Offseason In Review: Denver Broncos

Sean Payton has endured some agonizing postseason exits in his time as a head coach. Years after the Minneapolis Miracle sequence and the infamous uncalled Rams pass interference infraction the next year, the veteran head coach ran into one of the most consequential injuries in NFL history.

Bo Nix sustaining a broken ankle in overtime of the Broncos’ divisional-round win probably prevented the franchise’s ninth Super Bowl appearance. A Payton fourth-and-1 decision — before a game-altering blizzard hit Denver — backfired for the AFC’s No. 1 seed during Jarrett Stidham‘s conference championship game start. While a play-caller switch occurred, the Broncos’ 2026 offseason reflected tremendous confidence in the roster Payton and GM George Paton built. Denver completed a host of re-signings in March. Rather than make early-round draft picks, Denver also doubled down on its current roster by trading selections for Jaylen Waddle.

The former Dolphins wideout’s contract arrives in a sweet spot of sorts — one our Broncos Offseason Outlook highlighted in February — as the team is free of the Russell Wilson dead money albatross. With a Nix extension certainly in play for 2027, 2026 profiles as an open window for Payton’s team.

Trades:

As the wave of Broncos re-signings emerged, Denver fans expressed some frustration about the lack of outside investments. After all, the Broncos’ 14-3 season involved 11 one-score victories. They set an NFL record with 12 regular-season comeback wins. As fears of regression naturally enter this equation, the Broncos took a big swing — considering their recent history with trading first-round picks — in an attempt to aid an inconsistent offense.

Denver looked into Waddle at last year’s deadline, but Buffalo came closest to prying him from Miami. Then-Dolphins interim GM Champ Kelly wanted a 2026 first-round pick and a future third-rounder in the trade, while the Bills were believed to have offered a 2027 first and a 2026 third. Kelly, though, wanted even more to send Waddle to a division rival. This became the Broncos’ gain. Negotiating with Miami’s new regime, Denver completed a late-March blockbuster.

The Dolphins did well in this trade, landing more for Waddle than the Eagles fetched for A.J. Brown. Waddle had a team-friendlier deal to move, however, and is signed through the 2028 season. More than a year younger than Brown, Waddle (27) drew a much bigger offer than D.J. Moore did as well. The Dolphins are not believed to have aggressively shopped Waddle, but they engaged in post-Combine negotiations with the Broncos.

Assistant GM Reed Burckhardt reached out to new Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan, and the latter convinced Denver brass to include a 2026 third-rounder rather than a 2027 third. After the Bills had made their move by acquiring Moore, the Broncos — as they compared Waddle to the free agent wideouts and prospects likely to be available at No. 30 — aimed higher.

The trade will take pressure off Courtland Sutton, who is entering an age-31 season. Extended last year, Sutton has been one of the NFL’s better receivers over the past three years. Coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, the Pro Bowler has also delivered sustained health since missing most of the 2020 season with an ACL tear. With Sutton entering Year 9, however, the Broncos acquired some high-level protection and a target that should complement the 6-foot-4 WR1 incumbent well.

One of the NFL’s fastest players, Waddle has three 1,000-yard years on his resume. He also has a track record as a versatile asset. Lining up regularly in the slot and outside, the former Tyreek Hill sidekick should help the Broncos against zone coverage and after the catch. Nix ranked third in QBR against man coverage last season but 21st against zone looks. Waddle compiled the fifth-most receiving yards against zone coverage from 2022-25 (h/t ESPN’s Mina Kimes).

Payton’s propensity for WR screens should make good use of Waddle’s explosiveness as well, with the sixth-year vet’s catch-and-run presence representing an element the Broncos have largely lacked over the past several years. Proving more explosive than ex-Alabama teammate/former Broncos starter Jerry Jeudy, Waddle averaged an NFL-most 18.1 yards per reception in 2022 — a 1,356-yard slate that involved a handful of Tua Tagovailoa missed games — and netted 14.1 per grab in 2023 and 14.2 per catch last season.

