It doesn’t always come with a Jaylen Waddle-sized splash or the exhilaration of taking Bo Nix at No. 12 overall in the 2024 draft.

Sometimes, it����ap meat and potatoes.

Sometimes, it����ap patience — or something like it.

Sometimes it����ap waiting 61 picks, trading back four more and then taking a player at what was arguably your deepest position the past two years.

That����ap where the Broncos found themselves Friday night when they used their first pick of the draft at No. 66 on Texas A&M defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim.

Everybody else in the NFL made a selection in the first 56 picks. Denver waited 10 more.

Of course, the Broncos’ big offseason fireworks came more than five weeks ago when they traded their first and third-round picks for Waddle, the explosive wide receiver.

That, combined with their late selections in each round, put them among the teams with the least overall capital in the league.

They committed to waiting it out for No. 62 to roll around. General manager George Paton said last week that Denver had six players it was targeting for its first selection.

That alone took patience.

The Broncos watched all of Thursday night — “that was a boring day,” Paton said — and then saw players at other positions of need come ripping off the board in the middle of the second round. Between picks 43 and 59 alone, four inside linebackers and three tight ends heard their names called.

Then the two picks preceding Denver: Inside linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. to Tennessee, which traded up, and tight end Max Klare to the Los Angeles Rams.

“It’s a typical draft — there’s a run at different positions, which we figured there would be,” Paton said. “It fell like we thought it would. I think I mentioned we had six players and they all started going. Tyler was one of those six, but it fell kind of like we thought it would.”

The Broncos were aware the Rams loved Klare, a source told The Post on Friday, so they either did not like him enough to jump in front of L.A. or thought the Rams would look elsewhere. Tennessee general manager Mike Borgonzi, a former Kansas City executive, explained trading up to No. 60 for Hill by talking about pro scouting and understanding the needs and potential interest of the teams in your part of the draft board.

When Denver’s pick arrived, Paton and head coach Sean Payton��decided to move back, trading No. 62 to Buffalo for Nos. 66 and 182.

In Onyedim, they leaned into a roster belief they often espouse.

“He plays a position that’s always hard to find at defensive tackle,” Payton said Friday night. “His strike, his shed, the athlete, makeup, those are traits.”

At 6-4 and 292 pounds, Onyedim played four years at Iowa State and then in 2025 for the Aggies. In Denver, he joins All-Pro Zach Allen, veteran D.J. Jones and a room that also features Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike, Jordan Jackson and 2025 third-round pick Sai’Vion Jones.

Roach and Uwazurike each are expected to help fill the gap left by John Franklin-Myers, Denver’s lone high-profile free agency departure, but Sai’Vion Jones and Onyedim are the kinds of pieces the Broncos are betting play key roles at some point in the future.

“We typically like to draft high-trait players,” Paton said earlier this month. “Maybe they lack a little bit of polish and it����ap going to take some development. We’ve done a great job with the coaches in developing these types of players. … Sure, we’d like somebody to come in and start right away, but that����ap not always realistic no matter where they’re picked. It����ap just hard.

“With the way our team is built now, it����ap going to be hard to come in and start Day 1.”

That is true of Onyedim, too. His versatility — he called himself “a true d-lineman” capable of playing every spot — is a virtue and in the Broncos’ mind maximizes the chance he’ll find a home somewhere along the front at some point, whether it����ap in 2026 or beyond.

One source said the club believes Onyedim can play, “across the board.”

They have two players like that, now, that they’ve picked in the third round each of the past two years. They moved up for Jones and back for Onyedim. Each has versatility and traits the Broncos like. Either could be a key for Vance Joseph and defensive line coach Jamar Cain as soon as this fall or either could be insurance while veteran players chew up almost all of the snaps in Denver’s regular rotation.

Either way, the Broncos set themselves up for a draft weekend like this. They may well find flashier help at tight end, running back or linebacker with their now seven slated selections on Saturday. There are starters to be found every year — though clearly at a lower hit rate — in rounds four through seven. Particularly so at the positions that Denver still needs to fortify.

Regardless of what happens over the course of Saturday, Payton, Paton and the players in Denver’s locker room believe the roster is already in a place where it can compete for a Super Bowl.

They made their big splash earlier in the spring. The brass knew it’d be tough to find a player on Day 2 who would step right in and start.

That, Paton said, is particularly true on the defensive line.

“Just going into it, we feel pretty good,” he said a month ago. “We have Sai’Vion and we have our four guys coming back. Our starters and then Eni really came on. Then Sai’vion and Jordan Jackson.”

In the NFL, though, the reality is there is almost no such thing as too much depth on the line of scrimmage.

“We’re looking closely at the grade and at the stack,” Payton said. “We’re never trying to worry about the splash.”

— 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.

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

Broncos’ in-house offseason moves:��Re-signed Matt Henningsen to a one-year, vet-minimum deal; re-signed Jordan Jackson to a one-year exclusive-rights deal; re-signed Kristian Williams and Jordan Miller to futures contracts.

Under contract:��Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike, Sai’vion Jones, Jackson, Henningsen, Williams, Miller

Need scale (1-10): 6. There is a 7.5-sack hole in the middle of Denver’s front, after John Franklin-Myers signed with the Titans in free agency. Replacing Franklin-Myers is a near-impossible task given his symbiotic effect on Allen and Denver’s No. 62 slot in this draft; that being said, it’d make a lot of sense for Denver to bring another body into the room. Uwazurike could reasonably compete for a starting job, and Denver needs to see what it has in Jones, last year’s third-round pick. But there are plenty of solid names available in this crop on Day 2 and Day 3, and George Paton and company will be looking.

The Top Five

Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

A nose tackle, through and through. The 6-foot-2, 326-pound McDonald is a force in the run game, with 65 tackles and nine tackles for loss in an All-American season last year for the Buckeyes. Will he be a truly impactful pass-rusher in the NFL? Unclear. But McDonald should grade out as an immediate starting-ready force in the trenches.

Peter Woods, Clemson

Woods’ production declined this fall after a monster 2024 season, but he still profiles as a versatile havoc-wreaker with plenty of NFL upside.��He hasn’t run a 40-yard dash, but����He’ll be a fun piece for a late-first-round defensive coordinator to shift around in their scheme.

Lee Hunter, Texas Tech

NFL insiders generally pinpoint a pretty clear gap between the McDonald-Woods tier and the next crop of interior defensive linemen in this class. Hunter’s profile is rather complicated, carrying plenty of power (6-foot-3, 318 pounds) but not much speed (a 5.18-second 40-yard-dash, second-to-last among all defensive linemen at the combine). He’s racked up more than 9.5 tackles for loss in each of his last three seasons between UCF and Texas Tech, though, and the Broncos should be able to piece together a strong evaluation on him after drafting UCF RB RJ Harvey last year.

Christen Miller, Georgia

Here’s a potential Broncos second-round target. Denver hosted the powerful Georgia defensive tackle on a top-30 visit. Miller has a great frame at 6-foot-4 and 321 pounds, and has graded out extremely well as a run defender the past two seasons. Again, though, this is a projected nose tackle in the NFL, and Denver already has two starting-caliber options there in Jones and Roach.

Caleb Banks, Florida

A potential upside play for Denver in the second round, if Banks falls that far. A year ago, it would’ve been a ludicrous proposition for Banks to land anywhere outside Day 1; he’s endured a rocky 2025, though, as he missed all but three games of his final season with a foot injury and then suffered a broken foot at the NFL Combine. If he’s healthy, though, the 6-foot-6 Banks has as much pass-rush upside as anyone in this interior defensive-line group. Denver hosted him on a top-30 visit, too.

More Broncos fits

Chris McClellan, Mizzou

A general pre-draft riser for good reason, McClellan racked up six sacks during his senior year at Mizzou and was one of Denver’s first top-30 visits this cycle. The Broncos scout Mizzou well, as 2023 All-American running back Cody Schrader and longtime Mizzou DT Williams are both on Denver’s roster on futures deals. McClellan would be a strong option to supplement Franklin-Myers’ loss — but he might not be around in the fourth if the Broncos pass on him at No. 62.

