There was no glitz to his profile then, though, entering a rebuilding program with exactly one total win in its last two seasons. Coleman was wedged behind two seniors, too, in D.J. Williams and Michael Wiley. So then-Wildcats RBs coach Scottie Graham offered a word of advice stuck.

“Coach Graham told me the only way I’m going to get on the field,” Coleman recalled Saturday, “is if I pick up blitzes.”

It’s become a staple of the 22-year-old running back’s game ever since, through two years growing into all-around stardom at Arizona and two years following head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington. NFL.com gave 28 true running backs a draftable grade in this class. Coleman ranked third, according to data collected by The Denver Post, . In a late-September loss to Ohio State in 2025, Coleman picked up eventual star linebacker Sonny Styles on a blitz — and sent the eventual No. 7 pick falling from heaven to earth.

Jonah Coleman meeting Sonny Styles in pass pro

— Drew Beatty (@IronCityFilm)

That rep, and dozens of others like it, formed the foundation for the Broncos’ interest in the stocky Coleman — their chosen running back among a long list available on Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

“Now I get to go protect Bo Nix, and I take pride in that,” Coleman said on a conference call Saturday afternoon, shortly after the Broncos drafted him at pick No. 108 in the fourth round. “And I may not have, like, all the exciting plays, all that. But I do the dirty work.

“I do the things that not a lot of people pay attention to.”

They’ll be paying attention in Denver, where the Broncos’ backfield fell into utter flux last year after veteran J.K. Dobbins’ season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week 10. Denver was left, after a regular-season stretch run and a berth in the AFC Championship Game, with a mishmash of running backs with noteable holes in their skill sets.

Dynamic 2025 second-round rookie RJ Harvey excelled in the receiving game and was the heaviest back on the roster — but averaged just 2.8 yards a carry on runs outside the tackles in 2025 (according to Pro Football Focus), trying to bounce out one too many carries. RB3 Tyler Badie excelled in pass protection — but had four drops in 31 targets and offered little in the ground game. Change-of-pace vet Jaleel McLaughlin was the Broncos’ most productive per-touch back — but has never been trusted for third-down work in his three seasons in Denver.

Enter Coleman, a grinder who lacks top-of-the-line athleticism but can fill in every possible gap in the Broncos’ current backfield.

“I can ultimately add to that culture that they have, and be that thumper runner that they have,” Coleman told reporters Saturday. “And just being able to come in, and being with guys like RJ Harvey and J.K. Dobbins and stuff like that, you ultimately have a three-headed monster in the run game.”

A day after Denver’s season ended with 79 total rushing yards and a 10-7 loss in a blizzard to New England, head coach Sean Payton stepped into offensive-line coach Zach Strief’s office with a directive to improve the Broncos’ run-game consistency. For months thereafter, the Broncos stood pat with their backfield. They re-signed the productive but injury-riddled Dobbins. They expressed faith in Harvey as an eventual three-down weapon. They brought back Badie and McLaughlin on one-year, minimum deals.

Payton hinted at league meetings, though, that running back would still be “a focus” in Denver’s draft plans. Quietly, the Broncos evaluated a number of running-back options in free agency — even after re-upping with Dobbins. One name they were interested in, as multiple sources have told The Denver Post: former Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Jr., a 220-pound back who profiled well in short-yardage work.

Coleman also weighs exactly 220 pounds, . Denver has needed a heavier back who can handle some between-the-tackles and short-yardage work to preserve Dobbins’ body and keep Harvey fresh; Coleman could step into immediate red-zone snaps for the Broncos, running for a combined 25 touchdowns across his last two seasons at Washington.

Denver, though, spent the most time with Coleman pre-draft evaluating his abilities as a third-down back, where he can provide an immediate all-around upgrade from Badie. Two months ago, Coleman told The Post that he’d “really just talked about pass protection” in a pre-draft interview with Broncos staff, and they drilled him in situational work in anticipating his assignments for blitz pickups.

The Washington product played all four of his collegiate seasons for Fisch, a one-time Broncos assistant who’s part of the coaching trees of Mike Shanahan and Sean McVay. Coleman told The Post in February, too, that Washington and Denver “run the same schemes,” and he felt confident, from an initial meeting, that he could catch on to Payton and Davis Webb’s offense quickly.

“We just hit it off right off the bat,” Coleman said Saturday, recalling that initial combine meeting. “As soon as I walked in, I felt the energy, and really the love, from the start. And went in there, and we just talked some ball, and just crushed it.

“And when I went up there on a visit,” Coleman continued, noting a pre-draft top-30 visit in Denver, “all I kept hearing was they were really impressed with my interview at the combine.”

Coleman’s durability, despite his size, is a definite concern: he’s averaged less than 4 yards per carry in the final four games of both his 2024 and 2025 seasons. An ankle injury hampered his production down the stretch in his senior year in particular, as he finished with a middling 758 rushing yards on 4.9 yards per carry last winter.

The running back, for his part, pointed to his declining production in 2025 as an injury-related coaching decision.

“Coach Fisch knew that I was a Sunday player,” Coleman said, “and ultimately, it was about my future. So, just being smart there.”

Coleman, though, has been Washington’s far-and-away bell-cow back in 2024 and 2025. That won’t be his role in Denver, where he’ll likely provide instant third-down work — Badie played 18% of the Broncos’ total snaps last season — and take some occasional early-down bruising off Dobbins and Harvey.

The Washington back won’t gleam as bright as the grills, perhaps, in rookie-year grunt work in Denver. But in due time, too, the Coleman-Harvey duo could shine as the Broncos’ backfield of the future.

“Right after the visit,” Coleman said, “I knew I was going to be a Denver Bronco. And it was always God’s plan.

“It worked out how it was supposed to.”

Behind the scenes, general manager George Paton and head coach Sean Payton have discussed that this year’s draft will hinge on Day 3.

“These two fourth-round picks,” Paton said in a presser Friday night, “will define this draft.”

Indeed, after filling a John Franklin-Myers-sized hole at defensive line with Texas A&M’s versatile Tyler Onyedim on Friday, Denver has a few more positional needs to fill out at picks No. 108 and No. 111 — and beyond. After just one pick through the first three rounds of this year’s NFL Draft, the Broncos are set up for a whopping seven overall selections across Saturday afternoon. That’s not even to mention a class of undrafted free agents, where Denver has found key contributors like Ja’Quan McMillian and offensive lineman Alex Palczewski in recent years under Paton.

Paton said Denver explicitly avoided trading back up into the third round Friday night because the organization liked the glut of talent available on Day 3.

“We’re looking for young, developmental backups with some traits that we can develop, and you can find those all across Day 3,” Paton said. “We’re not going to reach to go up and get a guy. We feel good about where we are at, and we feel really good about the day … we got (Jaylen) Waddle, and then we got this kid who we really like, and then tomorrow we’re going to have a good day.”

Many impact linebackers and tight ends flew off the board in rounds two and three on Friday night. But if the Broncos still intend to add a new face to their running-back room, they should be able to find a difference-maker in the fourth round and beyond. A slew of defensive backs and offensive linemen, too, still sit on the board.

Here are The Denver Post’s 20 best fits remaining for the Broncos through rounds four, five, six, seven and beyond, if Denver indeed wants to have a good day Saturday.

Offense

RB Jonah Coleman, Washington: One of the cleanest fits to Denver from a skill-set standpoint, Coleman is productive on early downs, had 54 catches in two seasons at UW and is a quality pass protector.

RB Mike Washington, Arkansas: There are still a number of intriguing running backs on the board as Day 3 begins. Washington, a big, fast, physical back who has produced in the SEC, is near the top of the list.

RB Adam Randall, Clemson: If you’re looking for a fascinating roll of the dice, Randall is a converted receiver who goes 6-3 and 235 pounds. The Broncos flew out to work him out shortly before the draft.

