands, incredible body control and plus run-after-catch ability from any alignment. . He’s just an LA dude.

Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

A one-time Colorado receiver in 2022, Tyson’s stock has careened all over the map during the pre-draft process, after initially being in contention as the first receiver off the board in April. He missed the combine and Arizona’s Pro Day with a hamstring injury, and random character concerns around durability have begun to swirl around the 6-foot-2 wideout. Take that with a grain of salt. He’s caught 18 touchdowns in 21 games the last two seasons, and has as much big-play ability as any receiver in this class.

KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

Denver would’ve probably been in the mix here at pick No. 30, and even scheduled a top-30 visit with Concepcion, before canceling it after the Waddle trade. Concepcion has produced wherever and in whatever role he’s been across three years at NC State and Texas A&M, and was an All-American in 2025 after racking up 919 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He’ll likely be a late Round 1 pick and a slot weapon for somebody.

Omar Cooper, Indiana

Similar to Concepcion, Denver was doing work on Cooper, as the Hoosiers wideout took a visit in Denver before the Waddle trade. Cooper was Fernando Mendoza’s top target in 2025, with 69 catches and 13 touchdowns in 16 games, and has produced both from the slot and outside in his collegiate career. He profiles similarly, actually, to Waddle in that vein.

More Broncos fits

Malachi Fields, Notre Dame

Fields will probably go before the Broncos can circle back around to the fourth round, but this is a receiver in the Sean Payton mold (big). He’s 6-foot-4 and a half, weighs 218 pounds, and has a 38-inch vertical jump. Think Sutton’s ability to track balls in the red zone and make big third-down contested catches in one-on-one opportunities, here. Denver doesn’t really need Fields because of circumstance, but system-wise, he’d be a gem for Bo Nix.

Eli Heidenreich, Navy

How about a multidimensional weapon who ran for 499 yards and caught for 941 more in Navy’s triple-option offense? The 6-foot-0 Heidenreich’s best fit as a pro is completely unclear (is he a running back? A fullback? A slot receiver? A special-teamer?) but the production and speed is real. It’s easy to see Payton salivating over the gadget possibilities here, and Heidenreich will probably be there on Day 3.

Donaven McCulley, Michigan

McCulley’s done a Zoom with Denver, and the Broncos’ interest makes sense for one very large reason. The Michigan product stands 6-foot-4 and had a decent season in 2025, with 588 receiving yards in 13 games. He’s a converted quarterback, too, so there’s some untapped upside here. The top-end speed might not be there, but McCulley could be a seventh-round or free-agent target for Denver.

Caleb Douglas, Texas Tech

The tools here are top-of-the-line. Douglas stands 6-foot-3 and a half and ran his 40-yard-dash in 4.39 seconds at the combine, an intriguing blend of size and speed. He had great production for two years at Texas Tech, with two straight seasons of 800-plus receiving yards. In a deep draft for receivers, Douglas could easily drop to Day Three.

Kaden Wetjen, Iowa

This would be a return play, as Wetjen has had an unreal stretch on kicks and punts across a three-year career for the Hawkeyes: he led the FBS in kick-return yardage in 2024, and led in punt-return yardage in 2025. If Denver is seriously considering moving on from Mims, Wetjen would be a good play. Without much receiving tape, though (23 catches across three years), this would be too steep a price unless the Broncos could nab Wetjen late in Day Three.

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

Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Re-signed Sam Ehlinger to a one-year, $2 million deal

Under contract: Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, Ehlinger

Need scale (1-10): 2. Easily could have been a 1 on the scale, except teams are always in the market for quarterbacks. If you don’t have one, you must find one. If you do have one, as the Broncos do in Nix, then you’re in the business of developing your room and generating as many options as you can. Head coach Sean Payton always says he tells quarterbacks his job is to make them a lot of money. Plus, if a development model works, it can result in excess draft capital. So, even with Nix expected to be healthy and on the field for OTAs in early June, Denver will want a quarterback for its rookie minicamp and perhaps as a practice squad type through training camp and the regular season.

Top Five

Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

Mendoza is about as surefire a No. 1 overall pick as they come. Any moment Denver spent working on him in recent months might as well be chalked up to advance scouting work, since he’s going to be playing in the division with the Las Vegas Raiders. He’s big, strong, competitive and smart. And set to learn in a Vegas ecosystem that includes new head coach Klint Kubiak, veteran Kirk Cousins and, of course, limited shareholder Tom Brady.

Ty Simpson, Alabama

When Simpson was good at Alabama, he was really good. The issue: He started just one year, was up-and-down a bit for the Crimson Tide in that season and overall has just 523 collegiate passes to his name. Bo Nix, by comparison, had 1,936. Simpson’s a risk, but someone might be willing to roll the dice in the back half of the first round.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

Nothing against Nussmeier, but this is a good draft year to not need a quarterback. Even teams that do besides the Raiders must be at least quietly considering punting until what looks to be a loaded 2027 class. Nussmeier’s best year was 2024 and he was limited to nine games last fall by injury.

Carson Beck, Miami

Beck decided to play in college in 2025 after a 2024 elbow injury and he turned in an admirable lone season with the Hurricanes, leading them to the national title game and throwing 30 TDs vs. 12 INTs. In five years at Georgia and one at Miami, Beck completed 69.5% of his passes.

Drew Allar, Penn State

Allar has prototypical size, tantalizing arm strength and… well, hit-and-miss production. His best collegiate year was 2024 and, had he parlayed that into a major jump forward, might have rocketed up boards. Instead, Allar played in just six games and has a 63.2% career completion rate. A project, though one with considerable tools.

Broncos options

Cole Payton, North Dakota State

Payton, like Simpson, is a long-time collegiate quarterback who started just one year. Earlier in his career with the Bison, Payton was used extensively as a runner. In his lone year as a starter, he averaged just 17 attempts per game. But, to use what is perhaps already an overworked comparison, he’s got some Taysom Hill to his game. And, well, that makes a Sean Payton-coached team an intriguing option.

