SEPTEMBER 2026
BRONCOS 2026 SEASON PREVIEW
BO TIME
Entering his third NFL season, the clock is ticking for Bo Nix to deliver a title
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DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
| BRONCOSPREVIEW | 3
BO TIME COVER STORY
AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix celebrates after connecting with receiver Lil’jordan Humphrey for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills at Empower Field at Mile High on Jan. 17.
Sean Payton has bet this entire Broncos building on Bo Nix, heading into his third season. That includes the unthinkable: passing off play-calling duties to Davis Webb, to do what he feels is the best thing for this Broncos offense and his quarterback. That includes spending the team’s first-round pick on a true route-running threat in Jaylen Waddle. How can Webb and Waddle help unlock Nix’s command of a Broncos offense that sputtered through first halves and passive games in 2025? PAGE 6
TROY RENCK
STADIUM PLANS
Sean Payton believes in Bo Nix. He surrendered play-calling duties to Davis Webb to help him, and added receiver Jaylen Waddle. Will he be patient enough to let it work? PAGE 4
An entertainment and residential hub next to a football stadium and built over train tracks in what used to essentially be inaccessible industrial land looks a lot like what Denver’s owners hope to accomplish. PAGE 34
Broncos’ title hopes hinge on Payton, Webb and Nix
Two Atlanta communities a blueprint for Burnham Yard
BARGAIN QBS
NFL SCHEDULE
Can the ’24 class produce a Super Bowl champion now? The 2024 draft class, which becomes extension-eligible after this season, looks like a decent bet. TIMOTHY HURST — THE DENVER POST After all, Caleb Williams, Jayden Broncos mascot Miles runs into the tunnel before a game against the Daniels, Drake Maye and Bo Nix have already won division titles in Green Bay Packers on Dec. 14 at Empower Field at Mile High. their first two seasons. PAGE 9 COACHING STAFF HUGE ASSET KEEPING THE FAITH
A feast of Thanksgiving, Christmas matchups The Broncos open the season on “Monday Night Football” against the rival Chiefs in one of three fantastic Week 1 matchups. PAGE 36
SEAN KEELER
How long will Joseph have to wait to get a top job?
Game-management director Why the Broncos are AFC West’s new dynasty Rothstein a one-score god
For the past two years, Bo Nix and his organization AIRO have hosted 12 to 16 young quarterbacks for weekends of football, worship and life lessons. PAGE 10
Peers around the NFL were baffled when Broncos’ defensive coordinator Vance Joseph didn’t land one of 10 head-coaching vacancies this past cycle. PAGE 16
Hired by Sean Payton in 2025, Evan Rothstein was “very impactful” in Denver’s 11-2 record in onescore games last season, according to a Broncos source. PAGE 20
BRONCOS HQ
COACH SPEAK
DEFENSE
Nix’s QB retreats about more then just football
Expectations high as new headquarters opens Broncos’ expectations are a mile high under Walton-Penner group with opening of gleaming new headquarters. PAGE 14
Decoding some of Payton’s most common phrases Now that Sean Payton’s got a few years of interviews under his belt in Denver, we offer a guide to his unique vernacular. PAGE 19
Can the Broncos become the NFL’s top-ranked D? Defensive performance tends to be more volatile than offensive, but Vance Joseph’s group has stayed sharp. PAGE 30
Patrick Mahomes? Broken. Chargers? Cursed. Meanwhile, it’s Super Bo or bust in Dove Valley for 2026 — and beyond. PAGE 38
AFC, NFC PREVIEWS
Will Denver be able to repeat ahead of Chiefs, Chargers? A look at all 32 NFL teams and how they rank in each of their divisions going into the 2026 NFL season. AFC CAPSULES, PAGES 40-43 NFC CAPSULES, PAGES 46-49
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| BRONCOSPREVIEW | DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
BO TIME: THE FUTURE IS NOW
SUPER PACT
Denver’s championship hopes will hinge on Payton, Webb, Nix May the fourth be with nine-year chokehold, and them. won a playoff game. Every move coach Sean With a new season on Payton made this offseathe cusp, it helps to look son was designed to bring back at how we got here, the Broncos another Suwith Payton still seeking Troy per Bowl title. It would another ring. Renck be their fourth, PayHis discipline, motivaton’s second and his first tion and attention to detail since 2009 with the New Orleans make him elite. But his audacity Saints. can get the best of him. Earlier this summer, Payton Was it Payton’s fault the Broncos presented Drew Brees as he enlost the AFC Championship Game, tered the Pro Football Hall of 10-7, to the New England Patriots? Fame. It is easy to imagine the Enough of it was. He should have pair switching roles deep into the kicked the field goal to give Denver future if Payton adds a ring in a 10-point lead, rather than go for Denver. it on fourth-and-1. The coach, who is an all-time Even Payton seems to have lost great culture builder, connected a little sleep over it, as much as his football immortality to Bo Nix a man can who drinks 10 Diet in the 2024 draft. Cokes daily. What began as a risk on a It is proven that Payton is one quarterback most draftniks did of the greatest coaches in the not view as a first-rounder can NFL. He ranks 13th all-time with end in confetti on Feb, 14, 2027, at 184 regular-season wins and will SoFi Stadium. move into ninth place ahead of The Broncos’ championship win- Steelers legend Chuck Knoll with dow is wide open, and this season 10 this season. represents one of the best opportuBut it is the title that carries nities to cross the finish line with a the weight. loaded roster and Nix still operatHe was so close last January. ing on a rookie contract. That Broncos team won with “Yeah, this is one of (those clutch and luck, going 12-3 in teams). I think you have to play one-score games. Payton would good defense to be one of those never admit it, but it felt like the teams. You have to get good quar- Broncos were a year ahead of terback play. You have to be schedule. good on the offensive and defenAt 62, in his 19th season as a sive lines. You have to be well head coach, Payton knows there coached,” Payton said. “I think are not going to be many more we’re all of the above.” chances like this one. Payton has exceeded expecTo take advantage of it, he had tations since taking over before to take extraordinary steps. the 2023 season. He navigated Trading for receiver Jaylen the Nathaniel Hazmat, er, HackWaddle for a first-round pick was ett mess, leading the Broncos to necessary and not surprising. The eight wins. The first playoff berth Broncos stunk early in games, since 2015 came a year later. And and Nix needed a proven weapon last season, the Broncos captured to open up the middle of the field the AFC West, ending the Chiefs’ and vertical shots.
The move before that move was shocking. Payton surrendered play-calling duties to wunderkind Davis Webb, his quarterbacks coach of three seasons, after Webb walked straight out of an NFL locker room as a player. Was it through collaboration, the promise of a contract extension, or a revelation that led to Payton’s decision? Probably all of the above. Confidence defines Payton. It makes him special. But he came to realize that the mechanics of getting the plays in and the hockey line changes of personnel were not helping Nix reach his ceiling. Payton can still call plays. But assuming a CEO role, if he allows it, gives the Broncos the best chance to win. Of course, there are doubts. Payton acknowledges that he will have input in Webb’s ear with “some suggestions, some mandates.” If Payton values the ring over power, he will give Webb free rein to find his way. The offense looks different entering the season, with more slants and even — gasp!— passes to tight end Evan Engram. Webb wants Nix fast and less curious. Run a quick operation and take the boring completions to get his feet in sync. “I’m looking forward to everyone getting the rhythm,” Webb said. Fantasy football has perverted the way we view the NFL. It makes touchdowns seem so easy, when in fact, few of us know what it takes to diagram successful drives. Payton obsesses over finding the perfect combination at the right time. His computer features a file of the 810 scores from his coaching career, separated by for-
mation, quarterback drop-back steps, and red zone/goal line, 14 categories in all. “It is a good resource,” Payton said, “for ideas.” Payton likes to file the touchdowns this way: was it the player or the play? These are the things that keep him up at night. Searching. Thinking. Texting. It is why Waddle is so important. He addresses an obvious Nix weakness on passes over 15-plus yards in the air. If Nix can stress the defense over the top, it opens up part of the playbook for Webb that has long been occupied by cobwebs. It will require Webb not to abandon the running game too soon, a trend that can be traced to Denver’s poor early-down efficiency over the last three years. When the Broncos fell to the Patriots, it was because of the offense. Jarrett Stidham committed a turnover that played a huge role. But Denver had become too comfortable turtling, waiting for fourth-quarter magic. The Broncos did not deserve to go to the Super Bowl after scoring seven points. It signaled that it was time for Payton to do something different. To empower Webb, to give Nix more elasticity and creativity at the line of scrimmage. Payton is never going to change who he is. Nor should he. He is intelligent, caustic, charming and short-tempered. These qualities have put him in a position to dream of Canton. Payton had a bad moment in the AFC Championship. He appears to have learned his lesson. Now, he is in position, if patient, to have a great season.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
DENVERPOST.COM
| BRONCOSPREVIEW | 5
TIMOTHY HURST — THE DENVER POST
Broncos head coach Sean Payton walks the field while players stretch during practice on Aug. 6at Broncos Park in Centennial.
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| BRONCOSPREVIEW | DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
LOOKING SUPER COVER STORY: BO TIME
How Sean Payton and Davis Webb revamped around Bo Nix By Parker Gabriel pgabriel@denverpost.com
Bo Nix sat, arms crossed, with the best moment of his professional career, and the worst, plain to see on his body. Markings of victory started with his shoulder pads and No. 10 jersey, which Nix still had on an hour after he had thrown for 279 yards and three touchdowns, including a go-ahead score in the final minute of regulation, in an overtime triumph against Buffalo in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. Eye black smudged across his face and grass stains on his white pants, which touched the Empower Field grass for the final time when he dropped to a knee, well into field goal range, after engineering a 75yard, franchise-lifting drive to set up a walk-off field goal and deliver Denver to the AFC title game. The signs of agony were there, too, though. Nix had his entire uniform on except his cleats and his right sock, which had to be removed to perform the X-ray that confirmed a season-ending fracture in his ankle. He was not in the locker room amid the Club Dub smoke, deafening music and unbridled celebration. Instead, he sat in a hallway with his coach, Davis Webb, to his left, along with backup QBs Sam Ehlinger, Jarrett Stidham, and his family. The whiplash of emotions over one hour was felt by Broncos fans, players and coaches — many of whom were driving home and at first thought the Nix news was fake. But no one felt that swirl more intensely than Nix himself. He went from the brink of a Super Bowl run in his second year in the NFL to a helpless onlooker. From the center of the huddle to an Empower Field suite, a distance
TIMOTHY HURST — THE DENVER POST
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix throws during practice on Aug. 7 at Broncos Park in Centennial. that must have felt like an ocean. From one step away to two ankle surgeries and an entire offseason spent working toward just putting a game uniform on again. Nine days later, the Broncos’ season finished four points shy of beating New England and playing in the Super Bowl. Nix still sounded fresh off the injury, but with at least some space to broaden his perspective. He talked through the injury itself, his reaction and emotions and then pointed to one potential silver lining. “Fortunately for us in the NFL, there’s not really a timeline,” he said Jan. 28. “The timeline is on us
and we can push it as much as we can. There’s going to be more years of this, more wins around here, more opportunities to go play for championships and that’s the most important part.” That is mostly true. If the Broncos and Nix have their way, he’ll be leading this team for another decade or more. Still, when Nix takes the field Sept. 14 at Arrowhead Stadium, he will do so with a lot of new around him, too. Not so much in on-field personnel — though there’s one major addition — but in the apparatus built specifically around the BRONCOS » PAGE 7
BO NIX CAREER STATS 2024
2025
Completions
376
388
Attempts
567
612
Completion %
66.3%
63.4%
Yards
3,775
3,931
TD
29
25
INT
12
11
Rush yards
430
356
Rush TDs
4
5
10-7
14-3
W-L
DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
Broncos
ABOUT DAVIS WEBB
FROM PAGE 6
Year
Team
Backup QB to
quarterback. That’s because time is of the essence, too. Nix is eligible for a contract extension after the season, meaning he will get very expensive very quickly. The Broncos have an enviable core of talent across their roster and have spent $500 million-plus in the past two years retaining as much of it as they can. It only takes looking at Denver’s head coach himself, however, to understand that cores age quickly in the NFL. In the middle of training camp, Spotrac data showed only five rosters older on average than Denver’s. For Nix and the Broncos, the time is now. What January revealed is that you never know when your best shot at a championship might arrive. Super Bowl windows in the NFL are often like the windows a quarterback searches for down the field. Sometimes by the time you recognize an opening, it’s already starting to close. While Nix rehabbed this offseason, the Broncos went about re-racking much of what made them an AFC force in 2025. Two marquee changes, though — promoting Webb to play-caller and trading a first-rounder and more for Jaylen Waddle — are Denver’s attempt to capitalize right now. The window is open. The clock is ticking.
2017
N.Y. Giants
Eli Manning
2018
N.Y. Jets
Sam Darnold
2019-21
Buffalo
Josh Allen
2022
N.Y. Giants
Daniel Jones
Changing of the headset
Payton sensed time working against him as early as the middle of the 2025 season. Forty seconds once seemed like an eternity, but now they melted away more quickly. Nix occasionally looked to the sideline as Payton scanned his playsheet through game-day eyeglasses. He’d spin his finger, imploring Payton to get a play in. “Let’s go,” broadcast cameras caught Nix yelling more than once. Instead of barking back, Payton started to think about the longer term and about the dynamo standing next to him on the sideline. Payton was once Webb. Or very much like him. He was 36 when Jim Fassel first gave him the chance to call plays for the New York Giants. It was December 1999, and Fassel
PLAYING
COACHING
Year
Team
Title
2023-24
Broncos
QB coach
2025
Broncos
QB/passing game coord.
2026
Broncos
Offensive coordinator
missed some of the preparation week before the Giants played the New York Jets to attend his mother’s funeral. The Jets’ head coach: Bill Parcells. Their defensive coordinator: Bill Belichick. “I was like, ‘Thanks for the assignment,’” Payton quipped this summer. With Payton at the controls, the Giants torched the Jets for 41 points and 490 yards. They had scored more than 24 once over their opening 12 games and hadn’t generated more than 384 yards. Quarterback Kerry Collins threw for 341 yards that day and afterward, according to the New York Times, said, “Some of the red zone calls were courageous; they were aggressive.” Almost exactly 26 years later, Payton’s self-scouting left him pondering similar themes in similar terms but from a substantially different posture. “It’s said that, as you get older, maybe you don’t drive in the rain at night,” Payton mused in January, two weeks past his 62nd birthday, as the Broncos prepared to face Buffalo. “I can’t let that happen as a play-caller. That’s something that I have to mentally make sure it’s quick. It’s quick and decisive and it’s daring at the right time.” Payton could have tried to implore himself on that front through this offseason. He could have let Webb go to another team in a play-calling coordinator role. Instead, he fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and promoted Webb. He didn’t announce the play-calling change until a month later at the NFL Scouting
ANDY CROSS — THE DENVER POST
Broncos head coach Sean Payton, left, promoted Davis Webb, right, to offensive coordinator. Webb will also be taking over play-calling responsibilities in his new role. Combine, but Webb had known since he accepted the job and called it a “no-brainer” once play-calling was on the table. Few subjects this offseason have generated the unanimity that Webb has around the Broncos’ building. Everybody, to a person, believes Webb is going to be really good as a play-caller. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey , when asked about the franchise’s faith in Webb earlier this summer, paused for a moment, as if considering it for the first time. “Yeah, that’s a good point,” the ninth-year right tackle allowed. “There is a lot of confidence for a guy that’s never done it. But… “I also don’t think it’s wrong to have that confidence in Davis,” he continued. “And it’s because of who he is and it’s because of his love of the game of football. This is all he’s ever wanted to do. He’s been build-
| BRONCOSPREVIEW | 7
ing this book for how he wants to do it for years now. I think there’s a self-confidence he has that really rubs off on everybody else. He projects that and he makes all the players who play for him feel it. “That’s the sign of a good coach.”