TE Justin Joly, NC State: Just one tight end went in the first 53 picks of the draft. Then eight went in the final 47 on Friday night. That cleaned out the upper ranks pretty thoroughly, though Joly is an accomplished pass-catcher. He’d be an interesting ‘F’ who has a chance to be a decent blocker.

TE Jack Endries, Texas: Perhaps not super exciting, but Endries has a chance to be the kind of do-it-all ‘Y’ tight end. He’s had 91 catches for 1,030 over 2023-24 at Cal, then 33 catches last year at Texas.

TE Tanner Koziol, Houston: The opposite, in some ways, to Endries, Koziol is a roll of the dice on traits. He’s 6-7 and 247 pounds. He had 74 catches last year alone at Houston and 94 in 2024 at Ball State. He fits the Payton mold like seventh-rounder Caleb Lohner a year ago.

OL Travis Burke, Memphis: A massive tackle prospect, Burke would be an interesting player to add to Zach Strief’s developmental program. He’s listed at 6-9 and 325 pounds and has played both tackle spots in college.

OL Jude Bowry, Boston College: A versatile, experienced offensive lineman who can provide depth at multiple spots and has the athleticism to be a potential long-term option at a tackle spot. Friday showed that Denver is always looking to add in the trenches.

WR/RB Eli Heidenreich, Navy: Heidenreich is widely listed as a running back, but what will he actually be in the NFL? Carried the ball 169 times and caught 109 passes in college. He had 51 catches for 941 yards in 2025. Could be a multidimensional offensive player and a return man.

WR Elijah Sarratt, Indiana: The Broncos would have to take him at No. 108 or 111 if they want him — if he even makes it that far into Saturday. They don’t have a need at receiver. And yet… he just feels like a Sean Payton kind of pass-catcher.

Defense

ILB Jimmy Rolder, Michigan: A former reserve who seized a starting role in 2025, Rolder is a draft riser who could rise all the way to Denver in the fourth round. The size is good at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds, and the agility is even better. He had 73 tackles and seven tackles for loss in 2025.

ILB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, TCU: One of The Post’s favorite fits throughout this process. Elarms-Orr would be a great fourth-round value after a season with 130 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and four sacks in 2025.

ILB Kyle Louis, Pitt: A safety-linebacker hybrid who could excel in sideline-to-sideline and coverage situations, but will have natural durability questions because of his frame — 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds. Still, one of the best LBs left on the board.

OLB Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State: The Broncos don’t need another edge rusher. They’re moving Jonah Elliss to ILB in large part to open up snaps for the ascending Que Robinson. But the 6-foot-5 Dennis-Sutton’s potential and sheer agility are off the charts, at his size. It could be the best available situation.

OLB Dasan McCollough, Nebraska: What kind of linebacker is McCollough? Unclear. The potential, however, is quite apparent. He’s 6-foot-5, with good speed and explosiveness. A potentially fun project.

DL Uar Bernard, International Player Pathway Program: Literally the most athletic player in this draft. Literally the most athletic defensive lineman ever. The only issue? He’s never played a snap of football. Sounds like an excellent seventh-round or undrafted project.

CB Latrell McCutchin, Houston: Good size, good experience, and a ton of connections to the Broncos’ current defensive staff. The lack of ball production is a concern, but McCutchin had 10 passes defensed in 2025.

S Keionte Scott, Miami: One of the consensus best defensive backs left on the board. The problem with the 5-foot-10 Scott: Is he a nickel? Is he an undersized safety? The traits — a 44-inch vertical and 4.33-second 40-yard dash — are well worth taking a Day 3 swing.

S Kamari Ramsey, USC: The attributes don’t leap off the page, and might turn Denver away in their search for tool-laden prospects. But Ramsey’s IQ is off the charts, and he has plenty of familiarity with new Broncos defensive-backs coach Doug Belk after two years together at USC.

S Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina: 4.40 40-yard dash and 37-inch vertical screams promise. Had 10 pass deflections in 2025 and five interceptions in 2024, and could be a developmental ball-hawk behind Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones (the latter of which is on an expiring deal).

1,300 miles away, the biggest news of the day inside a quiet Broncos facility in Dove Valley: ?

The Broncos’ brass, of course, all took their seats in the war room for the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. They sat. And continued to sit, for 32 picks, as the rest of the league maneuvered around them. This was the reality all but ensured since March 17, when general manager George Paton and head coach Sean Payton and the rest of the staff decided that trading for Dolphins star receiver Jaylen Waddle would be well worth the ultimate price of their first-round pick.

NFL draft 2026 first-round winners and losers: The Jets QB of the future is smiling somewhere. Matthew Stafford? Maybe not

"We spent a lot of time looking at that selection, and trying to determine — we could safely say that pick would’ve been one of these 7 or 8 players," Payton said at league meetings in late March. "And we didn’t feel like that would help us as much as Jaylen Waddle.”

In a pre-draft press conference last week, Paton all but promised that Denver's draft festivities wouldn't start until Day 2 on Friday night, with the Broncos' current capital too limited to swing a massive trade to leap back into the first round from their No. 62 selection. And a handful of potential Denver options already leaped off the board in the first round as the Vikings swung on high-upside but injury-concern DT Caleb Banks at No. 18 (a Broncos top-30 visit) and the Seahawks snagged Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price with the last pick of the first round.

There's even more urgency for the Broncos to hit on their Day 2 selection now, though, as other AFC West teams leveled up Thursday night. The Raiders, of course, took their franchise man in quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall. The Chargers added a potentially instant-impact edge rusher, Akheem Mesidor, late in the first round. And the Chiefs to take LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane as a new antidote to the Waddle-Courtland Sutton combination in Denver.

The Broncos, however, will enter Day 2 with a slew of targets still left on the board, as Paton said last week, there's "six players we're kinda focused on" that the Broncos feel could fall to them at No. 62. Most of those six should still be there, come Friday night — whether the Broncos move up or back to get them.

Here's a breakdown of the 10 best remaining fits for Denver at their late-second-round slot Friday.

10 best remaining for Broncos at No. 62

RB Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas: One NFL assistant coach who's heavily evaluated this RB class told The Post that "some team will take (Washington) higher than they should" because of his size and speed. Maybe that's Denver. It'd be incredibly hard to imagine Paton spending back-to-back second-round picks on a running back, but Washington's upside — at 223 pounds with a 4.33-second 40-yard-dash — is as high as any RB in his class not named Jeremiyah Love.

WR Germie Bernard, Alabama: Denver won't — and shouldn't — take a receiver here, after the Jaylen Waddle trade. But Bernard is too good, and too perfect a fit in a Sean Payton offense, not to be listed here. The production (64 catches, 862 yards) is solid, the size (6-foot-1, 206 pounds) is good, and the blocking mentality is even better. Alas, in a different timeline.

TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt: The Post's second-round selection in our final mock draft of this cycle, Stowers still lingers, an explosive receiving threat who profiles as a hybrid receiver at the next level. But Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq, the consensus top tight end in this class, went relatively early at No. 16 to New York. That could well mean a team will swing on Stowers early in the second round.

TE Max Klare, Ohio State: This draft, as Payton said in a pre-draft presser last week, is ripe in both in-line "Y"-type tight ends and versatile "F"-type receiving threats. Klare combines the best of both worlds into one tidy Day 2 package, a 6-foot-4 pass-catcher who thrived from both the slot and as a run-blocker last year for the Buckeyes. He's not as athletic as a Stowers, but he'd be an excellent option for Nix.

OL Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon: Similar to Stowers' situation, Pregnon could find himself flying off the board early in Round Two after Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge went higher than consensus (No. 26 to Houston). The Denver native took a top-30 visit in Denver, but the Broncos might have to move up to grab him.

OT Travis Burke, Memphis: No. 62 might be high for Burke, but Denver's done plenty of work here for a reason. Burke has rare size at nearly 6-foot-9, and a nasty disposition to match. With veterans Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey both still locked in as 2026 starters, Burke could be a fascinating investment for offensive-line coach Zach Strief.

LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech: One of ����apountry's original favorites at the beginning of the draft process, Rodriguez has risen considerably up boards across the last few months — but not high enough to be off the table before Day 2. That could be good news for Denver, whether he manages to slip into a trade-up situation in the middle of the second round or simply prolongs an inevitable run of linebackers to fall into the Broncos' lap at No. 62.

LB CJ Allen, Georgia: Take your pick of Rodriguez or Allen as the second-best linebacker in this class. Allen revealed to reporter Brett Kollmann late in February that Georgia largely let Allen run calls and checks at the , and he could slot into the heart of Denver's defense for a long time.

LB Anthony Hill Jr., Texas: Everything about Hill, traits-wise, screams star. 4.51 40-yard-dash. 37-inch vertical. Good size at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds. He led the SEC with 16.5 tackles for loss in 2024, and has some upside as a blitzer in Vance Joseph's scheme. He'd be a perfect fit to push Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad for starting reps while contributing in a third-linebacker role as a rookie.

S A.J. Haulcy, LSU: Not a frequently-discussed option for Denver at No. 62, given the Broncos' positional needs beyond safety. But Haulcy has fantastic ball production across his last two seasons, with eight interceptions total for Houston and LSU. Starting Broncos safety Brandon Jones will be a free agent after next season, and Haulcy played a season for new Broncos defensive backs coach Doug Belk with the Cougars in 2023.

Nobody, by his own admission, loves draft picks more than Broncos general manager George Paton. And yet, in the pursuit of all-in roster-building, this Denver organization has actually only held a first-round pick in two of the previous five draft cycles.

“I’ve probably traded too many, God darn it,” Paton joked, at league meetings in March. “But I think it’s worked out.”

After trading for Jaylen Waddle in March, the Broncos will pick later in this upcoming NFL Draft (spanning Thursday to Saturday) than any other team in the NFL, sitting with their first selection at No. 62. And it would be nearly impossible for Denver to drum up the capital to trade back into the first round come Thursday — the team is only opening their facility to media for draft coverage come Day 2 on Friday, clearly indicating no plans to leap into Day 1.

But the Broncos could “certainly” move up a few slots from that No. 62 selection, as Paton said point-blank in his pre-draft presser last week.

With that in mind, The Denver Post explored scenarios in which Paton and staff could move a few picks up to snag a key offensive piece for head coach Sean Payton. Spoiler alert: it’s Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers, who has quickly become a darling of the Broncos’ pre-draft media cycle.

Here’s The Post’s final full seven-round Broncos mock draft before the real thing kicks off on Thursday, in which the organization will inevitably take several prospects who nobody on Planet Earth predicted would land in Denver.

Round 2, pick No. 54 (from Philadelphia): TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

�հ������:��Broncos receive Nos. 54 and 197; Eagles receive Nos. 62 and 108

The idea of Stowers-to-Denver couldn’t be any more obvious, as he’d give Payton and quarterback Bo Nix a hybrid WR/TE with a record-setting 45.5-inch vertical. The reality is plenty more complicated. Stowers is highly unlikely to fall all the way to No. 62, and could start receiving interest as early as the late first round. With that being said, here’s a scenario that’d make sense from multiple angles.

In this spin through Pro Football Focus’s mock-draft simulator, The Post explored trying to move up to both pick No. 46 (Buccaneers) and No. 51 (Panthers) to leap in front of two tight-end-needy franchises. The price, however, wound up too steep on the Jimmy Johnson draft-pick valuation chart — but not for the Eagles. There are ties, too, between Denver and Philadelphia’s front offices, as former Eagles national scout Jordon Dizon became the Broncos’ director of pro personnel in 2025.

Ultimately, here, the Broncos give up a fourth-rounder for a sixth-rounder and the chance to take Stowers, a 2025 All-American who’d become a tantalizing prospect for Payton. This move would likely mean Denver moves on from Evan Engram; quietly, the organization explored alternatives at tight end through free agency, but the price crept too high. Here, the price is just right.

Also considered: Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price was somehow still sitting available here, at No. 54. There’s a very finite chance of that actually playing out Thursday and Friday, as some RB-needy team will likely stump earlier for Price’s abilities as a runner.

Round 4, pick No. 125 (from New England): LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, TCU

�հ������:��Broncos receive Nos. 125, 171 and 247; Patriots receive No. 111

Bonanza! Payton loves trading up, and Paton loves trading back; here, the latter winds up happy. It’s highly unlikely the Broncos would jump up twice within the first three rounds with limited capital to begin with, and instead they sit and wait for a high-upside linebacker late in the fourth round.

Elarms-Orr could wind up flying higher than this if a team takes a swing on his traits, because they are a-plenty: 4.47 40-yard-dash and a 40-inch vertical. He had a low percentage of missed tackles last year at TCU, and added 25 pressures and four sacks. Vance Joseph would have a true weapon here, and let Elarms-Orr develop for a year behind Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad. Denver, of course, likes Elarms-Orr, having completed a top-30 visit with him.

Round 5, pick No. 170: S Michael Taaffe, Texas

Taaffe has told The Post he’d love to play in Denver to reunite with old Texas teammate Jahdae Barron, and had a strong first initial meeting with new Broncos defensive passing-game coordinator Robert Livingston. His leadership skills would be a direct fit in the Broncos’ locker room, as a former walk-on who grew into a star at Texas. Plus, the familiarity would likely help Barron’s development, too.

Taaffe doesn’t have a standout frame or athleticism, at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds with a 4.5-second 40-yard-dash. He’s racked up a combined seven picks across three seasons, though, and would bring instant special-teams value.

Also considered: We thought about trading up again from this slot to select a running back like Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton or Kaytron Allen, but ultimately decided to stay put. Both fell off the board, leaving us with…

Round 5, pick No. 171 (from New England): RB Kaelon Black, Indiana

The Post has mocked Black to the Broncos before, and lands here again. The Hoosiers back will need to show and develop more third-down value, as he caught just eight passes over two seasons at Indiana and fluctuated in pass protection. But he was considerably more productive as a receiver back at James Madison, and Black’s steadiness as a runner — 1,034 yards, 5.6 yards per carry in 2025 — makes him one of the best late-round RB fits for Denver in this draft.

Round 6, pick No. 197 (from Philadelphia): OLB Caden Curry, Ohio State

The Broncos could look to add another depth edge rusher if they shift Jonah Elliss full-time to inside linebacker, and Curry would be an excellent late-round option. The 6-foot-2, 257-pound rusher grew from a reserve into a breakout star last season for the Buckeyes, racking up 11 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. He’s also quick enough to drop into coverage, and could compete during camp with last year’s fourth-round pick Que Robinson for snaps.

Round 7, pick No. 246: CB Latrell McCutchin Sr., Houston

This kicks off a run of four seventh-round selections for the Broncos, which Paton has used aggressively for years to keep desired prospects from hitting the open undrafted market. Despite a glut of cornerbacks, Denver is exploring late-round options, and has been in frequent contact with McCutchin through the pre-draft process. He’s a big corner with good athleticism — nearly 6-foot-2, 4.43-second 40-yard-dash, 38.5-inch vertical — and would give Denver another developmental option at boundary corner during training camp. He could become a special-teams player, too.

Round 7, pick No. 247 (from New England): OT Enrique Cruz Jr., Kansas

Classic high-upside, low-risk swing here on an offensive lineman. Cruz could certainly go earlier due to his sheer athleticism — a 4.94-second 40-yard-dash and 1.74-second 10-yard-split — but his tape needs work, as he allowed six pressures and received a PFF pass-blocking grade of 0.0 in a game against high-octane Texas Tech this year. He’d be a perfect project for Broncos offensive-line coach Zach Strief, as Denver’s tackles Mike McGlinchey and Garett Bolles continue aging quite gracefully.

