Hey, if Von Miller could play tight end, I’d open the checkbook and roll out the orange carpet. If you think Davis Webb is hot to trot now, just wait ’til you see what our guy cooks up from “23” personnel.

Alas, the Vonster plays outside linebacker. And at age 37, he’s now a situational outside linebacker, at that. The Broncos already have plenty.

“Obviously, I wouldn’t start,” Miller, who’s reportedly agreed to a 1-year deal with his hometown Dallas Cowboys for 2026, told The Post’s Parker Gabriel back in May. “Obviously, I wouldn’t play special teams.”

Points for saying the quiet part out loud, at least. Jonah Elliss, meanwhile, played 254 special-teams snaps last fall, and 257 in 2024. Also, Elliss just turned 23. And he’s got a cap number of only $1.6 million for ’26. So he’s making about $213,000 per career sack (7.5) since 2024.

Per Pro-Football-Reference.com, Miller has played all of three special-teams snaps the last two seasons. Von just inked a 1-year deal with his hometown Dallas Cowboys worth up to $7.5 million, allegedly. He’ll be raking in roughly $500,000 per career sack recorded (15) over the last two years.

Which means Elliss isn’t just younger than Von. He’s cheaper. And, potentially, better — better this fall, at least. Better for this locker room, too.

Remember Shaq Barrett?

The Broncos have two of him now. Four, if you include Dondrea Tillman and Drew Sanders.

After raising Cain in the Broncos’ 27-7 rout of Atlanta last Friday night, Elliss tied for second among all NFL defenders in total sacks/hits/hurries (five) from Week 1 of the preseason. And one of those pressures set up a diving Riley Moss interception in the first half.

“I’m always willing to do whatever the team needs me to do,” Elliss told us after practice last week. “Whether that����ap playing inside (linebacker) or playing on special teams. Whatever I can do to help us get to a championship, I’m willing to do.”

Elliss against the Falcons was credited with two tackles and two pass break-ups. Pro Football Focus graded him out with team-highs in overall score (91.3 out of 100) and in pass-rushing score (90.7). PFF’s No. 2 Broncos defender in Georgia? Fellow edge-rusher Que Robinson was second in the queue, with an 87.2 overall score and an 85.3 pass-rushing grade after four tackles and a QB hit. And the Broncos’ only official sack of the evening came from another outside ‘backer, Sanders — a guy who was, ironically enough, drafted with a pick acquired via the trade of the Vonster to the Rams back in 2021.

“Oh man, he’s been great,” Elliss said last week when asked about Robinson. “Not only has he excelled on the field, but he’s out there, and it feels like he’s a vet. I come off the field, maybe had a bad rush, or maybe had a bad rush in the wrong (situation), and he’s telling me what he saw. And he’s really just trying to elevate the room as a whole. Que’s been great, both on and off the field, helping everyone grow in the room and just making a competitive room.”

That room could get a bit thinner, though. And soon. The NFL opened the week by doling out at least four suspensions. Broncos edge rusher Jonathon Cooper wasn’t on the list, but Falcons outside linebacker James Pearce Jr. was. And you might want to put a mental pin in the latter’s case for future reference.

This past March, the Atlanta defender was charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor by the Miami-Dade (Florida) State Attorney following an incident that involved WNBA forward Rickea Jackson. Pearce reportedly used his car to follow and then collide with a vehicle driven by Jackson. Arrest reports indicate Pearce fled on foot from local police before being arrested. He was eventually charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon; fleeing and eluding police; resisting an officer with violence to his or her person; and a misdemeanor charge of aggravated stalking.

Closer to home, Cooper was arrested twice in June, during the OTA/mini-camp portion of the Broncos’ spring calendar, after incidents that allegedly involved his then-girlfriend. Following the second, he was charged with harassment, violating a protection order, and felony second-degree assault by strangulation.

. But Pearce landed an eight-game suspension Monday for violating the league’s code of conduct policy. Set your bars accordingly.

The tea leaves still say a ban for Cooper is coming, and knowing the love for Broncos coach Sean Payton up at NFL HQ, it’ll probably come at the worst possible time.

In other words? Hope for the best, brace for the rest. The Broncos need to be prepared for the league’s hammer to fall, to be stripped of Cooper for weeks at a time. Friday night gave more credence to the idea that they’re ready. And able. Even without Miller’s help.

“I mean, it means a lot that the coaches see that in me,” Elliss said last week. “Now I’ve got to prove it.”

So far, so good. In the meantime, be happy for Miller. , in front of family and friends, a fitting farewell for an orange-and-blue hero who’ll be wearing a gold jacket.

You could crash an AI data center with what’s been written about Miller and how he helped the Broncos win a third Super Bowl title. A lot less has been written, though, about how Miller’s departure five years ago is helping to secure a fourth.

The Vonster was shipped to the Rams for two picks in the ’22 draft — one in the second, one in the third. The second-rounder became Nik Bonitto out of Oklahoma — Von’s virtual replacement.

The third-rounder was eventually swapped for a fifth-round pick in ’22 that became Luke Wattenberg out of Washington, and another third-rounder in ’23, which became Sanders.

Miller turned into two linebackers, a starting center, 38 sacks and 45 TFLs since 2022 on 2,549 defensive snaps. And Sanders has accounted for only 276 of those due to injuries.

Over the previous four seasons, the Vonster put up 23 sacks and 23 TFLs on 1,407 snaps. Bonitto has been good for a sack every 53.97 snaps since 2023; Von’s rate over that same stretch is one every 63.8 snaps.

“All the cut-up tape, his production, his ball disruption, it just, for me, felt like, ‘Man, we’re taking a position that����ap harder to find, and moving him to a position that we think might be a little bit easier to replace,'” Payton said of Elliss recently. “That����ap not to say that we can’t package a few things. But I think we felt like he’s really ascending as an edge player. And we didn’t want to disrupt that.”