Denver has speed options in Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin, but Payton has not trusted Mims — some important contributions notwithstanding — to be a regular part of the offense. Waddle’s arrival stands to reduce Franklin’s involvement as well.

Denver traded 2024 contributor Devaughn Vele to New Orleans for two draft picks last August, but Paton said the team is not planning on moving one of its holdover WRs following the Waddle swap. Franklin made a big leap last season, compiling 709 receiving yards — after a 263-yard rookie year — to go with six touchdowns and three two-point conversions. Mims has come through in big spots, most notably with a go-ahead TD against the Bills in the Broncos’ divisional-round win, but has never logged more than a 38% snap share.

Three years remain on 2025 third-rounder Pat Bryant‘s rookie contract, with Franklin signed through 2027. Mims may be auditioning for a 2027 free agency bid. The former second-rounder acknowledged as much himself, expressing interest in a long-term Denver future but uncertainty following the Waddle acquisition. But this trio rounds out one of the NFL’s best one-through-fives at receiver. Barring a Vele-like trade, it will serve as important depth for a Broncos team that ran into receiver injuries in the playoffs.

Waddle’s three-year, $84.75MM extension goes through the 2028 season. The receiver market has experienced some notable boom stretches this decade, with Waddle’s Dolphins-designed deal coming during one of them (2024). Ja’Marr Chase and Jaxon Smith-Njigba lifting the ceiling past $40MM per year will help raise the floor for Waddle types, and while the Denver hired gun has a $15.2MM guarantee for 2027 — a figure that vested in March — a strong 2026 season would put him in position to command a lucrative third contract next year.

As of now, Waddle is the NFL’s 15th-highest-paid wideout. With no 1,000-yard seasons since 2023, that is not out of step with his production. But the Broncos sending the Dolphins a nice haul will strengthen the former top-10 pick’s negotiating position.

The Waddle deal represents a significant course change for the Broncos, who have been far more likely to trade away receivers (Jeudy, Emmanuel Sanders, Demaryius Thomas, Brandon Lloyd, Brandon Marshall) than acquire them that way. (Ditto Payton, who traded away Brandin Cooks, Kenny Stills and All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham as Saints HC.) Waddle is easily the most notable WR trade pickup for the Broncos since they missed on Javon Walker in 2006. Like the ex-Packer 20 years ago, Waddle joins a team looking to reach the Super Bowl after a home AFC championship game defeat.

Coaching/front office:

This will be Year 4 for the Payton-Paton regime. After the Broncos built on their 10-7 2024 season with a much better 2025, with both seasons featuring Russell Wilson as their runaway top cap number, ownership signed off on extensions for the power brokers. While one carries a far bigger Q rating, the exec riding shotgun revived his career over the past two years.

The Broncos hired Paton from the Vikings in 2021, after John Elway‘s fifth consecutive non-playoff season. The Super Bowl-winning GM had kicked himself upstairs, before leaving the organization not too long after, and Paton was hired under the Bowlen ownership group. After a strong 2021 draft class that included Patrick Surtain, Quinn Meinerz, Javonte Williams and Jonathon Cooper, Paton’s first big swing missed wildly.

Perhaps overshadowed a bit by a quarterback trade completed days later in March 2022, the Wilson trade was a historic NFL catastrophe. No, it wasn’t the calamity the Browns’ Deshaun Watson miss was, but the Seahawks used their 10-year QB to assemble key pieces of a Super Bowl champion.

Paton’s Wilson trade came weeks after one of this era’s worst head coaching hires. The trifecta of the Nathaniel Hackett hire, Wilson trade and Wilson extension represented grounds for firing. And Denver’s new ownership group signed off on a top-five salary — plus first- and second-round picks sacrificed — for Payton in January 2023. The former Saints leader had no past with Paton, and the Broncos finished 8-9 in 2023 — before creating a then-dead money record by releasing Wilson.

