Mile High Report
After their AFC Championship game loss to the New England Patriots, the Denver Broncos find themselves on the sidelines and back to the proverbial drawing board. It was a remarkable season for the Broncos. Getting back to the top of the AFC West and earning the number one seed after ten years is nothing to be upset about. Though coming up short against New England certainly changes a bit of the perspective one may have on their efforts in 2025 and leave them wanting for more.
Now it’s offseason mode for the Broncos. They will have free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft to try and make the necessary additions and adjustments to be better prepared to win it all next season. What’s the best way they can do that? Well, I have some thoughts and I’m sure you all do as well—so be sure to share those in the comments section.
“Close but no cigar.” The Broncos won a lot of close games this year. They boasted a penchant for fourth quarter comebacks and seemed to do well facing adversity more often than not. But let’s be real, it’s unlikely Denver will replicate their 14-win regular season success next season. That sort of regular season success is significantly hard to maintain.
In my opinion, they have a clear two or three-year window to legitimately compete for a Super Bowl. That is the length of time before the franchise will no longer have the benefit of roster building with Bo Nix on a rookie deal. The good thing is, the Broncos have a very strong roster. They also have ample cap space and could have more than ten selections in the 2026 NFL Draft.
So why not be aggressive? Things can change on a dime in the National Football League. I fully expect Head Coach Sean Payton and General Manager George Paton to have a serious heart-to-heart about the biggest weaknesses they need to address to make the team even stronger title contenders. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see if those discussions led to them taking a big swing and making a blockbuster trade this offseason.
Speaking about upgrading the team, I think it’s pretty clear the Broncos have to make a splash or two on offense. I’ll say this though, I’m still excited about the potential the group of Denver’s still position players have. However, an in-house evaluation by the coaching staff will ultimately determine where they go in this regard. I have a feeling they are going to make some serious waves here.
Let’s face it. The Broncos tried funneling their aerial attack through Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin. Both had impact games over the course of the season and some big moments. However, the two barely reeled in 60-percent of throws when targeted. That’s about ten percent less than where your top two targets in an offense should...