Nor should you. Not even for one last ride. Nostalgia can cover up a lot of cracks, but not a production drop of 15.4% from a legend in the winter of his career, a fading star with a star on the side of his helmet.

The NFL’s active leader in sacks has agreed to a one-year contract for what will be his third team in three seasons, and second consecutive NFC East home. Miller is expected to arrive on the West Coast on Monday.

Dallas has only have two full practices remaining in its annual three-week California excursion. The Cowboys break camp before their second preseason game at Arizona on Saturday. Camp practices will resume in Texas next week.

Miller, who has 138 1/2 sacks over 14 seasons, dropped the quarterback nine times in his only season with Washington a year ago. after he was cut by Buffalo in a salary cap move.

The 37-year-old went to high school south of Dallas and starred at Texas A&M before Denver drafted Miller second overall in 2011. He was the Super Bowl MVP when the Broncos won the 2015 title with a dominant defensive performance against Seattle. Miller won another championship with the 2021 Los Angeles Rams.

Miller was The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year with 11 1/2 sacks in his NFL debut 15 years ago and was an All-Pro three times in his first six seasons. His stint with the Bills was plagued by injuries and a that led to a four-game suspension.

Even though Miller has been mostly a backup the past three seasons, the nine sacks with the Commanders were his most since he had 9 1/2 in his second Super Bowl-winning season. from the Broncos in a midseason trade.

J.K. Dobbins has promised to be healthy, and if not, there is an MRI machine on site. Evan Engram’s key card permits him to leave witness protection on Sundays. Ben Powers’ foot is surgically repaired. Brandon Jones has his biceps back, and his bare feet are more calloused for the journey ahead.

The Broncos are not fighting recent history — of no winning seasons, of zero playoff victories. They are poised to make history.

They broke the Bills. And they would have punked the Patriots had their starting quarterback or running back played.

Two days into the 2026 training camp, the Broncos have their doubters, especially from sportsbooks who believe they will finish with nine wins and miss the playoffs.

None are inside the 320,000-square foot headquarters.

In coach Sean Payton’s fourth season, the Broncos are positioned to win the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl.

Watching practice, two reasons why emerge on loop: Bo Nix’s brains and Jaylen Waddle’s feet.

The Broncos boast a championship-caliber defense, steeped in familiarity. There will be one new starter at defensive end for the departed John Franklin-Myers, with Malcolm Roach and Eyioma Uwazurike capable of filling the void.

It is the offense that has held the Broncos back. It still sounds weird to say about a Payton team, but the truth is obvious. The Broncos were terrible on early downs and early in games last season.

It is why they were chasing more than limes after tequila.

They are not going 12-3 in one-score games again. They will likely play only eight, needing five victories.

For the first time since Peyton Manning started, the Broncos will be dynamic, explosive.

It traces back to Nix. He looks better physically than at any point of his career, his right ankle fixed, and lingering college injuries a distant memory.

Feel good, play better. And faster.

While focus remains on Nix’s feet — he is already making plays off script — it is his head that matters. There is a point in a quarterback’s career where he becomes focused on the defense, not his own personnel.

Nix has reached this intersection.

He is not Manning changing plays at the line of scrimmage, but he is more equipped to audible because he knows what he is seeing. Davis Webb getting the calls in more quickly will also help Nix diagnose with roughly 10 seconds on the play clock.

All those exotic sub packages and third down defenses will no longer look like a foreign film without subtitles.

“Those can be a little more complex and it begins to slow down a little bit when you get into year two and year three. You begin to not get fooled as much,” Payton said. “And in that area he is a lot further along.”

Nix will go from making sure he didn’t turn the ball over as a rookie to making a star turn as a 26-year-old. He is entering his prime as the Broncos’ championship window opens wide and says aaagh!

“You have a second-nature thought process. You know the play, so you are not thinking about the operation, the motion, the route concept or the handoff point. You can attack the defense in a more strategic way,” Nix said Saturday. “My eyes are up a little more. It’s by memory at this point.”

The next two seasons — before an expected huge contract extension for Nix kicks in — are the time to win at a level not witnessed in more than a decade.

When the Broncos claimed their last title, it was more oil can than Vatican. But lost in the No Fly Zone’s gravitational pull and Von Miller’s matrix bend around the edge, the offense had weapons.

Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders eclipsed 1,000-yards receiving. There was also balance. C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman combined for 1,583 rushing yards and 78 first downs.

The Broncos fell far too short of those numbers last season.

Dobbins is trying to speak 17 games into existence. Even if he gives the Broncos 13, they will be fine.

It is Waddle who will be the catalyst.

There is no reason the Broncos cannot have a pair of 1,000-yard targets (Courtland Sutton and Waddle).

Waddle is what Nix needed. A player who can pile up yards after the catch, a trash talker who can break ankles on slants and beat corners deep.

It is not a coincidence that Nix’s first pass in 11-on-11 drills keeps going to Waddle. He is the hack. The shortcut on long gains, a receiver capable of winning from hash mark to hash mark.

“Middle of the field, outside, vertically, behind the line of scrimmage. Anywhere — we are going to utilize him,” Nix said.

It has been on display in the limited sample size. Waddle does not look like the other receivers, other than Marvin Mims Jr. Payton has a type, and it is 6-foot-3-ish and 210 pounds. Waddle measures 5-10, 185.

But he is tremendous and amphibious, breaking free of the prototype because “he is one of those players who can walk on water,” Payton said.

Already in camp, he has scored on deep strikes and made a one-handed grab in full sprint that dropped jaws.