Luke Altmyer, Illinois

Altmyer’s experienced and productive, having started three years at Illinois after transferring from Ole Miss. He’s got experience with Denver WR Pat Bryant and helped guide the Illini from 5-7 his first year to 10-3 in 2024 and 9-4 last year. One issue: Sean Payton believes a QB who gets sacked a lot in college is likely to get sacked a lot in the pros, and Altmyer took 30-plus three straight years. Still, an interesting developmental player.

Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers

The Broncos had Kaliakmanis on a Zoom call during the pre-draft process, so there’s some connection here. Good size at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, but never completed better than 62.2% fora season between Minnesota (2022-23) and Rutgers (2024-25). His last year was his best, though he was sacked 36 times.

Jack Strand, MSU Moorehead

Another player Denver has talked with via Zoom in the predraft process. Strand was not invited to the NFL Combine but worked out with Cole Payton at NDSU’s pro day. Started four years for the D-II Dragons and threw for 13,161 yards, 126 TDs and 50 INTs in his career.

Taylen Green, Arkansas

Why not? Green is a massive player at 6-6 and 227 pounds, and he wowed at the NFL Combine by running 4.36 in the 40-yard dash, jumping 43.5 inches vertical, and 11-foot-2 broad. Played in 53 games between Boise State (2021-23) and Arkansas (2024-25), is turnover-prone and completed 60.5% of his passes the past two years, but if you’re looking to let a guy develop and play on your practice squad, you might find other uses when he’s got this kind of athletic profile.

Their pursuit of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle didn’t get close to a deal at the trade deadline last fall, but general manager George Paton and the Broncos front office had done extensive background work on the 2021 first-round pick then.

“We felt like we knew the player well and the person even better,” Paton said Monday at the NFL’s spring meetings here.

It led, at the end of about two weeks of talks, to the Broncos acquiring Waddle on March 11 in exchange for their first and third-round picks in this year’s draft plus a swap of fourth-rounders with the Dolphins.

“He’s one of the more explosive playmakers in the league,” Paton said. “Great makeup, great competitor. He’ll fit in with our room. … He just upgrades or helps the room. He opens up the run game, he’ll open it up for other receivers.”

Broncos won’t trade from WR depth after trade

Paton and head coach Sean Payton have consistently been bullish on their existing receivers, repeatedly expressing confidence in the group over the past two years.

Paton on Monday shot down any notion that Denver might look to trade from the position now that Waddle sits at the top of it.

“No, we really like those pieces and they’re all going to help us,” Paton said. “They’ve all helped us up to now. … We’re 7-8 deep. Why would we build up this room then trade someone right now?”

It was confidence in that receiver group that ultimately led the Broncos not to push harder to land Waddle at the trade deadline last year. The depth held up until the playoffs, when Denver played most of its two games without Troy Franklin (hamstring) and Pat Bryant (concussion). At one point against Buffalo in the divisional round, Denver was playing with three healthy receivers.

At the trade deadline, though, the Broncos were a healthy team overall and at receiver.

“We liked the group, we were on a win streak, we were rolling pretty good,” Paton said, adding that at that point, Denver also didn’t know exactly where its first-round pick would be. “And (the price) was high. They were asking a lot at that time.”

A trade ‘too unique’ to pass up 

The price stayed high when new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan arrived at the Dolphins early in the offseason, but Denver became increasingly convinced this was the move they needed to make.

“The more you think about it, the more you go through all of your different models — the cap, the draft picks, who’s available in the draft, free agency, all of that — Who’s available that can really help us?” Paton said. “It had to be a unique circumstance for us to do this, to make a trade like this. And we just felt this was too unique to pass up.”

Paton joked that he may like draft picks more than anybody in the league, but the Broncos decided that the equivalent value of the No. 26 pick in the first round was fair compensation for a player of Waddle’s caliber.

“You look at the caliber of the free agent class,” Paton said. “You look at the caliber of the draft class. Who can we get at 30 within the draft class?’Then you factor in the cap and the finances, not just this year, but down the road. The fact that he’s 27 years old. The fact that it was (No.) 30— it wasn’t No. 16. We compared it to all the other trades the last 10 years with the first-round pick. The value we felt was 26, and that����ap the value we gave them.

“You look at all of that when you make a trade like this.”

When Paton called Waddle’s former college roommate, Pat Surtain II, to tell him the deal was done, Surtain already knew.

“He was screaming,” Paton said.

Then he made his way down to the training room to tell quarterback Bo Nix.

He was pretty excited,” Paton said. “He went out to dinner with all of us. Bo thinks he’s kind of a quasi-GM sometimes. Sometimes he’s right, sometimes he’s wrong.

“I think he’s right on this guy. This guy is pretty special.”

“We’ve got another guy that just came in — Jaylen Waddle, you know what I’m saying?” Dobbins said. “Pick your poison, because we’ve got Courtland Sutton, we’ve got the young Pat Bryant, we’ve got a great O-line, we’ve got everything.

“We’ve got an embarrassment of riches, on this team of talent.”

It could soon become a full-fledged humiliation of riches if Denver’s recent offseason moves are any indication. After re-upping with several names during free agency, the Broncos are currently set to run back the same backfield they deployed in 2025: Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Tyler Badie, Jaleel McLaughlin. But they have a clear interest in further upgrading that room.

Before ultimately turning back to Dobbins, the Broncos checked on 25-year-old RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. in free agency, a source with knowledge of the situation told The Denver Post. Even after Denver re-signed Dobbins, they still expressed interest in adding Rodriguez. The former Commander , seeing a greater path to touches after former Jaguars star Travis Etienne Jr. left in free agency.

Now, Denver has clearly turned its attention to evaluating April’s draft for upgrades at RB3, needing another reliable piece in the room behind the oft-injured Dobbins and second-year back Harvey. Sources told The Post that the Broncos are set to host Washington running back Jonah Coleman and Indiana running back Kaelon Black on top-30 draft visits (meeetings in which NFL teams can bring prospects at their facilities to gain more intel for their evaluations).

Either would present interesting options for Denver, at slightly different points in April’s draft. The 5-foot-8, 220-pound Coleman would likely be a target at Denver’s No. 62 second-round selection or its pair of fourth-round picks (Nos. 108 and 111). He’s a classic power back who can do a little bit of everything — 15 rushing touchdowns in 2025, with 31 catches for 354 yards.