Paton, 56, took advantage of his second chance. The former Vikings assistant GM executed many well-timed extensions to lock in core players. Surtain signed what quickly became a team-friendly deal, doing so before his Defensive Player of the Year campaign. Meinerz, a Division III product, inked an extension before consecutive first-team All-Pro seasons. The Broncos extended QB-hit dynamo Zach Allen before his initial first-team All-Pro bid and managed to extend Nik Bonitto on a $26.5MM-per-year extension after the Packers gave Micah Parsons $46.5MM per year. Not on Parsons’ level, Bonitto — chosen with the second-round pick Paton acquired from the Rams for Von Miller — has made back-to-back Pro Bowls. The Broncos also saw Sutton produce another 1,000-yard season after his $23MM-per-year extension.

A rumor about Vikings interest in bringing Paton back surfaced after the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah firing, but the Broncos would have needed to greenlight interview permission. Instead, steady rumblings about a Paton extension preceded a May agreement. They took care of their organizational face weeks later.

Certainly a polarizing figure due to his past Bountygate suspension, Payton has built on his Hall of Fame case in Denver. Paton’s savvy extension timing may not have mattered too much had Payton not identified Nix as a quarterback he could build around. The sixth QB chosen in 2024, Nix has rewarded the Super Bowl-winning HC and helped the Broncos recover from the Wilson miss.

After the Broncos’ bizarre 2022 season that produced a Hackett firing after 15 games, Payton was on the wrong end of a 70-20 loss in Miami. The Broncos started 1-5 in Payton’s first year but managed a five-game win streak, as Payton worked around Wilson’s late-career limitations. The Broncos soon changed course at QB, bailing on Wilson before a significant guarantee vesting date, and Payton has silenced skeptics about his ability to win without Drew Brees.

Nix does not bring elite talent, but Payton has helped coax quality play from the quick study. The Broncos booked their first playoff berth in nine years and then secured a No. 1 seed without Elway or Manning at quarterback for the first time since 1977. Payton is aiming to become the first HC to win Super Bowls with two different franchises. The Nix injury represented an obvious missed opportunity for the brash leader, but he has been the driving force in restoring the Broncos to a strong AFC outfit after arriving at one of the franchise’s low points.

We will soon see if Payton can truly keep himself away from play-calling. Payton deliberated on the Broncos’ 2026 play-caller well into the offseason but gave his young OC the reins. This will be a major shift for the 20th-year HC. A fast-rising staffer after three years as the Broncos’ QBs coach, Webb interviewed for HC jobs and was in the running for a few OC positions. The Broncos were able to retain him, and considering the outside interest, it was unsurprising it took a play-calling bump to ensure he stayed.

Operating as a play-calling HC for almost all of his run on that level, Payton did cede those duties to longtime Saints OC Pete Carmichael in 2011, when the HC suffered a broken leg and MCL tear (the 2011 Saints’ single-season yardage record — 7,474 — still stands). Payton reassumed that responsibility upon return from suspension in 2013 and called plays throughout his Broncos tenure to date. Webb will not be out of place calling plays this season, as two other recent backup QBs/third-stringers — the Commanders’ David Blough (30) and Eagles’ Sean Mannion (34) — landed OC gigs this offseason.

Webb, 31, could be on the fast track to a head coaching position. An illuminating Seth Wickersham ESPN.com story revealed a dispute between Payton and Nix about the former’s role as play-caller, a successful stint but one that produced some inconsistency and issues with the play clock, emerged this summer. It will be interesting to see if Payton (62) can truly stay away from calling the shots, especially — as our Adam La Rose noted in a July mailbag — with the Broncos drawing a brutal season-opening schedule and whether he would take back the play sheet if Webb lands a head coaching job in 2027.