DeMonte Capehart, Clemson

A six-year alumnus of Clemson and Woods’ teammate on the line, Capehart didn’t have explosive production in college, with just 16 pressures combined in his last two seasons (according to Pro Football Focus). The raw athleticism here, though, is bonkers: a 4.85-second 40-yard-dash and 33.5-inch vertical, both in the top four at his position at the combine. Denver swung on Alabama’s Que Robinson as a developmental prospect in the fourth round last year on sheer upside, and Capehart could be a similar interior fit in this class.

Landon Robinson, Navy

Denver’s shown some interest here, meeting the 287-pound Robinson at Navy’s Pro Day. He stands 6-foot-0, which isn’t exactly ideal. But Robinson has jaw-dropping strength that stood out from even his military compatriots: squatting 665 pounds and benching 465, . He bulked up from an outside linebacker to a defensive lineman across his collegiate career, and could offer pass-rushing potential in the NFL.

Gary Smith III, UCLA

The Broncos have three seventh-round picks, and could spend one of them here. Broncos general manager Paton is a noted UCLA alumnus, and the 319-pound Smith III could be a run-stopping fit at the next level. He’s been a productive player for three seasons in a Bruins jersey, and his tackle production skyrocketed in 2025.

Uar Bernard, International Pathway Program

Here’s the most athletic player in this draft class. Period. Bernard, a 306-pound prospect discovered at a camp in Lagos, Nigeria, through the NFL’s International Pathway Program, rocketed onto the pre-draft scene thanks to a 4.63-second 40-yard dash and a 39-inch vertical. The only problem? He’s never played a snap of professional football in his life. The upside here, though, is too tantalizing for some team to not swing on Bernard.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Last Tuesday, soon-to-be free-agent running back J.K. Dobbins was working out in the Broncos’ facility when he got a buzz from Payton to come up to his office. Dobbins finished, wandered up, and sat with Denver’s head coach for a simple conversation that’ll form the genesis of how Denver’s not-so-new-look run game will produce in 2026.

Payton told Dobbins that he was his guy, a source familiar with the situation told the Denver Post. That said enough. Being a Payton Guy has extended NFL lives and poured millions upon millions of dollars into loyal bank accounts. Being a Payton Guy, as former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle told The Post last year, is a “badge of honor.” And Payton has praised Dobbins to reporters throughout the year, enamored with the spirited presence of a running back who chose specifically to rehab a midseason Lisfranc injury in Denver to stick around the team rather than have surgery elsewhere.

“Losing J.K., obviously, was a tough loss,” Payton said after Denver’s season ended. “He brought a lot more to the locker room than you would know.”

And Payton made clear he didn’t want to lose Dobbins come 2026, the source said, in that March 3 conversation. The reality of Denver’s situation was slightly more complex. Jets star running back Breece Hall loomed as a potential free-agent option; asked if the Broncos would’ve gone after Hall had he hit the open market, a source with knowledge of the team’s thinking told The Post the decision would’ve been a “no-brainer.” But New York .

Other top options, from Kenneth Walker III to Travis Etienne Jr., quickly fell off the board during the early week’s legal-tampering period of free agency. Dobbins remained, as his own market started to climb. And the Broncos moved quickly to secure their 2025 leading rusher, and certified Payton Guy, on a two-year deal.

That single sequence has encapsulated Denver’s dealings — or lack of them — through the first week of free agency. The reigning No. 1-seeded Broncos are approaching unprecedented levels of run-it-back roster retention. As of Friday, Denver is the only team in the NFL to not have signed a single external free agent. Not only that, but the Broncos have signed back 16 of their own 22 players set to hit free agency since late February.

The sheer wave of Payton favorites re-upping on minimum deals — tight end Nate Adkins, fullback Adam Prentice, receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, running back Jaleel McLaughlin — has washed in heaps of online vitriol from Denver’s own fanbase. Internally, the Broncos’ brass went into free agency aligned without expecting to make a massive splash in the market. Externally, the Broncos’ lack of activity gives the impression of an organization that is relying fully on its Payton-era foundation for a Super Bowl leap, for better or for worse.

The reasons for this week’s developments are multifaceted. But the overall reality is simple, lying in the hands of the head man still pulling the strings despite passing off the play-calling reins.

Asked their impression of the Broncos’ approach, one NFL assistant coach told The Post: “Sean obviously likes his football team.”

Growth inside the building

There’s plenty left to play out, from the trade market to April’s draft. Denver, after all, first signed Dobbins in June 2025. But data indicates the Broncos have taken a particularly unique strategy on the first go-around of the free-agent carousel.

According to player data collected and analyzed by The Post, Denver currently has 94% of its total snaps from the 2025 season under contract. In the last 10 years, no team that’s made the AFC Championship Game has gone into the following season retaining more than 83.2% of its snaps from the previous year (the 2019 Kansas City Chiefs set this mark).

“Good call,” one NFL agent, speaking on condition of anonymity, remarked. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Denver, of course, was the furthest thing from broken in a 14-3 season in 2025. The issue: its offense, by all accounts, was continually bent out of shape. Payton fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and receivers coach Keary Colbert after a 14th-place finish in points per game in 2025 and appointed a separate play-caller — 31-year-old Davis Webb — for the first time in his 18-year head-coaching career.

At the NFL Combine, Payton was asked whether coming so close to a Super Bowl appearance influenced him to consider a big offseason swing or simply to stay the course. He directly acknowledged that the Broncos played the margins too thin in a season of white-knuckle moments at Empower Field.

“From my lens, we won a lot of games by one score or less, right?” Payton said then. “And I’m not naive enough to think those games couldn’t have swung, and you could grab any two or three. But where’s the meat on the bone?

“The meat on the bone,” he continued, “exists with our takeaways. That has to improve. Our run-game consistency, our meat on the bone relative to a number of things that we won despite maybe — not being as good as others.”

That has quickly become the defining quote of Denver’s offseason, for better or worse. Despite Payton’s acknowledgement that the Broncos couldn’t simply stand pat, they have simply … stood pat. In fact, they’ve only lost production. Defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers, who was everything from a key pass-rusher to a behind-the-scenes mentor, left for a monster three-year, $63 million deal with Tennessee. Backup safety P.J. Locke went to Dallas. Denver cut linebacker Dre Greenlaw to save cap room.

There are a few explanations for this confusing puzzle. Piece together hints from across the past year, and Payton and general manager George Paton are clearly focused on development from young, cheap talent under a new-look staff. That starts, of course, with a continued third-year leap from quarterback Bo Nix.

Payton made it clear at the combine that Nix wasn’t a factor in the decision to pass play-calling duties to Webb; people close to Nix, though, have told The Post that Nix was generally supportive of the move.

“There’s certainly things we want to be better at,” Payton said at the combine, speaking on Denver’s offensive operation. “But it����ap also being quicker. And look, it����ap only if there’s someone that you feel like is good enough to do that, and (Webb) will have that opportunity.”

The Broncos are also plenty high on their young receiving corps of Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims Jr. and Pat Bryant, with the potential to hand-pick another weapon come April: Indiana star Omar Cooper Jr. visited Denver for a pre-draft visit on Friday. Rising second-year back RJ Harvey will have every opportunity to show he can improve as a runner from an equally dynamic and shaky rookie season. 2025 third-round pick Sai’vion Jones, who received just 39 snaps in the middle of a logjam in his rookie year, could also make a push in training camp for Franklin-Myers’ role on the defensive line.

Denver has room for growth in its tight-end crop, too, despite preserving a middle-of-the-road group for 2025. Veteran Evan Engram is tight with Webb dating back to their shared playing days in New York, and Engram had a 58-yard catch-and-run in Webb’s preseason play-calling showcase against the Cardinals in August. 2025 seventh-round pick Caleb Lohner, meanwhile — a raw big body who spent his rookie year on the practice squad — is training in Texas this offseason with former Packers Pro Bowl receiver Donald Driver, Lohner’s uncle Mike told The Post.