“He might be faster than when he was in Miami, and I didn’t think that was physically possible,” said safety Brandon Jones, who was Waddle’s teammate with the Dolphins. “He brings a different type of juice. He is a guy that can line up anywhere, catch any ball on any route.”

The Broncos have not talked about a receiver like this in more than a decade. It happened in 2015 when the Broncos overcame the odds.

This looks similar. It feels like that.

This Broncos offense should go from the turtle to full throttle.

Nix will throw 30 touchdown passes and reach 4,000 yards. Holding leads longer will free the defense to create more turnovers.

This team is almost identical to the group that was a Jarrett Stidham turnover and a Payton brain freeze on eschewing a field goal from going to the Super Bowl.

Now Nix is wiser, and Waddle is better.

Walk through the new facility, which houses 300 employees, features 95 underground parking spots, a golf simulator, a locker room with a sunken lounge, and a cafeteria with a chef making everything from salmon to bison burgers, and nothing is spared.

This season, the Broncos, if healthy, should win the Super Bowl.

There are no excuses or Bo excuses.

Taysom Hill, a Sean Payton favorite when the two were in New Orleans together, announced this past Wednesday that he was leaving the Saints. The longtime quarterback-tight-end-special-teams-gadget-dude

The football wonks up in the Grading The Week offices are hoping, and not all that quietly, that the 6-foot-2, 221-pound former BYU star would consider a short-term deal here. And that the Broncos will do the same for the veteran utility banger.

As Payton/George Paton moves go, finding a place for Hill in orange and blue just makes sense. Almost too much sense, when you think about it.

Yes, Hill will turn 36 next month. Yes, he hasn’t played on at least 300 combined offense/special teams snaps since 2023. Yes, he hasn’t attempted more than 11 passes since 2022.

You know what we say to that?

Nix the overthinking, my friend.

Taysom Hill to Broncos  — B

As this past January reminded us, the most important, critical, almost spinal thread toward a march to the Super Bowl in 2026-27 is a.) playing in postseason games; and b.) having Nix healthy and rarin’ to go for those playoff tilts.

Taysom, even at 36, could become one of Bo’s best friends.

What could the Broncos use on the fringes right now, at least on paper?

• A different, more athletic, option at backup QB. That’s Hill.
• More proven, reliable, short-yardage options at tight end. Also Hill.
• A veteran presence who knows Payton and can help smooth over the coach’s more well-known, shall we say, rough edges during times of crisis. Especially on game days. Sound like anybody we know?

Again, it’s about Bo. What if, instead of always leaning on Nix as a runner on critical short-yardage situations, you could take No. 10 out from time to time and use Hill as a “tush push” weapon on third or fourth down? Or at the goal line, where Nix’s ankle would also be routinely tested?

Or, if you want to keep the element of surprise, why not line up with both quarterbacks on short yardage, and make the defense have to choose who’s getting the ball? Given Payton’s mad-scientist proclivities and game-planning creativity, the sky’s the limit. Any coach that could get Frank Crum in the end zone in a postseason game could find fun ways to use Hill in a pinch.

Nix accounted for 25 rushing first downs on 83 attempts last fall, a ratio of 30.1%. Hill sported a first-down ratio of 30.8% in 2025, and a 46.1% first-down ratio the season prior to that. Save those legs, man. Save those ankles.

We’ll grant you this: The same caveat applies to shoehorning Hill onto the Broncos as it does to trying to bring back, say, Von Miller — with a roster this sound, at least at the start of training camp, how often would he actually, seriously, play? Whom would you cut to make room? And, true, something might have to go very wrong over the next few weeks for an obvious roster spot to open up.

But by the same token, it’s not as if the Broncos can’t afford him, either. According to OverTheCap.com, as of Friday afternoon, the law firm of Payton & Paton had $29.5 million in cap room to work with, ninth-most of any NFL franchise.

And unlike the Vonster, Hill has been used as a spot/situational player for years. He knows his role. Knows the drill. He also comes to Dove Valley with a comparatively clean slate locally.

What do you give a team that has, presumably, everything? A player that can do just about anything might be the final X-factor that pushes the Broncos over the AFC pile and into a Super Bowl berth down in Inglewood, Calif. next February.

Joker’s horses riding high — A

A belated toast to Delicious Gar, the horse owned by Nuggets icon Nikola Jokic The hoops guys on the GTW crew just hope the Nuggets, and new assistant coach Dave Joerger, can make the Joker as happy next spring as his horses do now.

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Nik Bonitto, in life, is a vibe.

He is so chill, radiating positivity, on an overcast Thursday at a local Safeway.

The Bonitto Family Foundation partnered with the grocery chain and Food Bank of Rockies to launch “Team to Tackle Hunger” supporting local children who face uncertainty about where their next meal is coming from when school is not in session.

“It is important to help them,” Bonitto said. “We need to make sure they are fed.”

Bonitto boasts a $106 million contract, signed before last season, but he has not gone corporate. He just wants to make a difference. As Bonitto competed with kids bagging groceries — “I had a reach advantage,” he admitted — and building a cereal castle, he made conversation and took pictures.

His smile comes easily. Imagine Aaron Gordon as a football player, and you are getting close.

The laid-back personality masks a fierce competitor, one who knows he has to be better for the Broncos to win the Super Bowl.

His right wrist is a reminder of the fire required, and how his intensity must be channeled for a 26-year-old to take another step forward in his promising career.

When the Colts walked off the Broncos in Week 2 on a field goal after the officials called a leverage penalty on Dondrea Tillman, giving kicker Spencer Shrader a mulligan, Bonitto erupted. He slammed his fist into the Astroturf so violently, he damaged his wrist.

“I was so mad in the moment. I thought I was OK, then the next day when I showed up to the facility, I knew something didn’t feel right,” Bonitto said. “I am not usually like that. Lesson learned.”