Re-signings:

• Alex Singleton, ILB. Two years, $15MM ($11MM guaranteed)
• Justin Strnad, ILB. Three years, $18MM ($10MM guaranteed)
• Adam Trautman, TE. Three years, $17MM ($9.5MM guaranteed)
• J.K. Dobbins, RB. Two years, $16MM ($8MM guaranteed)
• Alex Palczewski, OL. Two years, $9.5MM ($5.58MM guaranteed)
• Sam Ehlinger, QB. One year, $2MM ($1MM guaranteed)
• Adam Prentice, FB. One year, $1.4MM ($588K guaranteed)
• Nate Adkins, FB/TE. One year, $1.64MM ($300K guaranteed)
• Jaleel McLaughlin, RB. One year, $1.43MM ($125K guaranteed)
• Lucas Krull, TE. One year, $1.43MM ($100K guaranteed)
• Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR. One year, $1.49MM ($88K guaranteed)
• Michael Bandy, WR. One year, $1.1MM ($10K guaranteed)

The Broncos aimed high at running back. They were tied to a Breece Hall pursuit, which may have contributed to the Jets using the franchise tag, before being linked to both Kenneth Walker and Travis Etienne. Denver seemed intent on wading into deeper waters at the position, to the point the team was believed to be stunned when Etienne chose the Saints. It is clear a significant offer emerged, but shortly after Etienne committed to New Orleans, the Broncos’ re-signing binge continued with the most notable move.

Dobbins, 27, also negotiated with the Jaguars as an Etienne replacement option alongside Bhayshul Tuten. But he had expressed interest in staying in Denver at multiple points. While the injury-prone (that label might not be sufficient in this case) back probably was the Broncos’ Etienne backup plan, Payton said Dobbins was the team’s top internal priority.

Seeing as the Broncos paid Strnad before the legal tampering period, that claim loses some steam. But it says plenty about Dobbins’ internal value he could miss another chunk of games and still command an $8MM guarantee.

Sitting top five in rushing yards (772) when he suffered a Lisfranc injury that required surgery, Dobbins added seven more regular-season absences to his checkered NFL resume. Counting playoff contests, Dobbins has missed a whopping 59 career games since being a 2020 Ravens second-round pick.

A litany of injuries, including ACL and Achilles tears, have altered the Ohio State product’s career. But when he’s available, Dobbins is among the NFL’s most efficient backs. He maximized the Broncos’ top-flight O-line better than Javonte Williams had, averaging five yards per carry and ranking fourth in Next Gen Stats’ rush yards over expected per attempt metric (1.08) last season.

After helping the Chargers to the 2024 playoffs with a career-high 905 rushing yards, Dobbins did not have a big market. He went from $1.61MM with the Bolts to $2.1MM last year with the Broncos. Securing nearly quadruple his first Denver guarantee highlights the outside interest that came the resilient runner’s way. The Broncos can get out of the contract for just $2MM in dead money next year, and they also used the draft to provide better protection — as RJ Harvey‘s run-lane instincts were lacking as a rookie — in the event of another Dobbins injury.

Both Singleton and Strnad played out their contracts, and a deep linebacker market brought plenty of options. As they did at most other spots, the Broncos stayed the course. They cut Dre Greenlaw and will turn to Singleton and Strnad as their full-time ILBs. Singleton signed a similar contract to his 2023 Broncos deal (three years, $18MM), while Strnad collected a big raise.

The Broncos were able to retain Strnad for just $2.88MM last year, despite the veteran special-teamer being needed as a starter after Singleton’s September 2024 ACL tear. After Strnad played regularly during Greenlaw’s absence-filled season, a much bigger market emerged. The Broncos gave him Singleton’s former terms, and the $10MM guarantee tops the soon-to-be 30-year-old’s career earnings through six seasons.

Chosen during Elway’s final draft as GM, Strnad was mostly a special-teamer through Year 4. He did not play a single defensive snap in 2022 or ’23, but Singleton’s 2024 injury freed up playing time. Strnad capitalized last season as well. He finished as Pro Football Focus’ No. 26 off-ball LB, being an effective blitzer (4.5 sacks, eight QB hits) who snared a pivotal interception that keyed a historic Broncos comeback win over the Giants.

Seeking a starting role during his latest free agency bid and acknowledging a Singleton re-signing may force him to go elsewhere, the former fifth-rounder secured $3.59MM in 2027 guarantees. That offers some protection against a future release. The Broncos appear to have informed Strnad about their Greenlaw plan, as the spot starter re-signed before Singleton did.

