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.”

Ask current edge star Nik Bonitto, though, and Miller-to-Denver is an internal dream, too.

“It would be pretty crazy, for sure,” Bonitto said Wednesday night, at a charity event in partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Denver. “I mean, obviously everybody would love that. Not only the fans, but the players. He’s a guy that’s loved here in Denver, so much.”

Those words carry a slight bias on the behalf of Denver’s 26-year-old All-Pro. Bonitto has grown up in Florida idolizing Miller and studying his tape, and called the veteran his “personal favorite player ever to watch.”

But if there’s ever been any window for Miller to re-join the franchise that drafted him, it’s now. The eight-time Pro Bowler posted a cryptic Instagram story , set to Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” And as a free agent this offseason, he’s been dropping a bread-crumb trail of public hints to Denver’s front office that he’d like to re-sign with the Broncos.

“I’m confident in that — I’ll be back in Denver, in some capacity,” Miller told The Post in late April.

He acknowledged in that conversation, though, that even if the time wasn’t right as a player, he’d like to return eventually in a front-office role. And the timing just might not be right, again, as these Broncos march into offseason activities. Denver has a surplus at outside linebacker, starting with Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper, staples of the franchise who turned up at Park Meadows at Lone Tree on Wednesday night to assist kids from the Boys and Girls’ Clubs in a graduation shopping spree.

Further on the depth chart, too, the Broncos are shifting 2024 third-round pick Jonah Elliss to inside linebacker in part to open up snaps for 2025 fourth-round pick Que Robinson. It’s a bold bet on Elliss’s agility and upside, as he showed star-level flashes across his first two years in Denver in a reserve OLB role.

Bonitto, though, explained that Denver already played Elliss at ILB on several third-down packages last year, and lauded his ability to drop back in coverage.

“Obviously, he has a way to grow when it comes to learning the position,” Bonitto said of Elliss. “But I have no doubts about his talent, man. I mean, he’s one of the most talented guys on the team.”

Between Robinson and steady reserve Dondrea Tillman, then, there simply isn’t much room for the 37-year-old Miller in Denver.

Still, Bonitto can dream.

“Just to kinda be able to share a room with him,” Bonitto said Wednesday, “would be amazing.”

Could the Broncos use a veteran edge rusher? Absolutely. Is Miller the best fit? Unlikely.

Columnists and fans construct rosters in fantasy leagues, not reality. And while a “Von Encore” strikes a chord from Trinidad to Timnath, it does not fit Sean Payton’s blueprint. He did not leave New Orleans. He brought it with him to Denver.

So when thinking about a veteran to complement a defense that set a franchise record with 68 sacks last season, Cam Jordan makes the most sense. This is not a debate on who is better between him and Miller.

It is more an exercise of following the spills of gumbo bites the past three years. Payton leans on players he trusts, that he knows, guys who respond to his coaching and can mesh seamlessly into the locker room.

I think the current version of Miller could do that. But I know Jordan would.

Jordan played 11 seasons for Payton, earning three All-Pro nods and seven Pro Bowl berths. He delivered 107 sacks, or roughly 10 per season. He is not that player anymore, but he is not not that guy. He posted 10.5 sacks a year ago.

Of course, the Saints fans want him to finish out in New Orleans. But given the players the Saints have signed this offseason, it creates an opening for Jordan to exit.

Why not Denver?

At 36, he remains healthy and productive. He never misses games, and is not typecast as a situational pass rusher. He is a solid run defender, and while he would not have to do that a lot in Denver, it makes it easier to get him snaps in any rotation.

The Broncos lost John Franklin-Myers in free agency. He had to leave to get big money, a three-year deal with $42 million guaranteed.

Could Jordan be landed for one-year, $10 million? And push it to $12 or $13 million with incentives? He is a proud man who will have multiple potential landing spots, like Chicago, for instance.

The Broncos are in their Super Bowl window. They signed one external free agent and were the last team to make a draft pick. Receiver Jaylen Waddle was a tremendous addition, but he cannot be the only big splash.

The idea of Eyioma Uwazurike and Tyler Onyedim battling for Myers’ vacant spot makes sense. But why not provide a layer of protection on the edge with a veteran?