Another possible hidden wrinkle to Denver’s offseason: the 2027 draft is already generating substantial buzz in the NFL. The Broncos will likely receive a fourth-round compensation pick in ’27 with Franklin-Myers’ departure, which becomes particularly valuable given the strength of next year’s class. This would not be a foreign strategy.

The Jaguars, who’ve also been notably quiet in free agency, have let star running back Travis Etienne and linebacker Devin Lloyd walk specifically to acquire 2027 draft capital.

“I think on its surface, you would think, ‘Oh, OK, you’re going to make picks in 2027,'” Jacksonville . “Whereas, in reality, those draft picks and having more of ’em actually allows you the luxury of remaining in the hunt at different intervals throughout the entire calendar year, for acquiring players.”

Cap considerations

The Post sourced 10 different NFL agents for their thoughts on Denver’s lack of activity early in free agency. The clear consensus from those sitting across the table: the Broncos haven’t taken a bad approach, given they were a Bo Nix fractured ankle and an AFC title game winter wonderland away from a Super Bowl appearance.

“They had a great season,” one agent texted. “It makes sense to me to build off of what you already have.”

“Why would you not bring that entire team back (?)” another agent texted. “Good chance they win it all if no Injury (sic) and maybe even just if no blizzard.”

“It is odd,” another agent mused. “They probably see it, like — it’s not worth overspending on anybody.”

That point is key. Two NFL sources who spoke with Denver earlier in the week told The Post that the Broncos weren’t willing to spend more than $10 million per year at running back and $6 million per year at tight end. That ruled out the dynamic Etienne, who signed for four years and $52 million with New Orleans. That also ruled out Chig Okonkwo — a skilled tight end the Broncos called about, according to a source — who ended up signing for three years and $30 million with the Commanders.

That’s not stinginess for the sake of stinginess. At his end-of-season presser, Payton likened the Broncos’ financial freedom from Russell Wilson’s contract to renovating one’s house.

“If I said I’m going to give you $50,000 to decorate your home, or $200,000, your home’s going to look nicer, I think, if you’re a decent shopper,” Payton said.

Denver, though, really has closer to $50,000.

Much of the Broncos’ cap room has already been gobbled up by a rollicking run of long-term extensions across the past year, locking in core pieces from Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto to Luke Wattenberg and Malcolm Roach. The Broncos really haven’t had much to spend after extensions for Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Dobbins and Trautman — and need to keep an eye towards possible in-season extensions for key players like Mims, Riley Moss, and Ja’Quan McMillian.

The Broncos, too, may have to consider future renegotiations with All-Pros Pat Surtain II and Quinn Meinerz, who Denver extended at such bargains in 2024 that both are now making well below their market value. Surtain’s now the fifth-highest-paid cornerback in the NFL via average salary, and Meinerz .

The draft and the trade market still beckon, and Paton and Denver’s front office head into April with enviable capital: nine total picks, after being awarded two seventh-round compensatory picks for losing free agents in the 2025 offseason. There’s still time, as owner Greg Penner said in late January, for the Broncos to be “opportunistically aggressive.”

Thus far, though, Denver’s been all opportunistic and hardly aggressive.

The Broncos, ultimately, checked the temperature on several big names who flew off the market early in Monday’s legal-tampering period of free agency. But the organization prioritized retention — a notable departure from head coach Sean Payton’s comments at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, when he acknowledged that Denver “won a lot of games by one score or less” and rattled off a list of areas that needed improvement.

“I think that����ap the only way to look at it, relative to this team writing its own chapter,” Payton said then.

Thus far, Denver appears to be trying to re-write its 2025 chapter in a different font. The Broncos re-upped with inside linebacker Alex Singleton and running back J.K. Dobbins Monday to continue a run of re-signings, and didn’t agree to terms with a single external free agent. The club did create $6 million in cap room by cutting oft-injured ILB Dre Greenlaw, however — and the Broncos head into Day 2 of free agency poised to still add some impact pieces.

Running backs Kenneth Walker III, Travis Etienne Jr. and Tyler Allgeier are off the market, as are pass-catchers Alec Pierce, Wan’dale Robinson and Cade Otton. There are still plenty of gems left to be mined. Here’s a rundown of 5 potential Broncos-specific fits left on the market.

Romeo Doubs, WR

Denver didn’t poke around much on Doubs early on Monday, but the organization has interest in the former Packers receiver, as an NFL source previously told The Denver Post. The 25-year-old Doubs isn’t a high-upside play in the WR market, but he has many of the traits of a Payton-favored wideout: 6-foot-2, a good blocker, good red-zone production (18 receiving touchdowns in the last three years).

A potential issue here, however, is that Doubs overlaps similarly in profile to ascending second-year wideout Pat Bryant. If Denver is comfortable with their Courtland Sutton-Troy Franklin-Bryant-Marvin Mims quadrant as their top four receivers entering 2026, there’s little reason for them to pay up for Doubs.

Kaden Elliss, ILB

Would the Broncos spend top dollar — likely between $15 and $17 million annually — on Jaguars All-Pro linebacker Devin Lloyd after re-signing Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad? Probably not. Now, could they still get in on a starting-level linebacker to compete with Strnad and fill out a room thinned by the Greenlaw cut? Absolutely.

One tie is obvious here, as former Falcons linebacker Elliss is brothers with Broncos outside linebacker Jonah Elliss. Elliss also was drafted by Sean Payton in New Orleans in 2019, and spent three years as a special-teamer before blossoming as an off-ball linebacker in 2022. He’s a dynamic run-stopper who’s also a menace on inside-linebacker blitzes, with 3.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hits in 2025. That could be music to the ears of defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

Dallas Goedert, TE

Denver, still, has the resources to upgrade at tight end, even after re-signing blocking specialists Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins. The Broncos clearly need a piece in the room who can either stay on the field in rotating personnel groupings and complement Evan Engram as a receiver, or supplant Engram if Denver chooses to move on from the veteran and save roughly $3.8 million in cap room.

This would likely be a high-upside swing on a short-term deal, as the 31-year-old Goedert isn’t getting any younger. But the Super Bowl champion was still an integral piece of Philadelphia’s passing game in 2025, catching 60 balls for 591 yards and a career-best 11 touchdowns. He’s declined as a run-blocker since his younger years with the Eagles, as Pro Football Focus grades indicate, but no tight end left on the market boasts Goedert’s all-around resume and red-zone ability. He’d fit a clear need for Denver.

Andrew Wingard, S

Here’s a native of Arvada, a Wyoming graduate, and a former undrafted free-agent grinder who could easily step in as Denver’s third safety in 2026. It’s likely that reserve P.J. Locke hits the open market after six seasons in Denver, and several NFL sources have told The Post across the last week that the Broncos would be in the market for a safety.

Denver could easily nab Wingard at third-safety value and receive a piece who could start in a pinch or even push Brandon Jones at free safety during training camp. His numbers in coverage were solid in 2025 — a 61% catch rate and 89.2 passer rating allowed when targeted, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats — and Wingard would also bring special-teams value after seven seasons as a depth safety in Jacksonville.

Logan Hall, DE

The John Franklin-Myers era is over in Denver, leaving the Broncos with a gaping hole at defensive end next to Zach Allen. Denver could easily look to fill the departed Franklin-Myers’ shoes with a combination of reserve Eyioma Uwazurike, rookie Sai’vion Jones and key defensive tackle Malcolm Roach — or look back to the market for a bargain body to add to the room.

The 6-foot-6, 275-pound Hall would be one of the Broncos’ best options if they turned to free agency here, a 2022 second-round pick with a similar frame to Franklin-Myers and similar versatility to line up inside or on the edge. He finished with just 1.5 sacks in 17 games in 2025, but recorded six quarterback hurries. Hall would offer another skilled, young body in the room at a reasonable price.

“It’s past the point of like, getting the league to notice,” Franklin-Myers told The Denver Post in early September. “Now it����ap just like, I’m going to make it undoubtable, you know? And I’m just — I’m going to do what I know I can do, but I’ma play harder than I have because I know I can.