Singleton, 32, has been a Broncos constant since the Eagles nontendered him as an RFA in 2022. He returned on time from ACL surgery and missed just one game after another procedure to address a testicular cancer diagnosis. He of 163- and 177-tackle seasons as a Bronco, Singleton made 135 stops last year and saw PFF rank him 25th among off-ball LBs. A cornerstone Vance Joseph piece, Singleton secured a $3.5MM guarantee for 2027.

The Broncos not addressing the position until the draft’s Mr. Irrelevant point does invite concern; Singleton will turn 33 before season’s end. The team nixed a Jonah Elliss-at-ILB experiment — a move that would have aligned with his two NFL-playing brothers’ roles — and did so before Jonathon Cooper‘s legal trouble surfaced. A few starter-level ILBs remain in free agency. The Broncos targeting veteran depth would make sense.

Ben Powers‘ biceps injury last season made way for 10 Palczewski starts. While PFF did not rate the former UDFA well in his first extended starter run, ESPN’s run block win rate metric slotted him ninth among all interior O-linemen. With Powers in a contract year, Palczewski makes sense as a cheaper successor in 2027. He has shown the ability to play guard and tackle, allowing for a 2026 swing role. But if/when Powers moves on after his age-30 season, his 27-year-old backup has a clear path — barring an early-round draft choice next year — to a full-time gig in 2027.

Stidham, 30 this week, has been the Broncos’ QB2 for the past three seasons. His two-year, $12MM contract carries $2MM in 2026 guarantees. The Broncos still gave Ehlinger his first seven-figure guarantee, and the former Colts draftee is competing with Stidham for the team’s backup job.

Stidham was thrown into the fire thanks to Nix’s second-round injury, and he ran into a blizzard that halted the Denver and New England passing attacks. He has five career starts to Ehlinger’s three. Ehlinger has been with the Broncos for over a year, but the team giving the Texas alum a true shot at Stidham’s job is notable considering the latter’s experience in the backup seat.

Free agency additions:

The 2021 Buccaneers, who famously ran back their full Super Bowl LV starting lineup while re-signing some key backups as well, made more outside signings than this. Considering Butler is a UFL talent aiming to return to the NFL as part of a stacked WR depth chart, Anderson appears the only outside UFA who will make Denver’s 53-man roster.

Notable losses:

Entering training camp last year, the Broncos carried a crowded contract-year contingent. Zach Allen, Courtland Sutton, Nik Bonitto, Luke Wattenberg, Wil Lutz and Malcolm Roach were unsigned for 2027. All six signed extensions — Sutton, Allen and Bonitto before Week 1; Lutz, Roach and Wattenberg during the team’s November bye — to create a lower-stakes free agency for the team.

In addition to Allen and Roach, the Broncos gave nose tackle D.J. Jones a contract — three years, $39MM — in 2025. With Bonitto and Cooper also signed to notable extensions, the team appeared to realize Franklin-Myers would price himself out of town. That happened, as PFR’s No. 6-ranked free agent — due in part to this market’s thin D-tackle class — signed for a massive raise with the Titans (and a Robert Saleh reunion).

The Broncos capitalized on a Jets mistake by stealing Franklin-Myers during Day 3 of the 2024 draft for a 2026 sixth-round pick. As New York prepared to fit Haason Reddick‘s salary onto its payroll, Franklin-Myers became a salary dump. The Broncos reworked his Jets deal, providing a pay cut. Franklin-Myers outplayed his two-year, $15MM Denver deal and cashed in as a first-time free agent despite entering an age-30 season.

A draft class light on high-level interior D-linemen also benefited the veteran, who combined for 14.5 sacks and 33 QB hits over his two Broncos seasons. The former Jets D-line pillar tripled his Broncos AAV on his Titans contract, reuniting with Saleh on a three-year, $63MM deal that included $42MM guaranteed at signing. While Roach figures to see more playing time as a result of the 3-4 D-end starter’s exit, the Broncos have a few options to step in (more on that below).