Can Webb help Nix elevate into NFL’s upper echelon? Webb might be new to the offensive coordinator position, but his opening meeting this spring was not the first time he’d presented to the Broncos’ full offensive staff. Weeks after Webb attempted 41 passes for the New York Giants in the final week of the 2022 season, he flew to Denver to interview for a job coaching quarterbacks under new Broncos coach Sean Payton. Webb, as part of the interview, was asked to present to Denver’s newly assembled offensive staff, of which he would eventually become one of the final pieces. Logan Kilgore had just been brought on as a quality control coach but knew of Webb, both as a fan and student of football but also because he’d built a close relationship with the Manning family over more than a decade and coached Arch Manning in high school during the 2022 season. Webb had spent his rookie season as a third-round pick in 2017 backing up Arch’s uncle and future Hall of Famer Eli Manning. As Webb delved into the ins and outs of quarterback play and shared his experience and coaching philosophy, the room was mesmerized. “He was extremely polished, extremely intelligent, good communicator,” Kilgore recalled recently. “The visual presentation that he provided was incredible. If you’re a former player, maybe things don’t always translate to that (coaching) side so fast.” They did for Webb, in part, because he and essentially everybody he’s come across in his football playing days knew he one day was going to be a coach. Webb has every game plan since his days playing for his father, Matt, at Prosper High in Texas. In December 2012, Eric Morris was hired by Kliff Kingsbury’s Texas Tech staff. One of his first assignments: Visit Webb, who was committed, about to sign and a month from joining the Red RaidBRONCOS » PAGE 8
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| BRONCOSPREVIEW | DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
Broncos
JAYLEN WADDLE CAREER STATS Year
Games
Catches
Targets
Yards
TD
FROM PAGE 7
2021
16
104
140
1,015
6
ers’ program. “You could just tell, the minute that I got in there, that he was super confident in what he did and loved ball and was very opinionated,” Morris recalled. When Webb got to Lubbock, it didn’t take long for the coaching future to show up tangibly. “He was always a guy that had ideas,” Morris said. “‘Hey, Coach, what if we did it this way? What if we motioned X here? What if we moved formation to the boundary?’ “So you could always just tell, the wheels were always spinning with him.” Webb, a prolific note-taker and collector of all manner of football ideas, has built a playbook and a plan for himself over many years. Of course, so, too, has Payton, who still holds the final say in all things Broncos. What, ultimately, Denver’s offense looks and feels like with Webb at the controls remains to be seen. Some clues have started to emerge, though, and they build on themes that unsurprisingly sound like the stories from those who coached Webb along the way. He has good, unique ideas of his own and the ability to coach them well, but he also excels in taking already good ideas and shaping them into better ones. Players in training camp talk largely about tailoring and tinkering. They talk about similar concepts out of a tweaked formation. Same play, but with pre-snap motion. Payton-esque scheme all dressed up with new-school sleight of hand. Streamlined verbiage to facilitate thinking and playing fast. This, though, is not tinkering for tinkering’s sake. This is a change targeted specifically at making life more efficient for Nix. Running the football with conviction and regularity is a point of focus, but it would also help keep defenses honest against Nix, who led the NFL in pass attempts last year. Nix, Payton says, reads defenses quickly. Sometimes too quickly. He might come off his No. 1 read just before that guy is about to become available. Experience and work should help him play with the right pace at the right time, but Webb
2022
17
75
117
1,356
8
2023
14
72
104
1,014
4
2024
15
58
83
744
2
2025
16
64
100
910
6
hasn’t stopped there. “There were some long hours in the offseason as a passing game staff of really trying to evaluate and watch the last two years of him playing and how does the first read marry up with the second read,” Webb said. One final factor: The Broncos are giving Nix more game-day freedom in Year 3. He, in his coaches’ eyes, has earned it.”He’s handling some stuff at the line of scrimmage more than maybe he has in the past,” Webb told The Post. “Taking what we talk about in the QB room out and flying it. He’s grown in so many areas protection-wise, defensive recognition, play understanding. “I’m really, really satisfied with where he’s at right now.”
Jaylen Waddle should change Denver’s offense substantially Josh Allen took major strides in the 2019 season, his second starting for Buffalo. The club went from 6-10 in his rookie season to 10-6. A roster makeover started to come into focus. Allen’s production jumped, though he still only completed 57% of his passes and accuracy questions lingered around the 2018 firstround pick. Then, in March 2020, the Bills traded a first-round pick and more to acquire Stefon Diggs from Minnesota. Diggs isn’t the only reason Allen exploded onto the scene and established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in football in his third season, but he certainly didn’t hurt. The results were immediate. Diggs in 2020 turned in the best year of his illustrious career, catching 127 balls for 1,535 yards in his first season playing with Allen. Allen finished second in the MVP voting. Diggs spent four seasons with
the Bills and averaged 111 catches, 1,343 yards and nine touchdowns per season. All of that crossed Webb’s mind back in March when the Broncos finalized a deal sending a first-round pick, plus third and fourth rounders, to Miami for Waddle. Just like Payton saw some of his younger self in Webb, Webb saw shades of his football past in the Waddle deal. “Just seeing the growth from (Allen and Diggs) at that time, there’s some similarities of what started to happen here,” Webb said this summer. “It doesn’t mean it’s going to. We got a long way to go, but man, (Waddle) is good. I’ve just enjoyed the person and just watching him work. He is a blessing to be around. “He’s a multiplier. He’s a thermostat.” The Broncos have known the need since Payton arrived here in 2023. He quickly decided Jerry Jeudy was not the answer. Courtland Sutton is a valuable asset in his own right and has been Nix’s favorite target by far through two seasons together, but he is not a prototypical No. 1. Waddle is. The Broncos knew they didn’t need Romeo Doubs or Jauan Jennings in free agency. They eventually learned they could have drafted Omar Cooper at No. 30 out of Indiana. But Denver already had depth. They had quality players at the position. They needed a ceiling-raiser and they happily paid a premium for one. They worked on Waddle for months, dating to the trade deadline in November 2025. The tape spoke for itself. They talked with countless people about his makeup and work ethic. Finally, they got their guy. He’s been what the Broncos expected and more. “Obviously, his speed down the field is noticeable but he can win underneath, he can win intermediate and that draws eyes,” Webb
said. “You can see it when he’s out there practicing. Other guys are getting touches because he’s drawing attention on him. Whenever they don’t have eyes on him, he’s making plays. “It allows us to be very versatile and it opens the run game up.”
The window
So much has to go right for a team to win the Super Bowl any given year. The Broncos found out last winter that, even when all the stars start to align, they can come apart with the snap of a bone. This is not a classic chips-all-in season where a front office and ownership group throw caution entirely to the wind. Denver has ample cap space and is clearly considering how to smooth the transition to life with Nix post-extension, should that be how the next 12 months play out. Payton just signed a new fiveyear deal and says he wants to coach for quite a while yet. For as good as the Broncos appear to be, they still have questions to answer. Can they actually run the football better? Can J.K. Dobbins stay healthy a full season for the first time and can the Broncos remain one of the league’s healthiest teams for a fourth straight year? Can Vance Joseph’s defense maintain its high level of play? Can Payton, who seems genuinely excited by Webb’s promise, strike the right balance of “some suggestions, some mandates,” as he described his gameday role in the new play-caller’s ear? Whatever happens, it is apparent from the starting line that Payton came that close to a Super Bowl appearance last season but came away realizing the offense needed change. Here it is. A swashbuckling 31-year-old coordinator and an in-his-prime game-changer at receiver who are expected to help lift all boats. None more than the quarterback. “He understands how close we were a year ago,” Webb said, “but it was a year ago and we’ve kind of put that in the rearview mirror. We understand how close we were, but this is a brand new season. … “Now everyone kind of knows we’re a good football team. And we are, but everybody knows it so there’s a new target.”
DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
| BRONCOSPREVIEW | 9
BO TIME: CLASSMATES
BARGAIN QBS
Can a quarterback on a current rookie deal win a Super Bowl? By Parker Gabriel pgabriel@denverpost.com
When Sam Darnold hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in February, it was the culmination of an unlikely quarterback journey. Darnold, like many other Super Bowl champions, was a high draft pick. Just not by Seattle. Or Minnesota, where he played before the Seahawks. Or San Francisco. Or Carolina. Darnold, of course, was picked No. 3 overall in the 2018 draft by the New York Jets. He flamed out there, then started a journey that featured stops and starts, more downs than ups and, eventually, a fast rise at Minnesota, a $100-million deal in Seattle and, in his first year starting for the Seahawks, a world title. Darnold is one of several quarterbacks in the NFL who has had to take the long route to being a coveted starter. Baker Mayfield went through the same thing. Jared Goff nearly won a Super Bowl in Los Angeles only to be dumped by the Rams in a trade to Detroit. Daniel Jones was putting together a great year last year — his first in seven seasons — before an injury cut his Indianapolis debut short. Overall, though, winning a Super Bowl in the past decade-plus in the NFL has been the province of surefire Hall of Famers. Before Darnold, nine of the previous 11 Super Bowls had been won by Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Matthew Stafford. The other two belong to the Eagles: Nick Foles in 2017 and Jalen Hurts in 2024. Of course, any team would take a future Hall of Famer at quarterback, but one interesting element here: For as much as the prevailing wisdom is that quarterbacks on a cheap, rookie contract are the key to building a championship-caliber team, the only quarterbacks since
QBS IN THE SUPER BOWL SINCE 2013 Cap number Year Winning QB Team 2013 Russell Wilson Seattle $681K 2014 Tom Brady New England $14.8M 2015 Peyton Manning Denver $17.5M 2016 Tom Brady New England $13.7M 2017 Nick Foles Philadelphia $1.6M 2018 Tom Brady New England $22M 2019 Patrick Mahomes Kansas City $4.5M 2020 Tom Brady Tampa Bay $25M 2021 Matthew Stafford L.A. Rams $20M 2022 Patrick Mahomes Kansas City $35.8M 2023 Patrick Mahomes Kansas City $37.1M 2024 Jalen Hurts Philadelphia $13.6M 2025 Sam Darnold Seattle $13.4M
Pct. Cap of cap Losing QB Team number 0.5% Peyton Manning Denver $18M 10.6% Russell Wilson Seattle $817K 11.7% Cam Newton Carolina $13M 8.6% Matt Ryan Atlanta $23.8M 0.9% Tom Brady New England $14M 12.2% Jared Goff L.A. Rams $7.6M 2.4% Jimmy Garoppolo San Francisco $20M 12.2% Patrick Mahomes Kansas City $5.3M 10.7% Joe Burrow Cincinnati $8.2M 17% Jalen Hurts Philadelphia $1.6M 17.1% Brock Purdy San Francisco $889K 5.2% Patrick Mahomes Kansas City $37M 4.7% Drake Maye New England $8.3M
THE 2024 QB CLASS THROUGH TWO YEARS Pk. Player Team 1 Caleb Williams Chicago 2 Jayden Daniels Washington 3 Drake Maye New England 8 Michael Penix Jr. Atlanta 10 J.J. McCarthy Minnesota 12 Bo Nix Denver * Rankings from The Athletic 2013 to win a Super Bowl while actually playing on their rookie deal are Russell Wilson (2013 for Seattle) and Mahomes in 2019. Mahomes’ and Brady’s dominance has a lot to do with that stat, but perhaps it’s telling nonetheless. While they haven’t won many titles, rookie-contract quarterbacks still have appeared in the Super Bowl frequently. Wilson made it back in 2014. Since 2018, the losing
Record 16-18 14-10 17-12 4-8 6-4 24-10
Playoff record
2026 rank *
1-1 2-1 3-1 0-0 0-0 1-1
T-11 13 T-8 32 34 18
Super Bowl quarterback has been on his rookie deal six of eight years, with Mahomes holding the two exceptions in 2020 and 2024. Otherwise, the list goes Goff (2018), Jimmy Garoppolo (2019), Joe Burrow (2021), Hurts (2022), Brock Purdy (2023) and Drake Maye last year. Of the 26 quarterbacks to start a Super Bowl in the past 13 years, 12 have accounted for 5.2% of his team’s cap that year or less. That in-
Pct. of cap 14.9% 0.6% 8.7% 15% 8.3% 4.2% 8.6% 2.4% 4.2% 0.7% 0.4% 14.7% 2.6%
cludes the past two winners in Darnold and Hurts. Could a QB on a rookie deal break through this year and win a Super Bowl? The 2024 draft class, which becomes extension-eligible after this season, looks like a decent bet. After all, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Maye and Denver’s Bo Nix have already won division titles in their first two seasons. Maye’s played in a Super Bowl, while Daniels and Nix have come within a game. The list of quarterbacks good enough to take up a double-digit percentage of a team’s salary cap has been short over the past decade-plus. Mahomes winning two while taking up 17% of the Chiefs’ cap space stands as the outlier. Of course, teams are adept at suppressing the cap hit for a player long after he signs an extension, but the bill comes due at some point. So, the most efficient way is to strike while the iron is hot and the signal-caller is cheap.
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| BRONCOSPREVIEW | DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
TIMOTHY HURST — THE DENVER POST
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix warms up during practice on Aug. 6 at Broncos Park in Centennial.
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BO TIME: NIX’S OUTREACH
KEEPING FAITH
QB retreats for top prospects about more than football By Luca Evans levans@denverpost.com
In the springtime in Faunsdale, Ala., schools of bass drift from deeper waters to the edges of lakes, lured by the kisses of the Southern sun. Patrick Nix, knowing this, told 17-year-old Bobby Coleman he should try to fish right at the bank of the lake that bordered their not-so-summer camp this March. So Coleman cast his rod, ignoring a heap of good-natured prodding from Bo Nix — his de facto camp counselor — that he wouldn’t catch anything. He let one line fly. No bites. He let a second line fly. And Coleman reeled in a 4-pound bass from the lake’s depths, long enough to touch from his fingertip to his bicep. Bo Nix looked on in disbelief as Coleman set his rod down and unhooked the conquest from his line. Coleman turned back and saw Bo Nix had grabbed the rod for himself. “I just saw it in his eyes, bruh,” Coleman recalled. “He was determined.” Never mind that Nix wasn’t exactly a skilled fisherman, despite his Southern roots. Never mind that he was here to mentor, his own organization having organized this retreat. Never mind that Coleman, a senior quarterback at Central High in Phenix City, Ala., had to show him how to cast a line. Someone — OK, a 17-year-old — had indirectly presented the 26-year-old NFL quarterback with a challenge. And so he began to try to fish. “He was, like, really determined,” Coleman said. “He wasn’t even smiling. Like, straight face. Eyes on the rod. Locked in. “So I’m like, ‘Oh, nah. This man for real.’” Coleman learned quickly that
the Broncos’ third-year quarterback is intentional. In football. In life. In everything. And Coleman has brought that back from Faunsdale to Phenix City, one of roughly a dozen young quarterbacks who have all internalized something from Nix across two years of specialized quarterback camps in Alabama. Champ Smith, a four-star quarterback in Florida and Harvard commit, has listened to Nix preach his values of falling back on faith amid imperfection. Titus Huard, a junior quarterback at Valor Christian, has been heartened by Nix’s vulnerability discussing the struggles of his position. In turn, they have seen Nix grow up through fragments of his own self-reflection. In 2024, Nix, his father Patrick, brother Caleb and four close Nix family friends founded the nonprofit organization “AIRO,” named for the Greek word to lift or raise up. Since 2025, they have hosted four free multi-day quarterback retreats at remote ranchstyle properties in Alabama, inviting roughly 12 to 16 prospects from across the country for an entirely different kind of QB camp. “It was really less about football, at this camp,” Smith said. “To be honest, that was kind of their last priority.” They ate. They fished. And prayed. And worshipped. All alongside Nix, a mentor trying to impart unfinished life lessons learned from grappling with his own perfectionism. The camps are not really about football. Because Nix has come to believe his life is not really about football. “It aligns perfectly,” Nix told The Post in August, asked how his retreats reflect who he is. “I am a quarterback. I have walked the same path that they’ve gone, and I share similar experiences.
“But at the same time, most importantly, I just understand — in the long run, none of this really matters.”