Round 7, pick No. 256: QB Haynes King, Georgia Tech

Just a fun one here. King’s athleticism is off the charts, with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and a 1.55-second 10-yard-split. Payton had immense success with Taysom Hill in New Orleans in converting an athletic quarterback to a skill-position weapon, and a source has told The Post that the Broncos see King the same way. He ran for 953 yards and 15 touchdowns last season at Georgia Tech.

Round 7, pick No. 257: WR Donaven McCulley, Michigan

Another upside swing, McCulley would become the draft’s Mr. Irrelevant. His profile is entirely relevant to Payton, though, measuring at 6-foot-4 despite poor athleticism. A converted quarterback who played four seasons at Indiana, McCulley should have some untapped upside. Broncos offensive coordinator Davis Webb was on McCulley’s pre-draft Zoom call with Denver, which should raise eyebrows.

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 Alex Palczewski to a two-year deal.

Under contract: Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Palczewski, Frank Crum, Alex Forsyth, Matt Peart, Nick Gargiulo, Michael Deiter, Calvin Throckmorton, Marques Cox and Nash Jones.

Need scale (1-10): 6. At first glance, the offensive line might not seem like a pressing Broncos need. After all, Denver has all five starters back from last year, is paying all of them handsomely and has built a developmental group in Palczewski, Crum and Forsyth behind that have all stepped into games ably. At some point, though, the Broncos are going to need a fresh wave of younger, cheaper players. Not all at once, most likely, but over the next couple of years. Powers is in the final year of his deal and Bolles and McGlinchey will be 34 and 32, respectively, when the season starts. Now’s the time to build depth and options for the future.

The Top Five

Francis Mauigoa, Miami

����’s not a bad year to need an offensive lineman in the draft, but it����ap not a good year to need a left tackle. Mauigoa is a big, athletic right tackle. One of many in this class. There’s no one or two linemen in this group that are head-and-shoulders above the rest. There’s not a guy that teams look at and say, ‘Easy enough. Just pick him and you’ve got your left tackle for the next decade.” But there are still quality options and Mauigoa is one of a small handful who could be the first off the board.

Spencer Fano, Utah

Fano could also be the first lineman to go. He’s a veteran right tackle — his teammate with the Utes, left tackle Caleb Lomu, could also end up being a first-round pick. Fano is 6-6 and 311 pounds and could probably play any of the interior spots, along with tackle. He’s one of the best athletes in the group, having run 4.91 seconds in the 40 at the combine to go along with explosive jumping and agility numbers.

Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

Ioane is one of the best examples of an interesting trend in the 2026 draft class: Several of the players who are considered to have the best combination of talent and safety — a good recipe for the top of the board — play what are considered non-premium positions. RB Jeremiyah Love. ILB Sonny Styles. S Caleb Downs. So on and so forth. Ioane fits that mold, too. He’s a mauler. He’s athletic. He’s likely plug-and-play. He’s also a guard. Ioane is a sure-fire first-rounder and could easily go in the top half despite his position.

Monroe Freeling, Georgia

In a class where many prospects are five and six-year college players, Freeling won’t turn 22 until around the time training camp starts. So he might not be as polished as some of the older players, but he’s big (6-7, 315), athletic and talented. He ran 4.93 at the combine and jumped 33.5 inches vertical. He played left tackle for the Bulldogs in 2025 and might be the best bet to be a long-term solution on that side in this draft.

Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

An absolutely massive player who might have the most upside in the class, but also comes with more question marks. Proctor has struggled with consistency in his career, but he’s 6-7 and 352 pounds, played left tackle at Alabama, and, if he hits his ceiling, can be a premier player at a premier position. If the edge athletes are too fast for him to handle in pass protection, he could be a road-grading guard.

Broncos options

Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech

There’s no guarantee Rutledge will be around at No. 62, but he’d be a compelling option if he made it that far. At the combine, Rutledge said he models his game after Broncos RG Quinn Meinerz and Indianapolis LG Quenton Nelson. At 6-4 and 316, he clocked a 5.05 in the 40 and had explosive testing numbers. According to The Athletic, Rutledge has a foot injury stemming from a 2023 car crash that could be a flag for teams.

Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon

Pregnon would be a great story at No. 62. He’s a Denver native who played at Thomas Jefferson High before starting his college career at Wyoming (2020-22). Then played two years at USC before spending last year at Oregon. He started 51 games the past four years, including time at both left and right guard. He took a top-30 visit with the Broncos.

JT Tuimoloau, Northwestern

A massive and perhaps under-appreciated tackle from the alma mater of Broncos offensive line coach and run game coordinator Zach Strief? Now that would make some sense, too, but would likely have to be at No. 62. Tiernan checked into the combine at 6-8 and 323 pounds and jumped 35.5 inches vertical. He’s played both tackle spots and could probably handle either guard spot, too. Add him to Palcho and Crum and you’ve got a versatile trio with which to sort out your future up front.

Jude Bowry, Boston College

Bowry might still be on the board when the Broncos’ fourth-round picks come up. He’s got attributes to like in that he’s a good athlete and he’s strong. He’s played both left and right tackle at 6-5 and 314 pounds. He took a top-30 visit to the Broncos. Denver believes strongly in its ability to develop pass-protectors, so this would be an interesting development project.

Brian Parker, Duke

Would require a bit of imagination since Parker is training as a center after spending his college career mostly playing tackle. Denver is set at center after extending Luke Wattenberg in November, but a guy who could legitimately play any spot along the line would no doubt be an asset. Even if he were best suited for the interior three spots, that would be just fine for a Day 3 pick.

Take a spin around the football internet these days and you will find yourself soaked by a deluge of mock drafts.

Make no mistake, though, NFL front offices do them, too.

Now, they are working with full scouting staffs, extensive visibility into injury and character questions, thousands of human hours of work put into setting the stage for the real thing later this month.

A year ago, perhaps not a single mock draft paired the Broncos and Jahdae Barron at No. 20. That led head coach Sean Payton to describe the wait as Barron fell through the teens toward them and, well, to mock the mocks.

“The mocks that you guys read for the last month, what do you want me to say?” Payton said then. “����’s embarrassing sometimes, but it����ap entertaining.”

General manager George Paton last week said the Broncos had narrowed their list to seven or eight players they felt would be available at No. 30 before they traded that pick to Miami for star receiver Jaylen Waddle.

Projecting who will be there at No. 62, where Denver’s first pick now sits, is even more wide open.

That won’t stop us. And no apologies for any embarrassment caused, either.

Round 2, Pick No. 62: Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge

In the Post����ap last mock draft, we slid back a few spots from No. 62 and selected RB Jonah Coleman.

This time around, we decided to stick and pick.

The result is decidedly not flashy but also feels like a realistic outcome for the Broncos.

Rutledge is widely considered a Day 2 player and is one of the better interior offensive linemen in this class. He played right guard in college — the Broncos are set there long-term with All-Pro Quinn Meinerz — but should have the versatility to play left or even center. Essentially, if he didn’t win a job over Ben Powers or make Denver reconsider going into the season with Powers on the roster, he’d be in position to slide in in 2027 or potentially back up multiple spots along the interior.

Offensive line, in general, is a sneaky need for the Broncos. They’ve got all five starters back from one of the best fronts in football, but general manager George Paton acknowledged at the combine that the team is wary of aging out too many players at the same time. Plus, all five players at the moment are on premium contracts.

Also considered: The dream was for tight end Eli Stowers to fall, but he went in the middle of the second round. Another tight end option and the pick at No. 62 in our first Post mock draft, Ohio State’s Max Klare, was still on the board. We passed to avoid too much repetition, but he looks like a potential fit in the second round. Also still on the board, among others: Arkansas RB Mike Washington and Mizzou linebacker Josiah Trotter.