Even more tantalizing, Coleman has as safe a profile as any running back in this class. He fumbled twice in 157 rushing attempts last year, allowed one sack, and didn’t drop a pass, according to Pro Football Focus data. Sounds like a Sean Payton guy, particularly considering his glee in talking pass-protection.

“The way they run protections, they described it to me — is pretty much the same thing that we ran in college,” Coleman told The Post at the combine, of an initial meeting with Denver. “Slightly adjusted, just depending on the game plan and stuff. So coming in and learning fast, being able to play fast, is ultimately the goal.”

Black, meanwhile, was a combine snub despite rushing for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns for the national-champion Hoosiers in 2025. He’s less of a sure thing, with fewer pass-blocking reps than Coleman and just eight combined receptions across two years in Indiana. If Denver wants a change-of-pace back who can break off chunk gains both inside and outside the tackles, though, .

From Denver’s assortment of known draft visits thus far, too, it’s clear the Broncos are eyeing help at the line of scrimmage and tight end. The organization clearly needs a youth infusion in the wings behind a stable starting offensive front, and Denver won’t be content to bring back the exact same middle-of-the-road TE room — Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull — to Week 1 in 2026.

Including Coleman and Black, The Post has confirmed nine of the Broncos’ permissible 30 top-30 draft visits. Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of some of Denver’s activity, with a month to go before commissioner Roger Goodell takes the stage at the draft in Pittsburgh.

Quarterback

Confirmed top-30 visits: None

���Գٱ��:��Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis had a Zoom call with new Broncos QBs coach Logan Kilgore on Wednesday, according to Kaliakmanis’s agency, Grady Sports. Take most pre-draft calls with a slight grain of salt, as Denver would be operating in malpractice if they didn’t meet with prospects regardless of positional need. Still, it’s entirely possible that Payton could look to bring in a developmental quarterback to compete for a No. 2 or No. 3 job — particularly as Denver has a prime asset in backup Jarrett Stidham.

Kaliakmanis has ideal size at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, and threw for 3,124 yards and 20 touchdowns last year for Rutgers. He could be a seventh-round target.

Running back

Confirmed top-30 visits: Coleman, Black

Intel: Interestingly, if Denver’s trying to keep any potential interest in Arkansas RB Mike Washington Jr. close to the vest, it’s doing a good job. has had several top-30 visits — but none with the Broncos, a source said.

Wide receiver

Confirmed top-30 visits: Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

Intel: Well, the Cooper visit was pretty much moot. His camp, naturally, no longer expects Denver to be in play for him in April after the Broncos sent their 2026 first-round pick to the Dolphins in the Jaylen Waddle trade. And a previously-scheduled Denver visit with possible first-rounder KC Concepcion (of Texas A&M) was cancelled after the Waddle deal, a source told The Post.

So, highly unlikely the Broncos target a receiver unless it’s a seventh-round flier. In that case, keep an eye on Michigan’s Donaven McCulley, who has ridiculous size at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds. He’s had a Zoom call with new Denver receivers coach Ronald Curry and a few other staffers, a source said. Mississippi State’s Brenen Thompson, Cincinnati’s Cyrus Allen and Texas Tech’s Caleb Douglas have also had calls with Denver.

Tight end

Confirmed top-30 visits: Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt; Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M

Intel: All-American Stowers has rocketed up boards after an earth-shattering combine, setting an . Not a typo! The red-zone potential in Payton’s offense is massive. But Stowers might not make it to Denver’s first pick at No. 62. Boerkircher is one of several intriguing Day 2 or Day 3 options for the Broncos; he’s caught just 38 passes in his collegiate career, but is a heavy and capable blocker at in-line tight end.

Offensive line

Confirmed top-30 visits: Jude Bowry, Boston College; Josh Gesky, Illinois

Intel: Expect Denver to find some help here. Bowry is a raw, developmental tackle who recorded the fourth-highest vertical jump (34.5 inches) of any lineman at the combine. Gesky is a sleeper who ran a 4.94-second 40-yard-dash at Illinois’s Pro Day in mid-March, and has been trained in the offseason by former nine-year NFL starter Tony Pashos.

Denver has also had a pro-day meeting and has an upcoming Zoom scheduled with gigantic Memphis tackle Travis Burke, who measures at 6-foot-9 and 325 pounds. Burke had a strong season at Memphis in 2025 and could be another later-round option.

Defensive line

Confirmed top-30 visits: Chris McClellan, Mizzou

Intel: Denver could look to toss in another body into the room to compete for John Franklin-Myers’ old job. Hence, the McClellan visit. Navy’s Landon Robinson, a defensive tackle who racked up 14.5 sacks across three seasons of college ball, also had a post-pro day phone call with Denver, he told The Post.

Linebacker

Confirmed top-30 visits: Kaleb Elarms-Orr, TCU

���Գٱ��:��Athletically, there are few more intriguing linebacker prospects in 2026 than Elarms-Orr. He ran a 4.47 40-yard dash and jumped 40 inches at the combine, while measuring at 6-foot-2 and 234 pounds. That’s nuts. He made plays all over the field last year for TCU, with 130 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and four sacks; he could step right in and compete for LB3 in Denver after the Broncos cut Dre Greenlaw.

Secondary

Confirmed top-30 visits: None

���Գٱ��:��Don’t expect Denver to be especially active here. One agent who spoke with a Broncos representative recently told The Post that the Broncos aren’t looking to draft a cornerback in 2026, with a stacked room and other needs. Denver has done calls with Oklahoma safety Robert Spears-Jennings and Washington cornerback Ephesians Prysock, though.

Parker, the Broncos finally did something! With Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton now our Nos. 1 and 2 receivers, how does the rest of the WR room look? Does Marvin Mims Jr. fill that joker role now that we can put him anywhere on the field? Do we turn Lil’Jordan Humphrey into a tight end?

— David Miller, Commerce City

Hey Parker, the Broncos finally made that big offseason splash trading for Jaylen Waddle. I’m assuming he’s taking the WR1 slot with Courtland Sutton shifting over to WR2. How does the rest of the WR room look now?