Greenlaw’s injury-marred 2024 season turned out to be a warning sign. Denver’s 2025 free agency crop largely underwhelmed, outside of Talanoa Hufanga‘s deal, with Dobbins suffering another major injury and Evan Engram often out of sync with Bo Nix. Greenlaw only suited up for eight games, running into two notable maladies and a one-game suspension.

Greenlaw, who is back with the 49ers as their Fred Warner sidekick, missed nine games in 2025. Two quadriceps injuries sidelined Greenlaw before the season, the latter leading him to IR. The Broncos did not activate him until Week 7, but after a confrontation with an official at the end of the team’s last-second win over the Giants, the NFL issued a one-game suspension. Greenlaw later sustained a hamstring injury that parked him for the final three regular-season games.

The Broncos gave Greenlaw a three-year, $31.5MM deal in 2025; because of his Super Bowl LVIII Achilles tear, the veteran ILB only commanded $11.5MM guaranteed at signing. Another $2MM was to become guaranteed on Day 3 of the 2026 league year. The Broncos cut bait before that date, seeing an $8.19MM influx June 1.

Draft:

• Round 3, No. 66 (from Titans via Bills): Tyler Onyedim (DT, Texas A&M) (signed)
• Round 4, No. 108 (from Saints): Jonah Coleman (RB, Washington) (signed)
• Round 4, No. 111 (from Dolphins): Kage Casey (OL, Boise State) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 152 (from Cowboys via 49ers and Browns): Justin Joly (TE, NC State) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 246: Miles Scott (S, Illinois) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 256*: Dallen Bentley (TE, Utah) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 257*: Red Murdock (LB, Buffalo) (signed)

For the third time in five drafts, the Broncos did not make a first-round pick. They have traded four since March 2022 (two for Wilson, one for Payton’s rights, one for Waddle), and they traded down from No. 62 overall this year. The Broncos had hosted Ohio State tight end Max Klare on a “30” visit and were believed to be eyeing an earlier linebacker pick than Round 7. The Titans traded up for Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr. at 60, and the Rams chose Klare at 61 to wrap a run on second-round TEs. The Broncos moved down to find a potential Franklin-Myers replacement.

Onyedim will be part of that solution, competing with 2025 third-rounder Sai’Vion Jones and fifth-year player Eyioma Uwazurike — whose rookie contract runs an extra season because of a 2023 gambling suspension — for time on a D-line fronted by Allen, D.J. Jones and Roach.

Prior to transferring to Texas A&M, Onyedim spent four years at Iowa State — where he was Uwazurike’s teammate. Tallying 8.5 TFLs in his one Texas A&M season, Onyedim worked as a starter for the Aggies. While he impressed during the Broncos’ offseason program, linemen obviously cannot draw thorough evaluations until pads come on. Our Ely Allen recently noted Onyedim brings positional versatility and a potential high floor, however. A group effort to replace Franklin-Myers is likely in 2026.

Coleman carried knee concerns entering the draft, leading to a fall to Round 4. The Washington product still drew interest from the Chiefs, Seahawks and Vikings. He joined Onyedim in impressing during the Broncos’ offseason program, and after the team saw its rushing attack struggle after Dobbins’ Lisfranc injury last November, they now have Coleman as interesting Dobbins insurance.

The Broncos viewed the three-year Huskies starter as this draft class’ top pass-protecting RB. While Coleman (1,053 rushing yards in 2024, 354 receiving in 2025, 27 TDs between those years) brings 2026 insurance, he profiles as a potential long-term Harvey complementary piece post-Dobbins.

Also meeting with Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers — an Eagles Round 2 pick — the Broncos drafted another of their TE visitors in Joly. Although Engram seemed a cut candidate after an unremarkable Broncos debut, the team still views the former first-rounder (32 in September) as a key piece. Joly caught a career-high seven TD passes last season but was more productive for a yardage standpoint in 2024, when he tallied a career-best 661 to go with four TD grabs (his 15.4 yards per reception ranked fourth among Division I-FBS tight ends).