Bonitto played the rest of the season with a club. He does not require raw strength to win at the point of attack. His first-step speed makes running backs blush. But the club was annoying.

He underwent offseason surgery and could continue to wear the protection in training camp as a precaution.

If nothing else, feeling healthy will ease the mental toll he dealt with after having bone spurs removed from his foot last preseason and injuring his elbow in December.

It helps, he believes, that the Broncos kept the band together.

“We have kind of had the same core group for quite a while now, since coach Payton got here. Each year we continue to build off that, and bring guys back. It����ap only going to get better for us,” Bonitto said. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t be good.”

The Broncos need Bonitto to be great. He knows it.

He also understands he will no longer sneak up on anyone. As a former All-Pro and a two-time Pro Bowler, opponents are designing ways to stop him. He is what Von Miller used to be. And he is entering his prime.

Everything seems possible — reaching 30 quarterback hits, 80 pressures, challenging Miller’s single-season franchise record of 18.5 sacks. Bonitto posted a career-best 14 last season.

Opponents like to make a team play left-handed, and in the case of Bonitto, he did — and still delivered.

“I still have a lot of room to grow in my game in all facets. In the run and in the pass,” Bonitto said. “It����ap really about being disruptive. That’s the main thing. Being able to affect the quarterback is the most important thing in football. If they can’t stay on their spot in the pocket or they are running for their life, it����ap going to be a hard day for the offense.”

Bonitto can write a diary of havoc. But can he repeat it?

Over a 10-week stretch from the Giants game to a Christmas night visit to Kansas City, he netted only 4.5 sacks.

He finished with 2.5 over the final three games, counting the playoffs.

Education followed his fourth season.

Bonitto studied top pass rushers, like Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons, after he got double-teamed on nearly 20 percent of his rush attempts in the second half of last season.

“I did watch a lot of the top guys,” said Bonitto, who spent his offseason in Denver, save for a trip to New York where he enjoyed sampling the city’s food. “I see how they attack those things and how they work well with the other defensive linemen when it comes to running stunts off those chip (blocks) and working off them.”

Complicating matters is the uncertainty on who will line up opposite of Bonitto. Jonathon Cooper has a court hearing Friday, but resolution on a felony assault charge is not expected before veterans report to training camp on Tuesday.

Bonitto has started every game of his career alongside Cooper. If he is not available — Cooper could face a suspension from the league even without a conviction — backups will assume a big role. Bonitto believes they are ready, if needed.

“We shouldn’t be surprised by any of them. Each one of them, when they have had the opportunity, they have made plays. You have seen it,” Bonitto said. “Jonah (Elliss) for two years. Till (Dondrea Tillman) is as reliable as ever in the run and pass game. And you’ve got Que (Robinson). In limited opportunities last year, he really flashed as well.”

Robinson bears watching. The Broncos set a franchise record with 68 sacks last season, but Cooper only had two over the final 10 regular-season games. His impact is viewed through a wider lens because of his ability to set the edge in the run and provide leadership.

Robinson, however, may be needed in bursts to give Bonitto more one-on-one matchups.

“I feel like I see a lot of myself when it comes to Que. He approaches everything the right way. He is so locked in in the film room, so locked in when it comes to practice. He is doing the things he needs to do,” Bonitto said. “So when it matters, when he gets his opportunity, I have no doubts he’s going to make that jump as well.”

No player has blossomed over the last three years like Bonitto. He could barely get on the field as a rookie, a status he changed with relentless work and the belief instilled by defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

How much his life has changed because of his superstar turn became clear Thursday. As Bonitto stood in the parking lot, fans asked for autographs and one man gave him a “Boomer Sooner” cheer.

Bonitto was in no hurry to leave. With the Broncos leading the league in disrespect this offseason, the biggest rush of his career awaits.

“Man, we have already kind of been there before. I remember two years ago, we were voted the worst roster in the NFL and you see how we responded to that,” Bonitto said. “We know what kind of team we have, we just have to go prove it.”

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FirsTier Bank, a Broomfield-based regional lender, initiated the foreclosure process in late June for the home at 17819 E. Easter Ave. in Foxfield, which is now owned by Oluwole Jolaoso.

The filing came one week after Arapahoe County District Judge Benjamin Todd Figa ruled that the property can’t be used as a short-term rental or wedding venue, siding with Foxfield in a lawsuit the town filed.

Miller, a former Denver Broncos linebacker, sold the 19,000-square-foot home to Jolaoso for $3.7 million in December 2022.

Since then, few things have gone right.

When Miller sold the property, he provided seller financing, lending Jolaoso 80% of the purchase price. In September 2023, Miller filed to foreclose, saying Jolaoso had not made a single interest-only payment on the one-year loan.

Jolaoso told BusinessDen at the time that he’d withheld payments because Miller hadn’t delivered the house in the agreed-upon condition — notably, with a busted smart home system. That, in turn, meant Jolaoso couldn’t rent the property for $50,000 a month as planned.

“I said, there is no way I’m going to be paying $24,000 interest-only on a house I cannot use,” he said in September 2023.

Miller ended his foreclosure bid in early February 2024, at the same time that Jolaoso took out a $2.9 million variable-interest loan from FirsTier.

The new loan agreement called for Jolaoso to make regular payments of $24,655 each month and a balloon payment of $2.8 million by January 2027, when the loan was to mature.

FirsTier’s attorney, Eric Jonsen of Michael Best & Friedrich, told BusinessDen that the bank’s foreclosure filing last month was due to missed payments.

Jolaoso didn’t respond to requests for comment. He filed for personal bankruptcy last October, listing $11.3 million in assets and $9.8 million in liabilities. He reported an average monthly income of $62,000 and monthly expenses of $83,000.