— Ryan K., Bennett

Hey David and Ryan, thanks for writing in and for the interesting questions about Denver’s new-look receiving group.

Waddle may well end up with more targets than Sutton in 2026, but there aren’t really set WR1, 2 and 3 roles like that. Guys align by position — Payton wants guys that can play multiple — and then, of course, there are primary options on every passing play. Payton refers to those as tags for certain players. There will undoubtedly be a ton of plays tagged for Waddle.

Perhaps one of the more exciting prospects for both Denver’s offensive coaching staff and for Waddle himself is the manner in which the Broncos will likely move him around. They see him as a guy who can play outside or in the slot.

What����ap interesting about Waddle, in particular, is that despite his diminutive stature, the Dolphins last year used him predominantly as an outside receiver. According to Next Gen Stats, 307 of his exactly 400 routes came after being lined up outside. In 17 games, Waddle lined up in the slot just 22.8% of the time and was targeted out of the slot 16 times.

It would be a surprise if those numbers held in Denver.

Not to say Waddle will be only a slot or even line up in the slot a majority of times — we don’t know yet what his usage will look like — but he’ll likely move around quite a bit.

For comparison, Courtland Sutton, who is about as prototype outside “X” receiver as there is, lined up in the slot more frequently (23.3%) in 2025 for Denver than Waddle did for Miami.

It may surprise some to see the Broncos’ pecking order for who played in the slot most frequently by routes run.

Pat Bryant led the way as a big, power slot, running 170 of his 301 routes from the slot (56.5%). Next came Troy Franklin at 200 out of 480 (41.7%). Lil’Jordan Humphrey (56 out of 174) was at 32.1%. Last but not least, Marvin Mims ran just 62 of his 270 routes from the slot (22.9%).

All of those players will see their roles impacted and one of them may not even be on the 2026 roster unless the Broncos decide to roll with six on their initial 53-man this summer.

Who exactly sees what changes to their roles is yet to be determined, but suffice it to say Sutton and Waddle will be on the field together a ton and then Payton, offensive coordinator Davis Webb, new receivers coach Ronald Curry and the rest of the staff will mix and match third and fourth guys based on situations, matchups and more.

We don’t know exactly how that����ap going to shake out, but we’re not the only ones. Mims himself spoke with Altitude after attending a recent Nuggets game and said he was “really surprised” by the trade. He spoke highly of Waddle and said he was excited to add another playmaker but also added, “It’s interesting to see how I’ll fit in in the offense.”

Marvin Mims tells his initial reaction to the Jaylen Waddle trade: "It really surprised me, bringing in a guy like that. … Offensively you always need more playmakers."

Also, "It's interesting to see how I'll fit in in the offense."

— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel)

Parker, this question may take a longer explanation than you have room for in your column (which I enjoy reading by the way), but I’m curious about the Denver coaching staff. I just saw an article that shows Denver has 26 coaches on staff. I was surprised at the quantity but also the titles and even duplicated titles (quality control assistants for offense, defense and special teams). I was particularly surprised that Denver has an inside and outside linebacker coach, and then you see the various run and pass game coordinators. Is there any insight you can provide on how these guys all work together or coordinate their efforts?

Thanks for the consideration!

— F.J. O’Leary, Frisco, Texas

Hey F.J., thanks for writing in and good question.

The Broncos do indeed have a large coaching staff and, like most, there are a variety of titles. Most of the time, a coordinator title (think run game coordinator or defensive pass game coordinator) is a way of giving a coach a promotion — and a raise — to keep him in your building. They can also help you ward off attempts from other teams to interview your coaches, since a club can block an interview for a lateral move but not for a promotion. Sometimes those jobs also come with added responsibilities in meetings or on game day, but if a staff is already kind of in place, there’s not necessarily a major change. Last year, for example, Davis Webb was made the offensive passing game coordinator and Jim Leonhard the defensive passing game coordinator. They each said at different times that they had a little more responsibility, but it wasn’t like suddenly they were running meetings differently or had a completely different workflow during game weeks.

Now, of course, Webb is the offensive coordinator and Leonhard the DC for Buffalo. Denver rehired John Morton as the offensive PGC and Zach Strief is once again the offensive RGC. He still coaches the offensive line, though, along with Chris Morgan.

Quality control coaches may not have specific titles, but they mostly work with certain position groups. Todd Davis works with inside linebackers. Brian Neidermeyer worked a lot with outside linebackers last year. It’ll be interesting to see how the new trio of offensive QCs splits up. Previously, Logan Kilgore was a QC working with tight ends. Now he’s the Broncos’ quarterbacks coach.

As for the inside/outside linebacker split, that����ap because those groups have very different responsibilities and techniques. In many ways, OLBs are closer to defensive linemen than to inside linebackers.

����’s similar for corners and safeties. Leonhard was the PGC and defensive backs coach last year, but day to day on the practice field, he worked with the safeties, while Addison Lynch worked with the corners. Payton fired Lynch after the season.

The new-look group there is PGC Robert Livingston and defensive backs coach Doug Belk. We’ll see how they split up on-field coaching duties during practice.

With our re-signing of Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad, who do you see covering tight ends as the roster looks now?

— Mark, Albuquerque, N.M.

Hey Mark, thanks for writing in. I see largely the same group covering tight ends as last year — Singleton, Strnad and Denver’s safeties. Nickel Ja’Quan McMillian or a cornerback, depending on the matchup.

There’s a narrative out there that Singleton and Strnad are bad in coverage. They might not be the best coverage linebackers in football, but I think — and, perhaps more pertinently, coaches and people in the building believe — that����ap overblown.

Denver played as much man coverage as anybody in football, but its defensive principles aren’t as simple as lining up across the board and running with the man you’re responsible for, no matter where he goes. Especially in the middle of the field, the Broncos play a lot of match-style coverage, hand-off players, etc. ����’s not as simple as seeing a tight end catch the ball and get tackled in pursuit by Singleton or Strnad and saying definitively that he had responsibility.

Again, this isn’t to say they’re the most dynamic cover linebackers in football. They’re not. But it����ap not as simple as saying they’re bad and can’t do the job, either.