With a championship as the only goal, why not sign Jordan?

Draymond out of line: Draymond Green is a polarizing figure. Because of his almost daily podcasts, he has become overexposed. He recently made the laughable claim that Warriors coach Steve Kerr “hindered” his career by never calling offensive plays for him.  And on “Inside The NBA,” he went way too far in taking a shot at Charles Barkley, explaining he did not want to finish his career like Barkley did in Houston. Excuse me? Barkley averaged 16.5 points and 12.2 points per game for a contender. Green struggles to score 16 points in an empty gym. We all know Green is a great defender and passer, but he lucked out in landing with the Warriors. Going forward, he needs to handle his media appearances like his shooting. Less is more.

That is Wild: Some Minnesota Wild fans are whining about the physicality of the Avs. You don’t say? Did not hear a peep from Minnesota sports fans when the Timberwolves were roughing up the Nuggets. Denver deserved to get dunked on by Minnesota. No excuses. Same goes for the Wild. They are a great team. Let’s not make this series about the officials. It is a bad look.

College fear: As more schools cut non-revenue sports, it is becoming obvious that college football and basketball have turned universities into part-time businesses. This trend is not going to stop when a school would rather pay a starting quarterback $4 million than fund the golf or tennis program. It is why I hope college athletes, perhaps only in football and basketball, become unionized employees with a collective bargaining agreement that creates a salary cap.

He was a winning player on losing teams.

Through a cracking voice and watery eyes, Simmons retired from the NFL on Wednesday. At 32, he is done playing and no apologies are necessary for how his career played out with the Broncos.

Simmons experienced one season with a winning record, his first in 2016 as a probationary member of the No Fly Zone. He never reached the playoffs. He came close in 2021 before the Bengals’ Khalid Kareem stripped quarterback Drew Lock, a fumble that sent the Broncos into a predictable season-ending death spiral.

Understand one thing: Simmons excelled through adversity.

Take Super Bowls XXXII and XXIII off the loop, lose the violent vision of the safety position, separate the man from the ownership and coaching mayhem, and reality kicks you in the gut like Thunder’s hoof.

Justin Simmons is a Ring of Famer.

“I don’t know about all that,” Simmons said after a 40-minute press conference defined by gratitude and humility. “I didn’t deserve all of this.”

Simmons was referring to the classy exit provided by the Broncos with a press conference, farewell video and introduction by Hall of Famer Steve Atwater. Simmons reached out a few weeks ago and wanted to know if he could swing by headquarters and sign a one-day contract to retire as a Bronco.

The Broncos wisely told Simmons his departure was worth more than a photo op and social media post.

His eight seasons cemented his status as a franchise legend. Yes, it is hard for some to reach this conclusion because of all the losses.

His case demands nuance. It calls for an understanding of the period in which he played and how he overcame the dysfunction around him.

Simmons became a star when groans were the franchise soundtrack. He played for four coaches. He watched a floundering offense use 13 starting quarterbacks. And none were Bo Nix. The Broncos rarely won.

That was not because of him.

His teams didn’t dominate anything, but Simmons defined his position.

Despite revolving coordinators and a carousel of teammates, Simmons became the NFL’s finest ballhawk. No safety had more interceptions than Simmons from the time he entered the league through 2023, his final season in Denver.

He finished with 32 picks, 30 with the Broncos, including four from Patrick Mahomes.

“To me, he’s the best safety in the deep part of the field in his era,” said Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and former Broncos assistant coach Christian Parker. “I think the interceptions speak to that.”

For those who do not believe Simmons’ play rises to the level of a pillar outside the stadium, consider his All-Pro honors.

All-Pro still means something. It is the best of the best. And when considering Ring of Fame status, franchise context is relevant.

Simmons earned second-team All-Pro four times. No other Broncos safety can match that. Atwater (two first team, one second) and Billy Thompson (one first team, one second) are the only other Broncos’ safeties to receive multiple All-Pro nods. They are Ring of Famers.