A QB camp unlike any other
In spring 2025, Smith’s flight touched down at Alabama’s Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport from Florida, where Smith was one of the invitees to Nix’s first-ever AIRO retreat. Patrick Nix texted Smith that a black SUV would be waiting for him outside the airport, for a long drive to the camp location. Smith walked out of his gate, saw a black SUV, and opened the door to find the younger Nix — and fellow Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham — waiting to personally usher him. “It was like, surreal,” Smith said. “I was like, ‘What’s he doing here?’ Like, the place is an hour and a half away. Why is he coming up here?” The place was Sunshine Farm, a sprawling property with a massive lake, a line of side-by-side ATVs and a driving range that Smith described as “the most extraordinary thing I have ever seen in my entire life.” That was, of course, until 2026’s location: another lakeside property in Faunsdale, a town with about 90 recorded inhabitants. Coleman watched from the window on his drive to Faunsdale as tumbleweeds drifted across back roads. “I’m like, ‘Well, I know this scenery finna be great,’ ” Coleman recalled. The house itself was outfitted with assortments of bunk beds on the second floor and a large dining area. A side room featured a TV and several couches, which Nix eventually used to gather the group to break down film. It was secluded. The location mattered because
of the intention. As a junior bluechip recruit in high school, Nix and his father Patrick grew familiar — and slightly disillusioned — with the traditional youth quarterback camp circuit. So Patrick went to longtime friend Bill Gray, a former multi-area director for the Greater Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in Birmingham, Ala., with the idea to found a quarterback camp that would focus directly on life and spiritual coaching. After years of camps at Sunshine Farm, Nix and Gray’s families merged to transfer the camp under the AIRO name in 2026. “We did an experience you may have never done before,” Nix told The Post. “Catch a fish, ride a horse, shoot a bow and arrow, something like that. And then at the end, the most important was — we want to share the gospel with them, and open up the Bible, and talk about life, talk about struggles. Because we all go through the same things.” The moment campers arrived in Faunsdale this spring, they surrendered their phones. One of the staffers would hit the Internet and update the group on March Madness scores at the end of the day, during the spring retreats; otherwise, there was no Wi-Fi. The point, as Smith explained, was for the quarterbacks to connect authentically. One day, as Smith recalled, a quarterback joked to Nix that he would eventually have to follow him back on Instagram if he beat him in a camp competition. “Bo was like, ‘I don’t even touch my Instagram,’” Smith said. “Cause he can’t. Because the moment he opens it up, he’s going to start scrolling. He’s going to see something about how, ‘Bo’s injury-prone, and Bo’s this, and Bo’s that.’ So he can’t even do it. He does it from time to time, to check up on CAMP » PAGE 12
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somebody, or just like that. “But he’s like, ‘I can’t do it,’ ” Smith continued. “He’s got his guys to manage that … that was the other thing he mentioned was, the social media part can kill people.”
Faith, family and football
Before their first night of sleep this spring, Smith — a camp veteran from the previous year — warned Huard that they would be woken up with rather loud music. Indeed, as Smith recalled, Nix and his father had an interconnected four-speaker system rigged up in the property that lit up at 6 a.m. And Nix and father Patrick would walk around, rousing halfasleep quarterbacks from their slumber, to the dun-DA-da-DUNda-DA-dun-DA-da-DUN-DUN-DUN of the “NFL on FOX” theme song. “It almost startled me, a little bit,” Huard said. “I’ve never really had anything like that in my life. Never an alarm clock like that. That was pretty cool.” The day began, from there, with a yoga and stretching circuit down by the lake led by Nix’s brother Caleb, a standout safety in his own right at Jacksonville State. Breakfast, then, precluded a set of fieldwork drills led by Nix and others, and then “some sort of competition,” as Smith put it. Interspersed throughout the day — morning, afternoon, and night — came a set of group devotionals. This, to Nix, is the most important element of his retreats, a man who has Colossians 3:23 printed in his Twitter bio: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” “Basically, turn young athletes from high school, college and the pros level to better men in Christ,” Nix’s adoptive brother and NFL receiver Tez Johnson told The Post, on the retreats’ mission. “Also football, but mainly men in Christ. So — want to be a firm believer. And if you haven’t made a decision, you go to the camp. You might not make the decision to follow Christ there, but you’re definitely going to get really good work, have some really good food and just fellowship.” Nix spoke to campers at length throughout the weekend — as did
COURTESY OF MASON DAVID ERWIN
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix during a devotional at one of his AIRO camps in 2026. fellow attendees Stidham and quarterback Sam Ehlinger — about the pitfalls of his journey, in hopes it could help with theirs. He was a kind of dream-school prodigal son at Auburn and wound up feeling the school ran him out the door in what he told the group was “one of the hardest parts of his life,” as Smith said.
He found freedom again at Oregon, bringing new pressures as a first-round NFL quarterback. Something clicked in 2025, through up-and-down individual performances that nonetheless helped the Broncos to a 14-3 record and AFC Championship berth. “He said, last year with the Broncos was the first time — and
Stidham kinda mentioned this too — they really felt joy playing the game of football,” Huard recalled. Before every single positional meeting they had in 2025, Nix and Ehlinger sat down for a Bible study. Stidham joined them later in the season. “They said that was really CAMP » PAGE 13
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Camp FROM PAGE 12
comforting to them just to get them through, maybe, hardships,” Huard said. In March, too, Nix ran through the series of fortunate-turned-unfortunate events that befell him in January. He told campers it wasn’t a pretty scene, after Denver’s AFC wild-card win over Buffalo. Family celebrating. Adrenaline wearing. Pain creeping. Doctors bringing Nix in for X-rays. The dream season was over, instantly, with the broken ankle Nix didn’t know was broken. An entire city’s elation gave way to despair. Yet he managed to rationalize it, sitting with his back against an Empower Field hallway in January. And Nix’s perspective had widened already with the birth of his daughter Riley in the month to come. “What are you going to do?” Smith said, recalling Nix’s message. “Are you going to crumble, or are you going to stay strong in your faith? And he was grateful that happened, because it made him into a better person. He talked about how it helped him be a dad. He also talked about — football’s amazing, but seeing his daughter born is something so much more special than that.” “He had an amazing year,” Smith continued, “and he also had an awful thing that happened, and he also had a kid that was born. And there was just so many things that happened that year … and I can remember him saying this. He was like, ‘I had an amazing year, and I’m not going to let one thing hold down the 14-3 season that we had.’ ”
Learning to play free
On their second night in March, a Saturday, the group gathered in that side room of the house for a Nix-focused film session. He did not scroll through general quarterback clips, or track down the campers’ Hudl film. He threw up his own tape from Denver’s AFC wild-card win over Buffalo. By all accounts, Nix passed his second-ever NFL postseason test: 26-of-46, 279 yards, three touchdowns and an interception while missing second-leading receiver Troy Franklin. He did not focus on
AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix drops back during training camp at Broncos Park in Centennial on Aug. 5. that. Instead, he picked apart his mistakes. Buffalo’s defense, he told the young group of quarterbacks, did a strong job of mixing up coverages against him, and Nix felt he too often looked downfield and missed shorter openings in front of him. Huard noted, for better or worse, how hard Nix was on himself — “how perfect he wanted to be,” as Huard said. “Kinda broke down what he was thinking, where he messed up, the whole nine yards,” Smith said. “Which is another level of humility, being able to go up there and show kids you just completely messing up for their benefit.” His message rang clear to Huard and Smith. Nix discussed the concepts of Year One Bo and Year Two Bo. Year One Bo, he explained to them, relied more on hero-ball
and occasionally wasn’t 100% clear what was going on in the nuances of head coach Sean Payton’s system. Year Two Bo understood — despite the pressure on his shoulders — that Denver’s fate didn’t need to fully ride on him. “He talked about not having to do everything all on his own, trust his guy,” Smith said. “And that’s what honestly took him to the next level. He said that he threw to his checkdowns or his running backs so much, and they had such a better season because of that. So I think that was the biggest thing that he touched on was that — not having to be superhuman.” He will have help in that regard with new receiver Jaylen Waddle, whom Nix told Smith he had been on the phone with the day before they arrived in Faunsdale. And he will have help, too, in the world-
view he has tried to impart at remote palaces in Alabama, unable to help his own self-aggrandizing within his own game but better able to accept the slew of forces beyond his control. “I feel like my perspective is right,” Nix told The Post, “and I feel like I just understand and really have a desire to help these kids navigate their life that they’re going through, and maybe avoid some of the things early on that I could’ve avoided. Just by fully giving it up, and not putting your identity — not putting your all into the game. Because it’s going to let you down. “You’re not going to be perfect. You’re going to make mistakes. And as soon as I learned that in my time at Auburn, I’ve been just a lot more free as a player. Just free as a person.”
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
RJ SANGOSTI — THE DENVER POST
Players warm up during minicamp in front of a new building at Broncos Park on June 17in Centennial.
AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST
Owner Greg Penner of the Denver Broncos speaks during training camp at Broncos Park in Centennial on Aug. 11.
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BRONCOS HQ
BUILD THE BEST
Expectations mile high as gleaming new headquarters opens By Parker Gabriel pgabriel@denverpost.com
Somewhere along a walk through the Broncos’ new training center and headquarters, the thought starts to percolate. Perhaps it’s in the business offices on the third floor, with copious natural light, soaring, exposed wood beams and ceiling, a large outdoor patio overlooking the practice fields and even a golf simulator. Or perhaps it’s down on the players’ first floor, in the cavernous locker room, a weight room that will make leg day seem like a good idea or a state-of-the-art training and rehabilitation area that is filled with cutting-edge technology and design detail down to the exact size of the drawers. All-Pro right guard Quinn Meinerz parked underground in the players’ lot for the first time and realized his truck wouldn’t be “150 degrees” after a long training camp day baking in the Front Range sun. Then he walked into the building and, right through the doors, found paths to the locker room, weight room and cafeteria. “In the previous building, the weight room, you have to walk,” he said. “It sounds so spoiled, but you have to walk a little bit to go to the weight room. Right now, the weight room is connected to the locker room pretty much, so everything is so close. “Those little minutes of time do add up throughout the day, so it’ll be nice to just have a really good flow of traffic and everything.” Somewhere along the way, it’s natural to wonder: Is there such a thing as too nice? Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner has thought about that question and has at least one antidote. “Well, I think you’ve met our
“It’s a testament to ownership, to Greg and Carrie, the investment they’ve made into football.” — Broncos president Damani Leech on the new headquarters
head coach,” he said with a smile during a recent news conference in the atrium of the Broncos’ new building, which opened for business in July. Sean Payton didn’t laugh when relayed the comment, but he made it clear that the new digs had been part of his opening message to the 2026 Broncos when they reported for training camp this summer. His message: It’s very possible to have a team that stinks residing in a building that shines. “There have been a ton of new facilities with teams that have had success and a ton of new facilities with teams that haven’t,” Payton said. “I don’t think there’s any story or correlation. It’s about the guys in the room, what we do on the field. If we’re not successful, it’s going to be because we didn’t do a good enough job coaching, we didn’t execute well enough. It’s not going to be because of the new digs. If we are successful, it’s going to be because we did the stuff needed. It’s not going to be because of the new digs.”
Building the best to be the best That’s mostly true. A new building can’t give Payton and offensive coordinator Davis Webb better ideas for third-and-short. It won’t make a game-saving tackle or force a fumble at a critical moment. What the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group is betting on,
though, is that over time the building will make a difference in football and business. The bells and whistles are part of that equation, to be sure. Having the best in training and rehab tools won’t prevent all injuries, but if it prevents one or two per year, that’s real, on-the-field value. If having nearly all business employees relocated from the stadium to the new HQ leads to better ideas, that’s good for the bottom line, too. “It’s a testament to ownership, to Greg and Carrie, the investment they’ve made into football, football first, but also our business to bring nearly 100 business staff into the building to create culture, to design a building with football in mind,” president Damani Leech said. “The spaces are really well thought of. Very intentional layout. The player path of travel was really, really important. “I love coming to work every day, and I think everybody else does too.” But there’s another element, slightly less tangible, that might not be apparent on a quick tour of the building but undoubtedly can be felt by players and employees who show up to work there every day. You’ve got the best of the best. No stone is left unturned. Leech put it flat-out in early August: “There’s really nothing that we didn’t get. Nothing.” The result: There is really no excuse for not performing. “Any time we’re going to — whether it’s this facility, a new stadium — we’re trying to raise the expectations,” Penner said. “And our expectation is that we want to win championships. “We’re going to do everything it takes and provide the resources that are necessary to do it.” Now four years into owning the team, Penner and Carrie Wal-
ton-Penner increasingly see their vision coming to fruition. They’ve solidified the top of their football operation with Payton and general manager George Paton, extending each of their contracts this spring with deals of equal length. They’ve got a quarterback in place in Bo Nix. They’ve been to an AFC Championship Game. They’ve designed and built a new home base for the franchise and are in the process of attempting to do the same with a stadium and mixed-use district at Burnham Yard. They’ve overhauled the club’s foundation and community efforts. The Penners had high expectations from the start in August 2022, to be sure. They showed they weren’t afraid of change when they fired Nathaniel Hackett after 15 games and took on a record $85 million in dead salary cap a year later by releasing Russell Wilson. With each passing year and each additional project, though, the room for excuses dwindles further. That doesn’t mean the Broncos must win Super Bowls every year or else. Penner said recently he’s wary of “binary answers” when it comes to what defines success in a particular season. Still, at this point, the expectations set from the corner offices in the club’s new building are high. And they’re not coming down any time soon. “I’m excited,” Penner said. “I feel like each season we come in and we’re more prepared and a better roster and a more complete coaching staff and all the pieces are there since the first season. That’s how I feel about it now. We can’t wait to get out there. We have all the pieces, and we have the right culture. “Again, we’re providing the right resources. You always need a little bit of luck. And you just have to go out and perform.”
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| BRONCOSPREVIEW | DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
TIMOTHY HURST — THE DENVER POST
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph looks on from the sideline against the Commanders on Nov. 30. at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md.
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COACHING STAFF
LEADER OF MEN
How long will Vance Joseph have to wait for another top job? By Luca Evans levans@denverpost.com
Vance Joseph wanted to be in Denver badly enough, a decade ago, that he left for Miami. He is not one to hold grudges, as former colleague Marvin Lewis will tell it. But the nuances of the NFL’s hiring process frustrated him in 2015 and have rarely worked in his favor since. Former Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak wanted Joseph, then the Bengals’ defensive backs coach, to be his defensive coordinator in Denver in 2015. Then-Denver general manager John Elway put in a slip to interview Joseph. Longtime Bengals head coach Lewis wanted Joseph to advance. But someone — as Lewis tells it — wandered upstairs to convince Bengals owner Mike Brown that Joseph was valuable enough to keep, and Lewis tried to convince Brown to no avail, and the Bengals blocked Joseph from leaving. So a year later, Joseph left Cincinnati “because he was upset,” as Lewis said, to take the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator job. Another year later, Joseph landed the top job in Denver on the heels of Kubiak’s retirement and at the beginning of a transitional era. The what-if, from Cincinnati’s 2015 blockade, is significant. Lewis was asked: If Joseph had already been immersed in Denver’s building for the two years before he succeeded Kubiak, would things have gone differently? “It’s probably,” Lewis affirmed, “a really different outcome.” Instead, the Broncos went 5-11 and 6-10 in two years before firing Joseph, sending him spiraling back down the rungs of an arbitrary NFL coaching ladder that is remarkably difficult to climb back up. The journey, since, has taken
him back to Denver as a coordinator, in a remarkably humble move for a fired head coach — “no fear,” as Cowboys DC Christian Parker put it — only for the NFL to pass him up with each passing coaching cycle. After he put together two straight seasons of top-three defenses in Denver, 10 head-coaching jobs came free this past NFL cycle. Five teams requested to interview Joseph. None of them chose to hire him. As Joseph has built his resume, peers across the league point directly to him amid a troubling demographic trend across the NFL: it’s empirically difficult for Black coaches to earn a head-coaching job, and even more difficult to earn a second chance. “The success he’s had the last couple years in Denver, having the defense like he’s had, and building the credibility, credentials that he’s had — not to get a shot or another shot, is unbelievable to me,” Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told reporters at the NFL owners’ meetings in March. “So, something has to be fixed.” Joseph declined to be interviewed for this story, and had no hand in supporting it. In June, he told reporters it was “OK” he didn’t get a head-coaching job this past cycle. “My focus now is to get back in position, and that’s winning games for the Broncos and being a great defense again,” Joseph said then. “It’s a process that is different every single year. I can’t be concerned about the outcomes. Just keep pushing forward, winning games and being in position to interview.” Coaches close to Joseph have told The Post he remains undeterred. Some speak with near-outrage on a hiring system that — since 2018 — has excluded him.