Late in the season, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph had a lot of insight into this. Here’s what he said:
“Our corners are really good players. …  Sometimes, in (offenses’) minds, their better matchups are with backers and safeties. They can control the leverage, which is smart. So we understand that.”

He said he likes to try to control tight ends and running backs by showing pressure looks that force them to think about blocking before going out on a route, referring to it as covering them using defensive structure. But he also acknowledged defenses can’t always do that and also that third downs, in particular, become prime time for targeting tight ends and backs.

“����’s tough to find tight ends, especially on first and second down. But on third downs, that����ap the matchup they want because they get the leverage they want. That����ap just football. ����’s always been that way for my defense. We understand that.”

With Jaylen Waddle on the roster, what’s the big target in the draft? An inside linebacker? A tight end? Do we trade back our second-round pick for most picks?

— Michael Smith, Denver

Hey Michael, great questions. I’m inclined to answer yes, yes and yes. Obviously if there’s a player the Broncos feel strongly about at No. 62, they’ll take him right there. By that time in the proceedings, though, if Denver has a clump of players graded similarly, trading back and recouping a selection or two makes a lot of sense.

����’s impossible to say from here who will be available at No.62, but if you’re talking about tight ends and linebackers, there figure to be multiple or several already gone at each position by the time the late second round rolls around. Beyond just the surefire first-rounders like linebacker Sonny Styles and tight end Kenyon Sadiq, it’d be a surprise if players like Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers, Georgia LB CJ Allen and Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez are still around as the 60s approach.

Given where the Broncos are roster-wise, you really can’t count them out from taking any position if they think the value is there. I’ll agree with you on tight end and linebacker as top needs and throw running back in the mix, too. They could use a young safety and could stand to add more young, cheap options on both lines as they plan for the future.

Parker, what do you think about running back Adam Randall out of Clemson? He’s a converted wide receiver and is 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds.

— Eric Price, Altoona, Pa.

Hey Eric, thanks for writing in. He’s a really interesting prospect, that����ap for sure. Big guy who can really run. Not the most refined runner at this point, but given that he hasn’t been playing running back very long, he should have considerable development in front of him. Physically, it����ap an uncommon profile and not a type of back Sean Payton’s typically pursued, but if you think there’s a chance he turns into something special, it����ap worth considering later in the draft.

Overall, though, he’s a fun and interesting watch. I’m guessing there aren’t many guys his size with extensive kick return experience.

David Njoku is still available. We should sign him. We need more talent in our tight ends.

— Tom, Boulder

Hey Tom, thanks for writing in. Njoku is indeed still available. So far, we haven’t heard much about any substantial interest shown by the Broncos. That, of course, could change.

Njoku, at his best, certainly would upgrade Denver’s tight end room. Given where the group’s been collectively from a production standpoint the past couple of years, it would be hard to push back too much against such a move.

Njoku, though, hasn’t been at his best in the past two seasons. He’s missed 11 games in that stretch — six in 2024, five last year – and hasn’t come close to his 2024 output of 81 catches and 882 yards.

Njoku’s played predominantly in-line, meaning adding him would be more about Adam Trautman than about Evan Engram. Even in limited time the past two years, Njoku’s been a more dangerous receiver than Trautman. Trautman has been the better blocker by most metrics and Njoku would have a long way to go to catch up to Trautman’s knowledge of the offense and the implicit trust the coaching staff has in him.

Hey, we get it. It’s tempting to dust off a slightly used Troy Franklin, stick him on eBay, and see what kind of offers come rolling in. With Jayden Waddle to the Broncos’ wide receiver room, somebody who played a lot in 2025 is likely going to see their 2026 snaps take a dip.

But before you decide that Franklin is surplus to requirements, that he’s disposable, consider the short-term consequences. Consider the depth chart. Because if the last three years have taught ����apountry anything, it’s this:

1. A wide-receiver screen in the red zone is a wasted down;

2. Should Humphrey be anywhere near the top of the two-deep, Broncos coach Sean Payton is going to find a reason to play him. Like, a lot.

To wit: Last November, Payton brought Humphrey, whom he’d signed to the Saints as an undrafted rookie in 2019, back to Denver. Lil’Jordan wound up making almost as many starts in seven games as a Bronco (two) as Marvin Mims Jr. did in 15 contests (four).

Over the Broncos’ last four regular-season games,, Humphrey logged 118 offensive snaps while Mims landed 95. Humphrey got twice as many offensive snaps (46) as Marvelous Marv (21) in Week 15 and nearly 10 more (43-34) during Week 17. In the playoffs, Humphrey landed 91 snaps in two games; Mims got 85.

Keeping Franklin around doesn’t just keep Lil’Jordan honest. It might even keep him off the field. And if that’s not a good enough reason for the Broncos to retain our man Troy in orange and blue, we’ll give you five more to chew on:

1. He makes the Broncos’ WR room more diverse

A Broncos wideout room with Franklin can beat you in more than a half-dozen ways. As currently comprised, it also helps to smooth over one of quarterback Bo Nix’s rough edges.

, Nix was 35th out of 42 NFL QBs who logged at least 100 plays last year in Yards Per Attempt vs. zone defenses (6.72). Waddle rolls into Dove Valley with a history of being a zone-buster.

He’s also proven to be dangerous in all three levels of the passing game. Waddle’s done some of his best work in between the hashmarks, which was an absolute dead zone for the Broncos’ passing game a year ago. The ex-Alabama star can beat defenders in foot races up the seam or along the boundary.

Which is, on paper, a savvy complement to Sutton, who can move the chains, body up smaller foes outside the hashes and win jump balls in the end zone.

Pat Bryant has the goods to do a lot of the Sutton stuff, only with a younger frame. Mims is a return weapon and gadget specialist who can exploit mismatches anywhere. Franklin can stretch the field to win battles deep (4.41 time in the 40) or beat you short. If you line up Waddle next to Franklin, defenders are never going to be completely sure who’s going where. Or when.

2. He’ll make other wideouts have to work to get snaps

Waddle doesn’t just push everybody who’s not Sutton down a peg. He makes them work that much harder just to see the field.