“And shoot, I owe it to this team, owe it to my teammates, fans, my family, you know what I’m saying?”

Broncos NFL free agency 2026 tracker: J.K. Dobbins is back and JFM is gone

He, indeed, made his value undeniable in 2025, with a career-best 7.5 sacks in 16 games for the Broncos. And Franklin-Myers is now headed for a monster payday elsewhere, signing a three-year deal worth a total of $63 million with Tennessee, a source confirmed to The Post on Monday.

Denver ultimately never put an offer in front of Franklin-Myers, after sensing his value would inflate too high beyond the front office's price point. In the past year, the Broncos have signed nose tackle D.J. Jones, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, defensive end Zach Allen, and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach to long-term deals. Allen was the highest priority in the summer of 2025, followed by Bonitto; Roach is a high-quality reserve who ultimately signed for less than half of what Franklin-Myers commanded in free agency.

Even as nearly every impact name in the room around him received a nice handout from the Walton-Penner ownership group, Franklin-Myers continued to remain gracious to Denver and never careened around in public with his demands for a new contract.

“Man, I don’t care, shoot," Franklin-Myers told reporters after the Broncos' season ended in January. "I mean, I’m so happy for these dudes, and they changed they lives — they changed their family’s life. And these people work hard, as hard as I’ve ever seen in my life. And man, anybody that gets that opportunity to change their life, I can’t be mad at.

"When my time comes, it comes," Franklin-Myers said, a few words later. "And man, I’m happy. I’m happy to be here. I was happy to be able to play football for the Broncos this year. And we’ll see what happens.”

His time has come in Tennessee, now, where the 29-year-old Franklin-Myers will join the same team his contract year began against. The Titans' writing was on the wall, really, since former Jets defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton was hired by the Titans before the 2025 season; Whitecotton coached Franklin-Myers for three years in New York, and made clear in an August conversation with The Post that he still loved Franklin-Myers.

Tennessee also traded for Franklin-Myers' former Jets teammate Jermaine Johnson a week ago, and Johnson's set about not-so-subtly recruiting Franklin-Myers on Twitter since. Johnson, in fact, called Franklin-Myers during the week of the NFL Combine -- on the very same day he was traded.

The 29-year-old Franklin-Myers was a key contributor to the Broncos' NFL-best pass rush in 2024 and 2025, racking up a total of 14.5 sacks and 33 quarterback hits across his two years in Denver. He had a "low-key telepathic" connection on the interior with Allen, as rookie Jordan Miller told The Post at one point last season. And he served as a mentor for Denver's 2025 third-round pick Sai'vion Jones, even with Jones likely in a position to compete for Franklin-Myers' vacant job come 2026.

"It just shows his character,” Jones told The Post. “To me, it����ap clear what he values. He doesn’t value football more than his teammates."

With Franklin-Myers now gone, the attention invariably turns to Jones, who will become a key part of Denver's 2026 plans. The Broncos need either Jones or reserve Eyioma Uwazurike to assert themselves come training camp; it's possible Roach also gets more rotational looks in a by-committee approach. Denver, too, could look to bring another cheap veteran piece in the room in free agency.

Broncos land two comp picks.��Mr. Irrelevant in the 2026 draft may just don Broncos colors.

Denver on Monday was officially awarded two compensatory seventh-round picks by the NFL and they're the final two selections of the draft.

The pair of picks is due to the Broncos losing more players in free agency than they gained last spring.

Denver is expected to add the picks. Now they are finalized: Nos. 256 and 257 overall in the 2026 draft. The Broncos have nine overall selections now, beginning with No. 30 near the end of the first round.

The Broncos are currently in line for a likely fourth-round comp pick in 2027 for losing Franklin-Myers, though a major free agency signing could cancel that out should Denver make one.

Adkins near minimum.��The Broncos' one-year deal with tight end Nate Adkins, agreed to Sunday, is for $1.635 million total, according to OvertheCap data. That breaks down as follows: $1.165 million base salary, just above league minimum, a $300,000 signing bonus and $170,000 in per-game roster bonuses. Adkins will count $1.555 million against Denver's 2026 cap.

The thing about windows, though, is that they close. Denver has two more seasons before it has to start thinking about a massive extension for quarterback Bo Nix, which will put considerable strain on their long-term cap. It’s no secret. The world knows it. Those inside the Broncos’ facility know it. Their time to strike is now, heading into 2026 free agency with roughly $28 million in current cap room — — and plenty of levers to pull to create more space and throw money around in the market.

It’s also no secret that the Broncos need more skill talent. They need to add a running back, tight end, and potentially wide receiver. They need a linebacker either in free agency or the draft, and quietly have some options at safety. In January, owner Greg Penner described Denver’s approach with a phrase that’ll come to define this offseason, whatever size of swing the front office takes: “We’ll be opportunistically aggressive.”

The legal tampering period of free agency, when teams can officially make contact with players and agents, begins at 10:00 a.m. MT Monday. New contracts can officially be signed come 2:00 p.m. MT on Wednesday. Here’s The Denver Post’s position-by-position Broncos guide to 2026 free agency, informed via numerous conversations with NFL agents and sources across the past two weeks.

Quarterback

Who Denver has: QB1 Bo Nix, QB2 Jarrett Stidham

Who Denver could lose: QB3 Sam Ehlinger

What Denver needs:��Another QB in the room, and to re-sign Ehlinger

Key market options (former team in parenthesis): Zach Wilson (Dolphins), Sam Howell (Eagles), Teddy Bridgewater (Buccaneers)

This will depend entirely on whether the Broncos actually shop Stidham, and potentially save themselves $6.5 million in corresponding cap room. If they trade Stidham to a quarterback-needy team for some draft capital, Denver could easily look to re-sign Ehlinger and promote him to Nix’s official backup, after Ehlinger stuck to Davis Webb’s hip in 2025. The Broncos would clearly need another name to push Ehlinger in such a circumstance, though.

If that wouldn’t be a young draft pick, the Broncos could look to bring back Zach Wilson, who was part of a tight-knit group with Nix and Stidham in Denver in 2024. Paton also did plenty of work on longtime backup Howell in the 2022 draft, and former Bronco Bridgewater was Sean Payton’s trusted backup in New Orleans in 2018 and 2019.

Running back

Who Denver has: RB1/RB2 RJ Harvey, RB3 Tyler Badie (likely to sign ERFA deal)

Who Denver could lose: RB1/RB2 J.K. Dobbins, RB4 Jaleel McLaughlin

What Denver needs:��A true RB1 or Harvey complement, and depth

Key market options: Kenneth Walker III (Seahawks), Travis Etienne Jr. (Jaguars), Rico Dowdle (Panthers), Tyler Allgeier (Falcons), Kenneth Gainwell (Steelers), Emanuel Wilson (Packers)

Here’s the spot that’ll draw the most buzz next week. The Broncos have already been connected to some of the top names on the market, clearly needing an upgrade in the room even if Denver brings back Dobbins on the cheap; the oft-injured veteran simply can’t be relied upon to play a full season. The Seahawks elected not to give Walker a one-year, $14 million franchise tag after a Super Bowl MVP, and the star RB could easily command upwards of $12 to $14 million on the market.

Would Denver swing on that price, though? Walker wasn’t good in pass protection last year (two sacks and nine pressures in 51 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF), and the Broncos need a third-down back whom Nix trusts. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Etienne is a highly intriguing fit for Denver, a bigger back who’s dynamic in the passing game (six receiving touchdowns in 2025). The 25-year-old Allgeier is a power back without excessive tread on the tires who could be available at a lower price, but expect Denver to look elsewhere.

Don’t be surprised if the Broncos walk away with Dobbins, Harvey and a supplemental piece instead of swinging big here. Wilson is an interesting name, a 226-pound RB who ran for 496 yards in Green Bay last season.