Round 4, Pick No. 114: Oregon inside linebacker Bryce Boettcher

Trade: Broncos receive Nos. 114 and 197. Philadelphia receives No. 111.

The fourth rolled around and the Paton, sans ‘Y’, in the Post����ap drafting team emerged. We were hoping to move back from No. 108 to get an extra pick or two and, sure enough, found enough suitors to land a deal we liked. That trade with Green Bay involved moving back to No. 120 and the details are below.

Then the surprise popped up. Philadelphia wanted to move up and we felt good about sliding back just a handful of spots and still getting our guy. What was Howie Roseman thinking?

At No. 114, the pick is Boettcher from a school Denver is quite familiar with. He’s a physical player and a good leader who had 136 tackles for the Ducks in 2025 and contributed each of the past three seasons to one of college football’s stoutest defenses.

Denver’s had an active offseason at ILB, retaining Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad, releasing Dre Greenlaw and now moving Jonah Elliss inside. Still, here’s a young player who can be a special teamer early and a potential Singleton replacement down the line.

Round 4, Pick No. 120: Boston College offensive tackle Jude Bowry

Trade: Broncos receive Nos. 120 and 160, Green Bay receives No. 108

Is this draft scintillating enough yet? The Broncos have only drafted one offensive lineman on Day 2 in Paton’s five drafts so far — Meinerz in the 2021 third round — but now are up to two in this draft alone. Again, it����ap not an immediate need, but Bowry checks boxes the Broncos like.

Offensive line coach Zach Strief told The Post last fall, “We love guys that can anchor. If you don’t get bull-rushed in this league, you’re 80% of the way there.”

Bowry’s got good strength and he’s a good athlete. He’s got experience at both left and right tackle in college. Ideally, he doesn’t have to play right away.

In this scenario, though, Denver rolls into the summer with a pipeline that includes Rutledge and Bowry out of this draft, plus Alex Palczewski, Frank Crum, and Alex Forsyth. That����ap building to withstand the rigors of an NFL season and also preparing for a future in which the quarterback is no longer on a rookie deal and the front line must be cheaper — but not without some incubation time in one of the league’s best offensive line development programs.

Round 5, Pick No. 160: Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon

Now things are heating up at the offensive skill positions. Teams across football have found ways to identify tight ends on Day 3 that end up making a real impact. Not everybody can land George Kittle, of course, but there are going to be quality tight ends from this draft class that don’t hear their name called until Saturday.

Raridon’s got a chance to be one of them. He’s enormous at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds. He’s got a good blocking foundation to his game — though like most young players, he’s not a finished product — and he’s athletic enough to believe he’s going to be a good receiver, too.

Like it or not, Denver’s going to play Adam Trautman and Evan Engram a ton this fall. The Broncos trust Trautman and they’re hoping to get more from Engram as a receiver in his second season in the offense. Could a rookie tight end blow up that plan? In an outlier scenario, perhaps. More likely, a young player gets a chance to carve out a role as a rookie with the hopes that he blossoms late in the year, if injuries arise or in 2027 and beyond.

Round 5, Pick No. 170: Indiana running back Kaelon Black

Black fits the Payton running back threshold of “short but not small” at 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds. He’s a physical runner who was second on the national champs’ offense in carries at 180 behind Roman Hemby (230). Black averaged 5.6 per carry and, though he wasn’t used at IU in the passing game, he did have 44 catches and six receiving touchdowns his last two years at James Madison.

At Indiana’s pro day, Black reportedly ran 4.45 in the 40-yard dash and jumped 37.5 inches vertical. He’s taken a top-30 visit with the Broncos. Black isn’t a prototypical third-down back, but he could carry some of that load and would be an intriguing fit with J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey.

Round 6, Pick No. 197: USC safety Bishop Fitzgerald

In looking for safety depth, the Broncos here lean on the connection to USC in new defensive backs coach Doug Belk. Belk had Fitzgerald, an undersized safety, in his room for one year after Fitzgerald transferred from NC State.

Checked into the combine at 5-11 and 201 pounds and ran 4.55 in the 40-yard dash. He produced takeaways throughout his college career, with five interceptions in 2025 for USC and five combined in two seasons at NC State before that.

Denver’s got special teamers galore in its safety room behind starters Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones. Fitzgerald could add to that and perhaps push toward more.

Round 7, Pick No. 246: North Carolina cornerback Marcus Allen

Round 7, Pick No. 256: Kansas wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson

Round 7, Pick No. 257: IPP outside linebacker Josh Weru

In the seventh round, as Paton said last week, teams are often trying to get a jump on post-draft free agency. If you don’t think you’re going to win a battle for a player or don’t want to risk a bidding war in the post-draft chaos, this is the time.

Denver’s had success recently in the seventh round, finding contributors in WR Devaughn Vele and OL Alex Forsyth, plus players with still-interesting development arcs in OL Nick Gargiulo and TE Caleb Lohner.

In this rendition, a trio of seventh-rounders begins with Allen, who is 6-2, ran 4.5 in the 40, and comes from a program now led by a coach Payton really respects: Bill Belichick.

Denver’s receiver room looks pretty darn full, but Henderson is a receiver plus a special teams asset. He’s a good returner — even if Marvin Mims Jr. doesn’t see an uptick in playing time, NFL teams have realized you need two good ones given the kickoff rule’s evolution — and can handle other duties, too.

Mr. Irrelevant? Try Mr. Freak. Weru hasn’t gone mega-viral like IPP classmate and defensive lineman Uar Bernard, but make no mistake, he’s a ridiculous athlete. The 6-4, 244-pounder reportedly ran 4.45 in the 40 and jumped 41.5 inches vertical at the HBCU showcase. He’s training with Javon Gopie, who also works with Nik Bonitto and trained Que Robinson last spring. Gopie told The Post recently, “I think he’d be a no-brainer fit in (the Broncos’ scheme).”

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

— David Miller, Commerce City

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

— Ryan K., Bennett

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel)

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

Thanks for the consideration!

— F.J. O’Leary, Frisco, Texas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Mark, Albuquerque, N.M.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Michael Smith, Denver

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

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

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

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

— Eric Price, Altoona, Pa.

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

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

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

— Tom, Boulder

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

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

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

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

Naturally, the Broncos have brought a new face into the building who fits both criteria — hiring former Saints receiver Willie Snead IV as an offensive quality-control coach for 2026. It’s Snead’s first official coaching role at any level, after a nine-year NFL career as an undrafted receiver out of Ball State whom Payton and the Saints signed in 2015. He’ll work primarily with the Broncos’ wide receivers under new WRs coach Ronald Curry, who coached Snead himself in New Orleans in 2016 and 2017.

In his first season in New Orleans, Snead became a star, catching 69 passes for 984 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. He followed that up with 72 catches in 2016, before a lost 2017 season and subsequent three-year stint in Baltimore.

While with the Ravens, too, Snead overlapped in 2020 with J.K. Dobbins’ rookie season in Baltimore.

“As long as he stays healthy, man, I think – JK, he still hasn’t tapped into his prime yet, so to speak,” Snead told The Denver Post during the 2025 offseason. “So, I’m excited for JK.”

Denver announced the Snead hire on Thursday morning as part of a public finalization of their 2026 coaching staff, coming with a couple more new faces and a few key title changes. The Broncos also officially named former Iowa State quarterback Kyle Kempt and Michigan staffer J.D. Johnson — a — as offensive quality-control assistants.

Johnson, actually, was already in Denver’s building, serving as a scouting assistant for the Broncos last season.

Notably, game-management director Evan Rothstein, who was also an assistant in the offensive-line room last season, will pivot to working with the quarterbacks alongside newly elevated QBs coach Logan Kilgore.

