Mile High Report
Good morning, Broncos Country! ESPN writers yesterday posted a “future power rankings” list, projecting where teams would be ranked over the next three seasons (2025-27) taking into consideration the QB, head coach, full roster and, of course, the front office.
In the final calculations, the Broncos ended up looking pretty good — No. 7, with a total score on their system of 85 (B, good).
But the commentary from the participating analysts — Ben Solak, Louis Riddick, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder — was more nuanced and a little less flattering overall; yet it’s still interesting for discussion (even if these are the kinds of posts created just to make players and fan bases mad to get attention).
When it came to Denver’s quarterback situation, the analysts were lukewarm on Bo Nix’s impact to the team. In fact, the second-year quarterback’s score out of 100 was the lowest of all the franchise elements measured — 78%, 19th among QBs. But Solak had high praise for the offensive line and defense, believing Nix was a “solid” addition to lead the franchise in the coming years.
“The Broncos look like they have a solid starting quarterback in Bo Nix and have arguably the NFL’s best offensive line and best defense, led by star cornerback Pat Surtain II. What a turnaround for coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton.“ – Ben Solak
Riddick believes if the new running back corps can raise the bar — which shouldn’t be hard given that Broncos’ running backs only averaged 1.63 yards after first contact last season — then the offense will get a big boost. He even went so far as to predict Denver challenging Kansas City for the AFC West.
“Do the running backs have the ability to provide the physical, rugged presence that is needed in December and January, when the run game becomes a focus? …If this group gets going, Denver can challenge Kansas City for the AFC West title.” – Louis Riddick
Walder was clearly the most down on the Broncos’ prospects over the coming years, predicting that Nix will not even make it as starting QB in 2027.
“Nix will lose his starting job during the 2027 season, which will be his last as a Bronco. There’s optimism around him now, but there’s reason to be skeptical in the long term. As a rookie, his rushing led him to be decent efficiency-wise. But he ranked 28th in completion percentage over expectation (minus-2.4%) and 22nd in yards per dropback (6.16) despite playing behind a top-tier offensive line. The roster around him is great now, but it won’t always be.” – Seth Walder
But as Christopher Hart said in our chat room, “Walder who?”
Either way, now it’s your turn – where do you see the Broncos ending up in the “future power rankings?”
