Mile High Report
Later this afternoon, the Denver Broncos will host the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. The winner will represent the AFC in Super Bowl 60. Without question, it’s the biggest game the Broncos have played in a decade.
All of us certainly hope that Denver’s magical season continues. The shot at earning the franchise’s fourth Lombardi Trophy is the ultimate goal today. But if things go sideways, the Broncos will head to offseason mode figuring out what needs to be done in order to better prepare themselves next season.
Two avenues of pursuit will be available for Denver to accomplish that. The first will be free agency. The Broncos are slated to have around $27 million in cap space. However, simple moves and restructures could nearly double that amount if they so choose. I would expect the franchise to find a way to continue to build around Bo Nix and make some big investments, especially since there is no more dead money from Russell Wilson’s contract on the books for next season.
The next would be the draft. In fact, the pre-draft circuit is already in full swing. The East-West Shrine Bowl will take place on Tuesday with a contingent of Broncos scouts and evaluators present. Thereafter, personnel from across the league will travel to Mobile, Alabama for this year’s Senior Bowl that takes place on January 31st. Before you know it, the NFL Combine will be here in late February with the 2026 NFL Draft capping it all off at the end of April.
No matter the outcome of today’s game is, Broncos Country should be thrilled with how the team has performed this season. They have proven they are capable of being a Super Bowl contender. But guess what? They are in a great position to solidify their roster and have a chance to do the same in the coming years.
The Broncos currently have five picks in the first four rounds. That puts them in an addition to address needs on their roster. If Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph is hired away to be a Head Coach elsewhere, Denver would receive an additional third-round selection in both the 2026 and 2027 NFL Draft. There are still multiple coaching positions available. For a while, Joseph was considered the front-runner for the Arizona Cardinals’ opening. Things seem to have quieted on that front, but you never know.
However, there is also a possibility that the Broncos consider wheeling and dealing for some extra selections by the time the draft rolls around. Pending the outcome of the games today, the Broncos will be slated to pick no higher than 29th in the ‘26 NFL Draft. While they certainly may love a player who is on the board at that point in time, it would not be a surprise to see them trade out of the first round and acquire more Day 2 selections to address...