“I’m not an owner, not a general manager,” Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier told The Post at February’s Super Bowl week in San Francisco. “But how does that happen? I just don’t get it. His resume should speak for itself. Disappointed. I hope that things will change. “But when there are 10 jobs, and there’s not one Black coach who anyone feels is qualified or capable of leading their team — just makes me scratch my head. It’s just disappointing.” ••• There are several plain and possible contributing factors across the NFL for Joseph’s extended and incomplete climb back to a head-coaching chair. Cleveland’s Todd Monken, for one, is the only head coach (60) hired this cycle who is older than Joseph and hasn’t won a Super Bowl as a head coach. Franchises, too, have increasingly shifted in recent years toward targeting young offensive play-callers in the Sean McVay mold, as one prominent NFL coaching agent told The Post. And, of course, Joseph doesn’t have a long string of head-coaching victories as a second-chance hire. The league’s static progress in head-coaching diversity, though — just three Black head coaches are set to helm NFL teams in 2026 — is hard for many to ignore. “There’s not many of them anywhere,” said former Browns head coach Hue Jackson. “And the numbers get worse. The numbers are as bad as it’s ever been, now.” There is a stark historical disparity, too, in the time between second chances for Black and white head coaches. According to coaching data collected and analyzed by The Denver Post, there have been nine Black head coaches and 29 white head coaches who coached
in the 2000s, were fired from a head-coaching job and rehired by a different organization. The average number of seasons between top jobs for Black coaches is 4.2, compared to 2.7 for white coaches. This known disparity in falling back down the ladder, Jackson believes, can influence decisions to even approach head-coaching jobs “I think a lot of guys that I know — are personally afraid to do it,” said Jackson, who hasn’t been an NFL head coach since a 3-36-1 tenure with the Browns from 2016 to 2018. “Because you have success, and you get this opportunity, and let’s say you get it. Where do you go when it’s over?” “I think people have had an opportunity to see firsthand that if you do step out there and take that chance,” he continued later, “this is what could happen to you.” Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ discrimination suit against the NFL, filed in February 2022, has ignited years of debate about the role of race in the league’s hiring practices. So has examination of the league’s long-standing “Rooney Rule,” which requires teams to interview a specific quota of diverse candidates for leadership positions. But key to this conversation, as several former Black head coaches spoke with The Post about, is the difficulty of Black coaches not only getting hired but also being rehired. “In this business, they want to know, did you win or did you lose?” former Browns and Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel told The Post. “And if you win, generally, you get a chance to stay. If you lose, now then — that becomes part of your resume, that you are a losing head coach. And so, when these people start looking for coaches, they VANCE » PAGE 18
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aren’t crazy about hiring a Black coach that’s a losing coach. “And so, that makes it tougher for a Black coach to get rehired.” ••• Joseph began his football career as an option quarterback at the University of Colorado, where he overlapped with current Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for a year. Both were members of Colorado’s chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and Bieniemy — who is still close friends with Joseph — said both still live by an old fraternity motto: “Humility With Dignity.” “He’s an outstanding communicator, and he’s one of the top damn NFL defensive coordinators in this business right now,” Bieniemy told The Post of Joseph in July. “And he deserves a shot.” Joseph’s head-coaching stint in Denver remains a stain, overseeing two years of sluggish Broncos offenses that fielded four different starting quarterbacks. But those in the building from that era, still, take up for Joseph. The franchise’s fatal flaw in those 2017 and 2018 seasons, as former Broncos defensive coordinator Joe Woods indicated — now the Raiders’ defensive-passing game coordinator — was not aligning expectations with an objective assessment of the roster’s talent. Kubiak was gone, after a 9-7 slip in 2016 from 2015’s Super Bowl title. Peyton Manning was a year retired, and the Broncos had already whiffed on 2016 first-round QB Paxton Lynch. Pro Bowl staples like Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders were entering the twilight of their careers, and Denver’s vaunted “No-Fly Zone” secondary was losing altitude. “Probably one of the main things from Denver that (Joseph) learned is that, just from an organizational standpoint, that everybody has to be on the same path in terms of what the outlook is,” Woods said. “When we were there, we were coming off, ‘Hey, we were just in the Super Bowl in ’15, we’re a couple pieces away.’ But I think really, at that time, we weren’t.” The 2017 Broncos started 3-1 under Joseph and finished 2-10, starting three different quarterbacks.
JOHN LEYBA — DENVER POST FILE
Former Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler, left, talks with then-offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave and thenhead coach Vance Joseph against the Colts on Dec. 14, 2017, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Veteran Case Keenum wasn’t the answer at quarterback a year later. And still, former Denver tight end Virgil Green calls Joseph a “football wizard,” and ex-Broncos great Von Miller said Joseph did “the best job he could do” with the tools at his disposal. “It was a hangover there,” Miller told The Post this spring. “It had nothing to do with VJ’s coaching, or perspective. We, as far as recruiting, we had a hangover there. We were behind the ball as far as scouting, and getting guys in there that really could change, like, the organization. And we had missed that whole mark for that whole time VJ was there, and then leading up to VJ getting there. So VJ, he really didn’t have much to work with. “VJ did an incredible job, as far as his managing of the team,” Miller continued. “His managing of the offense, of the defense, our schemes. We won some games that we should not have won, with the team that we had. We had trouble at the quarterback position. We had trouble everywhere. We didn’t have the No-Fly Zone. It was all types of things that were happening, and VJ managed it well.”
And Joseph, as Lewis told The Post, has been able to watch Denver’s roster-building strategy under Sean Payton and understand the need to build around a quarterback. “You give him Peyton Manning,” Miller said, recounting Joseph’s head-coaching years, “we’re going to the Super Bowl. You give him a Josh Allen, you give him one of these great quarterbacks, we’re going to the Super Bowl.” In Denver, now, players almost universally praise Joseph’s ability to relay complex, aggressive defensive schemes. His units have produced two straight seasons of franchise sack records, largely due to creative packages that use inside linebackers and nickel blitzes. And he stepped in seamlessly for Payton for two days this camp, when Denver’s head coach flew to Canton, Ohio, for Drew Brees’ Hall of Fame induction. At one point during Joseph’s brief time in charge, nickel cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian went up to Joseph and told him: “Head coach looks good on you.” “He’s a leader of men — like, he checks every single box,” AllPro defensive lineman Zach Allen
told The Post at the Pro Bowl in San Francisco in February. “I don’t know what the teams are looking for. But for us, it’s good news. So we’ll take it.” When will another team take Joseph, though? Most everyone in Denver’s building and Joseph’s orbit — and Joseph himself — remain expressively optimistic he’ll get a second chance. But luck in the NFL is fickle, and proven leadership hasn’t worked on its own accord. Lewis laid out a hypothetical situation in which injuries befall the Broncos’ offense in 2026, the wins stop coming, and Joseph’s overall defensive impact from two previous seasons is lost in the weeds. “That is my worry,” Lewis said. “That, really, is my worry.” Joseph will walk into another head-coaching cycle, now, only able to control a handful of factors in front of him. But those who know him ultimately present the image of a man who will control those factors as well as anyone in his profession. “Was Vance ready?” Kubiak said, asked if Joseph was ready in 2017. “Yeah, Vance is ready. I mean, he’s been ready for a long time.”
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
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PAYTON TRANSLATOR
COACH SPEAK
Decoding some of the Denver leader’s most common phrases By Parker Gabriel pgabriel@denverpost.com
Sean Payton is heading into his fourth season as the Broncos head coach. He has helped restore the franchise to regular contention in the AFC and has led the Broncos to the postseason in each of the past two seasons. The Broncos have built a deep roster, have an apparent franchise quarterback in Bo Nix and stability atop their football operation in Payton and general manager George Paton. Payton himself, of course, has been doing this a long time and has his own way of doing the job. That comes with a unique vernacular. So, now that Payton’s got a few years of interviews under his belt in TIMOTHY HURST — THE DENVER POST Denver, it’s overdue to help decode Broncos head coach Sean Payton speaks to media after practice on Aug. 6 at Broncos Park in Centennial. some of his most common phrases. Here is The Post’s Sean Payton FAIR QUESTION>> A question Payton reliable. That counts over talent on Don’t get on the train. Translator. doesn’t want any part of. the margins. Sometimes by substanRELATIVE TO>> The main connec‘A’ LEARNER>> Somebody who picks tial margins. tor between any two thoughts. A THE VISION>> How Payton and the up concepts and football responsipractice plan relative to upcoming Broncos’ front office sees a play- THE APPLESAUCE STORY>> A true bilities quickly. Payton only wants travel. A receiver’s route relative to er’s ideal role unfolding. The Bron- Payton pantheon that not very ‘A’ learners, but not everybody can how it’s devised. Recovery meth- cos want to have a clear vision for many players ascend to. Payton has be one. Be warned, though, if a colods now relative to what they were a player before they draft, sign or a line where he says someday he’ll lege coach tells you one of his play20 years ago. “Relative to” can also trade for him. A vision can evolve be eating applesauce and a player ers is a ‘B’ learner, that really means be used in question form, particu- over time, but generally Payton de- will visit and he won’t remember the ‘C’ learner. A ‘C’ learner can make it larly if Payton doesn’t quite hear the mands scouts and assistant coaches player’s name but he’ll remember a with Payton, but it’s an uphill batquestion. Conversations with Paton to be able to lay out the vision for a play or moment. Ja’Quan McMillian tle. and Greg Penner? Relative to? player’s first year, second year and made the cut here with his overtime BILL>> That’s Bill Parcells. Nearly evbeyond if Denver is going to draft interception against Buffalo. GREAT QUESTION>> A question Pay- or acquire him. ery single time. If Payton’s talking THE NFL TRAIN>> A sort of nebulous about Bill Belichick, he normally ton is willing to answer and often a topic he was just thinking about YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GETTING>> concept that is basically a meta- says ‘Belichick.’ There is one Bill. or talking about with his team or One of the highest compliments phor for the consensus conversation somebody else. Or a question that Payton will give a player. This is the happening in the NFL at any given WE’RE NOT SPLITTING THE ATOM>> triggers a trip down memory lane. Lil’Jordan Humphrey Award, basi- time. Particularly prevalent around Generally used to bat away quescally. There is immense value in Pay- the draft and free agency. This guy tions about something he thinks is GOOD QUESTION>> Usually football ton’s eyes in getting to game-plan- is definitely a first-round pick. This being over-covered or has already questions that don’t fly to close to ning meetings on Wednesday night receiver is better than that one. Bo been explained the schematics or game-planning and not having to wonder about how Nix is a reach in the first round. So sun. a player fits into the plan. Doesn’t on and so forth. We see the train WE’LL LET YOU KNOW>> He will defihave to be a star, just consistent and but we don’t know who’s driving it. nitely not be letting you know.
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| BRONCOSPREVIEW | DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST
The Broncos’ Evan Rothstein watches quarterbacks and receivers during training camp at Broncos Park in Centennial on Aug. 5.
DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
| BRONCOSPREVIEW | 21
COACHING STAFF
HUGE ASSET
Game-management director Rothstein is a one-score wonder “When we do two-minute drills, situational, Sean (Payton) kinda steps to the side and lets Evan go to work. He’ll turn around, ask Evan questions. We come in here, we watch film on it, (Evan) will tell us what we did wrong.”
By Luca Evans levans@denverpost.com
For the first time in his life, Sean Payton had no film. This was an issue, albeit small-scale. He has established a tradition in Denver of introducing coaching staff additions to their peers by sharing a collection of lowlights from their playing days. But in spring 2025, he had absolutely nothing to pull on Evan Rothstein, a 5-foot-something assistant he’d given the title of director of game management. So Payton got creative, as multiple people who saw or heard about the meeting recalled, and instead played a clip from the movie “Rudy” as Rothstein’s introduction. “Ppl (sic) loved it,” one person in the building texted The Post. Rothstein had no old tape, indeed, because his playing days ended back in Section VIII high school football in Bellmore, N.Y. He pivoted immediately to something different. In 2009, while studying at the State University of New York at Cortland, he asked new offensive line coach Eric Jendryaszek if he could help out as a student assistant. At the same time, SUNY Cortland’s football program was implementing a new technology called DVSport, a next-gen software for football film analysis. Then-head coach Dan MacNeill told Jendryaszek that he’d learned one of his assistants had already learned the software before even arriving on campus. “It was frickin’ Evan,” Jendryaszek recalled. “Frickin’ Evan,” nearly two decades later, exists as a near-invisible public figure around Dove Valley and Empower Field since advancing from Detroit to New England to Denver. He did not want to be interviewed for this story. He has no biography on the Broncos’
AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST
Broncos receiver Pat Bryant fights for extra yards during the fourth quarter of the Broncos win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Dec. 7. website. And yet his mind, as one Broncos source told The Post, was “very impactful” in the team’s sterling 11-2 record in one-score wins in 2025. Second-year receiver Pat Bryant echoed the sentiment, asked how important Rothstein was in Denver’s close-game run. “Very, bro,” Bryant told The Post. “When we do two-minute drills, situational, Sean (Payton) kinda steps to the side and lets Evan go to work. He’ll turn around, ask Evan questions. We come in here, we watch film on it, (Evan) will tell us what we did wrong. “So, he’s basically like another offensive coordinator, for our situational football.” Three coaches on Denver’s staff spoke to the entire team consistently in 2025. One, of course, was Payton. One was senior defensive assistant Joe Vitt, who speaks on Saturday nights before game day.
And the other was Rothstein, who goes in-depth each week on situational and late-game mechanics. “He’s been a tremendous asset, and almost like an air traffic controller on gameday where — his mind, it’s racing with timeouts, and clock and situation,” Payton said in late July. In Denver, Rothstein is indirectly part of a growing fraternity across the NFL, as the league has gradually come to recognize the value of analytically minded coaches who operate in “game-management roles” on game days. Every head coach across the NFL, as Ravens game-management coordinator Charlie Gelman told The Post, has some right-hand resource they trust in such a role. Some are in front-office research departments; most are buried on coaching staffs. All, though, are generally tasked with spitting out algorithmic data that help inform a head coach’s
— Broncos receiver Pat Bryant on Evan Rothstein
decision-making around fourth downs, two-point conversions, timeouts and beyond. Rothstein is a unique case in a unique field, a coach who has worked hands-on under Jim Caldwell, Bill Belichick and Payton and who is also a “math wizard,” as Caldwell put it. “He’s an extremely bright individual,” Jendryaszek said. “If it wasn’t for his passion for football, he could be building rocket ships.” And before long, Rothstein — or one of these fraternity members across the NFL — could take the analytics revolution from their play-caller’s ear to their own callsheet. “I don’t want to speak for Evan, but guys who — I’m assuming like, Evan and myself, and some of these guys that are more on the coaching side, we’d all love to get to that point where we’re calling plays one day,” one NFL game-management specialist, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Post. “I think ROTHSTEIN » PAGE 22
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AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST
Evan Rothstein of the Denver Broncos stands on the field during training camp at Broncos Park in Centennial on Aug. 5.