Of the NFL’s top 15 players in drops last season, the Broncos put three on the list, . (The Lions and Jaguars had two each.) In terms of drop percentage, per Pro-Football-Reference.com, Denver targets made up two of the NFL’s top 10. (Old friend Jerry Jeudy was 13th, if you’re curious, dropping 9.4% of the balls thrown at him last year.)

“When it’s going good, it’s very contagious,” Franklin said last December. “Things just get to rolling … once everybody gets that first catch, (when they) go for 5 (yards), 10 (yards), whatever the case is, then somebody else wants to make a play. So it’s just, feed off them.”

Want snaps? Don’t drop the rock.

3. He bolsters the depth

The Broncos started six different wide receivers at various points during the 2025 regular season. They started six different guys there in 2024. Ditto for 2023.

The more bodies, and good bodies, the merrier. Bryant went through a scary collision against Jacksonville in Week 16, getting concussed in the process. He went on to suffer another concussion vs. Buffalo and rack up a hamstring injury on the Broncos’ first drive of the AFC Championship Game. Mims missed Weeks 9 and 10 last season recovering from a concussion.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got fighters on this team,” Mims said after Denver’s divisional round win over the Bills. “We’ve got guys who are selfless. No matter what their role is on this team, they’re going to go out there and give it their all. And that’s what we need to be able to go and just advance the playoffs.”

4. He’s got a rapport with Bo Nix

You might take a Duck out of Oregon, but you’ll never take the Oregon out of a Duck. Franklin and Nix played two seasons together in Eugene (2022, 2023), during which the former caught 25 touchdowns over those two years as a collegian.

Franklin added nine more TD receptions as a Bronco, eight in the regular season. Nothing builds trust — and continuity — quite like reps.

“I mean, (when) you see that, it’s a huge thing,” Broncos tight end Adam Trautman told me last fall. “And then it just develops over time — throws in practice, throws in training camp, throws in the offseason, it all just accumulates. And then it’s like, (in a) big moment, I trust (Troy).”

5. He’s relatively cheap — and young

In a capped sport, you want all the production you can muster from star contributors while they’re playing on rookie contracts. For one, because it’s cost-effective. For another, it allows you to spend more on veterans to fill in other holes on the roster as they pop up.

Franklin’s slated for a cap hit of $1.289 million in 2026 and a $1.404-million hit in 2027. His 2025 salary average ($1.218 million) ranked 130th among NFL wideouts, Meanwhile, his catches (65, good for 39th), receiving yards (709, good for 46th) and TD receptions (six, tied for 26th) all ranked among the league’s top 50 last fall.

So far, that’s an awfully good value on return for a fourth-round pick, especially one who just turned 23. In a league where storm clouds lurk around just about every corner, Franklin’s the kind of umbrella you want to keep within arm’s reach. Just in case.

When seeking a playmaker, the Broncos required a receiver who could beat any coverage and fit in their culture.

Coach Sean Payton did not spend three years creating a tight, like-minded locker room only to stuff Mentos into the Coca-Cola bottle.

He fought to clean up Nathaniel Hazmat’s mess, fought to win the division, fought to reach the AFC Championship Game.

A dynamic weapon to goose their offense was not coming from the 30th overall pick in the NFL Draft. The best running back (Jeremiyah Love) and tight end (Kenyon Sadiq) would have been long gone, and no matter what you think of receivers Omar Cooper or KC Concepcion, there was zero chance they were making Jaylen Waddle’s impact.

The last two rookie receivers in Payton’s offense, Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant, combined for 59 catches, 641 yards and three touchdowns. Waddle has averaged 75 receptions, 1,008 yards and five scores every season.

So, for those lamenting the lost draft picks, get over it. Were you saving them for Secret Santa gifts? My word.

The Broncos were one converted fourth-and-1 from winning the Super Bowl. They are not playing for the future.

Waddle helps them win now. But not just because of who he is as a player, but who he is as a person. There is no beaker to pour in the exact amount of characteristics to create strong chemistry.

But spend any time around the Broncos, it is obvious they have it. Star defensive end Zach Allen told me last season that (bleepity, bleeps) need not apply.

“We have none of them,” Allen said. “You are going to be the odd man out if you are.”

So the challenge for general manager George Paton and Payton was to be brilliant, bold and selective. Character mattered.

Waddle delivers, perhaps more off the field than on it.

He left a vapor trail of long plays and 100 yards of smiles.

Let’s start with the best story told by former Three years ago, Waddle befriended 6-year-old cancer patient Rocco Passaro. His parents, Raymond and Ida, viewed Rocco as a superhero. But with their son facing a potential bone marrow transplant, they braced for the worst.

They asked him to compile a bucket list. Going to a Dolphins game was near the top. The family got connected to the team and it wasn’t long before Rocco was on the sideline.

“Rocco is definitely someone that is special. We have a special a bond, and I think that����ap just going to continue (no matter) where I play at,” Waddle said Wednesday. “He has family in me on his side.”

Waddle, 27, went beyond a meet-and-greet. He connected with Rocco, face-timed him, received updates on his health, and their relationship was credited for helping Rocco beat leukemia.

This story folds into who the Broncos are. They received ESPN’s 2022 Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award for their work in the community. Service before self is in Waddle’s DNA.

When the Dolphins released a thank you post on Twitter, the highlights featured Waddle hanging out with a boy wearing his jersey before a game, posing for pictures with Boys&Girls Clubs members and teaching his penguin celebration dance to kids.

This stuff matters in Denver. Folks roll their eyes, but it is real. The competition for their Walter Payton Man of the Year is more competitive than for team MVP.

“I’m definitely going to get in the community and do something. I know ‘PS2’ (Pat Surtain II) is going to help me find different things to get into,” said Waddle, who was part of Alabama’s 2018 recruiting class with Surtain and teammates with him on the 2020 national championship team. “I know he does a lot of good things out here.”

Why should you care? Simple. It will allow Waddle to assimilate seamlessly, increasing the likelihood he makes an early impact.

Which brings us to another salient point. The question Waddle faced four months from his first training camp in his first year with his new team: Does he see himself as the No. 1 receiver?

Mind you, this position features more divas than “Moulin Rouge.” Receivers have cratered seasons with me-over-we buffoonery.

Waddle did not take the bait. His goals are team goals.