From 2012 to 2023, only five Denver players made All-Pro more than once. The list includes Von Miller, Peyton Manning, Chris Harris Jr.,  Demaryius Thomas and Simmons. Manning and Thomas are in the Ring of Fame. Miller will join them. And Harris has a strong case.

And consider this bullet point. When it comes to the most Broncos’ All-Pro honors, Simmons sits tied for sixth, behind only Miller, Rick Upchurch, Randy Grandishar, Shannon Sharpe and Champ Bailey. Simmons is knotted with Karl Mecklenburg and Riley Odoms.

Do I need to tell you what all those players, save for Miller and Simmons, share in common? They enjoy immortality outside the stadium.

Miller will go in after the five-year waiting period, if he ever retires. Simmons’ clock has started.

It would help him tremendously if the logjam loosened. That seems unlikely, as the Walton-Penner group prefers to make the Ring of Fame even more exclusive.

How much narrower does the funnel need to be? It is already as selective as Stanford’s admissions office, with only 33 players, three coaches and two owners honored in 65 seasons.

The hope is that over the next few years, Gary Kubiak, Joe Collier, and Al Wilson will gain entry. They are all deserving.

Simmons has no Super Bowl ring. He doesn’t even have an AFC West Championship cap. I get it. But he became the light during arguably the darkest period in Broncos history. They posted seven straight losing seasons, topped only by the nosedive from 1963-72. Those archaic teams did not have lofty expectations like the ones that featured Simmons.

Performing great with a stream of new coaches, coordinators and underwhelming quarterbacks is, in many ways, more difficult.

Simmons admitted Wednesday that he felt like he let ����apountry down, unable to lead the team to the postseason. It was not his fault that the team stunk.

He did his part on the field and in the locker room. No player was more accountable during this stretch than Simmons. Trying to articulate what went wrong during Nathaniel Hazmat’s abbreviated tenure alone is worthy of the Ring of Fame.

Then, there is the off-field involvement. Character and community work are not part of the Ring of Fame debate. But in Simmons’ case, an exception should be made.

If there is any doubt, Simmons’ impact should break the tie. He was a three-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.

Through his foundation, he mentors kids, supports their education, and provides hunger relief. That is the macro.

At the micro level, I have witnessed him surprise families with Christmas trees and maintain relationships with them. I have seen him walk around stores for hours picking out Christmas gifts for underprivileged kids. He supported teens NaShara Ellerbee and Naja’Ray West as they created the March for Peace, a 5K run/walk and community event in the Montbello neighborhood.

And he has been such a regular at the Broncos Boys & Girls club that the students don’t see him as a professional athlete, but just as Justin, a guy looking to shoot some hoops.

What does it say about Simmons that he was the team’s best player during its worst time and he never hid from a camera, never shied away from interacting with fans? It is a level of professionalism that must be weighed.

His case is complicated by the lack of team success. It is also strengthened by it.

That he posted his resume under these circumstances, not surrounded by great players, is exactly why he should be a Ring of Famer.

Like Wednesday’s ceremony, he deserves it.

Just maybe not as an outside linebacker.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That journey may not be far off, though.

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

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

“And it����ap just a matter of time.”

— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.

Hey Ed, thanks for writing in and getting us going in a draft-a-palooza version of the Broncos mailbag.

Denver is almost certain to move some of its picks around. Will they go up from No. 62? Back from their fourth-rounders? Vice versa? That, of course, all depends and the most likely outcome is we won’t know until Friday evening as the second round unfolds.

Teams move picks, though, and the Broncos have moved them at a high volume recently under general manager George Paton and head coach Sean Payton. Last year alone they made their own selection at No. 20 in the first round — through Paton said they considered trading back from there — and then got busy. They didn’t actually pick at any of their original spots from then on and engineered four trades that included a total of 20 draft picks. They went back from 51 to 57 and then to 60. They went up from No. 111 to No. 101 to draft Sai’Vion Jones and in the process also moved back four spots from No. 130.

Generally speaking, it’d be a surprise if Denver wasn’t similarly active this year. Especially with just one pick on Day 2, it would make sense for Paton and Payton to try to move around. That could mean trying to pick up capital by moving back from their first pick at No. 62. They could get into the third round by moving up from No. 108 or No. 111. It could mean some combination of that or something else entirely.