Rothstein FROM PAGE 21
it’s trending that way. I think we’re getting more and more coaching responsibilities every year. I think it’s either going to take a special head coach to give that opportunity, or a special ownership.” “I think one of us just has to find a way to prove it, and get that first job.” Gelman, who was hired as Baltimore’s game-management coordinator this offseason after spending three years in a similar role in
Indianapolis, began experimenting with football analytics in the seventh grade. As a student assistant at Duke from 2018 to 2021, he built a win-probability model that the football program eventually adopted as its own. And after spending a year in Baltimore interfacing with then-Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Colts head coach Shane Steichen called about a job opening. The problem, of sorts: Gelman was a not-so-grizzled 24-year-old at the time. “I was scared that they would think I was too young,” Gelman said. “So I grew out a full goatee,
just to look older.” It worked well enough to land him the gig as Steichen’s game-manager in Indianapolis, where Gelman came to understand his job in simple terms: maximize win probability. Utilizing the programming language R, he has built models that use decades of data from NFL games, take commands and output tangible recommendations for late-game situations. On gamedays, Gelman’s program spits out 116 individual sheets of recommended decisions — game managers still need analog charts given the NFL’s restrictions on sideline technology — depending on specific
down, yardage and distance. “I think around the league, we all think very similarly,” Gelman said. “The question is just — how do each of us go about our businesses in our different, unique ways?” Caldwell, the former Colts and Lions head coach, learned from four years overseeing Rothstein that the game manager has algorithmic processes for late-game decisions that “no one else does,” as Caldwell said. He would not reveal state secrets. But Rothstein’s process dates back to his time at SUNY Cortland, where he used the DVSport film program to creROTHSTEIN » PAGE 23
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Rothstein FROM PAGE 22
ate “logic statements” to predict and analyze opponents’ play-calling tendencies based on formation, down and distance. Jendryaszek explained that Rothstein would present a team’s usage of a “Trips” formation, with three receivers aligned on the same side of the field. Rothstein could explain their tendencies for strongside runs. Or weak-side runs. Or five-step drops. Or quick-game looks. Or categorize those tendencies by down and distance. And he built this all, Jendryaszek marveled, from scratch. “He just kinda built that out as an 18-, 19-year-old, which was crazy,” Jendryaszek said. “No one was asking him to do it. He just loved that aspect of it. And he even started to work on his own playbook, back in the day.” Once Caldwell arrived in Detroit in January 2014, he began to sit down with Rothstein, who had been with the Lions for two previous seasons as a special-teams quality control coach. Every single night, through that winter, spring and summer, Caldwell and Rothstein kicked around potential game situations and ideas for how to approach them. “Go find out why we should make this decision,” Caldwell told him, “instead of this.” Rothstein would take 10 to 15 years of recent NFL data, Caldwell said, and analyze the correct answer. And he would communicate clearly, in Caldwell’s ear, on Sundays. “Let me put it this way,” Caldwell said, speaking on Rothstein’s impact. “All you need to do is look at — I think Denver had, how many one-score games they won … a bunch, right? Take a look at us in Detroit.” The Lions had a .563 win percentage in Caldwell’s tenure with Rothstein from 2014-17 — and a .595 win percentage in one-score games, according to The Post’s research. “Besides our quarterback, who was great, obviously, Matthew Stafford, it was because of the conserving time, or eating up the clock,” Caldwell said. According to The Post’s research of available NFL staff data, 17 of 32 franchises currently have some sort of front-office or coaching staffer
PHOTOS BY AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST
The Broncos’ Evan Rothstein stands on the field during training camp at Broncos Park in Centennial on Aug. 3.
Broncos coach Sean Payton tried to hire Evan Rothstein as a coach in New Orleans in 2021. in a specific “game-management” role; plenty more employ staffers who handle such responsibilities without an official title. The profession has expanded in the last decade, as Buccaneers director of football research Zach Beistline told The Post. And the effect is plain in 2-point and fourth-down utilization: the number of total league-wide fourth-down tries has nearly doubled from 2016 to 2025, according to The Post’s research.
The “really good game-management teams,” as one NFL game-manager told The Post, have even begun to start throwing challenge flags on previous plays in situations where they’d instead use a timeout — to capitalize on even a minuscule chance that an official might overturn a call. “I think it’s definitely shifted to like — every coach has someone they trust with this situation,” Gelman said. “Because it’s a lot to
think about. They need someone to be thinking one step ahead at all times.” In Denver, Payton has Rothstein, who the Broncos head coach tried to hire in New Orleans in 2021 before Rothstein picked New England. And Rothstein, too, is widely respected across the league’s game-management community — within his own silo in Denver. On Wednesday nights, a group of game-management coordinators across the NFL holds an informal Zoom call to discuss some of the league’s replay decisions from the previous week. It is done, as multiple game-management staffers told The Post, to help analyze officiating decisions and therefore inform individual challenge-flag decisions. No privileged information is shared. Except sometimes it is, and one NFL game-manager told The Post he likes to log on to “see what people let slip by.” “Evan,” that game-manager told The Post, “does not make an appearance on those.” Another smart decision, it seems, in a string of them in Denver. “There’s probably not anything he can’t do,” Caldwell said of Rothstein. “I mean, I wouldn’t (be surprised) if he becomes a head coach one day. That’s a possibility. And he’s capable. There’s no question about it.”
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| BRONCOSPREVIEW | DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST
Broncos running back RJ Harvey sheds Buffalo Bills defenders Cole Bishop, left, and Matt Milano at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on, Jan. 17.
DENVERPOST.COM
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QUIET FORCE RJ HARVEY
RB ready for ‘great year’ after injury-nagged rookie season By Luca Evans levans@denverpost.com
RJ Harvey speaks of the pain as if it were as simple as swatting a fly, because it was. To him, at least. He tore his ACL once, back in college, and learned to cut and trust his knee again from running on sand. This was just a nagging shoulder that he’d get treatment on through 2025, on Monday mornings, once the violence of Sundays wore off. It wound up being slightly more serious. “I played with a torn labrum,” Harvey told The Post this August, standing outside Denver’s practice facility. He mutters. He does not like the public eye. “I don’t know. I’m good now. I feel great.” His parents would fly out from Florida for home games last season in Harvey’s rookie year in Denver, and Harvey eventually told his dad, Robert, that he’d done something to his shoulder in camp. He wasn’t sure what. But nobody knew how serious it was until Harvey got his end-of-season physical, and an MRI revealed damage. He returned home to Florida this offseason and told his parents he needed surgery. “We was like, ‘On what?’” Robert Harvey recalled. “That’s just who he is,” the father said later. “He doesn’t complain about anything.” Harvey did not complain — publicly or privately, by all accounts — about the shoulder in 2025. He did not complain when he was hardly seeing touches early in the season. He did not complain when he was seeing a lot of touches, after starting RB J.K. Dobbins’ mid-season injury. He did not complain when he injured his rib in Week 15 and didn’t miss even a dash of practice. And he did not complain about a
“The most I do it, the more comfortable I’m going to get. And I feel like I’m getting great chemstry with Bo.” — Broncos running back RJ Harvey on his role out of the backfield in third-down and two-minute situations
remarkably drastic shift in his role from college to the NFL, where head coach Payton hinted he could be his long-awaited “Joker” weapon in the passing game. That “Joker” moniker has now vanished from the Broncos Country lexicon, a casualty of Internet overuse. Harvey doesn’t hear it anymore; he smiles. And yet he appears plenty more ready for it in 2026, between good health and good wisdom. “I wasn’t overwhelmed,” Harvey said, speaking on his utilization as a rookie. “It was just something that I didn’t do a lot of in college. So just watching a lot of Darren Sproles cut-ups in college, and seeing how he ran his choice routes and his wheel routes, and seeing how decisive he was out of his cuts. That’s something that I focused on during the offseason, and I feel a lot more comfortable with my route-running this year. “I’m just going to continue to get better and develop,” he continued. “And, yeah, it’s going to be a great year.” After down-shifting from bellcow status at UCF to a primary pass-catching back for much of 2025, Harvey kicked back into gear after Dobbins’ Lisfranc injury in Week 10, a rookie second-round
running back emerging as one of Payton’s most important offensive pieces. He racked up 326 rushing yards in the Broncos’ final seven games; Harvey averaged just 3.4 yards per carry down the stretch, though, and Payton abandoned Harvey handoffs in Denver’s AFC wild-card win in favor of 12 carries for quarterback Bo Nix. The Broncos’ running-back room has only cluttered further in 2026, as the club re-signed veteran favorite Dobbins to a two-year deal and drafted steady Washington back Jonah Coleman in the fourth round of April’s NFL Draft. But Harvey established himself early in training camp as the Payton’s go-to running back in third-down and two-minute passing situations — and will be “certainly in that position” in 2026, as Payton said in August. “The more I do it, the more comfortable I’m going to get,” Harvey tells The Post. “And I feel like I’m getting great chemistry with Bo.” This journey started in May 2025, when Payton introduced Harvey to his Library of Perfect Plays — a collection of touchdown film from his days in New Orleans. Admission required one second-round draft ticket, and the resources were practically endless. And Payton, the man who had carved Swiss Army Knives from blunt-force instruments, dusted off a few volumes of one of his old favorites: Sproles. It was a new world for Harvey, then a quiet 24-year-old who is now a quiet 25-year-old. Sproles was a classic scat-back who had more catches than carries in three years in New Orleans. Harvey was a bell-cow back for two years at UCF who hadn’t spent much time learning the nuances of passing-down activity. And here was Payton, in May 2025, pulling up New Orleans touchdown clips of running-back
choice routes with a clear directive: Study. Harvey did, and turned himself into an open-field tornado in the passing game: 47 catches for 356 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie. In June, he trekked to Austin, Texas for a weekend of throwing and camaraderie with Nix, reserve QB Sam Ehlinger and other pass-catchers. He told reporters this summer, too, that he’s watched a “lot of film” in the offseason of 49ers star RB Christian McCaffrey, Kansas City’s Kenneth Walker III and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs. And Harvey has showcased obvious growth as a route-runner in his second NFL training camp. “Just being more decisive,” Harvey told The Post, on what he’s learned from studying Sproles’ tape. “Just floating out of your cuts, out of the breaks, on the option routes. Choice routes. Just turning your shoulders and head around quick, and that’s what I’ve been working on this offseason during camp.” That’s a tantalizing thought for another go-to option for Nix, as Harvey led all NFL rookies in 2025 with 12 touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. Those stats, of course, masked some obvious flaws in the Florida native’s game. Denver and Nix visibly didn’t trust Harvey in pass-protection situations early in his season, and Harvey too often operated with happy feet when running between the tackles. Dobbins will no doubt command Denver’s room on the ground in 2026, and Coleman could eat into situational touches. But Harvey has earned the trust, in camp, to fully sprout his Joker wings. “Year Two in the system,” Harvey said in June, “I feel way more comfortable. And it’s only going to get better, from where I left off.”
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PROJECTED TWO-DEEP ROSTER BY LUCA EVANS, THE DENVER POST
BRONCOS OFFENSE Quarterback
Running back
Fullback
Wide receiver
Wide receiver
Tight end
Bo Nix | 10 6-foot-2, 217 pounds, 26 years old, 3rd season, Oregon The ankle not-initially-heard ‘round the world ended what was an inconsistent but promising second season for Nix, who has ended the year better than he’s started in two NFL campaigns. He hit a visible new level as a decision-maker from Week 11 on, with just three interceptions in 262 attempts in that span. Now, can he improve his efficiency under pressure and more consistently stretch the field between the hashes?
J.K. Dobbins | 27 5-10, 212, 27, 7th season, Ohio State Dobbins was one of the NFL’s most productive running backs before suffering a season-ending broken foot in Week 10 in 2025. After re-signing in Denver on a two-year deal this offseason, Dobbins will again bring his feisty personality to lead the Broncos’ rushing attack – if he can only stay healthy.
Adam Prentice | 46 6-0, 249, 29, 6th season, South Carolina Sean Payton this summer at one point said, “I’m always going to want a fullback.” Sounds like music to the ears of Prentice, who played four college years at Colorado State, joined the Broncos last year during training camp after a Mike Burton injury and hasn’t looked back.
Courtland Sutton | 14 6-4, 216, 30, 9th season, SMU The Broncos’ ol’ reliable racked up a second straight 1,000-yard season as Bo Nix’s favorite target in 2025, and made his second Pro Bowl. Sutton could see slightly less volume with the addition of Waddle, but will still be the go-to guy on late downs.
Jaylen Waddle | 17 5-10, 185, 27, 6th season, Alabama The Broncos’ bluechip addition of the offseason, Waddle racked up 5,039 receiving yards over the course of five seasons in Miami. His explosiveness in and out of breaks and after-the-catch burst have been on full display in training camp, and he could provide several doses of rocket fuel to Denver’s offense.
Evan Engram | 1 6-3, 240, 31, 10th season, Ole Miss The “Joker” that was promised never materialized in 2025, as Engram often went invisible for long stretches of games during his first season in Denver. The Broncos chose to keep the veteran tight end rather than cut ties, though, and Engram still was easily the most productive receiving TE on the roster last season.
RJ Harvey | 37 5-8, 205, 25, 2nd season, UCF Harvey had a mixed rookie season, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry but scoring an NFL-rookie-leading 12 touchdowns. Another year in Sean Payton’s system should benefit him as a runner, and Harvey is only continuing to grow as a route-running weapon out of the backfield.
Jonah Coleman | 20 5-8, 220, 22, rookie, Washington Coleman checks almost every box Denver could want in an instant-impact mid-round running back: not prone to fumbling, not prone to drops, smart, tough between the tackles, and terrific in pass protection. He could take rotational snaps right away.
Jarrett Stidham | 8 6-3, 215, 29, 7th season, Auburn Stiddy’s back for a fourth — and potentially final — season in Denver. His AFC Championship fill-in performance for Nix left plenty to be desired, but Stidham remains a solid if flawed backup.
Running back
Pat Bryant | 13 6-2, 204, 23, 2nd season, Illinois Bryant became an instant fan favorite for his blocking and timely playmaking in the second half of Denver’s season, but his growing role was marred by a string of injuries. He’s a breakout candidate if he can stay healthy.
Troy Franklin | 11 6-3, 180, 23, 3rd season, Oregon This spot could well fall to Marvin Mims Jr., too, as Denver really has five receivers. Franklin could find himself as the odd man out in a crowded room, but still enters the 2026 season as the Broncos’ second-leading receiver from last season.
Adam Trautman | 82 6-5, 253, 29, 7th season, Dayton Have blocking, will not travel. Trautman is now set to play his sixth out of seven NFL seasons for Payton dating back to New Orleans, and signed a new three-year deal this offseason as a blocking-forward TE.
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The Broncos placed a first-round bet down in Miami this spring, wagering significant draft capital to bring in Jaylen Waddle as the intermediate field-stretcher that Bo Nix hasn’t had in two seasons in Denver. Waddle and Nix have developed near-instant chemistry on quick slants this training camp, and the former Alabama star and Dolphins standout could be the missing piece to a Nix breakout and well-oiled Bronco machine. Here’s a look at the Broncos’ probable offensive two-deep come the fall, with some by-committee approaches at running back and receiver.
Left tackle
Left guard
Center
Right guard
Right tackle
Kicker
Garett Bolles | 72 6-5, 300, 34, 10th season, Utah The Broncos’ eldest statesman continues to only get better with age, putting together the first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro season of his career in 2025. Bolles has now played 51 straight regular-season games in Denver.
Ben Powers | 74 6-4, 310, 29, 8th season, Oklahoma Get this: Powers missed much of the 2025 season with a torn bicep, returned later in the year, broke his foot, played the entire rest of the season on that broken foot, and then took a pay cut after the year. He’s still an integral part of Denver’s run-blocking efforts.
Luke Wattenberg | 60 6-5, 300, 28, 5th season, Washington Payton has praised Wattenberg’s intelligence on multiple occasions, and the Broncos handed the starting center a four-year, $48 million extension last year.
Mike McGlinchey | 69 6-8, 315, 31, 9th season, Notre Dame Like his tackle partner, McGlinchey continues to improve with age. The veteran turned in arguably the most consistent end-toend season of his career in 2025, and has rounded into a leader on Denver’s front.
Wil Lutz | 3 5-11, 184, 32, 11th season, Georgia State Lutz continues to knock on the door of the NFL’s highest kicking tier, putting home 28 of 32 field goals (87.5%) in 2025. He fell back to earth from 40-plus yards last year, though, with a 7-of-11 success rate from that distance.
Frank Crum | 73 6-7, 315, 26, 3rd season, Wyoming Frank the Tank made a splash with a trick-play touchdown in the Broncos’ AFC wild-card win over Buffalo last season, and continues to earn considerable trust and buzz in the Broncos’ offensive-line developmental pipeline.
Kage Casey | 78 6-5, 310, 22, rookie, Boise State The Broncos loved Casey’s versatility enough to snag him in the fourth round of April’s NFL Draft, and Casey has worked throughout the summer and training camp at left guard in an obvious succession plan for Powers.
Quinn Meinerz | 77 6-3, 320, 27, 6th season, WisconsinWhitewater Meinerz said that during this training camp, he was dealing with personal issues throughout 2025, but the star guard still earned his second straight first-team All-Pro nod. He wasn’t quite as consistent in pass protection as he was in 2024, and he struggled in the Broncos’ AFC Championship Game loss, but Meinerz remains a top-tier offensive-line talent in the NFL.
Alex Forsyth | 54 6-4, 312, 27, 4th season, Oregon Forsyth has stepped in seamlessly over the past two seasons when Wattenberg has missed time with injury, and continues to play a valuable depth role in the Broncos’ offensive line plans.