This is not a front. After the Dolphins acquired Tyreek Hill in 2022, Waddle saw his targets shrink for three consecutive seasons. As Hill ate like crazy, there was less meat on the bone for Waddle.

He never made a stink. Never whined, even as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s play deteriorated last season.

You know who else is like this? Courtland Sutton, a team captain.

Of course, the Broncos required someone with special talent. But they needed that player to possess humility. Waddle can be quirky and hilarious — but his unselfishness remains a defining quality.

“I honestly think it was just the way I was brought up. My mom and dad obviously tried to do a good job as best they could with keeping me not too high, but not too low. So just staying at a good head space,” Waddle said. “I think it����ap going to be a fun group. They have a lot of talent with ‘Court’, ‘Marv’ (Marvin Mims Jr.), Troy, Pat Lil’Jordan (Humphrey). I’m here to help in every fashion, making plays and learning. I’m excited to learn from them and for them to learn from me. It should be great.”

He makes the Broncos better. And his makeup makes them the AFC’s top contender.

“This is exactly what we needed,” Surtain told the team website. “He fits this team very well.”

Their training camp battles this summer, though, should be pay-per-view quality.

Waddle is officially the Broncos’ new wide receiver after he passed his physical on Wednesday and the club announced the terms of its blockbuster trade with Miami.

Waddle went viral just days before the trade actually materialized when he was asked who in the NFL he’d like to fight and he, in very colorful terms, called out his former teammate and longtime friend Surtain and said he would dominate.

“I still stand on what I said about Pat,” Waddle told reporters in an introductory conference call Wednesday afternoon.

The call didn’t feature video, but it was easy to sense Waddle’s smile on the other end of the line. The same kind of wattage, perhaps, that he flashed when on FaceTime with Surtain shortly after news of the trade broke Tuesday morning.

Jaylen Waddle and Pat Surtain II seem happy.

— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel)

“It was special. He was one of the first calls that I made,” Waddle said of Surtain. “We talked about this early in our career, that we wanted to get together and play with each other.

“Seeing it happen, it����ap special.”

The pair starred together at Alabama. Then Waddle was drafted No. 6 overall by Miami in 2021. Three picks later, the Broncos took Surtain.

Now they are teammates again and will see plenty of each other on opposite sides of the line of scrimmage this offseason before attempting to lead Denver toward a championship this fall.

“����’s exciting just playing with great players,” Waddle said. “Everyone is talking about how great and close the team is. I’m excited to be around the guys, get to know them, and they get to know me and go from there.”

Denver has coveted Waddle, with his elite speed and versatility, for some time. General manager George Paton and head coach Sean Payton had interest in trading for Waddle at the trade deadline during the 2025 season, though a deal never materialized.

Waddle said he heard of Denver’s interest during that stretch.

“It was hearsay, so you never know what����ap true and what����ap not true,” Waddle said. “But you could say I was (aware).”

Now he’s officially a Bronco.

“It feels like home, feels like family,” Waddle said Wednesday. “Everyone has been welcoming. ����’s been great.”

On the field, he’ll slot in right at the top of Denver’s receiver group along with Courtland Sutton.

Denver has plowed money into its offensive and defensive lines and extended 10 players over the past 18 months, but perhaps no group has received more extensive and consistent investment than the receivers.

The Broncos drafted Marvin Mims Jr. in the second round in 2023, then traded up to select Troy Franklin at the very top of the fourth round. They used a third-rounder on Pat Bryant last spring, then signed Sutton to a four-year, $92 million extension before the regular season.

Now they’ve traded their first-round pick in next month’s draft plus third and fourth-rounders for Waddle and a fourth.

That kind of investment requires upper-echelon production from the group going forward.

Waddle will only just start getting to know his new teammates in the coming weeks, but he’s already confident Denver’s receiver group can provide just that.

“I don’t think there’s any true No. 1 (receiver),” Waddle said. “Everybody is just here to make plays and to win. … ����’s going to be a fun group. They’ve got a lot of talent. Court, Marv, Troy (Franklin), Pat, Lil’Jordan (Humphrey).

“I’m here to help in every fashion. Making plays and learning. I’m excited to learn from them and for them to learn from me. It should be fun. It should be great.”

The Broncos can win a Super Bowl. Not in two years. Not when they move into their new stadium.

This upcoming season. This is their time. They made it to the green room last January. Now, they are ready to walk onto the big stage and strut away with the franchise’s fourth Lombardi Trophy.

Jaylen Waddle, mercifully, provides the Broncos with what they were missing — another playmaker.

They did not bring in Waddle because they had a bad week in free agency, where the receiver options were limited and deemed unworthy of more than $6 million annually. They brought him to Denver because he is a terrific player and worth the compensation (Don’t @me with concerns about draft picks when a team is in a win-now window with a franchise quarterback on a rookie contract).

Let’s not minimize Waddle. This was a function of need.

There was no way the Broncos could look at anyone with a straight face and believe their offense was capable of winning a championship.

With Waddle, they are.

Waddle should tell us what he thinks on Wednesday. There are tentative plans for a press conference if Sean Payton does not cut the phone lines or knock the power out in the building.

No free agent has had one since Payton took over. Waddle deserves one.

He is that guy, the type of player who is never available in free agency at age 27 and whose talent would never be matched by the 30th pick in the first round.

He is versatile, durable, and productive (things I will deny saying if Lil’ Jordan Humphrey leads the Broncos in targets in Week 1). He has speed that demands attention, and is capable of turning a quick pop into a 50-yard burst.

For all of you grousing that the Broncos could have just drafted a player like Waddle, Payton has not developed his Nik Bonitto on offense as Vance Joseph has on defense.

The Broncos needed a veteran for Nix, and hopefully, longer marinating will make Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin more productive someday. Waddle is about today.

Think about what else this move means. Davis Webb has a chance.

Had the Broncos remained static offensively, there is no way Webb would have received a fair shot at calling plays. Until Tuesday, that was the Broncos’ biggest change this offseason. A 31-year-old expected to be for an offense what Doogie Howser was to an operating room.

Problem was, all the players were the same.

And you know who knows them better than anyone? Payton.