Chris Morgan also earned a notable promotion to offensive line coach. His previous title was assistant offensive line coach. Morgan’s been in the league a long time and is widely respected. He arrived in Denver and several offensive linemen credited him for his work in run-game technique. Zach Strief is keeping his same 2025 title as offensive run-game coordinator and assistant head coach and the pair will run the offensive line room together.

Morgan, interestingly, is steeped in the outside zone run game. The Broncos never fully leaned into that as part of their run game plan in 2025 — they used it some along with Payton’s preferred mix of several different run schemes — but Morgan’s expertise in that phase of the run game will continue on in Denver.

“I’ve gained some things back that I was taught early in my career,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey told The Post early in the regular season when talking about Morgan. “He was a disciple of the Shanahan tree, and my old o-line coach, Chris Foerster in San Francisco, Chris was his assistant in Washington. There’s a lot of carryover in certain things, and he’s reminded me of some things that, after three years of being gone, I’ve had to knock the rust off of a little bit.”

Denver also officially finalized the appointment of former Colorado defensive coordinator Robert Livingston as its new defensive passing-game coordinator, replacing Jim Leonhard, who left for the Bills’ defensive coordinator job. Livingston will work with new defensive-backs coach Doug Belk, who comes from two years as the secondary coach at USC.

Hey, Parker: So, the promotion of Davis Webb to OC was a relief for a lot of reasons (keeping him away from the Raiders is a big one), and it’s fascinating that the talk of Sean Payton giving up play-calling duties and it’s being a potential reality is fascinating. Who’d a thunk it? I know I have whined plenty about the endless screens, the trick plays in short yardage, etc. If the change is made, what do you imagine (and it would have to be imagination as there is virtually no body of work to judge Davis Webb) would be the real difference? Surely fewer screens. Not running it on second-and-10 EVERY TIME! Fewer subs to help ramp up the tempo and maybe get the primary guys in better rhythm? What say you?

— David, Charlotte

We don’t know for sure what the play-calling setup in Denver is going to look like going forward. There are a lot of reasons to think, including what we know about Davis Webb’s other opportunities, that he’s going to be involved in some capacity. Whether that����ap as the primary play caller, in some other capacity or with the understanding that he’ll have a chance to call plays at some point remains unclear. My beat partner, Luca Evans, surveyed people who know Sean Payton last week and most of them said they didn’t think he’d give up the play sheet. So, we wait and see what Payton has to say later this month at the NFL Combine.

We also don’t know what exactly Webb will be like as a play caller, whether that����ap this fall in Denver, in the future or somewhere else entirely beyond 2026. I put that question to Broncos quarterback Sam Ehlinger after the season and here’s what he told me:

“You kind of have to be in that situation when the pressure is on and the bullets are flying to really develop that signature,” Ehlinger said. “I think he’ll have a unique mix of kind of new-school, Air Raid, attacking style. But also be able to balance the run game with all that he’s learned here from Sean and his experience in Buffalo. I’m curious to see what that becomes.”

A lot of people in the NFL are, and with good reason. There are several really talented play callers in the league and if you’re one of them, you’re getting a head coaching job sooner rather than later.

If you’re the next Sean McVay — easier said than done, of course — you’re among the most valuable commodities in the game.

Eventually, we’ll have a better sense of what that particular picture looks like in Denver. In the meantime, though, there’s a related conversation that����ap every bit as impactful for the Broncos in 2026.

Payton’s clearly shaken up his offensive staff. He wasn’t satisfied with several things this past year and he hasn’t found the offensive magic from his New Orleans run, period, in three years since arriving in Denver.

So, how much is going to change? Payton acknowledged he’d already talked to offensive line coach Zach Strief this offseason about having to figure things out on that front. Webb’s ascendance to coordinator, even if it doesn’t lead to calling plays, gives him a bigger voice in the offensive meeting room when it comes to play design, game planning, substitution patterns and all the rest.

In the end, though, it����ap still Payton’s offense as long as he’s the coach here. It matters who’s calling the plays, but only to an extent. The question Payton, Webb and the Broncos’ offensive staff must answer correctly over the next four months is this: Does the offensive playbook and philosophy need tinkering and tailoring or does it need a more substantial overhaul?

What roster changes might we see? Who’s not returning?

— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.

����’s been clear for months that John Franklin-Myers is going to hit free agency. Somebody or somebodies at inside linebacker will, too. Dre Greenlaw’s three-year deal last spring was really structured as “one year and then we’ll see.” So we’ll see.

Then, if you’re looking for candidates to be cut, restructured or extended, you’re looking first at big cap numbers and low guaranteed money. Here are the foremost players who hit that category for the Broncos in 2026, . Greenlaw fits the bill, too. This is not to say all of these players will get cut, restructured or extended. They’re just candidates for some kind of contractual action.

RT Mike McGlinchey — Cap: $23.775 million. No guaranteed money. Early most likely scenario: Restructure (up to $10.5 million in cap saved)

LG Ben Powers — Cap $18.155 million. No guaranteed money. Early most likely scenario: Cut ($8.4 mil saved, $9.78 mil dead) or restructure ($7.5 mil saved)

S Brandon Jones — Cap $9.24 million. No guaranteed money. Early most likely scenario: Extension.

WR Marvin Mims — Cap $6.01 million. No guaranteed money. Early most likely scenario: Play it out/revisit on bye week. Same for CB Riley Moss ($3.85 million cap hit).

Noting that of the Broncos’ “big” free-agent acquisitions last off-season, ALL of them were KNOWN to be injury prone (which trend continued predictably after Denver signed them). I’m inclined to say it’s time for the Broncos to start prioritizing realistic availability estimates over “potential” when viewing future free-agent signings. What are your thoughts?

— Will Christiansen, Orem, Utah

The Broncos knew they were rolling the dice with these guys, but also thought their roster was strong enough elsewhere that the risk could be worth the reward. Overall, it����ap hard to say they were wrong about that. They also didn’t hand out huge guaranteed money to any of the four.

In general, though, the club mostly follows along your line of thinking in the second half of your question, Will.

They’ve mostly used free agency to look for second-contract players who are still young, still have upward mobility in their careers and have been mostly healthy (almost everybody has some injury sheet). Think Zach Allen in 2023. McGlinchey and Powers, too, though they got closer to top-of-the-market money. Jones and DL Malcolm Roach in 2024.

In fact, when those guys started their first training camps with the Broncos, they all had pretty similar numbers:

Allen (2023): 25 years old, 45 games in Arizona

Powers (2023): 26 years old, 46 games in Baltimore

McGlinchey (2023): 28 years old, 69 games in San Francisco

Jones (2024): 26 years old, 51 games in Miami

Roach (2024): 26 years old, 41 games in New Orleans

McGlinchey was a little older and a little more experienced, but largely because he played a fifth season on his rookie deal with the 49ers as a former first-round pick.

Hufanga (26 years old, 49 games in San Francisco) fit the same mold, too, when he signed, just with more substantial recent injury history.

This isn’t the only type of free agent the Broncos sign, of course, but it����ap a model for what, ideally, you’re looking for on the market.

What do you feel about the following moves for the Broncos?

Sign the following free agents:

IL: Alex Anzalone and/or Matt Milano — They are great in pass and run coverage

RB: Tyler Allgeier —Durable power runner with low mileage.

TE: Isaiah Likely  — big, great hands, can line up across the board. Joker Sean needs.

Trade for Garrett Wilson, Jaylen Waddle or Marvin Harrison.

In my opinion, the Broncos have a two- or three-year window before they have to extend Nix. They have the salary cap and draft capital to make this work. Thoughts?

— Rob, New Rochelle, N.Y.

Kidding, of course, but the suggestions you make are in line with what a lot of folks think are the positions the Broncos should address this offseason.

At linebacker, I still think Vance Joseph’s return as defensive coordinator increases the likelihood that at least one of Alex Singleton or Justin Strnad is back. Also, don’t forget to throw a couple of other, younger potential free agent options in the mix in Devin Bush and Quay Walker. This time of year, though, you don’t know for sure who actually will get to free agency and who will re-sign.