Alex Palczewski | 63 6-6, 314, 27, 4th season, Illinois Palczewski slid all the way across the line last season to fill the injured Powers’ spot admirably for 10 games, and earned himself a nice two-year offseason extension in the process. He could be the first man up both at tackle and at guard in any case of injury. Note
Projected rosters are as of Aug. 18.
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OFF-DAY FUN
UNWIND TIME
Here’s what some players do when they get a rare break By Parker Gabriel pgabriel@denverpost.com
Mike McGlinchey used to have an enviable set of choices for a rare training camp off day. Golf, whether in the Bay Area while with San Francisco 49ers or in the Denver area, always sounds like a good idea. Sleep in? Sometimes simple is best. Kick the feet up and watch a movie, maybe a little bit of film along the way? Indeed, air conditioning feels great after a long stretch of days on the field. These days, McGlinchey sees none of that. But, he said, it’s for good reason. He’s been promoted. McGlinchey and his wife, Brooke, welcomed their second child the day after the Broncos lost in the AFC Championship Game. “I would say dad is very much a support player, a role player, the first time around,” McGlinchey said earlier this summer. “All of a sudden, when there’s no free set of hands, dad gets elevated to the starting lineup. “It’s fun. My son is almost 2 now. He doesn’t stop moving, he doesn’t stop talking and it’s a lot of fun. … It’s a full-time job, man. And I’ve got two of them now. It’s been a lot of fun and it’s the biggest blessing in the world.” That’s a common theme around the Broncos locker room. The team features a bunch of young dads, including multi-kid veterans like McGlinchey, left tackle Garett Bolles and safety Talanoa Hufnaga and also new additions to the ranks this offseason in quarterback Bo Nix and safety Brandon Jones. Players spend training camp together in a hotel, so family time gets limited. After practice, fam-
AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST
Broncos offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey stretches during minicamp at the Broncos Park in Centennial on June 16. ilies and friends of players make their way from the balcony and courtyard viewing area at the new team facility down to the indoor practice field and players make their way up for quick visits. Naturally, then, that’s how many like to spend their off days, too. Second-year wide receiver Pat Bryant, who got married this summer during OTAs, said he takes a similar low-key approach on the rare occasion the club gets an off day. “It’s a couple things to do around here that are fun, but my main focus is getting rest,” said Bryant, who has had a terrific training camp and appears poised for a Year 2 breakout. “Get as much sleep as possible, hang out with the wife for a couple hours and just kick my feet up and relax.” All-Pro right guard Quinn Meinerz is a man of many hobbies, but he said recently that he used a weekend day to see “The Odyssey,” released on 70-millimeter film by
“It’s fun. My son is almost 2 now. He doesn’t stop moving, he doesn’t stop talking and it’s a lot of fun. It’s a full-time job, man. And I’ve got two of them now. It’s been a lot of fun and it’s the biggest blessing in the world. — Broncos offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey on his days off from the team
director Christopher Nolan this summer. You can also find Meinerz on an off day at the bowling alley, checking out avian variety with his birdwatching setup and app or, after dark, peering at the night sky through his telescope. Players on the team have all kinds of other hobbies and things they like to do with their downtime during the summer or even during the regular season. If there’s a fishing spot to be found, Bolles may be there. Same for kicker Wil Lutz, who is also a high-quality golfer. Players in the offseason find unique, do-it-yourself workout routines, even if they’re also using the Broncos facilities. Veteran inside linebacker Alex Singleton set himself up with a sauna and cold plunge at his house and is a big believer in mobility-based training. Jaleel McLaughlin said he regularly made the trip to Colorado Springs to conquer the Manitou Incline. On the other end of the team’s weight spectrum from
the diminutive running back, so, too, did Meinerz make the incline climb. That’s all well and good, but training camp is a different story. In the heart of it, the Broncos were on the field 10 days in an 11day stretch. The prep for 10 a.m. practices starts early and the last of the meetings goes well into the evening. It can feel like Groundhog Day. When asked which day the previous week the team had gone together to see the new “Spider-Man” movie, All-Pro outside linebacker Nik Bonitto said he wasn’t even sure what day it was at that very moment. There’s just not much downtime. After the Broncos’ preseason-opening win at Atlanta, the team’s charter landed back at Denver International Airport a little after 1 a.m. Saturday morning. Head coach Sean Payton said they had a practice scheduled for that afternoon. Not a taxing one, but back to it nonetheless. That’s why rest and relaxation often win out when a rare camp-off day pops up on the schedule. You’ve got to be prepared for the grind, especially when your reason for playing starts to expand. “Just being married give you a little extra job knowing that here soon I’m going to start a nice family,” Bryant, the 24-year-old receiver said with a smile recently. “Overall, it’s been great knowing I’ve got my wife in the stands, her family, my family. I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with my wife.” Oh, right, there’s one more staple of a camp off-day: The honey-do list. Bryant’s sure-handed in that regard, too. “I took the garbage out before we were married,” he said.
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AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST
The Broncos’ Mike McGlinchey prepares to take the field against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Nov. 3, 2024.
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AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST
The Broncos’ Justin Strnad, left, and D.J. Jones stretch during OTAs at the Broncos Park in Centennial on June 4.
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DEFENSE
READY TO FEAST
Can the hungry Broncos become NFL’s top-ranked defense? By Parker Gabriel pgabriel@denverpost.com
D.J. Jones comes from a family of food aficionados. His father was a chef, including for the Dallas Cowboys. Jones himself knows his way around the kitchen, the smoker, whatever your palate desires. The man, all 6-foot-flat and 305 pounds of him, knows what he’s talking about when it comes to eating. He says the Broncos defense is going to feast this fall. “We’ve got what it takes,” Jones said in August. “We’ve tasted it. Now it’s time to cook the meal, eat it and take a break. You know how you eat a good meal, and you lay down after, take a good nap, then you wake up and go eat again? We’re about to eat again. It’s time. We’ve got the numbers, we’ve got the men, we’ve got the willpower. We’ve got the free will to go do it. “It’s up to us, and we’re going to do that.” The Broncos are seasoned, to be sure. They return as many as 10 starters from Week 1 last year and must replace only John Franklin-Myers on the top line. So far in training camp, they look like they’ll do that with a combination of Malcolm Roach and a true breakout candidate in Eyioma Uwazurike. For the most part, though, the core of this group is entering its fourth season under defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. That includes Zach Allen and Jones up front, inside linebackers Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad, outside linebackers Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper plus corners Pat Surtain, Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian. It is a rare and enviable conti-
AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph speaks to members of the media during OTAs at Broncos Park in Centennial on June 11. nuity the Broncos have built defensively. “You’re not coming into camp kind of stressed about learning,” Singleton said. “That’s the hardest thing when you go to a new team or have new guys where you’re teaching guys, ‘Hey, this is our check in this situation.’ No, instead all 11 guys know. “So, we’re one step ahead of where we would’ve been last year or the year before that at this time of the year.” Really, the question for this group is whether it can stave off any hint of complacency that could accompany such continuity. That certainly wasn’t an issue last season, when Denver backed up a high-quality 2024 with an even better 2025. They jumped in rankings across the board, jumped from 10 wins in the regular season to 14, and broke their own single-season sack record by going from 63 to 68. Can they make it three in a
row? Defensive performance has tended to be more volatile in the NFL than offensive, but Joseph’s group so far has stayed sharp year-over-year. “That’s the really cool thing about this group is we’re just constantly trying to find new ways to get better,” Allen said. “It all starts with ‘V.J.’ He sets such a high standard. Yeah, we were good last year, but there were still a lot of things that we could have been better at and cleaned up. We want to be as consistent as we can be and play at the highest level that we can.” Broncos coaches and players see the early stages of training camp as a kind of rite of passage. Despite the experience returning, part of the key to setting out on a new season is going through all of the basics. Every install gets a full explanation. Every page of the playbook gets a fine-tooth comb, regardless of how many times most of the players have been over it. “When we’re installing, take those notes again,” Singleton said. “Rewrite the little basics of the calls because then, when the intricate stuff happens, and stuff happens during the game — the basic stuff is easy. That’s the stuff that’s already locked in; that’s muscle memory. “Now you’re learning the nuances and all the stuff that really will define what we are this season on the critical plays during the season.” Sometimes, though, second nature kicks in. They just can’t help it. An early August training camp day still features an array of checks and calls. You can go back over the basics, but once you’re on the field, the more advanced stuff is going to come out, too. That, Singleton says, is part of preparing for what the Broncos will see later in the season.
One common theme over the past two seasons: the group has looked a little rundown in the stretch run of the regular season. Denver has given up 30 or more points eight times in 37 games over the past two seasons, including the playoffs. Six of those have come across 13 games played in either December or January. The other major goal for the Broncos this fall: Take the ball away more. Head coach Sean Payton is adamant about it. Joseph knows it’s important, too, though with a caveat: He’s going to play the way he plays — he talks frequently about making sure Denver is playing “good football,” which for him means a lot of match coverage. Sometimes that means fewer interceptions than teams that are more zone-heavy and consistently have more eyes on the quarterback. The Broncos turned on the takeaway faucet in the postseason last year and beat Buffalo because of it. Then they snuffed New England for most of the AFC title game — the Patriots’ lone touchdown came on a 12-yard drive after a Jarrett Stidham fumble. If Joseph’s group is playing like that again in late January 2027, the Broncos are going to be right in the mix for a chance at a championship. “It’s a great unit, but they’re motivated, and they’re not satisfied with what we did last year,” Joseph said. “Our talks and meetings are always about, ‘It might not look like it did last year as far as all the numbers, but the play style should be the same and the end result can be the same.’ It can be different as far as where we ranked. That’s not important for us. “It’s about winning games and getting back to where we were. It may look different, and that’s OK, but the goal’s the same.”
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PROJECTED TWO-DEEP ROSTER BY PARKER GABRIEL, THE DENVER POST
BRONCOS DEFENSE
Defensive end
Nose tackle
Defensive end
Outside LB
Inside LB
Inside LB
Zach Allen | 99 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, 29 years old, 8th season, Boston College Allen’s best two years came with close friend John Franklin-Myers playing next to him, so the challenge for the $100 million man and first-team All-Pro is pretty simple: Maintain his standing as one of the best in the business with some new faces around him.
D.J. Jones | 93 6-0, 305, 31, 10th season, Ole Miss Jones just keeps going and going and going. He played some of the best ball of his career in 2025 and looks primed to keep it going this fall. Jones is a high-end runstuffer and a critical, under-the-radar leader of the defense.
Malcolm Roach | 97 6-3, 290, 28, 7th season, Texas If Jones is the soul, Roach keeps adding to his repertoire. First he was a highend run-stuffer. Then he added leader and culture-setter once he arrived in Denver. Now he’s a feisty pass-rusher, too. That adds up to a truly valuable player and person for Joseph’s group.
Nik Bonitto | 15 6-3, 240, 26, 5th season, Oklahoma Bonitto has improved in each of his pro seasons and now has a $100 million-plus contract and a reputation as one of the most feared pass-rushers in the NFL. He’s probably already underpaid. If he takes another step forward this fall, look out.
Alex Singleton | 49 6-2, 240, 32, 8th season, Montana State Fans may not have liked Denver’s ILB production last year, but you know who did? Vance Joseph. His opinion, obviously, is the one that matters. Singleton is cancer-free, healthy, back on a new two-year deal and is Joseph’s eyes and ears on the field.
Justin Strnad | 40 6-3, 235, 30, 7th season, Wake Forest Strnad put together the best year of his career in 2025 and landed a new threeyear contract as a result. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s on the field rather than Singleton in some sub packages and, if so, if that means he wears the green dot.
Jordan Jackson | 94 6-5, 289, 23, 2nd season, LSU Every year Jackson is billed as a bubble player, and every year so far he’s made it and then found himself on the field. Sai’Vion Jones is a third-round pick from 2025, and maybe that ends up mattering here, but Jackson’s a better player at this stage.
Jonah Elliss | 52 6-4, 246, 23, 3rd season, Utah Elliss couldn’t stay healthy in 2025, but he’s had a terrific training camp this summer and looks primed to take a leap in his third pro season. He’s a naturally talented rusher who’s strong enough to handle run duties and versatile enough to play in the middle of the field some, too.
Red Murdock | 50 6-1, 232, 22, rookie, Buffalo About midway through training camp, Murdock started to settle in and make plays. Joseph said he’s been calling the defense when he’s on the field with the reserves. Nearly every team needs a third ILB at some point, and Murdock’s a real candidate for this club.
Tyler Onyedim | 98 6-3, 292, 23, rookie, Texas A&M The promising rookie may not crack the starting lineup right away, but he’s got the ability to play in the rotation in some form or fashion this fall. If injuries strike, Onyedim will need to be ready quickly.
Eyioma Uwazurike | 96 6-6, 320, 28, 4th season, Iowa State The list of Broncos breakout candidates doesn’t go far before landing on Uwazurike. He’s had a monster training camp and appears ready to show it to the rest of the league. He’s a massive human, and he can move.
Karene Reid | 47 6-0, 226, 26, 2nd season, Utah Reid made the team last year as an undrafted rookie primarily as a special teamer and could be next in line defensively after Levelle Bailey was injured in the preseason. Second-year man Jordan Turner could make a run and so could rookie Taurean York.
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Vance Joseph’s defense is deep. It is experienced. It is accomplished. This group has set records the past two seasons, racking up sacks at a rate few defenses in NFL history have ever maintained. The Broncos have to replace John Franklin-Myers in the starting lineup and a pair of contributors last year in Dre Greenlaw and P.J. Locke. They appear poised to do so ably, particularly on the defensive line, where several younger players have shown flashes in training camp. This group is convinced it’ll break its own sack record again, though Joseph told them they don’t need to.
Outside LB
Cornerback
Cornerback
Nickel
Safety
Safety
Jonathon Cooper |0 6-5, 257, 29, 6th season, Ohio State Cooper was arrested twice in June on domestic violence-related charges and, as of this writing, still has an open court case featuring a felony assault charge. He’s also waiting for the NFL to decide on a potential suspension. If he’s on the field this fall, though, he’ll be a force.
Pat Surtain II | 2 6-2, 202, 26, 6th season, Alabama Superlatives for Surtain almost don’t move the needle anymore. The best corner in football? Yeah. Four Pro Bowls, three All-Pro nods and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year? Yep. Hall of Fame track? Inarguably. He’s the best player on the team, and the most disruptive defense in the NFL is built around the idea that there are very few better on the planet.
Riley Moss | 21 6-1, 193, 26, 4th season, Iowa Few Broncos have had better training camps than Moss. He is a terrific athlete and is wired for the job. If he plays a little smarter, a little less handsy and with a little more refined technique this fall, he’s not only going to make an elite pair with Surtain, but he could play his way into a massive payday.
Ja’Quan McMillian | 29 5-10, 183, 26, 4th season, East Carolina McMillian went from undrafted to backup to one of the best slot men in football. He’s been a playmaking machine, made one of the great plays in Broncos playoff history with a game-saving pick against Buffalo in January and is the heartbeat of Denver’s defense.
Talanoa Hufanga |9 6-0, 200, 26, 6th season, USC Hufanga’s first season in Denver was a smashing success, both in that he played the entire year and that he brought a physical element to the back end of the defense. Hufanga’s played so much football but is still just 26 years old. Year 2 in Joseph’s system should be fruitful.
Brandon Jones | 22 6-0, 191, 28, 7th season, Texas Jones was playing really good football last year before a torn pec ended his season in December. He’s good in coverage, a sure tackler and yet another veteran in Denver’s secondary.
Jahdae Barron | 23 5-11, 200, 24, 2nd season, Texas Who’s first up outside if the Broncos have a need? Barron or Abrams-Draine? The early bet is on KAD, but Barron has got a ton of work both outside and in the slot so far in training camp. The perimeter isn’t his strong suit just yet, and it occasionally shows against Denver’s deep receiver group.
Punter
Devon Key | 26 6-0, 208, 27, 3rd season, Western Kentucky Midway through camp, Key looks like the next man in if either safety misses time. His defensive time in the starting lineup a couple years back wasn’t pretty, but coaches and teammates think he’s grown considerably as a player since then.
Que Robinson | 51 6-4, 243, 25, 2nd season, Alabama One of the prime breakout candidates for the Broncos, Robinson showed tantalizing flashes as a rookie and now looks set to be a regular. He could start if Cooper is suspended. Dondrea Tillman figures to factor in here, too.