The Broncos liked Joly’s 2024 tape, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, as the UConn transfer was slimmer that season. He was listed at 263 pounds on NC State’s 2025 roster but weighed 241 pounds at the Combine, highlighting a potential issue. Unlike Engram (26 TDs in nine seasons), Joly brings some red zone intrigue. Engram’s deal expires at season’s end.

Extensions and restructures:

Denver timed Surtain’s extension perfectly, seeing him solidify himself as the NFL’s premier cornerback via the 2024 DPOY season. Surtain is on a Hall of Fame trajectory entering his age-26 season, but less accomplished corners have passed the second-generation NFL cover man’s four-year, $96MM extension by a notable margin contractually. Surtain’s September 2024 extension raised the cornerback ceiling, which had been in place since May 2022, but moved the bar by less than $3MM per year. Some of his contemporaries then used the deal as a springboard.

In addition to All-Pros Derek Stingley Jr., Sauce Gardner and Trent McDuffie moving past Surtain by creating the $30MM-AAV CB club, Denzel Ward and Jaycee Horn leapfrogged Surtain (more $30M. The Broncos have Surtain signed through the 2030 season at a team-friendly rate ($24MM per annum), but they made a move early to appease their best player.

Surtain’s pay bump, barring injury, should bring $10MM in additional earnings this year. Coupled with his locked-in $5MM raise, Surtain would earn another $5MM by being an original-ballot Pro Bowler or All-Pro. Surtain has earned such acclaim in each of the past four seasons.

The team also restructured Surtain’s deal to create cap room. Denver created $4.1MM in cap space in 2026, $9.3MM in 2027, $8MM in 2028 and $9.59MM in 2029 via this restructure. A $41.1MM void years bill is now in place for 2031, though the Broncos will likely push that penalty down the road by virtue of a second Surtain extension. If/when Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez move past Stingley, Gardner and McDuffie and Ward, Surtain will have a clear case for another adjustment or a true extension.

Missing on free agency guard deals for Ronald Leary and Graham Glasgow, the Broncos did well with Powers’ four-year, $52MM deal. Among all interior O-linemen, the former Raven ranked first in run block win rate in 2024 and seventh in 2023. Injuries struck in 2025, however. Powers underwent biceps surgery after a Week 5 injury. While he returned in Week 16, he suffered a Lisfranc injury in his first game back. Powers played through it and did not undergo an MRI until after the season. His toughness notwithstanding, the Broncos have slashed his contract-year pay.

Powers was to earn a nonguaranteed $12.49MM this year. In exchange for an early guarantee, the eighth-year blocker more than halved his salary. The cut reduced Powers’ cap number from $18.16MM — second-most on Denver’s payroll — to $10.6MM. He can earn $2MM through incentives, but this is a significant reduction.

The Broncos have placed Powers in a competition with Palczewski, and their contracts are now similar. Powers had come up as a cap-casualty candidate in the winter, and while the Broncos retained him and still view him as a starter, that is no longer a lock.

Other:

Initially expected back for OTAs, Nix ended up needing a second surgery to repair the broken ankle he suffered in January. Described as a cleanup procedure, the operation delayed a full return from the third-year quarterback until training camp. Nix, 26, did not do team work during Denver’s offseason program but avoided the active/PUP list upon returning to camp this week.

Nix shot back when Payton labeled his quarterback predisposed to an ankle injury, and the Broncos have since indicated they are not concerned about his mobility moving forward. Nix’s scrambling and design-run ability has benefited the Broncos, even if the young passer has not been especially consistent through the air yet. Nix, who led the NFL with 612 pass attempts last season but fell short of 4,000 yards (albeit in a screen-heavy offense), has a pivotal year ahead of him.

On the cusp of solving the Broncos’ decade-long quarterback issue, Nix — who has submitted a host of comeback wins and delivered for the team in the biggest spots — has a chance to secure the most lucrative contract in franchise history. Staying healthy will be paramount on that front, but Nix has already done enough that extension talks are likely when he becomes eligible in 2027.