Paton’s reputation is that of a pick collector, while Payton is more gung-ho about trading up. Paton said last week that their styles have melded together well.

A natural inclination going into the draft with seven picks would be wanting to preserve somewhere around that number, but there’s a pretty good argument for being aggressive and moving up. It����ap basically the same they used when explaining their trade for Jaylen Waddle. Essentially: This is a deep roster as is. It����ap not going to be easy to make. If they take six Day 3 players as their current cache lines them up for, are all of them going to be on the 53-man roster?

The counter: Do you have to move up to get the players you really want? Payton talked last week about the “spray” of evaluations across the league and how it widens as the draft progresses. The Broncos traded back twice in the second round last year and got the guy they wanted in Harvey. They won’t be needlessly aggressive, but their roster is in such a place where they can go get a particular player, even without the benefit of a first-round pick.

What are the top three things you have learned about the NFL draft?

— David Brown, Silverthorne

Hey David, thanks for writing in and great question. I’m going to take this as this upcoming draft particularly.

1. Many of the best players and deepest position groups in this draft are at what the league generally considers non-premium spots. This is a great draft for inside linebackers and safeties. It����ap not teeming with top-end tight ends, but there are a boatload of solid options to work through. Similar at running back after the one true blue-chipper in Jeremiyah Love. It����ap another good year for edge rushers and receivers, so those groups will go fast in the first round — and offensive line will, too — but there’s hay to be made at some of those other spots.

2. Related to that point, a team is always better off draft-wise if it����ap armed with a first-round pick or extra capital, but this weekend actually looks like it sets up fairly well for the Broncos. Their needs — call it tight end, linebacker, running back, safety and offensive line — line up well overall with the deeper parts of this draft class. That doesn’t mean there are going to be Week 1 starters sitting there waiting for them on Day 3, of course, but the Broncos should be looking at their board and seeing realistic options at some positions of need despite having traded away their first- and third-rounders.

3. The 2026 draft is already being colored, to some degree, by next year’s proceedings. You saw it in Denver’s willingness to give up multiple picks this year for Waddle while hanging on to all of its 2027 capital. Teams around the league widely view next year’s class as shaping up to be substantially better than this year’s.

“I think everyone feels like next year is going to be a strong draft and I think that����ap based on the quarterbacks and it feels like it����ap going to be a strong quarterback draft,” Paton said. “We definitely look at that when we’re making trades.”

Paton earlier in the offseason said the Broncos pay attention to the fact that they’re in line for a fourth-round comp pick for next year due to John Franklin-Myers’ departure and perhaps a seventh-rounder, too, but that it doesn’t dictate how Denver operates. Expect a similar approach when it comes to deciding whether to part with 2027 draft capital during the 2026 proceedings.

Extra picks can benefit the Broncos next year in a strong class, but it could also benefit them this week.

“We have 10 picks, we think, next year, including the compensatories,” Paton said. “So it gives us more flexibility if we need to use one of those to help ourselves now.”

Do you think the Broncos will make a splash at the draft?

— Roger, Aurora

Hey Roger, guess it depends on what you mean by splash. Two years ago Bo Nix’s selection got all of the attention, and rightfully so. The Saturday trade they swung with the New York Jets for John Franklin-Myers and subsequent two-year, $15 million extension flew much more under the radar, but obviously ended up being quite consequential.

It would probably be bigger news if Denver acquired a veteran player during the draft — especially if that player were at a clear position of need like tight end  — or if they traded a player off their existing roster to acquire more draft capital.

Not saying one or the other is a guarantee, but certainly you can’t count out the possibility of a trade involving an active player one way or the other.

Any chance we move back into the first round? We need a tight end and if Kenyon Sadiq slips, I could see us making some moves to grab him in the late 20s. What say you?

— Tim, Denver

Hey Tim, thanks for writing in. That would be spicy, but it just doesn’t seem feasible without making a dramatic sacrifice either from the existing roster or from the club’s stash of 2027 draft picks. Even then, the math is tough to square. Let����ap use the Jimmy Johnson trade chart as a guide. There are other ways of valuing picks and every team does so slightly differently, but Payton’s draft trades generally follow the Johnson chart.