Wide receiver

Who Denver has: WR1 Courtland Sutton, WR2 Troy Franklin, WR3 Pat Bryant, WR4 Marvin Mims Jr.

Who Denver could lose: WR5 Lil’Jordan Humphrey

What Denver needs:��A high-upside complement to Sutton, or at least another trustworthy WR4/5 option

Key market options:��Alec Pierce (Colts), Jauan Jennings (49ers), Wan’Dale Robinson (Giants), Rashid Shaheed (Seahawks), Mike Evans (Buccaneers), Stefon Diggs (Patriots), Romeo Doubs (Packers), Jahan Dotson (Eagles), Jalen Nailor (Vikings)

The Broncos like their current receiver room. The Paton-Payton braintrust has made that clear this entire offseason, and their firing of receivers coach Keary Colbert and hire of longtime Payton associate Ronald Curry signal that Denver believes in unlocking the potential of its current group rather than needing a drastic personnel overhaul. That being said, they need to add a piece here, whether in free agency or via a deep draft class.

Pierce is the true difference-maker on the market. There are few in the NFL like him, a 6-foot-3 deep-ball extraordinaire who racked up 1,003 yards last year on 21.3 yards per catch. Denver got an up-close look at him in a Week 2 loss to Indianapolis. But one agent The Post spoke with pinpointed Pierce’s likely market value at $27 to $30 million, which would be a steep price for a team already giving Sutton $23 million yearly. Don’t expect Denver to get into a bidding war for him.

The rest of the market is somewhat iffy. Jennings has the frame (6-foot-3), blocking prowess and red-zone ability (nine TDs in 2025) that Payton would love. Robinson will likely land somewhere in the $10 to $15 million range, and would bring a high-volume slot weapon that Denver doesn’t currently have.

Doubs is a definite potential fit for the Broncos here; Denver has interest in the former Green Bay receiver, an NFL source told The Post. He’s a big-bodied target who doesn’t demand the ball but has good red-zone production and can play in a variety of alignments. Keep an eye on Dotson as a potential depth piece, too, as Dotson’s agency CAA also represents Nix. He’s a former 2022 first-round pick whose production stalled out in Philadelphia, but he can block, play from the slot and hasn’t dropped a pass since 2023.

Tight end

Who Denver has:��TE1/TE2 Evan Engram

Who Denver could lose:��TE1/TE2 Adam Trautman, TE3 Nate Adkins, TE4 Lucas Krull

What Denver needs:��A legitimate in-line TE who can complement Engram as a pass-catcher, and stay on the field on any down

Key market options:��David Njoku (Browns), Isaiah Likely (Ravens), Cade Otton (Buccaneers), Chig Okonkwo (Titans), Dallas Goedert (Eagles), Daniel Bellinger (Giants), Charlie Kolar (Ravens)

Denver can’t simply run it back from 2025 and expect better production from Engram, who caught 50 passes for 461 yards in 2025, under new play-caller Davis Webb. The Broncos need a versatile weapon whom they trust as both a blocker and a matchup-threat receiver. Otton might just be that guy: he played in-line (attached to the offensive tackle) on nearly half his snaps in Tampa Bay in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus, and has caught 59 passes in each of the last two seasons.

Otton’s yearly value has been pinpointed in NFL circles somewhere around Jake Ferguson’s four-year, $50 million extension with Dallas in 2025. If Denver wants to spend at TE, he and Likely would be the most well-rounded options on the Market. Njoku and Goedert are likely past their primes, and Okonkwo’s not a blocker.

Bellinger had 88 yards and a touchdown for the Giants against Denver in Week 7, and is seeking $7 to $8 million yearly. Kolar is the most intriguing upside swing here, a 6-foot-6 blocker who was stuck behind multiple TEs in Baltimore in the receiving game.

Offensive line

Who Denver has:��LT1 Garett Bolles, LG1 Ben Powers, C1 Luke Wattenberg, RG1 Quinn Meinerz, RT1 Mike McGlinchey, OL2 Alex Palczewski, OT2 Matt Peart, OT2 Frank Crum, C2 Alex Forsyth

Who Denver could lose:��Nobody

What Denver needs:��Maybe another swing tackle

Key market options:��Wide-open

Denver doesn’t need to spend here, with its current starting offensive line set again for 2026. The Broncos could always look to cut or deal Powers to create cap room and have a ready successor in Alex Palczewski, whom they inked to a two-year extension Thursday. It’s more likely they look to the draft to bolster depth here, although they could certainly cut Peart to save over $3 million in cap room and target another backup tackle in free agency. Players like former Vikings veteran Justin Skule or Seahawks backup Josh Jones could be good value there.

Defensive line

Who Denver has: DE1 Zach Allen, NT1 D.J. Jones, OLB1 Nik Bonitto, OLB2 Jonathon Cooper, DE/DT2 Eyioma Uwazurike, DT2 Malcolm Roach, OLB2 Jonah Elliss, OLB2 Dondrea Tillman (likely to sign ERFA deal), OLB3 Que Robinson, DE/DT3 Sai’vion Jones

Who Denver could lose:��DE1 John Franklin-Myers, DE/DT3 Jordan Jackson

What Denver needs:��A cheap, productive interior defensive lineman to push Uwazurike, Roach and Jones

Key market options:��Logan Hall (Buccaneers), David Onyemata (Falcons), Calais Campbell (Cardinals), Sebastian Joseph-Day (Titans), Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Giants)

The Broncos already have massive amounts of money tied up in their defensive line, and Franklin-Myers is already all but gone. His likely landing spot is Tennessee, where recently-acquired defensive end The thinking from agents who spoke with The Post is that Denver could bring in depth to help supplant Franklin-Myers, but will likely rely on its pieces already in the building to fill the void.

Ironically, the Broncos’ movements in the defensive-line market will depend on Franklin-Myers’ own movements. Agents are completely across the board on projecting Franklin-Myers’ yearly value in a weak class; one suggested $12 to $14 million, one suggested $16 to $18 million, and one went as high as $20 to $22 million. If teams end up bidding closer to that higher end, it could price the Broncos out of what they’d be willing to spend for another body in the room. Onyemata, Joseph-Day and Nunez-Roches could all offer cheap, veteran depth.

Inside linebacker

Who Denver has:��LB1 Dre Greenlaw, LB2/LB3 Karene Reid, LB2/LB3 Jordan Turner, LB2/LB3 Levelle Bailey, LB2/LB3 Drew Sanders

Who Denver could lose:��LB1 Alex Singleton, LB1/LB2 Justin Strnad

What Denver needs:��An instant-impact starter, or at the very least a high-end LB3.

Key market options:��Devin Lloyd (Jaguars), Nakobe Dean (Eagles), Quay Walker (Packers), Quincy Williams (Jets), Kaden Elliss (Falcons), Alex Anzalone (Lions), E.J. Speed (Texans), Bobby Okereke (Giants)

It’s a great year to need a middle linebacker. Denver could certainly look to a strong draft class to address this spot. But an NFL source who met with Denver at last week’s NFL Combine told The Post that the Broncos will have a “significant appetite” in the free-agent linebacker market.

That could mean they’ll take a monster swing on Lloyd, a 2025 All-Pro and the kind of playmaker that Vance Joseph would have a field day with in the middle of Denver’s defense. It could also mean they’ll re-sign Singleton as their green-dot defensive leader — he’s been pinpointed by multiple NFL sources at somewhere between $5 to $8 million yearly — and add another piece to compete for a starting job. Strnad is likely headed for new pastures, as he told The Post after the season he wouldn’t be back in Denver unless it was in a clear starting role.

The Broncos have interest in Anzalone and Speed, sources said, both potential green-dot options or LB3 pieces who will come in below the top of the market, where NFL sources pinpointed Lloyd likely to come in between $15 and $17 million annually. Dean is another interesting and versatile option who told The Post at the Super Bowl he likes watching the Broncos’ defense and would be interested in Denver in free agency if the price was right.