In bankruptcy filings, Jolaoso indicated that he owns 10 other Denver-area homes, nearly all of which he rents out, plus a property under construction in Nigeria. He valued most of the local homes at less than $500,000.

In July 2023, Jolaoso leased Miller’s former mansion to Frank Clark, who played for the Broncos for part of that fall. But Jolaoso sued Clark in 2024, saying he’d abandoned the property and stopped paying. The case was later settled.

In August 2024, according to court proceedings, Jolaoso leased the home out for four days for a wedding. A year later, he sued the couple, saying they’d caused $210,000 in damage to hardwood floors, walls and furniture, as well as grease on the driveway and rice in the home’s vents. That case has yet to be resolved.

By that point, Jolaoso was facing the lawsuit from Foxfield, which said in a May 2025 lawsuit that town code did not allow using the property as a wedding venue or short-term rental. The judge’s ruling in favor of Foxfield came June 15 of this year.

In June 2025, Jolaoso sued Miller’s real estate agent, alleging that she misled him about the property and falsely implied she was working on his behalf. That case has been paused.

“I’ve done a lot of real estate transactions, … I just never dealt with one that was this crazy,” he said in September 2023.

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What’s the biggest battle going into training camp? I know everyone’s talking RB2, but WR3 is going to be interesting after the Jaylen Waddle trade. Between Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims Jr. and Pat Bryant, we’re not going to have enough touches going around.

— Marshall, Parker

Hey Marshall, thanks for writing in and getting this midsummer edition of the mailbag going. We can all enjoy July for a few more weeks, but three weeks from now, the Broncos will be gathered for training camp — boarding the aircraft carrier for a multi-month tour, as head coach Sean Payton likes to say.

The two battles you mentioned should be interesting, and they get at a broader sense I have as camp approaches. There will be jobs up for grabs on the roster bubble, but most of the interesting battles in training camp will be among players who are sure bets (or at least strong candidates) for the 53-man roster. That����ap a sign of a deep, talented team.

This group doesn’t have a ton of roster spots up for grabs, but there are a pretty decent number of snaps up for grabs.

We’ll start with the normal summer caveat that injuries happen during training camp and we haven’t yet seen this rendition of the Broncos in pads. A lot will happen between now and Sept. 14 at Arrowhead Stadium.

This year in particular, perhaps it����ap also worth pointing out something interesting that offensive coordinator and playcaller Davis Webb brought up this summer: He noted that the Los Angeles Rams didn’t start leaning into their three-tight-end personnel groupings until about six weeks into last year. Then it became, in many ways, their offensive identity.

So, just remember that, particularly with a new playcaller, the early part of the regular season often brings more shifting and role changes as teams, like Payton always harps on, race to improve over the first quarter of the season.

All of that being said, the receiver group is among the most interesting in terms of how playing time will shake out. Assuming good health, Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton will be on the field together. A lot. So that����ap two spots occupied by nearly every-down players.

Last year, the Broncos were No. 11 in the NFL in 11-personnel (three receivers, one running back, one tight end) at 63%. They have not been dynamic at tight end in recent seasons and have the same personnel, plus rookies Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley back this fall. From here, that looks like a recipe to play a ton of 11 personnel and maybe even a healthy dose of four receivers. Interesting for a team that wants to pride itself on running the football, but outside of a stretch early last year, really has not been able to forge that identity under Payton.

Maybe Denver can play WR-heavy, force defenses to play light and then run the ball efficiently thanks to blocking work from a guy like Pat Bryant. That����ap a good argument for him being a go-to third receiver. At times, Denver will want to pair Troy Franklin’s speed with Waddle and really threaten secondaries. Payton continues to say that Marvin Mims Jr. doesn’t have to prove he belongs on the field and that the staff just has to do a better job of making sure he is.

Beyond those three contenders, Payton and the Broncos staff clearly trust Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Michael Bandy. They have some interesting undrafted rookies in training camp, too. Overall, though, the question entering camp feels like whether one of Bryant, Franklin, or Mims can separate himself. Can one of them help push the Broncos’ offense toward an identity? Or will the offensive direction shift more broadly and end up dictating which of those three has the biggest role?

Tight end was our weakest position last year. Why did we keep the same guys instead of going out to find an improvement? Jonnu Smith is still out there. Why don’t we bring him in to battle in camp?

— Levi, Los Angeles

Alright, let����ap keep it going on the offensive side. Thanks for writing, Levi. The answer to your first question has multiple layers.

First, the Broncos didn’t think their tight end play was as bad as perhaps others outside the building did. They value Adam Trautman as not only a blocker but also as a leader, culture-keeper, and Sean Payton playbook encyclopedia, which is helpful to a young quarterback like Bo Nix. Evan Engram made some big plays, even though overall it was an underwhelming first season in Denver. Nate Adkins battled injury and never really got into rhythm. Similar for Lucas Krull.

Teams also tend to value their own players more highly than external options due to familiarity. So, did the Broncos think free agents like Cade Otton or Charlie Kolar could have represented an on-field upgrade over Trautman? Yeah, but not so much as to justify the gap between where Trautman ended up ($5.7 million per year) and where the market went on Otton ($10 million per), Kollar ($8 million) and others. The Broncos had pretty solid thresholds in the free-agent market that they didn’t want to exceed. Ultimately, they mostly opted for retention over swinging in free agency. Not saying that����ap right, wrong or otherwise. It����ap just the path they chose to take.

As for adding a veteran, never say never, but the more likely option (again assuming good health) is internal competition. Perhaps it����ap unlikely this summer, but can Bentley or second-year man Caleb Lohner push Trautman for some work? Can Joly show he’s ready to play right away and compete with Engram for snaps? With the depth Denver has elsewhere on the roster, it would have to be counted as a surprise if all of Joly, Bentley and Lohner make the initial 53. Even if two make it, that probably means turnover at the expense of Adkins and Krull. Or Denver could make a big change and jettison Engram, though the more common time to make a move like that would have been this spring.