Kris Abrams-Draine | 31 5-11, 178, 24, 3rd season, Missouri Every time AbramsDraine has been thrown into action, he’s acquitted himself well. There’s little doubt he’d start for at least a handful – and maybe more than that – of teams around the league. He’s luxurious depth to have outside.
Jeremy Crawshaw | 16 6-3, 205, 25, 2nd season, Florida Crawshaw hit some big punts in the postseason, and this summer looks capable of jumping into the NFL’s upper echelon. He’s got major power behind the ball and has been steering it well, too.
Miles Scott | 39 5-11, 210, 24, rookie, Illinois This spot on the depth chart could also end up going to JL Skinner or Tycen Anderson. Scott, though, has some developmental chops, and the Broncos will, at some point, have to find a homegrown starter.
Note
Projected rosters are as of Aug. 18.
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
PARKER GABRIEL — THE DENVER POST
Centennial Yards, a 52-acre mixed-use development project in downtown Atlanta, is wedged between the Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Hawks’ State Farm Arena and is partially open to the public while construction continues on a hotel, a concert venue and other entertainment options. The Broncos have toured the district while developing plans for Burnham Yard.
PARKER GABRIEL — THE DENVER POST
Developing Centennial Yards was seen as a “prohibitively expensive” project for years, RCLCO managing director Erin Talkington said, because of its unique location and off-grade relationship to streets and rail tracks running around and through the area. Now it’s a place the Broncos have toured as they develop plans for a Burnham Yard mixed-use district.
TIMOTHY HURST — THE DENVER POST
Brother and sister Paul Delmonico and Adeline Smith, second and third from left, co-owners of the nearby Old Western Paint Company Inc., talk with Tryba Architects principal Tommy Matthews over a scale model of the neighborhood during a community open house for the Burnham Yard Small Area Plan on, Aug. 12 at the La Alma Recreation Center in Denver.
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HUB BLUEPRINT STADIUM PLANS
What two Atlanta communities reveal about Burnham Yard By Parker Gabriel pgabriel@denverpost.com ATLANTA >> This might be the land
of Waffle House, but sandwiched between a pair of downtown stadiums sits a heavyweight Shake Shack. The importance of this spot isn’t so much the smash burgers or the black and white shakes themselves, but rather why it exists at all. T he q u i c k- s t o p r e s t a u rant, an Irish pub, and a giant, 70,000-square-foot Cosm — a theater specializing in immersive experiences — are early anchors in the Centennial Yards mixed-use development. Eventually, the 52-acre wedge is slated to be packed with entertainment, hotels and condos. There’s already one hotel and a condo building open and another hotel and what is expected to be a roughly 5,000-seat venue are under construction just on the other side of a temporary wall. The ties to Denver here are fairly obvious. A mixed-use district next to a football stadium and built over — literally in this case — train tracks in what used to essentially be inaccessible industrial land? That sounds like Burnham Yard’s music. The Broncos, as it turns out, think the same. Before a preseason game against the Falcons next door at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Broncos president Damani Leech and other team executives toured Centennial Yards, sources told The Post. The tour has been on the club’s radar for some time. Owner and CEO Greg Penner mentioned Centennial Yards to The Post as an interesting project nearly a year ago when his franchise named Burnham Yard as its preferred site for a stadium and adjoining district. It is one of two major mixed-use districts in the Atlanta area the
Broncos have visited while planning their own, with The Battery, which surrounds the Braves’ baseball stadium in Cobb County, as the more talked-about. “It used to be called The Gulch,” RCLCO manaing director Erin Talkington said of Centennial Yards before the development really ramped up. “It’s been used as parking lots, but it’s several stories below the grade of parking and building entrances and people have been trying to develop it for years “It’s just been prohibitively expensive.” Now, though, it’s an ambitious project in the midst of downtown.
Lessons to learn from Atlanta No two projects are the same, of course, and Penner told The Post last fall that the Broncos “haven’t seen something that’s exactly what we want to do because we’ll create something that’s unique to this market and both what’s interesting to our fans but also what’s interesting to the community on a yearround basis.” There are things to learn from these spots in Atlanta, however — especially since the Broncos recently released a new round of renderings about their own plans for Burnham Yard and this summer have put a somewhat finer point on the time horizon for various stages of development around a stadium they hope to have open by the 2031 NFL season. At Centennial Yards, it’s impossible to miss that the place is a work in progress, but it’s also possible to walk through the existing part without feeling as though it’s a construction site. That will be important for the Broncos as they move through Phase 1 of construction and toward the stadium’s opening
— assuming the myriad processes with community groups and the city of Denver are completed over the coming months. “We want it to be a place that is connected to the existing neighborhood, a place where people feel connected, where they feel like they can live,” Leech said at a recent small area plan meeting at the La Alma Recreation Center. “A place that remembers and celebrates the history — the great history of this site that goes back hundreds of years. A place where people feel like they can move and gather … and spend time comfortably in the site. “And then, finally, a place where residents, businesses and guests all feel like they can grow and prosper for the next several generations. That is what’s guided a lot of what you’re going to see.” The renderings the team has released will change in future iterations, but they won’t be fully realized by 2031. Construction around the district in Phases 2 and 3 will take “many years,” Leech said, meaning it will be a decade or more before the plans are fully realized. Much of the Phase 1 buildout around the stadium shown in recent renderings and planning documents features work in what the Broncos are calling “Village Center,” which is on the eastern flank of the district between the stadium site and the La Alama and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. In previous filings, the Broncos have proposed zoning in that stretch that will make it the entertainment hub of the district.
Creating connectivity
One interesting factor to watch will be how much residential buildout is completed by the time the stadium opens. The Broncos, of course, play just 10 games a year in the stadium, and even with con-
certs and other events a stadium will draw, there aren’t a ton of event days over the course of a year. Even in a place like The Battery, where the Braves play 81 home games a year, the district’s designers prioritized having residential units ready early in the buildout. “You want your (residential) there pretty much first, right, to get people there,” Lauren Standish, a principal at HGOR in Atlanta that worked on the design of the district, said earlier this year while estimating that 80% of the foot traffic on non-game days in the area comes from people who live right there. “And then that spills off. They’ve got a Whole Foods there now, they’ve got bowling and other corporate offices that have come up. “That whole ring around the stadium is just going crazy, too.” Burnham Yard, of course, has the La Alama and Lincoln Park neighborhoods to the east, Baker and Santa Fe to the north, and is closer to downtown, so its foot traffic patterns will differ from those of either of the districts in Atlanta. What is clear, though, is that these places provide a glimpse at what a long-term project at Burnham Yard will look like in the medium term and much further down the road toward completion. “As much of the development is built around that daily activation, the sense of place and creating this new node of social activity with direct linkage to the stadium, that became the glue for that mixeduse development,” Todd Powers, another principal at HGOR, said. “How do all the buildings relate to each other? What is the open space connectivity and how do people move through to the stadium? “Also creating day-to-day programming for vitality — porches and patios and daily events, outdoor activities.”
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2026 NFL SCHEDULE
20 BEST GAMES
BY NATE PETERSON, THE DENVER POST
The NFL continues to raid nights on your calendar. Just look at the opener for the 2026 season, which kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 9, with a Super Bowl rematch between the Patriots and Seahawks in Seattle. There are also plenty of Friday games in this year’s schedule to go with football on Thursday, Sunday and Monday. Oh, and don’t forget Saturday when college football wraps up and the playoffs begin. Here are the 20 best games to watch this season. WEEK 1
New England at Seattle
6:20 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, KUSA-9
Drake Maye likely had offseason nightmares from the pounding he took from Seattle’s defense in the Super Bowl. Will the Patriots be able to exact some revenge on a night when Seattle raises its second championship banner?
San Francisco at L.A. Rams in Melbourne 6:35 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, Netfl Netflix ix
The NFL’s fi first rst game Down Under should be saltier than Vegemite. Kyle Shanahan loves nothing more than beating his old friend Sean McVay at SoFi Stadium with 49ers fans taking over the joint, which is likely why McVay worked the NFL’s scheduling levers to play a neutral site game. Makes sense, since the Niners have won three of their last four in L.A.
WEEK 2
Denver at Kansas City
6:15 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, ESPN
“Are you ready for some football?” Yeah, you can say that again for two fan bases ready to put 2025 in the rearview. Will Patrick Mahomes be rusty coming off knee surgery? Are the Broncos a legit Super Bowl contender? Does Sean Payton love rivalry games in which his team isn’t favored? You know the answer to that last one. We’ll find out the rest under the lights in Kansas City.
Dallas at Washington
2:25 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, KDVR-31
Will the Eagles have any serious competition for their third straight NFC East crown in 2026? This early-season tilt between the Cowboys and Commanders should provide some clues. WEEK 3
Baltimore at Dallas in Rio de Janeiro
2:25 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, KCNC-4
Jerry Jones loves spectacle, so it makes sense that America’s Team would play in the legendary Maracanã Stadium in the NFL’s fi first rst regular season game in Rio. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys receivers against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens should provide some off offensive ensive fi fireworks reworks for the fans in Brazil.
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WEEK 4
L.A. Rams at Philadelphia 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, KDVR-31
The odds-on Super Bowl favorites face a brutal opening stretch against rival Niners, Giants, Broncos, Eagles and Bills. The Eagles have also won the last four matchups in this series. Could this be an NFC Championship preview?
WEEK 5
Buffalo at L.A. Rams
6:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, ESPN
In a quarterback league, it doesn’t get much better than old gunslinger Matthew Stafford firing away against Josh Allen. Outside of the Broncos, Allen won’t face a more ferocious pass rush this season, especially if Aaron Donald comes out of retirement.
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WEEK 12
WEEK 16
Kansas City at Buffalo
Green Bay at Chicago
The only thing better than an extra slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving? A renewal of the NFL’s best QB duel. Josh Allen is sick of the narrative that he can only beat Patrick Mahomes during the regular season, but so far that’s true. These two rivals have split their last 10 meetings, but Mahomes is 4-0 in playoff games.
Da Bears and the Packers at frigid Soldier Field, renewing the NFL’s oldest rivalry, is the perfect gift to open after you get done with the presents under the tree. Expect the Packers to be like your nephew who didn’t get “Grand Theft Auto VI” for Christmas, too, after blowing both tilts in the Second City last season.
6:20 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 26, KUSA-9
Denver at Pittsburgh
1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27, Prime Video
11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 25, Netflix
Buffalo at Denver
2:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 25, Netflix
Skip the lines at the mall and feast on leftovers and Broncos-Steelers on Black Friday. It’s the last time that the Broncos will face Aaron Rodgers, who is 2-2 against Denver entering his 22nd NFL season.
This rematch of last year’s instant-classic AFC wildcard matchup is the stuffing between Bears-Packers and Rams-Seahawks. It should be pivotal for playoff position in the race for the AFC’s top seed.
New York Jets at Miami
6:15 p.m. Friday, Dec. 25, KDVR-31
WEEK 6
Dallas at Green Bay
6:20 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, KUSA-9
Does the winner of this game break the 40-40 tie from last season? The Packers have won eight of the last 10 in this series, including a 48-32 thrashing in the NFC wild card at Jerry World after the 2024 season that still has Cowboys fans sore.
WEEK 7
Kansas City at Seattle
6:20 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, KUSA-9
It’s the Kenneth Walker III Bowl and a possible Super Bowl preview when last year’s title-game MVP faces his former team in Seattle. Yards won’t come easily for Walker against Mike MacDonald’s swarming unit, especially with the 12s in full roar. WEEK 9
Houston at L.A. Chargers 2:05 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, KCNC-4
Will the addition of QB whisperer Mike McDaniel tip the scales for Justin Herbert and Los Angeles against DeMeco Ryans’ top-ranked defense from last season?
11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 29, KCNC-4
L.A. Rams at Seattle
Geno Smith vs. Malik Willis looks like one of the worst games of the season, but there could be a big prize at stake: The right to draft Arch Manning at No. 1. The Dolphins are projected to win only 4.5 games, while the Jets are projected to win just 5.5.
All football fans want for Christmas is another NFC West title fight after three epic clashes last season. That included Week 16’s overtime classic in which the Seahawks scored their third 2-point conversion of the game to secure the win. Playoff seeding and home-field advantage should be on the line again.
WEEK 13
WEEK 17
Buffalo at New England
Denver at New England
These rivals would’ve faced off for the right to go to
Woulda. Coulda. Shoulda. The Broncos are motivated by the Super Bowl chance that disappeared in a whiteout during the AFC Championship. No doubt Bo Nix will be up for this one against Drake Maye, who went nine picks ahead of him in the 2024 draft.
2:25 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, KCNC-4
the Super Bowl in January if not for Ja’Quan McMillian’s season-saving pick in an AFC wild-card thriller in Denver. (Yeah, don’t bring it up with Bills fans, who are convinced it was a Brandin Cooks catch.)
TBD Jan. 2 or 3, TBD
WEEK 15
Baltimore at Pittsburgh 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, KCNC-4
John Harbaugh is coaching the Giants. Mike Tomlin is analyzing games for NBC. Doesn’t matter — the antipathy between these two franchises is still as strong as ever, especially after last year’s rock fight to close the NFL regular season.
Baltimore at Cincinnati
6:15 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, Prime Video
Skip the pricey prix-fixe on New Year’s Eve and stay in for this one, which could decide the AFC North title. This division rivalry only got juicier after Trey Hendrickson switched sides on a four-year, $112 million deal after the Ravens nixed the Maxx Crosby blockbuster.
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ANDY CROSS — THE DENVER POST
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix throws down field against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. on Dec. 25.
RJ SANGOSTI — THE DENVER POST
TIMOTHY HURST — THE DENVER POST
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes looks to pass down field against the Broncos at Empower Field on Dec. 11, 2022in Denver.
Broncos defensive end Zach Allen, right, celebrates a sack of the Packers’ Jordan Love onDec. 14 at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
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BRONCOS’ REIGN BEGINS
SUPER BO?