Secondary

Who Denver has:��CB1 Pat Surtain II, CB1 Riley Moss, NB1 Ja’Quan McMillian, NB2/CB2 Jahdae Barron, CB2 Kris Abrams-Draine, S1 Talanoa Hufanga, S1 Brandon Jones, S2 Devon Key (likely to sign ERFA deal), S2 JL Skinner

Who Denver could lose:��S2 P.J. Locke

What Denver needs:��A third safety to replace Locke and potentially push Jones

Key market options:��Tony Adams (Jets), Dane Belton (Giants), Kyle Dugger (Steelers), Andrew Wingard (Jaguars), Alohi Gilman (Ravens), Ifeatu Melifonwu (Dolphins), D’Anthony Bell (Panthers), Rodney Thomas II (Colts)

A notable Broncos development to track in free agency: Denver has expressed interest in adding a safety, several NFL sources told The Post this week. Locke is likely headed elsewhere after a nice fill-in stretch for the injured Jones late in 2025, and the Broncos want to add another piece to replace him, as Hufanga and Jones are both injury risks. Wingard is a name to watch here, a seven-year Jaguars veteran who recorded 84 tackles and nine passes defensed as a full-time starter in 2025.

The Broncos also did work on Melifonwu in last year’s free agency, and Denver tracked Bell’s status on the waiver wire as the Seahawks pulled him between the practice squad and active roster in 2025, sources said. At the very least, expect Denver to sign a depth safety who can also be a special-teams contributor.

Special teams

Who Denver has:��K1 Wil Lutz, P1 Jeremy Crawshaw, LS1 Mitchell Fraboni

Who Denver could lose:��Nobody

What Denver needs:��Nothing

Key market options:��Wide open

Denver need not spend much time here on specialists.

In October 2020, Tom Bonds had called Paton one morning and said the family was taking brother Jim home from the hospital for hospice, after a long battle with cancer. So Paton, then the assistant general manager for the Vikings, hopped on a flight from Minnesota to California before the Vikings were set for a rivalry game with Green Bay in a week’s time. No questions asked. This was Paton’s college roommate at UCLA, fraternity brother, revered high school coach in Southern California and longtime friend.

Paton came to Jim’s house in Valencia and stayed. At one point, Paton drove 45 minutes across Los Angeles to a hospital to retrieve some medicine for Jim. He told the family — wife Tricia, and children James and Katie — that he’d be there for them. He regaled the kids the night he arrived with stories of their dad, and after Jim died the next week, his kids have said that the day Paton spun memories with them was one of the most impactful days of their lives.

“That,” said Brian Schwartz, another longtime friend and UCLA fraternity brother, “just exemplifies George.”

Years later, Paton is now in Denver, coming off an AFC title-game run as the Broncos’ general manager just two years after eating Russell Wilson’s $242.6 million contract and swallowing the . Many who call Paton a close friend do not attempt to explain his steadiness via the particulars of roster management or cap analysis. Instead, they mention Jim Bonds and Paton, the friend who was there until the very end and sought no shred of credit or public attention .

“I think it’s because of his personality,” Schwartz told The Post, discussing Paton’s steadiness. “His desire to not see the limelight. Just like he did with Jimmy.”

In Denver, it has created a decision-making ecosystem with some balance, partnering with a head coach who is constantly in the limelight. It did not come easy. When Sean Payton arrived as the Broncos’ head coach in 2023, he needed time at first to feel out Paton. The general manager was a very unpopular man in Denver following a couple of massive misfires — the disastrous hiring of Nathaniel Hackett and��the trade and massive extension for Wilson. So Payton sought advice from longtime mutual friend and NFL insider Jay Glazer.

Glazer, also an MMA trainer and motivational speaker, told Payton he could trust Paton.

“I’ve seen a ton of GMs backstab the head coach, and vice versa,” Glazer told The Post. “And George has always had Sean’s back. Always. And that is so valuable. Especially when you’re going to try and make a lot of changes in the place.”

Three seasons with Payton and the Walton-Penner ownership group, indeed, have brought sweeping change in Denver. But the general manager has not changed. Somehow. Payton is known across the NFL for his desire to surround himself with allies he trusts, and members of Denver’s front-office regime were initially concerned Paton would get pushed out, an NFL source with knowledge of the Broncos’ building recounted to The Denver Post.

“If you ask anybody in the league … they’re like, ‘Oh, well, George’s days are numbered, that’s a bummer,'” the source said.

Instead, Paton’s days are on the verge of extension. He “never wavered,” Tom Bonds said. Paton has led the Broncos to re-sign 13 current members of their 2026 roster to new deals (according to data collected from Spotrac), add key starters from Zach Allen to Talanoa Hufanga on team-friendly deals, and found cheap young offensive production in the draft from quarterback Bo Nix to running back RJ Harvey. The franchise’s baseline foundation, suddenly, stacks up with most any across the NFL.

“I mean, I never flinched,” Paton told The Denver Post on Tuesday in a brief conversation, walking between obligations at the combine.

“Always figured we would turn it around,” he continued. “And we did. And I’m not surprised.”

Payton, across that time, has given increasingly glowing public reviews of Paton, and has privately lobbied Broncos ownership for a new contract for Paton as the general manager heads into the last year of his deal. The relationship has clicked in large part because of Paton’s nature, a man who knows the attention in Denver is centered around the head coach’s office — and who’s perfectly fine with that.

“I think they are positioned to win,” one NFL agent told The Post, “for as long as this group of people stays together.”

Elway’s successor

In January 2021, members of Denver’s scouting department got an email from then-Broncos GM John Elway.

“He was like, ‘Everybody needs to hop on a Zoom call in 30 minutes,'” a source in the building said. “Everybody was like, ‘What the hell?'”

Elway’s announcement — he was stepping away from his duties as general manager, and would lead a search for a new GM — sent shockwaves through the organization . The man, after all, was immortal in Denver, with two Super Bowl rings as a player and one as an executive. Elway told staff on that call he felt the search for his successor was part of his legacy in Denver, too.

Paton, a Vikings assistant GM who’d bootstrapped his way through NFL circles, was among the names floated. After a stint as a defensive back in UCLA’s program and a brief overseas career, he coached the sophomore football team at his alma mater, Loyola High School, in 1996 on a stipend of $1,000 (they went undefeated). In 1997, Paton landed a scouting job with the Bears and showed up on the doorstep of Tom Bonds’ house in Chicago, asking if he could crash in his basement for a few days (he ended up living there for 2.5 years). In the mid-2000s, when Paton was the director of pro personnel in Miami, he’d play games of four-on-four lunchtime hoops with Nick Saban.

Their squad was usually Saban, Paton, and assistant coaches Jason Garrett and Derek Dooley. Paton was a “little scrawny dude,” as friend Schwartz said, who didn’t play basketball much. But he could scrap, and always ended up on the floor. One day, as Garrett recalled to The Post, Paton couldn’t play, and Saban grew frustrated with his remaining teammates’ levels of effort.

“Nobody’s getting any loose balls!” the future Alabama mogul roared, as Garrett remembered.

Paton, too, was a grinder in personnel rooms. Equally as important, he had a sense of how to level out coaching personalities, from working with Saban to working with Mike Zimmer in Minnesota. He’d largely bided his time, outside of a push for San Francisco’s general manager job in 2017, under Minnesota GM Rick Spielman. And the Broncos’ situation in 2021 wasn’t entirely stable, since Denver was operating without a primary owner after the 2019 death of Pat Bowlen.

But Paton respected the history in Denver. When Elway got dinner with him at Elway’s Steakhouse after a formal interview in early January 2021, Elway made it clear he wouldn’t let him leave without a commitment to Denver, Paton told now-close-friend Tom Bonds the following morning.

“I think he saw a lot of the qualities of, like, an old-school football man in George,” a source who was in the Broncos’ building told The Post. “A guy that has a meticulous process that he sticks to that was calm and collected, and confident, and steady, and not erratic as a personality.”

A week before Paton’s first NFL Draft in the spring of 2021, he, Schwartz and Schwartz’s wife were out to dinner at Los Dos Potrillos. Paton’s phone buzzed. It was Elway, who was still serving as Denver’s president. Paton took the call, left, and came back.