Denver’s pick at No. 62 is worth 284 points. San Francisco’s pick at No. 27 is worth 680. So even if Sadiq made it that far and the 49ers were willing to deal the pick rather than take him, the gap is 396 points. Denver’s pair of fourth-rounders (Nos. 108 and 111) are worth 150. Not even close, so now you’re talking 2027 capital. Maybe 108, 111 and a 2027 second-rounder gets you there. Given the way teams generally value future year picks and the fact that Denver is likely to be good this fall, the 49ers wouldn’t be out of line asking for No. 62 and next year’s first-rounder. Maybe with a later-round pick this year coming back in return.

That just seems like an awfully steep price, which Paton said himself last week.

“You never say never, but it����ap unlikely,” Paton said about getting to the first round. “It would cost quite a haul for us to get up there. Most of our draft we would have to trade and then something next year.”

Do you think we’ll find our answer at tight end in the draft? Kenyon Sadiq is expected to go in the first round, so I know it’s not him. How about someone like Eli Stowers or someone else who’s under the radar in the middle of the draft?

— Mike, Denver

Hey Mike, it����ap possible. Sadiq will definitely be off the board and Vanderbilt����ap Eli Stowers may well be, too, by the time Denver’s pick rolls around. There will be options, though.

The terrific draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has an interesting clump of tight ends graded right in Denver’s range. His top 150 includes this run: No. 66 Stowers, No. 71 Oscar Delp (Georgia), No. 81 Max Klare (Ohio State), No. 83 Sam Roush (Stanford), No. 84 Marlin Klein (Michigan).

Stowers and Klare are pass-catchers first. Roush and Klein are more accomplished blockers than receivers in college. Delp is tantalizing as an all-around player but never had more than 24 catches in a collegiate season. There are others that could go in the Day 2 range, among them NC State’s Justin Joly. It’ll be fascinating to see if Denver is set on one of them or if they take the view that the group’s depth will present a quality option somewhere along the way.

Parker, what do you think about the Broncos picking up Washington RB Jonah Coleman? He’s got a little shake-and-bake. I’m not sold on RJ Harvey being our back of the future and J.K. Dobbins is a liability with his injury history.

— Mike, Denver

Hey Mike, I like Coleman and my beat partner, Luca Evans, is even higher on him. The 5-foot-8, 220-pounder — Coleman, not Luca — certainly looks like he fits what the Broncos like and what they need in that room. He visited the Broncos last week, too.

Coleman’s not the only option, of course. Does Denver feel the need to use an early pick on a running back after taking Harvey in the second round last year? Or are they looking more for a late-round add or even a post-draft veteran? One of many questions we’ll soon learn the answer to for certain.

I still don’t understand why they let John Franklin-Myers walk in free agency. I think he was a very good defensive end, an important spot next to Zach Allen, and they re-signed everybody else on the defensive line, why not him? Another thing I don’t get, if Adam Trautman is such a good blocker, how come RJ Harvey couldn’t get more than 2 or 3 yards? And if he is in the game instead of Engram, aren’t you telegraphing a running play?

— Anthony, Venice, Fla.

Hey Anthony, thanks for writing in and for the questions.

First question: Franklin-Myers got as much per year from Tennessee as the Broncos gave D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach combined, so that����ap part of the equation. They could have paid him, but they knew he was going to make a ton of money and they’re planning around having already paid a bunch of other players while knowing that they may well be looking at a massive Bo Nix extension a year from now. Plus, they like their depth on the defensive line. And they get a fourth-round comp pick in next year’s draft. Doesn’t guarantee that letting him go was the right move, of course, but they didn’t wake up one day in early March and say, oh, dang, we can’t pay JFM. It����ap been part of the plan.

Second question: Easy to point at Harvey’s numbers, but if Trautman is such a bad blocker, then how did Dobbins go through 10 weeks as one of the most effective and efficient rushers in football?