The bottom line in all of that: Denver is banking on the development of young players, a second year in the system for Engram, and potentially some role shake-ups, with Webb calling the plays, as a recipe for better results at tight end.

Do you think the Broncos will re-sign Riley Moss after this year? His rookie contract runs out after this year and we have bit of a dilemma. If he plays great, he’s due for a big payday. If he regresses, would we even want to re-sign him? What do you think?

— Mac, Castle Rock

Yeah, Mac, great question and one that I’m not sure anybody outside the building knows the answer to at this point. I wrote about Moss last week and we’ve covered pretty extensively the fact that he and Ja’Quan McMillian are both entering contract years while 2025 first-rounder Jahdae Barron waits his turn for full-time work.

Surprises are always possible, but it certainly feels like the Broncos will eventually have to choose between Moss and McMillian for a long-term extension. Denver has typically done most of its extensions just ahead of or during training camp, or around the bye week (this year, in the middle of November). So, that����ap definitely something to watch as training camp approaches and then gets going.

Payton spoke highly of McMillian in June when asked about him and said emphatically that he’s the kind of player the Broncos want around long-term.

“Absolutely,” Payton said then. “He has all the things you’re looking for.”

To be fair, Payton wasn’t asked about Moss specifically this summer but has consistently referred to him as a high-level player.

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph likes both players but calls McMillian the heartbeat of the defense. At the same time, Joseph himself could be a head coach somewhere else a year from now.

This all adds up to perhaps the most interesting roster question for the Broncos to answer over the next year. The way this defense under Joseph is currently aligned, there’s a good argument to be made that Moss is a really good player, but McMillian is indispensable. Maybe it����ap that simple. At the same time, coaches, approaches and personnel change all the time in the NFL and paying your two outside corners and letting your prized first-round pick take over in the slot — his most natural position — would be a more typical resource allocation.

Parker, what happens next with Jonathon Cooper? Do we release him? Surely, he’s not on the roster come Week 1, right?

And how do we fill his spot? Do you see Jonah Elliss or Dondrea Tillman rising up the depth chart to become a starter?

— Mark, Arvada

Hey Mark, there’s a lot left to play out in Cooper’s legal case, but suffice it to say the Broncos and the league have several options for handling the football side as training camp approaches. The Broncos could simply release Cooper. The NFL could decide on a suspension sooner rather than later. Roger Goodell could place Cooper on the commissioner’s exempt list, which would mean Cooper doesn’t count against the 53-man roster but does get paid.

It����ap really probably best not to speculate about what might happen on that front. Do I think he’ll play for the Broncos in Week 1? I don’t, but I also can’t categorically say one way or the other. Beyond that, it����ap best to let the process play out.

As for filling his spot, you nailed it with Elliss and Tillman, but don’t forget about Que Robinson. Joseph said this summer that he thinks Robinson can be a starter for the Broncos, and he’s done nothing but impress when he’s had chances to play. This summer will also be a big opportunity for Drew Sanders to prove he can stay healthy. When he’s been available, he’s shown tantalizing flashes. He just hasn’t been available much the past two years. Add him to the list of interesting players entering contract years.

Do you think Von Miller coming back to Denver is back on the table with this Jonathon Cooper debacle?

— M.K., Aurora

Hey M.K., thanks for writing. Wouldn’t that be a heck of a story? Again, never say never, but there just hasn’t been much movement on the Broncos-Von Reunion Tour front. Cooper missing a chunk of the season or being jettisoned altogether would leave a production gap, but there are few positions where the team seems better-suited to internal solutions.

Miller, though, has certainly put the hard sell on Denver this offseason. Imagine the fervor if he signed the second week of training camp or something like that.

What would be the cap implications for the Broncos if they would trade Jonathon Cooper? Can you even trade a suspended player? Thanks!

— Chieflittleeagle, Little Eagle, Utah

Hey Chief, not sure what the trade value of Cooper would be before his situation is resolved. Once it is, the Broncos would theoretically want him either on the field or off the team. Hard to see a scenario in which Denver decides it����ap done with Cooper, but other teams are lining up to give up draft capital for him.

Still, the cap implications will come into play if the Broncos release Cooper.

Before any other considerations, if Denver cut Cooper today, they’d take his 2026 cap number of $5.78 million as dead cap this year and an additional $13.02 million dead next year.

Denver, though, could try to avoid paying Cooper $10.275 million in 2026 money, which the team converted to a signing bonus. That could more than cut in half the total dead cap hits the Broncos would face, dropping the numbers to $3.725 million this year and lopping more than $8 million off of the 2027 dead cap hit.

In the most extreme scenario, the Broncos could go after all of the signing bonus money that����ap been prorated into the future on Cooper’s deal, meaning they could try to recoup about $17 million that����ap already been paid or is due to be paid this year. That would undoubtedly come with a fight, likely in the form of a formal grievance filed by Cooper and the NFLPA.

If the Broncos did that and prevailed, they’d get a salary cap credit for essentially all of their remaining obligations for Cooper.

How it plays out, of course, remains to be seen, but the Broncos will be working through this situation well after they (or the NFL) makes an initial decision on Cooper’s status for the 2026 season.

Cooper, the Broncos’ outside linebacker, was arrested Thursday night for the second time in about a week. The 28-year-old defender, according to online records, was booked at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office detention facility on a charge of domestic violence and misdemeanor charges of harassment and violation of a protection order.