The Broncos have three avenues they can take in terms of their long-term cornerback configuration (technically four, but one is unrealistic). They can pay McMillian and let Riley Moss leave as a 2027 free agent. They can take the reverse route, paying the two-year Surtain perimeter sidekick and find a new slot corner. Or they can let both leave and reboot around Surtain and 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron; the second-year player is competing with Moss for Denver’s CB2 job. With Surtain on an upper-crust extension and a host of other lucrative contracts on the payroll, paying both McMillian and Moss — with Barron under rookie-deal control through 2029 — is highly unlikely.

Denver has entered talks with McMillian. The slot CB market lags well behind the boundary spot; with McMillian a pure slot, the Broncos should be able to afford a second contract. Kyler Gordon‘s $13.33MM-per-year Bears deal still tops the market for slot-only CBs (whereas more versatile players like Byron Murphy and Deommodore Lenoir come in near $20MM AAV).

Entering the summer, the Broncos had not had a player arrested since the Walton-Penner ownership group bought the team in 2022. After Cooper’s two June arrests, he faces a felony assault charge in connection with allegations from his ex-girlfriend. A June 4 incident led to both Cooper and the unnamed woman’s arrests on misdemeanor charges, but a second arrest — after he violated a protective order — produced a new batch of charges.

It does not appear the Broncos are, for the time being at least, cutting ties with the sixth-year pass rusher. Cooper’s arraignment is scheduled for August 31. While the team excused Cooper for minicamp, the Ohio State product steadily communicated with Broncos brass while receiving counseling during the period leading up to training camp. Cooper is practicing at Broncos camp.

With a trial date expected to come after the arraignment, it looks likely the Broncos — barring the embattled linebacker being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list (paid leave) — will not see the league act before Week 1. A Cooper future suspension, as a player does not have to be convicted of charges to be banned under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, will be a cloud hanging over Denver’s season. It is also possible Cooper’s case drags into 2027 and leads to a suspension after this season.

No guarantees are on Cooper’s four-year, $54MM deal beyond 2026, though the Broncos restructuring the pact (before the arrests) will create more dead money ($13MM) in the event of a 2027 release. With Cooper (27 sacks from 2023-25) on the ropes, OLB could become a big need for the Broncos next year.

Miller reached out to the Broncos in back-to-back offseasons. Considering Cooper’s legal trouble, Denver taking the future Hall of Famer up on his interest in returning makes more sense. The Broncos have Jonah Elliss as their OLB3 presently. The 2024 third-round pick tallied five sacks as a rookie but was unproductive during an injury-limited 2025, when he registered 2.5 sacks on just six QB hits. The team also views 2025 fourth-round pick Que Robinson — seldom used as a rookie — as a future starter.

Absent a 2026 Cooper release, the Broncos do not appear prepared to bring Miller (now 37) back. They had decided against it in 2025. The late-career nomad did bounce back last season, with nine sacks in Washington, but he might need to find a fifth team to extend his 15-year career.

Top 10 cap charges for 2026:

1. Mike McGlinchey, RT: $23.78MM
2. Zach Allen, DL: $16.48MM
3. D.J. Jones, DT: $14.57MM
4. Evan Engram, TE: $14.14MM
5. Courtland Sutton, WR: $13.98MM
6. Talanoa Hufanga, S: $13.5MM
7. Patrick Surtain, CB: $12.7MM
8. Ben Powers, G: $10.6MM
9. Brandon Jones, S: $9.24MM
10. Quinn Meinerz, RG: $9.21MM

Five Broncos offensive starters will be in their 30s by midseason, and many third- or fourth-contract players are present in Denver’s front seven defensively. Although the Broncos can keep this formula going if/once they extend Nix and backload his contract in 2027, their window with a stacked roster is closing.

Even as the Broncos hold one of the NFL’s best rosters, their frontloaded schedule — the first-six gauntlet goes Chiefs-Jaguars-Rams-49ers-Chargers-Seahawks — during Webb’s introduction to play-calling brings a tremendous challenge. How they navigate that in the OC’s first play-calling weeks will be an important storyline, along with Waddle’s arrival and Nix’s Year 3 growth. But should the team emerge in decent shape early, its roster strength should allow for another Super Bowl push.