Also, one other point: The Bo Nix contract extension talk is coming sooner than that. He’s eligible after next season. The cap number can be held in a moderate range well beyond 2027, but assuming Nix has a healthy and productive 2026 season, Denver’s days with a quarterback on a rookie deal are numbered.

As you mentioned, your thinking is the Broncos need, in order, “a top-flight, all-around TE first. Then a No. 1 receiver. Then, a high-quality running back.” If you were able to be the GM and pick your top choices at each spot, who would your “dream list” include?

— Drew, Belgrade, Serbia

I’m just not sure that guy is available at tight end. They’re rare. Among potential free agents, Dallas Goedert����ap production has yet to fall off, which is impressive for the newly 31-year-old. Younger options I’m interested in include Cade Otton, Isaiah Likely and Daniel Bellinger. Bellinger, in part, of course, because he played the best game of his career receiving-wise against Denver in October for the New York Giants. Maybe Green Bay makes somebody like Luke Musgrave available via trade with Tucker Kraft on the mend this offseason, but a lot of these TE-rich teams (the Rams being another) like deploying a bunch of guys at the position. And why not? They’re useful in so many ways.

There are some interesting potential free agent backs, including Hall and Travis Etienne. Bet Kenneth Walker III made himself some money over the past month en route to winning Super Bowl MVP.

Is there competition or envy amongst sportswriters who cover teams that are seemingly always in the postseason? Example: the Chiefs, until this year, always playoff bound, so their writers cover extra games and are read in greater numbers. I would think covering the Broncos this year was far different than years past when the season was over by Game No. 12!

— David Brown, Silverthorne

Hey David, thanks for writing in and for the interesting question. To be honest, I’d never thought of it that way before. Competition is really more among your own beat rather than across teams, like you’re asking. Covering big games is a cool part of the job, so I’ll never complain when those come around. The added eyeballs, traffic, interest, etc. is great, too. I don’t see that element of it as competition, though, because you don’t have any control over that unless you specifically try to seek out a job covering a powerhouse team or something. I suppose that could be alluring, but it����ap not that easy to just get a job, like any career, there are other considerations like location, family, etc. and at least in the NFL, success for so many teams comes and goes quickly.

The closest thing I can relay to your question: My first year on the beat was the 2022 season. For all intents and purposes, the season ended Dec. 26 when Nathaniel Hackett was fired and by mid-January, we were deep into covering the coaching search. Second half of January, we were reporting on Denver’s interest in Sean Payton, its pursuit of Jim Harbaugh and the brass coming away extremely impressed by DeMeco Ryans. The club traded for Payton on Jan. 31. Along the way, I remember seeing reporters posting injury reports and practice photos for divisional weekend and conference championship games and thinking, “wow, those folks are all still going to practices and doing normal football season stuff.” It felt like it had been months since we’d done that here. I thought about that this year on conference championship week. ����’s a long season when the team you cover makes it that far. But it����ap a heck of a ride, too.

For the love of God, please reassure me that Sean Payton won’t blow the first round of the draft again by drafting a defensive player! Part of the reason we lost the AFC Championship game was a lack of impact skill position player because Sean Payton wasted our first-round pick on a player, Jahdae Barron, who only saw the field for 20% of the plays instead of addressing the obvious needs at WR, TE and RB. … My question is what safeguards might the Broncos implement to ensure that Payton doesn’t ride roughshod over George Paton, whom I assume is at least smart enough to take a player the Broncos actually NEED, rather than a luxury at a position of excellent depth. And don’t give me the “you can use all the CBs you can get” nonsense. When you have limited salary cap, draft picks, and roster limits, excessive depth/bench players at one position will inevitably impact the rest of the roster-especially when they are first-round picks, being paid first-round money. Thank you!

— Scott Spendlove, Lakewood

Scott, thanks for writing. Bad news for you, though — well, not bad from an NFL-roster-building perspective. One of the reasons Payton and Paton work well together is that their scouting eyes and brains mesh well. They disagree, of course, but their core philosophies are similar. Among them: Draft corners, edge rushers and linemen early. Point blank. Regardless of your roster.

Now, they don’t draft only those players early. They could land on a receiver or a tight end, a linebacker or a safety in the early rounds this year. Fair warning, though, with the acknowledgement that the draft is still more than two months away: Look out there at how a lot of the public boards are falling and you will find a lot of DBs, rushers and linemen stacked in and after the top 15 or so. There are going to be options in those departments again when the Broncos find themselves on the clock at No. 30. Smart teams late in the first round have their eyes open in terms of moving up, but largely they let the board come to them and someone talented sifts their way down.

That was Barron last year.

Even asking this next question is a little misguided because rookie year impact is only a fraction of the equation, but who would the Broncos have been far better off drafting? WR Emeka Egbuka went one pick earlier. The skill guys that went right after, RB Omarion Hampton and WR Matthew Golden, were good but not team-changers. Hampton dealt with injuries and Golden caught his first touchdown in the playoffs. The Broncos considered trading back and taking TreVeyon Henderson — Luca and I were both Henderson-stans last spring — which would have looked pretty good. And there were a bunch of interesting skill players that went early in the second, between Henderson and RB Quinshon Judkins, WRs Jayden Higgins and Luther Burden and then, a bit later, TEs Mason Taylor and Terrence Ferguson. You could prefer any of those, but Barron’s a key figure in the Broncos’ future. Plus, if you’re looking at the most impactful non-QBs drafted soon after Barron, you might pick early second-rounders ILB Carson Schwesinger or S Nick Emmanwori.

What do you think of having a break after the sixth and 12th game in the season. I think giving players an extra week off would enable them to be more healthy in the last third of the season. The details could be worked out.

— Dan Main, Sioux Falls, S.D.

If they went to a model of two preseason games, 18 regular season and two bye weeks, you’d likely be looking at Week 1 on Labor Day weekend and the Super Bowl on President����ap Day weekend.

His overall discontent showed through days after Denver’s AFC Championship Game loss to New England when Payton fired coordinator Joe Lombardi and receivers coach Keary Colbert. Then he lost senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael to Buffalo, too.

Payton promoted quarterbacks coach Davis Webb to offensive coordinator and quality control coach Logan Kilgore to quarterbacks coach. ����’s a changing of the guard in Payton’s offensive meeting room — but regardless of whether Payton or Webb is the primary play-caller in 2026, it����ap still Payton’s offense.

Here’s a look back at the unit����ap 2025 performance and an early look at questions going into what is shaping up to be a fascinating offseason.

Five key offensive numbers

25: Points per game (No. 10 in the NFL)

5.3: Yards per play (T-15 and up slightly from 5.2 in 2024 and 5.0 in 2023)

334: First downs (T-14)

25%: Three-and-out rate (No. 29)

37.8: Percentage of drives ending in an offensive score (No. 20)

High Point

In terms of the regular season, there’s no more emotional high point offensively than scoring 33 fourth-quarter points in a comeback for the ages. There was no more thorough throttling than pouring 44 points on Dallas the very next week. Still, the real high point of the season for Bo Nix and company was a 34-26 win over Green Bay in mid-December. The Broncos entered as home underdogs, but Nix played perhaps the best game of his career to date. He traded blows with Packers quarterback Jordan Love in the first half, then took over in the second. He completed 23 of 34 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns and helped bring the Broncos back from a 9-point, third-quarter deficit. It was a magnificent performance and at the time looked like it might provide a blueprint for how Denver could operate efficiently without much in the way of a running game after J.K. Dobbins’ injury a month earlier.