The details paint an even scarier picture. Cooper and his girlfriend were arrested last Thursday night and given a court order to stay away from one another. Only records indicate that Cooper’s girlfriend called police this Thursday, a few hours after the Broncos completed organized team activities, to say that the Broncos edge-rusher had shown up at her apartment and knocked on the door for “five to 10 minutes.”

According to an affidavit, Cooper sent her at least 20 messages. Both were under court protection orders that forbid them from interacting, stemming from a June 4 incident in which the woman endured “strangulation with hypoxia and traumatic brain injury,” the affidavit reads.

“I started to cry and he pressed, like, further — (because) he had me held up against the wall — he just pressed further and then dropped me and just started screaming at me that it was my fault and that I, like, caused this, and that I was like, a (expletive),” she told police, according to the affidavit.

Cut him. Now.

This isn’t just about football. It’s about trust. It’s about accountability. It’s about decency. What was becoming a distraction for a franchise riding high during a championship window has taken a more awful, serious turn.

The Broncos have to ask themselves a simple question today: Which cost is greater? I Or the stain on a franchise from a story that gets worse by the day?

For Carrie Walton-Penner and Greg Penner, this shouldn’t even be a discussion.

You move on.

Cooper isn’t just a danger to a team’s image anymore. He’s become a danger to another human being. A second arrest, and every unseemly anecdote that’s emerged since, removes any benefit of the doubt. All Cooper had to do to keep his career on track and his team out of the headlines was … nothing.  He couldn’t.

If the Broncos do nothing in response, then what does that say about them?

“We had a long visit with Coop,” Payton, the Broncos’ coach, said Thursday afternoon as voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) wrapped up with Cooper in attendance, “and now the process plays out.”

And Coop did what he did anyway.

“I haven’t (talked about it with the team), and yeah, my instincts told me not to right away,” Payton continued. “(At) this time next week, we have three days of mini-camp. We’ll have a number of speakers. I think there’ll be a time, though, to talk about it.”

That time is right here. Right now. As a best-case scenario, NFL precedent suggests a hefty suspension for Cooper is coming — most likely for six games, regardless of what the courts decide.

The Post’s Luca Evans reported late Thursday night that officials added felony second-degree strangulation charges to the Broncos defender’s case. The veteran linebacker pleaded not guilty in court last week and was seen practicing this past Thursday at OTAs — the last voluntary team session before mandatory mini-camp begins Tuesday. Cooper is slated for a motions hearing on July 6, and a potential jury trial in late July.

Last year, the NFL suspended Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice six games after the wideout pled guilty to two third-degree felony charges stemming from a road-racing incident in Dallas. In 2024, the league suspended then-Arizona wideout Zay Jones for the first five games of the regular season after Jones was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery in Florida. Those charges were later dropped. The suspension wasn’t.

And when it comes to replacements — no, Von Miller isn’t necessarily the logical answer here, either.

For one, the 58 you knew and loved is Von gone. Miller hasn’t played on more than 37% of his team’s defensive snaps since 2022. Pro Football Focus hasn’t given him a grade better than 85.8 (out of 100) since 2021. PFF says The Vonster missed 20% of the tackles he attempted last fall with Washington.

The popular scouting site’s wonks pegged Miller in 2025 as a 64.4-rated defender. Which, we’ll grant you, is solid for a then-36-year-old edge guy. It’s also a drop of 21.1 points from the 85.5 overall grade Vonster collected as a member of the Buffalo Bills in 2024.

Meanwhile, Broncos linebacker Jonah Elliss is 23. PFF graded him out with a 75.8 score overall during the regular season. Elliss recorded three sacks and 18 hurries on 370 snaps, per the site’s advanced metrics, and … didn’t miss a tackle.

Dondrea Tillman is 28. PFF gave him a 68.5 overall grade, with a run-stopping grade of 72.3, which ranked 19th in the league among edge-rushers. Missed-tackle rate: 15.4%.

Que Robinson is 25. He landed a 65.4 overall PFF grade on just 163 snaps as a rookie last fall. Missed-tackle rate: 16.7%.

It’s easy to put 2 and 2 together and come up with a 58 reunion. Only that’s fuzzy math.

The Broncos don’t just have cheaper, younger options than Miller. They have better ones, already on hand.

Per Spotrac.com, the Broncos, as of Friday morning, at $30.36 million. The site said Vonster was worth a 1-year, $5.8-million deal , which would certainly fit the budget.

But does he fit the building? Payton’s built a culture in Dove Valley around his image, his standard. Von takes up a lot of oxygen in any locker room he joins. But especially the one here, where 58 is already revered.

To general manager George Paton’s credit, the roster is already buffered in case of a long-term Cooper absence. We haven’t even mentioned Drew Sanders yet. And defensive coordinator Vance Joseph slathered Robinson with all kinds of love Thursday when asked about the second-year defender’s upside for 2026.

“After the season, watching the cut-ups (of game tape) … when Que played, he played really well,” Joseph said. “He looked like a guy who could be a future starter for us … so it’s our job to keep improving with Que, and get him more reps.”

If Payton is serious about accountability and trust, a window on the Broncos’ defense is about to open. A Super Bowl flag is on the ground, now, waiting for the next man to pick it up and run to daylight.

Von Miller is a Denver icon, a Mile High legend, the engine of the defense, the life of the party, the Mick Jagger of ����apountry.

One problem: The Broncos already have a lead singer.

They’re looking for bass players, keyboardists, percussionists and backup dancers. It’s the Sean & Bo Show now,

“I would love to assist and be a vice president to Bo Nix and Courtland Sutton,” Miller told The Post’s Parker Gabriel a few days earlier at a Von’s Vision function in Commerce City. “I’ve been the guy and also I’ve been the vice president as well.