And last: Yeah, that����ap got to be part of Denver’s calculus as it goes through the offseason and puts together its plan in Davis Webb’s first year as the team’s primary playcaller. They have to find ways to play one, the other or both TEs without being too predictable.

Hey Parker, I’ve been hearing rumors about the Broncos being in the mix to sign De’Von Achane. How serious are these talks and do we have the money to sign him?

— Raj P., Centennial

Hey Raj, thanks for writing in. Achane sure is fun, but reporting out of Miami recently is that he showed up for their offseason program in part because extension talks have progressed. Seems like he’s going to be staying in Miami a while.

Who’s making the biggest jump in 2026? My money’s on Jonah Elliss. I think he’s due for a breakout year.

— Adam Miller, Fort Collins

Hey Adam, thanks for writing in and interesting question. If Elliss broke out while making the switch to inside linebacker, that would have present-day and future ramifications for the Broncos. They’d undoubtedly welcome that.

With the caveat that it����ap very early, I’ll put some early breakout chips in for the guy who currently stands to benefit the most from Elliss’ move inside: Second-year outside linebacker Que Robinson. Paton said after the season that Robinson has as much upside as anybody Denver drafted last year. That combined with the flashes on the field are enough to pique substantial interest.

What are the odds that we would bring back some Broncos favorites in Justin Simmons and Von Miller that are available in free agency?  We are very deep at outside edge, so probably a harder sell for Von.  Safety seems to be a point of some need.  Is the price just too high for both of them?

— Michael Horn, Westminster

Hey Michael, thanks for writing. I guess you never say never never, but neither seems at all likely at this point. Miller, of course, would be a tremendous story, but if the Broncos end up adding a veteran edge rusher after the draft I wonder if longtime New Orleans star Cam Jordan is a more likely option.

Peyton Manning is more organized than Kim Kardashian’s closet. His life operates on routines, consistency. Complete the task. Move on.

So after several weeks of rehabbing a plantar fasciitis foot injury that season, throwing to Jordan “Sunshine” Taylor in the Pat Bowlen Fieldhouse, Manning was ready to return.

Feeling like he was being spied on, Manning delivered a message to coach Gary Kubiak.

“When you are hurt, you feel left out. Like the kid that doesn’t get to go on the playground. I felt like I was throwing the ball well,” Manning said. “I wanted to see if someone was really watching.”

Turns out, Kubiak was indeed checking on the former MVP. What he saw surprised him. And more than a decade later, it still does.

“The first video I saw, it only had one barrel (flipping him off),” Kubiak said with a laugh. “I knew he was mad. Really he was saying, ‘Hey, dumb (bleep), are you going to put me in?’^”

Wednesday night provided a reminder of how it turned out when Manning returned to the lineup. Joined by five teammates and Kubiak, the 2015 Broncos celebrated the Night of Champions at the Paramount Theatre.

The bulk of the team came together last fall for a 10-year reunion and the induction of the late Demaryius Thomas into the Ring of Fame.

But this was different, more personal, more laughs, showing why Manning decided to hold live events honoring the 2006 Colts, 1989 San Francisco 49ers and Pat Summitt����ap legacy at the University of Tennessee.

“It was special (in October), but we didn’t have the MVP of the team there, Von Miller, because he is still out there playing. So we felt like it was missing something,” Manning said. “This was a chance for the fans to go behind the ropes. When you have a team honored in a stadium it is not the most intimate. This event was all about the fans.”

Based on the reaction of the orange bleached crowd, it is clear Manning read the room like he did defenses for 18 seasons. Manning received a standing ovation. And the roar that greeted Von Miller pierced ears down the 16th Street Mall.

There is a common refrain about seasons that end in rings. The players, it is said, walk together forever as champions.

But the fans become part of the connective tissue as well.

“Why come here? Why wouldn’t I? This was such a special team. This gives us a chance to hear the stories and relive it,” said Leroy Garcia from Colorado Springs, before posing with a replica of the Super Bowl 50 trophy. “There was no way I was going to miss this.”

Manning brought together a cross-section of players whose stories highlighted the special talent and personalities on the Super Bowl 50 team. DeMarcus Ware and Manning are football immortals, enshrined in the Hall of Fame. If Miller ever retires, he will join them.