Low Point

Low points are relative during a 14-3 season that featured an 11-game winning streak, but the Broncos offense really did find itself in a funk for the better part of a month in that streak. The epic comeback against the Giants came only after New York shut Denver out for three quarters. The week before that, Denver had 246 yards against the New York Jets in London. After a one-week reprieve against the Cowboys, the Broncos mustered 18 points and 271 yards against a really good Houston defense, but then 10 points and 220 at home in Week 10 against Las Vegas in a 10-7 win. Nix turned the ball over twice. J.K. Dobbins was lost to a Lisfranc injury. Denver scored 20–plus in each of its three regular-season losses. Its three lowest-scoring games came between Weeks 6-10. That����ap when it became clear that, for as good as the team results looked, the Broncos’ offense was a mostly middle-of-the-pack outfit and was capable of playing much worse than that.

Late-game magic

MVP: QB Bo Nix. There’s a compelling argument to be made for first-team All-Pro Garett Bolles and for RB J.K. Dobbins, both for his 10-game production and his impact in absentia. Nix, though, gets the nod for his play but also for his leadership. He isn’t a perfect player and he’s got a lot of work to do to become a clear top-tier quarterback, but he’s a proven clutch performer and engineered countless big moments over the course of the season. ����’s his team and his team was really good in 2025.

Tough Season: TE Evan Engram. It started with a ‘Joker’ meme this spring and high hopes. The end result wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t exactly what anybody really expected, either. Engram, signed with the idea he might finally give the Broncos a dynamic, matchup-exploiting tight end, instead never quite seemed to find a groove. His numbers still ended up better than what Denver’s got from the position in recent years, but 50 catches for 461 and a touchdown also represent basically the worst production in a full season of his nine-year career.

Under the radar: WR Pat Bryant. Denver was roundly questioned for taking Bryant in the third round of the draft, but quickly showed himself to be a player head coach Sean Payton trusts. Bryant played 29 snaps (16.7%) over the first three games, then averaged 55% for the rest of the season. He was part of the reason Denver traded Devaughn Vele in training camp and then released Trent Sherfied during the season. He finished with 31 catches and 378 yards, more rookie-year production than either Troy Franklin in 2024 or Marvin Mims Jr. in 2023, and is Denver’s best perimeter blocker, too.

Broncos conversion rates — Sean Payton era

Run Offense

Five Key Numbers

31.6. Drop in rushing yards per game after J.K. Dobbins was lost for the season to a Lisfranc injury

3.8. Yards per carry after Dobbins’ injury compared to 5.0 before

3.2. Yards per carry for the Broncos in two postseason games

74%. The Broncos’ run block win rate, according to ESPN (No. 4 in the NFL)

62.9%. Percentage of QB Bo Nix’s runs (non-kneeldown and sneak) that were categorized as scrambles. Down considerably from 81.2% in 2024.

The Good

For the first half of the season, the Broncos looked like one of the best in the business at rushing the football. They leaned on their big, veteran offensive line and Dobbins’ steady work. The veteran back was signed for just $2 million in June and turned out to be perhaps the most important single player on the unit over the first 10 games. As Denver slugged it out against the lowly Raiders in Week 10, Dobbins was on pace for 1,300-plus yards. Then he sustained a Lisfranc injury on what he believed to be an illegal hip-drop tackle and the going got tough from there. At their best, the Broncos have a highly paid and talented offensive line that can do everything. They can move people at the point, they can get out in space and they can crease runs between the tackles. They identified a couple of willing perimeter blockers, too. The ingredients were there and it showed… for half a season.

The Bad

The rest of the group just didn’t provide much punch once Dobbins was hurt. RJ Harvey racked up 12 touchdowns in his rookie season and the talent is obvious. He’s terrific with the ball in space and he’s got the potential to be a really good back in his career. The down-in and down-out work in his rookie year, though, was inconsistent. He ripped off a 50-yarder in the Broncos’ opener and touchdowns of 40 and 38 against Dallas and Jacksonville, respectively. Those certainly count. Harvey’s other 143 carries averaged 2.9 yards. In all, Dobbins had 21 rushes of 10-plus yards over 153 carries. The other three — Harvey, Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie — had 13 runs of 10-plus over 191 carries. Denver rushed for less than 100 yards once in its first nine games with Dobbins and then six times, including the postseason in 10 games he didn’t finish or play in.

The Unknown

There are unknowns across the board. Will Dobbins be back? He’s said he’d like to be, but that will require the sides finding agreement on compensation for a back who is terrific when healthy and also has played more than 10 games once since his rookie year in 2020. How much of a leap can Harvey take in his second season? Will McLaughlin or Badie return or will the Broncos revamp the back part of their room? Just as pertinent, what will the Broncos’ schematic approach look like going forward? Payton nodded to this after the season when he said he’d already been talking with offensive line coach and run game coordinator Zach Strief about the research they had to do this offseason to diagnose a myriad of issues. The Broncos dabbled more in the outside zone world over the past year, but didn’t lean hard into it. Could that change? What influence will Davis Webb’s promotion to offensive coordinator — and potentially into a playcalling role — have?

Broncos RB Production

Pass Offense

Five Key Numbers

613: Pass attempts in the regular season (No. 4 in the NFL)

0.02: Estimated points added per pass play (T-9)

3.6%: Sack percentage for the Broncos (Lowest in the NFL)

139: Yards after catch over expected (No. 23)

21.7%: Blitz rate against (Fourth-lowest in the NFL)

The Good

The Broncos were really, truly elite at exactly one thing offensively this year: Sack avoidance. Between their offensive line, Nix’s mobility and a mandate from Payton on down not to take sacks, Denver did it better than anybody in football. More than propel an offense into the NFL’s upper echelons, though, what the league-low 23 sacks did was mostly help offset too many penalties and too few big plays. Denver was good on third down (10th in the NFL), decent in the red zone (T-13), and pedestrian on a per-drive basis (T-18 in points per drive at 2.05). That����ap partially because the Broncos went long swaths without throwing the ball consistently enough. Late in the season, when they strung together long, grinding drives, it happened because of a short passing game and the ability to stay on schedule. One other bright spot: Courtland Sutton checked in with top-15 marks in receiving yards (1,017; No. 13) and touchdowns (7; T-15).

The Bad

Denver finished the year averaging 6.0 net yards per pass attempt. That tied for 17th and is a far cry from the top two marks in football — New England at 7.7 and Seattle at 7.6, the teams that just happen to be meeting in the Super Bowl. That mark factors in sack yards lost. When looking at just yards per pass attempt, Nix’s 6.4 tied for No. 32 among 42 qualified quarterbacks on the season and checked in well below the NFL average of 7.0. Nix led the NFL in drop-backs (669) and finished tied for 26th in quarterback rating at 87.8. Nix and the Broncos had a particularly tough time throwing the ball in the intermediate part of the field. The second-year quarterback generated a similar quarterback rating throwing short (under 10 air yards) and deep (20-plus), checking in at 91 and 91.4, respectively, according to Next Gen Stats. On throws of 10-19 air yards, though, Nix had a 73.4 rating, threw six interceptions against six touchdowns and completed just 49.6% of passes (4.9% below expected).

The Unknown

Can Nix make a big leap in Year 3? Webb, in training camp, told The Post that he thought the idea of a Year 2 jump for most quarterbacks was overblown.

“Year 3, in my opinion, is more of a player jump,” Webb said then. “That����ap just my experience personally and with my friends. Everybody talks about Year 2, but I think that����ap just the world rushing, like we do with everything. We have seen Year 2 jumps, but Rich Gannon’s was at 36 (years old). So everyone’s different. It depends on the situation you’re in, the village you’re around, the play-caller, your defense playing good, your O-line’s protecting you, guys are catching it and you’re executing. There’s a lot of domino effect there.”

Making that sentiment all the more interesting is Webb’s recent promotion to offensive coordinator and the looming possibility he could end up calling plays or be more involved on that front.

The village matters, too, and the Broncos need to try to upgrade at receiver and tight end. But much of this offseason will be about finding ways to unlock another level for Nix.

Bo Nix Year 1 to Year 2