“I’d love to contribute to us getting back to the glory land, holding up that trophy and confetti falling again. For me, my whole entire life, I’ve helped guys be the best version of themselves and I’d love to do that back here with the Denver Broncos back home.”

Having No. 58 in the fold would be a hit for fans who’ve still got Miller jerseys hanging in their closets and a boon for media looking for a sound bite from one of the best to ever play in orange and blue.

And Von — who racked up nine sacks as a situational pass-rusher in Washington last fall — knows a good thing when he sees it, having faced the Broncos with the Bills and with the Commanders over the last three seasons.

Assuming Nix is healthy (crosses fingers), the Broncos are on the Super Bowl train, and Miller would love nothing more than to close out a Hall-of-Fame career with another ring in his favorite NFL town.

Von Miller playing for Sean Payton — D

Never say never, right? The kids up in the Grading The Week department would love to dust off their replica jerseys and party like it’s 2015 all over again.

“I think there’s no question the type of environment I bring to a locker room,” Miller told Gabriel. “I think there’s no question to the type of environment I bring to a team.”

Yet the bean-counters over the corner office keep reminding us of the same thing whenever the subject of No. 58 returning to the Broncos gets brought up:

Ain’t nowhere for The Vonster to play.

The law firm of (Nik) Bonitto & (Jonathon) Cooper are in their respective primes coming off the edge, combining for 22 sacks a season ago.

Behind them, Dondrea Tillman (four sacks in ’25) has been a revelation who hasn’t slowed down, while second-year rusher Que Robinson recorded a sack in the AFC Championship Game. Drew Sanders is looking for a home, and all Jonah Elliss does is make plays.

Whose snaps would you give to Miller, who’s still spry at age 37 but is creeping in the winter of his playing days?

“Obviously, I wouldn’t start. Obviously, I wouldn’t play special teams,” Miller continued. “But I will say, the type of room that we would have, the outside linebackers with me, Nik Bonitto, we’d be a force. Whatever (the) coach (has) going on, I would just contribute to that. The defense that we’d have. I’d love to bring back those Super Bowl 50 vibes.”

Yeah, but here’s the thing: This defense kind of already has those vibes — just with a different generation under defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. The Broncos also need their second-and third-wave of linebackers to play on special teams, my friend.

Von was the face of the Broncos seven years ago, and a good one. But that face is Payton’s now. That voice is Payton’s now.

Miller will retire a Bronco. But Team GTW wagers it’ll be the same way Justin Simmons just retired as a Bronco — with a ceremony, a 1-day contract, a news conference, some tears and a hearty thanks for services rendered and memories we’ll never let go.

It����ap made him a Super Bowl champion. It����ap made him generational wealth. It����ap made him a potential Pro Football Hall of Famer someday.

The 37-year-old is holding out hope these days that his latest pressure campaign lands him back where his career started: Playing for the Broncos.

That Miller wants to return to Denver is hardly a surprise. He’s expressed a desire to do so over several recent offseasons.

Still, every time Miller returns to the Denver area, as he did this week to help more than 60 kids get free eye exams and a pair of glasses through his charity, Von’s Vision, that pull back to the orange and blue feels a little bit stronger.

“Last year I played 37% of the defensive snaps,” said Miller, who had 9 sacks for the Washington Commanders after six the year before in Buffalo. “Thirty (percent) with the Denver Broncos and I feel like I can do the same exact thing I did with the Washington Commanders.”

Miller has talked with Denver general manager George Paton extensively over recent months and years about Miller’s desire to end up working in — and running his own — front office after he’s done playing. Broncos head coach Sean Payton coached Miller’s flag football team this spring against the U.S. national team.

Miller said his offseason has been “quiet” so far in terms of interest from teams and a week ago a league source told The Post that the Broncos hadn’t expressed interest in signing Miller, but the veteran is working Paton and Payton hard.

“I lobby. I do lobby,” Miller said with a smile. “I lobby publicly, I lobby privately. I do lobby. I think there’s no question the type of environment I bring to a locker room and to a team. I don’t like to pat myself on the back, but at 37 years old I can still roll out of bed and rush the quarterback. I’m still a great guy in the locker room, I bring great energy and I’m going to make sure everybody is ready to go.”

Miller is particularly interested, he said, in working with Broncos star edge rusher Nik Bonitto and running mate Jonathon Cooper.

Bonitto is a big Miller fan and said earlier this month that, “Just to kinda be able to share a room with him would be amazing.”

Miller feels the same way about Bonitto and said he can’t shake the feeling that it would be akin to when DeMarcus Ware arrived in Denver and helped Miller channel his talent into a Super Bowl 50 victory and a long and prosperous career.

“I know (Bonitto) well,” Miller said. “Obviously, we’re not roommates or nothing like that. But we have an open line of communication and we talk about everything. To be in the locker room and to be able to pay forward what DeMarcus did for me to Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper and the rest of the young guys, I’d love to be able to do that in my twilight on the way out.”

Miller knows if the Broncos did re-sign him, there’d be massive hullabaloo. He insists that’s not what this is about. He thinks about “Von’s Vision Days” and locker room vibes and causing terror on third-and-long.

“Obviously, I wouldn’t start. Obviously, I wouldn’t play special teams,” Miller said. “But I will say, the type of room that we would have, the outside linebackers with me, Nik Bonitto, we’d be a force. Whatever coach we have going on, I would just contribute to that. The defense that we’d have. I’d love to bring back those Super Bowl 50 vibes.

“I would love to assist and be a vice president to Bo Nix and Courtland Sutton. I’ve been the guy and also I’ve been the vice president as well. I’d love to contribute to us getting back to the glory land, holding up that trophy and confetti falling again. For me, my whole entire life, I’ve helped guys be the best version of themselves and I’d love to do that back here with the Denver Broncos back home.”