Star power was required, but unselfishness defined the locker room. Kubiak spoke of the importance of everybody contributing, of playing for the person next to you in the locker room.

The Broncos knew during minicamp that something different was percolating. The offensive had weapons and the defense boasted two fang-bearing edge rushers and a No Fly Zone secondary that humbled All-Pros, MVPs and journeymen without remorse.

“I remember when I joined the team, I thought I was going to be The Man. Then we went through a walk-through and I was like, ‘(Bleep) I am not going to be The Man,’^” Talib said. “We didn’t have one hole. Not one.”

The Broncos opened the season with seven straight wins. The confidence was tangible. Denver believed they could beat anyone because of a defense that closed better than the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera.

“Legendary. The D-line, they had their own special relationship. Our linebackers (Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall) were two of the best in the league, straight ballers. And obviously we knew as a secondary we were always going to do what we needed to,” Pro Bowl safety T.J. Ward said. “When you perform the way we did, that’s how you become legendary.”

The way sports operate, however, titles are required to bring people together years later. Greatness is measured in championships.

Miller and Ware wrote a diary of havoc in the postseason. And the offense did just enough, squeaking past the Steelers and Patriots. The New England game remains the loudest the new stadium has ever been. The victory required noise and faith.

“I played for (defensive coordinator) Wade Phillips for like 10 years. And he dedicated one game every season to his dad (Bum Phillips). We won all of them,” said Ware. “I am tearing up thinking about it. We couldn’t let him down.”

As the confetti fell, the gravity of what was ahead took shape. Owner Pat Bowlen wanted a third Super Bowl crown. The players wanted one for Ware, who was ringless, and Manning, who was expected to retire. And, they did not know it then, they needed it as a touchstone memory to honor Thomas.

“If there was a Hall of Fame for teammates, he would be in it,” Miller said. “When I had my first child, he was the first person I called and Face-timed. He was one of one.”

The Broncos thrashed the Carolina Panthers, turning regular season MVP Cam Newton into a Fig Newton. That game is remembered in photos of the defense pouncing, taunting, finger-wagging. All of the swag came together in one night.

It took a coach with patience, who was honest and stern. It required role players willing to sacrifice. And it demanded stars meet the moment, no matter how bright the glare and long the odds.

As the calendar has flipped, as the years have passed, the narrative of those Broncos has changed, filling in the gaps. They were characters. But they won because of character.

“Everybody that wins a Super Bowl, they all say it was a unique team. But I am telling you that the word team could not be more personified than with that Super Bowl 50 group,” Manning said. “Everybody had a job. Everybody was completely unselfish. We never argued. It was really special.”

On April 22, the Night of Champions series comes to Denver featuring the Broncos’ 2015 Super Bowl 50 team at the historic Paramount Theatre.

Hosted by Omaha Productions, the event will include Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware, future Canton inductee Von Miller, former Pro Bowl receiver Emmanuel Sanders and the soundtrack of the No Fly Zone, cornerback Aqib Talib and .

Coach Gary Kubiak will join the players for what is likely to be a raucous discussion moderated by CBS NFL sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson. The event is designed to give fans all-access insight into the Broncos’ third and most recent Super Bowl title season, which culminated with a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Levi’s Stadium.

Tickets can be purchased at beginning at 10 a.m. on March 31.

Kubiak and the aforementioned players gathered with their coaches and teammates last October when the Broncos unveiled Demaryius Thomas’ Ring of Fame bust and celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Super Bowl 50 team and Thomas at halftime of the New York Giants game.

Anyone who is familiar with Manning’s humor and Talib’s candor knows the April stroll down memory lane will be entertaining.

From the ESPN “Manningcast” with brother Eli to launching Omaha Productions, Manning has become a media mogul.

Night of Champions is his latest idea, launched last February when he brought together the 2006 Indianapolis Colts championship team. The most recent event honored the 1989 San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl week.

The Colorado Avalanche staged something similar last December at the Paramount, reuniting players for the 30th anniversary of the organization’s first championship in Denver.