Had the Broncos struggled the first few games, it is almost certain Payton would have snatched the Waffle House menu back. He did that in New Orleans with Pete Carmichael in 2016. For the same reasons. They were all his guys.

Back then, it worked. This time it will not.

Payton is 10 years older, less decisive on the headset and slow with the mechanics of getting the play into Nix.

The Broncos must find out what they have in Webb. Is he the Ben Johnson on their staff?

No one will ever convince me that Payton gave up play-calling willingly.

More like reluctantly.

And watching him run it back at every position group, it felt like he was valuing continuity over productivity. That he was, though not purposefully, making it harder for Webb to find a lane to establish his identity.

Waddle changes everything.

Good players make great play callers. Webb now has a weapon to make the Broncos more dynamic.

He has Payton’s brain to pick in collaborative game plan meetings and a new receiver capable of making whiteboard dreams come to life.

“Defenses can no longer look at the Broncos and say they have one guy in Courtland that they need to take out and that they can live with what the other guys do,” said FOX NFL analyst and 104.3 The Fan host Mark Schlereth. “This gives them their first one-two punch since Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.”

Ranking those in order who benefited most from Tuesday’s deal is easy: Nix, Webb, Evan Engram, everyone else.

Waddle gives Webb a chance to be more aggressive, especially after establishing the run.

J.K. Dobbins was the Broncos’ best offensive player for 10 games last season before a foot injury knocked him out for the season. He must prove he can stay healthy — the goal should be 14 games and the playoffs. R.J. Harvey remains in the mix and should be joined by a draft pick.

The ability to stay committed to the run will create long strikes from Nix to Waddle in play action. No more depending solely on Sutton to haul in a 50-50 ball on third down. Or Marvin Mims Jr. to rescue the team once a month.

“And remember, you stole Waddle from everybody else in the AFC who might have wanted him,” said Westwood One Radio host for NFL games Ryan Harris. “This move is a goldmine.”

After the Russell Wilson disaster, it must be asked: Why was Waddle available? The simple answer: the Dolphins are tearing down to the studs, rebuilding through the draft.

Also, everyone loves his route running. So, how is he different from Jerry Jeudy?

“He and Jerry are not (comparable) players. Jerry drops the ball. And if he is not the primary target, what are you going to get from him? Jaylen is going to get other guys open,” Schlereth said. “He is going to make other players better.”

Bottom line: Waddle can create space and havoc.

He gives Nix a chance to reach his ceiling. But it requires improvement.

Greg Cosell, an NFL analyst and a senior producer at NFL Films for nearly 40 years, echoed what multiple folks told me at the combine: Payton might have issues getting plays in, but he has not lost his touch. Nix, Cosell explained, left a lot of plays on the field, especially early in games.

It is on Webb to give Nix more time at the line of scrimmage to build consistency and make sure he is on time to take advantage of Waddle on slants.

Waddle gives them both a receiver who opens up all possibilities.

By getting him, the Broncos showed they knew what everybody else knew. They needed a weapon. And Webb, rubbing his hands together, is best suited to use him.

“This is a declaration,” Harris said, “that the Broncos intend to win the Super Bowl.”

Waddle has averaged four broken tackles per season since 2021. Courtland Sutton has averaged 1.2. Marvin Mims Jr. has averaged 1.3. Troy Franklin has averaged two.

No more stodgy screens. No more trying to chase points with singles hitters. Sean Payton and George Paton are swinging for the fences, baby. Waddle, the wide receiver reportedly acquired Tuesday in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins, is Denver’s biggest home-run threat this side of Hunter Goodman.

The former Alabama star can turn a 7-yard slant into a 35-yard house call.

You can split him out wide. You can stick him in the slot. You can run him out of the Wildcat or from the wishbone. The only limits to Waddle are a surgically repaired ankle and Payton’s imagination.

The Super Bo dream is alive and kicking. Bo Nix has a toy half the AFC would kill to play with. The Broncos landed A.J. Brown without the drama.

No, he didn’t come cheap. The law firm of Payton & Paton is sending Miami their first-round pick (No. 30), as well as selections in the third and fourth rounds, for Waddle and a fourth-rounder in return.

But he’s worth it. Every pick. Every hypothetical. Trading for Waddle is a win-now move, the kind of gambit you make when you’re a team that was a bum ankle and a snowstorm away from a Super Bowl last year.

Waddle’s cap number of $4.9 million jumps to $27 million in ’26 and $30 million in ’27. In terms of guarantees, it’s closer to a two-year deal on the books worth about $41.2 million, according to Spotrac.com.

The Broncos still have pick No. 62, late in the second round. Last year’s wideouts taken from picks 25-75 averaged numbers pretty similar to what Pat Bryant III put up in 2025 — 31 catches, 378 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown, three drops.

Since 2023, Waddle has averaged 15 games, 65 catches, 889 receiving yards, four scores, and five drops. Sure, a rookie such as Omar Cooper of Indiana would be cost-effective with that second-round pick, assuming he was on the board. But every first-year wideout is also a roll of the dice.

Speaking of taking chances, we won’t lie — Waddle’s drop numbers conjure up some Jerry Jeudy flashbacks. Then again, Payton has never suffered fools gladly, and the former Dolphins target brings a different skill set to the table.

As a 5-foot-11 speedster, the newest Bronco is as much a utility/slot/gadget option as a WR2. If anything, on paper, he’s a pricier version of Mims. And besides the draft capital, if there’s a down side Tuesday’s big swing, it’s that Waddle may very well cut into whatever looks/packages were planned for Mims, who’s always deserved more touches.

Then again, you can never have too much of a good thing in a league where catastrophic injuries run rampant. If nothing else, the Broncos can quietly explore the market for Mims, who’s heading into a contract year, or the market for Franklin, who’s got an extremely friendly cap number ($1.29 million this season) for a potential WR3/WR4.

Meanwhile, a Denver offense just added some serious Waddle. And for the first time in what feels like forever, the Broncos acted like a contender. Bills fans are gnashing teeth. Chiefs fans are raising eyebrows. In grabbing Waddle, the best team in the AFC — don’t kid yourselves, Patriots Nation — didn’t just get faster. It got better.