“He just wants to know who we’re drafting,” Paton told Schwartz, as he recalled.

So Schwartz asked, too. Paton refused to tell him. Schwartz started to get frustrated. They were buddies, after all. And then it occurred to him that his friend was so quiet on all matters that he hadn’t even told John Elway,��of all people, a week before the draft.

“He probably even keeps it,” Schwartz joked, “from his own son.”

The dark times

The Broncos were drafting Pat Surtain II, of course.

There was plenty of pressure back in 2021 on Paton to take a quarterback in his first draft, and he and staff sat for hours and days and weeks in April, crushing tape on Ohio State’s Justin Fields and Alabama’s Mac Jones. Paton consulted analytics. He consulted scouts who’d visited Ohio State. And he kept coming back to one conclusion: Alabama cornerback Surtain was the cleanest player, regardless of position, in the draft.

Paton is “beloved” in the personnel community, Glazer said, for his aptitude in collegiate scouting. Paton was a key voice in the Vikings drafting longtime Vikings difference-makers like safety Harrison Smith, tight end Kyle Rudolph and defensive end Brian Robison, former Minnesota head coach Leslie Frazier told The Post. And Paton has a near-photographic memory, friend and former Broncos quarterback Matt Mauck said, to recall specific traits and medical history from most any player in any draft class.

All that aside, though, the city of Denver — a quarterback town — was not particularly pleased with the Surtain pick at No. 9 at the time in 2021.

“He’d be like, ‘Oh, (expletive), why you got The Fan on?'” the NFL source with knowledge of the building said, referring to Denver sports radio station 104.3 The Fan. “Those guys are killing me.'”

The city of Denver was pleased, of course, with the following year’s blockbuster deal for Wilson. Paton had gone to see North Carolina’s Sam Howell and Pitt’s Kenny Pickett in person, the source said, and was largely unimpressed with the crop of quarterbacks in the 2022 draft class. The Wilson deal was a win-now move, meant to catapult a struggling franchise behind a 10-time Pro Bowler; Paton already made clear to Wilson’s agent Mark Rodgers during trade negotiations that the Broncos had the intention to extend Wilson, and Paton “kept his promise,” as Rodgers said.

The rest is ugly history. Wilson didn’t fit with Paton and Denver and especially Payton, after Paton hired and then fired young offensive mind Nathaniel Hackett in less than one season in 2022. The Broncos benched Wilson with two games to play in 2023, and ate a record $85 million in dead cap money . Wilson later accused Denver of threatening to bench him midseason if he didn’t adjust his contract.

“I have a very positive feeling about George,” Rodgers told The Post. “And some people might be surprised by that. But I think if you’re going to stay in sports, you have to be able to separate the people from the problem.”

The Surtain pick was made with the philosophy that there would be no shortcuts, after Paton assumed the helm of a franchise that had gone 32-48 in its five seasons since winning Super Bowl 50. The Wilson trade was an attempted shortcut, though, for an executive who has always made his money more from scouting collegiate talent and high-upside pro personnel than gambling on high-leverage deals.

“I think — if you just look at George, I think you would say that’s out of his character a little bit,” Schwartz said, reflecting on the Wilson trade. “Because he’s so much about the draft … he’s like an encyclopedia about people that he didn’t draft.”

Hackett came and went. Wilson’s contract became an albatross. New ownership and a culture-changing new coach arrived at the beginning of 2023. And Paton’s own friends worried privately for him. After an 8-9 season that invited promise in 2023, though, Paton went to a happy hour at Ocean Prime with Mauck, who marveled at the fact that the general manager had stuck around.

“This is gonna sound really bad,” recalled Mauck, who’s now the team dentist for Denver. “But I said, ‘The fact that you still have a job lets you know how good you are at what you do.’

“And I think that����ap true. He was able to survive something that a lot of people wouldn’t.”

In those days, Tom Bonds and his wife, Julie,��tried to visit Denver and attend games as many times as they could when the “times were the darkest,” as Bonds put it.

“Because,” Bonds said, “it felt like that would signal to him that we’re in this forever. Just like he was with us, as Jimmy was in his last days.”

The Payton partnership

At the time, the Hackett hire made some sense. So did the Wilson trade. So did the Wilson extension, even. All were swings that didn’t connect.

“He took a big swing on Nathaniel Hackett, and you could make – just objectively speaking – you could say that was a swing and a miss,” Rodgers said. “And he took a big swing on Russell Wilson, and at the end of the day … some people would say that was a swing and a miss.

“But I’ll be damned if he didn’t take a swing at Sean Payton,” Rodgers continued, “after those two situations.”

Payton’s arrival brought even more potential instability. Inside the Broncos’ building, as the NFL source recounted to The Post, any player who was a previous Paton draftee was “put under a microscope.” The head coach wasn’t initially sold on 2022 second-round pick Nik Bonitto, for one. And Payton verbalized his frustration over the Wilson deal, the source said, done before his arrival.

Payton, though, had a couple of trusted connection points to Paton in Zimmer — who Payton worked with under Bill Parcells in Dallas in the mid-2000s — and Glazer. Paton trusted in Payton’s ability to build Denver’s locker room. And he didn’t waver, even in private, multiple friends told The Post.

“I knew he was going to win, and I knew the culture he would bring,” Paton told The Post in Indianapolis. “I didn’t feel like I had to prove — I just had to be myself. And just do what I’m doing, and come together, and develop a process together.

“And it wasn’t about me,” Paton added. “We just wanted to win.”

That was made slightly more difficult by the Wilson deal, which impacted how the Broncos shaped their offseason approach. From Payton’s first season in Denver, the Broncos focused on “building this up front,” as former Broncos assistant GM and now-Jets GM Darren Mougey told The Post this week. Denver shelled out over $138 million to bring tackle Mike McGlinchey and guard Ben Powers into the fold in 2023 free agency. Beyond that, their payroll was weighed down under Wilson’s cap number.

“We had to really be decisive in who we were bringing in,” the source with knowledge of the building said. “Because you don’t have room to miss, in that situation.”

Paton arrived every day to work, still, at 6 a.m. Free-agency meetings ran later. Denver let defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones walk in 2023’s free agency to sign a three-year, $51.3 million deal with the Seahawks. The Broncos instead signed Zach Allen for three years and $45.8 million. He’s become a two-time All-Pro in three years in Denver. The Broncos then found major value in safety Brandon Jones and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach in free agency in 2024.

Paton’s superpower in Minnesota, former GM Spielman recalled, was his ability to relate to all members of the coaching staff. Former Vikings HC Frazier remembered feeling “symbiotic” with Paton, and Paton working to understand what Frazier and the rest of Minnesota’s staff were looking for in defensive talent. Much further into Paton’s career, that same understanding has built with Payton, as the Broncos’ general manager has grown well aware of the player profile (smart, tough) that Payton favors.

“I think he treats it just the way he would any other coach,” Schwartz saidof Paton’s relationship with Payton. “His thinking, at least what he’s told me, is, his job is to — know the coaches. And know, and have real good communication with them on what they need. And then he goes out and executes that.”

The Pa(y)ton relationship, now, is about balance. Payton loves trading up. Paton loves accumulating capital. Payton attracts the spotlight. Paton sits a comfortable distance outside of it.

“He’s the face,” mutual friend Glazer said, of Payton. “And George wants him to be the face. That����ap kinda rare.”

Next steps

Recently, Schwartz asked former UCLA buddy Paton what he thought about the Bruins’ hire of new football coach Bob Chesney.

“What do I know,” Paton joked, as Schwartz recalled, “about hiring a coach?”

Jamaal Stephenson, a longtime Vikings personnel staffer, noted that Minnesota’s building “felt different” after Paton took the Denver job in 2021. He brought levity, Stephenson recalled, in a league of serious moments.

“We missed him,” Stephenson said, now a senior personnel executive with the Vikings. “We missed his personality, we missed his evaluating, we missed his friendship.”

Talk around a potential Paton reunion in Minnesota has swirled since the Vikings fired former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in late January, with Paton’s original six-year deal in Denver heading into its last season. Several of Paton’s friends who spoke with The Post, though, said the general manager is quite happy in Denver.�� And staff who’ve been inside the Broncos’ building believe owner Greg Penner sees the value in Paton’s balance in personality to Payton, as Penner said at an end-of-year news conference he believes their partnership is “complementary.”

“Find me the head coach and the GM tied at the hip, and then you got a chance, you know?” Payton said in January.

Tom Bonds would once go to Empower Field and hear boos rain down from the Broncos’ own fanbase — boos Bonds couldn’t help but think were reflective of Paton, given his seat at the table. The dark times have passed, now.

When Bonds does come to games, he usually rides into Empower Field with Paton. The general manager will park and walk into the stadium, and straight onto the grass, Bonds said.

“Just so that he gets to take it in before the stadium’s filled up, and before the people are there …��and just look around and appreciate how far that he’s come,” Bonds said. “And that the Broncos are almost there.”

He’s bought a couple, too.

The Texas Tech defensive tackle enjoys standing up double teams and he was paid well to do it for the NIL-rich Red Raiders.

He used the money he made to buy his mom a house and take care of his 5-year-old. He also purchased a pair of 18-wheelers to help his brother get a business off the ground.

“He’s just moving stuff from city to city,” Hunter said with a laugh. “I don’t get into all that. I play football, I got them for him.”

The Mobile, Alabama, native may not know much about trucking, but he excels in the football version of unglamorous work. He, too, moves heavy loads. Or refuses to be moved.

“I can beat people one-on-one,” Hunter said. “When you slide to me on third down and you’ve got 600 pounds (of offensive lineman) on me, that����ap that, but you get me a one-on-one, I’m going to get you.”

Hunter is part of a 2026 defensive line group at the NFL Combine that is considered a quality one, if not quite as talented and tantalizing as the edge rushers.

At 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, Hunter could hear his name called late in the first round of the NFL Draft come April 23.

That����ap Broncos territory.

Denver, of course, picks No. 30 and under head coach Sean Payton and general manager Geroge Paton are always going to at least consider taking a line-of-scrimmage player they think can be a difference-maker.

“You always have to feed the offensive line and the defensive line to sustain success in this league,” Paton said Tuesday.

The Broncos have deployed one of the best defensive lines in football the past two years, though they’re likely to lose John Franklin-Myers in free agency next month. In the past year alone, they’ve signed defensive tackles D.J. Jones through 2027, Malcolm Roach through 2028 and Zach Allen through 2029.

Still, Jones is entering Year 10 and the Broncos could end up in the market for a young run defender with upside to eventually be a good pass-rusher.

“I’m bringing to a team high energy. Football player. You’re going to love me in the locker room. You’re going to feel my presence and you’re going to enjoy being around me daily.”

Here are nine other quick hits from the NFL Combine.��

* Sean Payton is back on the NFL’s competition committee. He famously has a love-hate relationship with the group, which he previously served on for four years before swearing it off. He has said in the past that his opinions didn’t add up to much action and that “I’m the biggest cynic,” when it comes to talking about rules.

So why did he rejoin the group?

“I like the pain,” he said with a smile this week.

But, also, “I like our league. I like talking about stuff like that.”

* Payton reiterated his stance against banning the “Tush Push” quarterback sneak, which he’s expressed previously, this week. The league is not currently considering a ban on the play after an effort to remove it from the game failed last year.

“I think if that ever goes away, it����ap not a health and safety thing,” Payton said, citing the rationale behind the push to ban the play. “We discussed that last year for two hours and we had just adopted a thousand more kick returns. Which play do you think is more of a health risk? A thousand more kick returns.

“So I think if we choose to ever move on from that, it won’t be because of health and safety. It will just be like, ‘We don’t like it.’ Which is OK.”

Payton said the health-and-safety conversation around the Tush Push caused his “B.S. meter” to go off.

* A slowly but steadily growing number of teams are changing the way they staff the combine. Some teams have talked openly about not sending their coaching staffs and/or key front-office executives and instead relying on scouts to gather the information on prospects that they need. Those teams include several playoff clubs like Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco and more.

Paton, though, still sees value in spending the week with boots on the ground. Denver has not only Paton and the scouting department on hand for the week but also Payton and nearly all of the club’s assistant coaches.

“Maybe they just want to be more efficient,” Paton said of the teams that skipped. “It would be kind of cool to be home and just watching tape and grinding, yet the reason you want to come here is just to get in front of the players and get to know the players. It����ap another step in the process of trying to get to know these players in person, face-to-face.

“The more you get to know these players, I just think the better decisions you’ll make. Those teams are really sharp. It����ap good to talk to them, I haven’t talked to them yet.”

* ILB Lander Barton is the younger brother of former Broncos ILB Cody Barton. He also played three seasons at the University of Utah with now-Denver OLB Jonah Elliss. Needless to say, the likely Day 3 pick has seen plenty of Broncos football.

“My brother, I know he really enjoyed his time over there for his short stint,” Barton said. “Their front, they just eat. That front seven really eats and they’ve got some serious cover guys on the back end that makes the job easy for you. Really, that’d be fun to play there, too.”

* Among the Broncos’ must-haves this offseason is at least one inside linebacker. Paton acknowledged as much Tuesday, though he said Denver would love to have impending free agents Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad back on new deals. Turns out, a different standout linebacker may be about to hit the market. . If he can’t find a taker, Chicago will likely release him next month. Edmonds has played in 119 games but will be only 28 when training camp starts this summer. He’s topped 100 tackles in all eight of his seasons for Buffalo and Chicago.

* Teams meet with players up and down the draft board at the combine and collegiate All-Star games. Here’s betting the Broncos were impressed with — and also certain they will not be able to draft — Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles. Even though off-ball linebackers don’t typically fly off the draft shelf, Styles figures to be long gone by the time Denver picks at No. 30. Still, he said he had a good visit with the Broncos at the combine.

“It was awesome,” Styles said. “Coach Payton was awesome, I just love being there talking ball. Turn the film on, sometimes I break down some of their plays, things like that, break down your plays. You just got to go in there and be yourself.”

* New Broncos wide receivers coach Ronald Curry spent the past two seasons coaching Josh Allen in Buffalo. New Bills head coach Joe Brady called Curry “a stud” and a future offensive coordinator. Curry has interviewed for Denver’s OC job twice, in 2023 when Payton was first hired and again before Payton promoted Davis Webb.

“‘R.C.’ and I had a lot of success,” Brady said. “Josh Allen won an MVP with R.C. as his quarterbacks coach. He was like my right-hand man here. I’m obviously sad for him to not be working with us anymore but I know how Sean feels about him and I know he’s going to be a huge component for Davis. I have nothing but love for R.C. as a person and as a coach.”

* Buffalo and Baltimore appear to be in an arms race when it comes to adding former Denver coaches.

The Bills under Brady now have Pete Carmichael (OC), Jim Leonhard (DC) and John Fox (senior offensive assistant). The Ravens under new head coach Jesse Minter have hired even more. Minter’s added Keary Colbert (WR), Zack Grossi (TE) and Joe Lombardi (senior offensive assistant) from last year’s Denver staff in addition to Declan Doyle (OC) and Ben Kotwica (senior ST assistant).

* Leonhard would have been a candidate for Denver’s defensive coordinator job had Vance Joseph landed a head coaching job this winter, but instead, he ended up in Buffalo.

Brady called hiring Leonhard a “no-brainer.”

“Jim Leonhard, obviously we’ve gone against Denver and I’ve followed Jim going back to Wisconsin,” Brady said. “The Penn State days for me. I always try to write down coaches that, while I’m evaluating, I notice how their defenses play or their groups — the defensive backs. I go back to my notes from when we played them in the playoffs and just how well coached they were.

“The more that you talk with Jim and the more I’m around him even now, it was a no-brainer decision for me.”