The Chiefs are old and the Bolts are the Beverly Hills Bills Super Bo or bust. The cate,” NFL Network anagauntlet Broncos CEO Greg lyst Marc Ross told me as Penner threw down in we watched the Broncos early August had diamonds practice at Dove Valley refor knuckles, twinkling in cently. “And it’s tough to the Colorado sunshine. even just win a division — “Our goal is to comforget winning the Super Sean pete for championships ev- Keeler Bowl. Everything’s got to ery year,” Penner had said break your way. a few weeks back when “But if I’m looking at asked what he’d view as a success- this (Broncos) team in the diviful season in 2026. “And if we put sion, I’m saying I’m picking them ourselves in that position, I think to win this year. We’ll see what we’re going to be successful. And next year brings about as well. we’re going to win Super Bowls.” So to predict seven (or more) in As in, plural. a row is just so hard to say. But The AFC West needs a new they’ll be in the hunt. They’ll be daddy. The Chiefs were broken in the mix if everyone’s healthy before Patrick Mahomes blew out and whatnot, yeah.” his knee. The Chargers are the The wonks keep whispering in Buffalo Bills of Beverly Hills, for- my ear that the Chargers are due, ever cursed. The Raiders are still that Justin Herbert is due, that the asylum Maxx Crosby can’t Jim Harbaugh is due, that new wait to escape from. OC Mike McDaniel is due. I say Meanwhile, Bo Nix is 26 and the football gods have had it in under contract through 2027. Pat for the Spanos family even before Surtain II and Nik Bonitto are they shoved a machete into the 26 and signed through 2029. Gahearts of San Diegans. The Raidrett Bolles is 34 and locked up ers might somehow figure it out through 2028. someday, but that someday is noLet’s see: Franchise QB. Shutwhere close to now. down corner. Premier edgeIt’s not hard to see the Bronrusher. Pro Bowl left tackle. cos rattling off five division titles That’s the NFL’s Holy Quaternity in a row, the way they did under sorted, the four biggest boxes of Tebow and Manning. The AFC football roster-building ticked off West’s old money isn’t worth what with giant gold checkmarks. it used to be. Chiefs Kingdom And we didn’t get into the fact still flies its crimson flags high, that Zach Allen, one of the most but towers of BBQ-stained bricks under-pubbed defensive superhave become faded and worn. stars in the NFL, is inked through Munitions are low. The devil has 2029. Or that Quinn Meinerz is come to collect his due, interest signed through 2028. Or that Ta- compounded by a decade of Malanoa Hufanga is only 26. A house homes’ miracles. No. 15’s reconis only as strong as its foundation. structed knee is a bigger riddle The Broncos are building on top than Nix’s new ankle. Defensive of a steel spine. tackle Chris Jones just turned 32. “Well, nine (AFC West tiKansas City traded one starting tles) in a row for the Chiefs was corner to the Rams (Trent McDufpretty good. That’s hard to replifie) and watched another corner
(Jaylen Watson) sign with L.A. as a free agent. Tight end Travis Kelce — congrats on the nuptials — will turn 37 in October. At 37, Antonio Gates saw his targets (52) and touchdowns (three) drop by half from what they were during his age-36 season. At 37, Tony Gonzalez retired. At 37, Shannon Sharpe had been working at CBS for about a year. Rob Gronkowski turned 37 this past May. “I mean, it’s Mahomes’ injury and Kelce’s age, and that was going to happen. Again, when you look at their roster, there are a lot of question marks,” Ross stressed. “You have that receiver group — of course, they brought Kenneth Walker III in to kind of supplement that. But you look at that receiver group, you’re like, that’s not scaring anybody. And as great as Kelce’s been, you’re like, ‘He’s not the same Kelce of old.’ The defense has some holes. Do they have enough pass rush, still? So there are a lot of question marks with the Chiefs — where in years past, there weren’t that many, and Mahomes could take everybody up to a different level. No one’s scared of them anymore.” To wit: In 2024, Kansas City trailed or was tied entering the fourth quarter in five regular-season games that season. The Chiefs went on to win all five. In 2025, over Weeks 1-14, while Mahomes was still active, they tied or trailed after three quarters eight different times — and went 1-7 in those contests. Payton’s been here before. Actually, he’s been here a lot. The Saints had notched just two division titles in their history from 1967-2005. Sunshine Sean won seven of them in the Big Easy
from 2006-2021, including a run of four straight from 2017-2020. “It’s going to be a heck of a dogfight,” NFL Network reporter Omar Ruiz said of the AFC West. “It might be whose defense plays better. But, yeah, as far as a window goes, I think the Chiefs are right there. As long as Herbert’s healthy with the Chargers, they’ll be a contender. And I like what I’ve seen so far from Bo Nix and Sean Payton. As long as they’re together, they’ll be a contender.” The most pressing concern for Broncos from ’27-29 probably won’t be Mahomes, Herbert or Fernando Mendoza. It’ll be math. Nix’s rookie deal is up after the ’27 campaign, with a club option for 2028. He’s slated to feature a cap number of $5.08 million this fall and $5.92 million in ’27 — one of the biggest bargains, and QB bargains, in the entire NFL. But if you’re a proven QB1, those savings don’t last. “These young stars that have emerged (for the Broncos), that have become part of this team, that have become a force in the NFL, they’re slowly but surely going to start getting plucked off,” Ruiz noted. “Can (the franchise) draft well enough to sustain that success over a period of time?” With a year remaining on Mahomes’ initial four-year, $16.4-million rookie contract, the Chiefs ripped it up in the summer of 2020 and inked him to a 10-year pact that averaged $45 million per season. The franchise went to four more Super Bowls over the next six seasons, winning two. But in this league, those Bills have a habit of catching up with you. Those Broncos, too.
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AFC WEST PREVIEW Balanced Broncos can keep aging Chiefs at bay
RJ SANGOSTI — THE DENVER POST
The Broncos’ Ja’Quan McMillian sacks Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at Empower Field at Mile High on November 16, 2025.
1. Denver Broncos
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 18-1; Over-under win total: 9.5 Strengths: The offensive line that features the same five starters for a third straight season is one of the better units in the league. John Franklin-Myers is in Nashville, but the talent and depth on defense remains elite. If the pass rush doesn’t get home, Pat Surtain II is a perennial defensive player of the year candidate and leads a strong secondary. Jaylen Waddle gives Bo Nix a true No. 1target, and the group behind the ex-Dolphins wideout is deep. Weaknesses: What will be the resolution after Jonathon Cooper was arrested twice in early July amid domestic violence allegations? Will Nix’s surgically repaired ankle hold up? The running backs might just be solid, even as Sean Payton and Co. continue to say the Broncos want to run the ball more.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 15-1; Over-under win total: 10.5 Strengths: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones are all getting older — the latter two in particular — but remain elite players to anchor another season when the expectations will be Super Bowl or bust. Mahomes is coming back from a major knee injury that was the final blow in a season that had already gone off the rails. Kenneth Walker III, fresh off Super Bowl MVP honors, could help the running game provide a little more balance. Weaknesses: Is the supporting cast around Kansas City’s ‘Big Three’ good enough? Rashee Rice spent part of his injury rehab in jail this offseason, and the pass catchers in general look pretty underwhelming beyond Kelce. The interior of the offensive line should be solid, but the tackles are a question mark.
3. Los Angeles Chargers
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 17-1; Over-under win total: 10.5 Strengths: Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are one of the best 1-2punches at offensive tackle in the league, but both are coming off season-ending injuries. The line should be a strength, and the running back duo of Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal should get plenty of work. The defense, led by do-it-all safety Derwin James and breakout pass rusher Tuli Tuipulotu, should again be among the top 10. Justin Herbert can make every throw and often looks like one of the very best quarterbacks in the NFL … Weaknesses: … but Herbert is also 0-3in the playoffs in six seasons as the starter. The Keenan Allen return season went pretty well with 81 catches, but he’s gone. The depth chart behind Ladd McConkey has intriguing options but could also be one quality option short.
4. Las Vegas Raiders
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 150-1; Over-under win total: 5.5 Strengths: Brock Bowers is a rock star at tight end. Ashton Jeanty could certainly still be a franchise running back as the rest of the pieces around him and Bowers get upgraded. That starts with the two biggest additions of the offseason — No. 1pick Fernando Mendoza is the franchise quarterback-in-waiting and free agent Tyler Linderbaum at center to anchor a work-in-progress offensive line. Maxx Crosby is also here, still, after a trade with the Baltimore Ravens fell through. Weaknesses: The Raiders had the No. 1pick for a reason. There are a bunch of new faces on defense, which was necessary. The rest of the offensive line could still be pretty bad. That alone might be enough reason to let Kirk Cousins start over Mendoza to begin the year.
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AFC EAST PREVIEW Can Allen, Bills put together a postseason run?
NIC ANTAYA — GETTY IMAGES FILE
Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks to pass against the Eagles at Highmark Stadium on Dec. 28 in Orchard Park, N.Y.
1. Buffalo Bills
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 10-1; Over-under win total: 10.5 Strengths: Josh Allen has won the most regular-season games (83) since 2019and has an argument for being the No. 1QB in the league. His 301total TDs is the most since 2016, even though Allen’s debut came two years later. James Cook led the NFL in rushing yards last year. There is star power on the defense, which now includes Broncos first-round pick Bradley Chubb. Weaknesses: There’s a lot of uncertainty for a Super Bowl contender, starting with a new head coach (Joe Brady), a new defensive coordinator (Jim Leonhard) and a new look on defense (3-4, after years in a 4-2-5). D.J. Moore was a big offseason addition, but the wide receiver corps could still be an issue. The rush defense was a significant problem last season.
New England Patriots
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 20-1; Over-under win total: 10.5 Strengths: Drake Maye finished second in league MVP voting in just his second season. He led the NFL in QB rating and yards per passing attempt. Maye’s leading receiver, Stephon Diggs, is gone, but A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs arrive to join TE Hunter Henry and give Maye a high-end set of targets. The defense allowed the fourth-fewest points last year and added first-team AllPro Kevin Byard III in the secondary. Weaknesses: It’s been … let’s call it an eventful offseason away from the field for the Patriots and coach Mike Vrabel. New England was a surprise participant in Super Bowl LX, and even the high-profile additions of Brown and Byard might not prevent some regression. One big reason? The schedule is going to be much tougher.
New York Jets
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 250-1; Over-under win total: 5.5 Strengths: Garrett Wilson is one of the best wide receivers in the league and a pair of first-round picks — tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wideout Omar Cooper Jr. — could give the Jets an exciting collection of pass catchers. Breece Hall is a solid, versatile running back who could get some help if a young offensive line improves. Weaknesses: Geno Smith had a bad year with Las Vegas while his former team won the Super Bowl, but now he’s back with the franchise that drafted him. He’s 35, and it could go sideways if the line struggles. The Jets allowed 503 points last year. The pass rush could be fun with No. 2overall pick David Bailey joining Will McDonald IV, but other teams will likely continue to find joy against this defense.
Miami Dolphins
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 500-1; Over-under win total: 4.5 Strengths: A lack of expectations? Does that count? The Dolphins are in full-fledged rebuilding mode. There’s a new general manager, a new head coach and a new quarterback. Malik Willis showed some promise as the No. 2behind Jordan Love in Green Bay. The Dolphins need Willis and De’Von Achane to be a dynamic duo. Weaknesses: Linebacker Jordyn Brooks earned All-Pro honors with a league-leading 183 tackles. He had a lot of cleaning up to do. There are intriguing young players on defense, but it could be a long year for the defense. With Jaylen Waddle in Denver and Tyreek Hill released after a severe knee injury last year, Willis might be working with the worst group of receivers in the league.
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AFC NORTH PREVIEW The post-John Harbaugh era begins in Baltimore
SCOTT TAETSCH — GETTY IMAGES FILE
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson scrambles during the first quarter against the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 7 in Baltimore.
1. Baltimore Ravens
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 11-1; Over-under win total: 11.5 Strengths: Lamar Jackson is a two-time MVP and one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Derrick Henry scoffs at your aging curves and historical data while continuing to run through defenses. Zay Flowers has developed into a No. 1 receiver. Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey anchor one of the best secondaries. The Ravens have won double-digit games in six of the past eight years. Weaknesses: The John Harbaugh era is over. Baltimore has a firsttime NFL head coach (Jesse Minter) and two new coordinators. The O-line lost center Tyler Linderbaum to free agency and rookie Olaivavega Ioane will likely start at one of the guard spots. The longstanding great defense has slid from first in 2023to 17th in points allowed.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 22-1; Over-under win total: 9.5 Strengths: Joe Burrow, when healthy, remains an elite NFL quarterback. Ja’Marr Chase is in the conversation for best wide receiver. He and Tee Higgins together might be the best 1-2 punch. Chase Brown topped 1,000yards rushing for the first time and added 69 receptions. Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen could be one of the best duos on the interior of the defensive line. Weaknesses: Burrow’s health issues and the offensive line’s struggles are not a coincidence. While the two new guys inside are exciting, Hendrickson, with his 61 sacks over the past five seasons, is now in Baltimore with a division rival. The defense allowed the thirdmost points in the league last year. It should be better, but it needs to be a lot better.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 80-1; Over-under win total: 8.5 Strengths: T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward still anchor the defense up front, and the supporting cast, with the likes of Derrick Harmon and Alex Highsmith, is stout. Adding Michael Pittman to play next to D.K. Metcalf outside, along with Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington inside, should be the best collection of pass catchers in Pittsburgh in several years. Weaknesses: Aaron Rodgers was better than the other post-Ben Roethlisberger options the Steelers have tried. Maybe he can find one more vintage season with his old coach Mike McCarthy, now the new guy in charge. The offensive line is a question mark, with Broderick Jones’ health the biggest uncertainty. They haven’t won a postseason contest since 2016.
4. Cleveland Browns
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 250-1; Over-under win total: 5.5 Strengths: The Browns were 14th in the league in points allowed, which was actually tops in the division. Jared Verse is not Myles Garrett, but he can still be the top pass rusher on a good defense in his third season. Denzel Ward is one of the league’s best cornerbacks. Harold Fannin, Jr., could be one of the top tight ends in short order. Weaknesses: Is it going to be former Colorado star Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson at quarterback? This offense was a mess last season, and it’s up to new coach Todd Monken to fix it. Maybe the offensive line will be better with some new additions highlighted by No. 9pick Spencer Fano? Former Broncos wideout Jerry Jeudy is the No. 1wideout. He caught 50of 106 targets last year.
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AFC SOUTH PREVIEW How far can Texans ride their dominant defense?
TIM WARNER — GETTY IMAGES
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is sacked by the Texans’ Danielle Hunter at NRG Stadium on Nov. 9 in Houston.
1. Houston Texans
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 20-1; Over-under win total: 9.5 Strengths: A truly dominant defense at all three levels. The Texas were 3-5before ripping off nine straight wins to finish the regular season, then the defense punked Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers in a wild-card game. Will Anderson is a defensive player of the year candidate. He and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. were first-team All-Pro selections, while four other members of the defense either made the Pro Bowl or earned second-team all-Pro honors. Now the scary part: Houston’s defense could be even better this year. Weaknesses: After Nico Collins, who is a legit No. 1 wideout that just needs to stay healthy, there are plenty of questions on offense. C.J. Stroud was a mess, to put it kindly, by the end of last season.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 30-1; Over-under win total: 9.5 Strengths: The Liam Cohen-Trevor Lawrence partnership helped the Jaguars become one of the surprise teams in 2025. Lawrence set a career high with 29touchdown passes, plus nine rushing scores, and finished fifth in league MVP voting. Parker Washington had multiple first-round picks in front of him on the depth chart, but became the team’s leading receiver in a breakout year. The defense was the NFL’s best against the run and forced the second-most turnovers. Weaknesses: Second-team all-Pro middle linebacker Devin Lloyd is in Charlotte. Leading rusher Travis Etienne,Jr. is in New Orleans. Former Colorado superstar Travis Hunter is a big wild card in his second year. The schedule will be much tougher this season.
3. Indianapolis Colts
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 66-1; Over-under win total: 7.5 Strengths: Jonathan Taylor led the league in carries (323) and touchdowns (18) while racking up his best yardage total (1,585) since 2021. Tyler Warren was as advertised in his rookie year, finishing tied for sixth in catches (76) and fifth in receiving yards (817) among tight ends. Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward are both Pro Bowl-level cornerbacks when healthy. Weaknesses: Alec Pierce had a 1,000-yard season on just 47 catches, but No. 1wideout Michael Pittman is off to Pittsburgh and the Colts’ receiving corps looks like it could be one of the worst in the league. Warren might need to catch 100-plus balls. Nearly every key player outside of Taylor and Warren are coming back from injury or dealing with one.
4. Tennessee Titans
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 250-1; Over-under win total: 6.5 Strengths: Cam Ward had an inconsistent rookie season, but he could have beaten the Broncos in Week 1if it weren’t for about a half-dozen drops by his receiving targets. The No. 1pick in 2025 should be throwing a lot of passes to the No. 4pick from 2026, Carnell Tate, who hopes to continue to the Ohio State-to-NFL star wideout assembly line. Jeffrey Simmons is an elite defensive lineman. Weaknesses: The defense has a long way to go around Simmons, though ex-Broncos pass rusher John Franklin-Myers is one of a bushel of new additions along with defensive-minded head coach Robert Saleh. The offensive line needs to be much better to help Ward develop into the franchise QB the Titans desperately need him to be.
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POWER RANKINGS Rams, armed with Myles Garrett, top the list 1. Los Angeles Rams
12. Detroit Lions
23. Minnesota Vikings
2. Seattle Seahawks
13. Houston Texans
24. New Orleans Saints
3. Denver Broncos
14. Green Bay Packers
25. New York Giants
4. Buffalo Bills
15. Dallas Cowboys
26. Atlanta Falcons
5. New England Patriots
16. Kansas City Chiefs
27. Tennessee Titans
6. Baltimore Ravens
17. Cincinnati Bengals
28. Las Vegas Raiders
7. Philadelphia Eagles
18. Washington Commanders
29. New York Jets
8. San Francisco 49ers
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30. Cleveland Browns
9. Los Angeles Chargers
20. Carolina Panthers
31. Arizona Cardinals
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
21. Indianapolis Colts
32. Miami Dolphins
11. Chicago Bears
22. Pittsburgh Steelers
Not the Super Bowl champs? Well, the Rams were already loaded. Then they traded for Myles Garrett, too. They should be a freight train. Mike Macdonald’s team will have a ring ceremony at some point and they might not even be the favorites in their own division. Welcome to the NFC West! A lofty position for Sean Payton’s team, but they’ve got continuity, they added Jaylen Waddle and Bo Nix is heading into a critical Year 3.
Could this, at long last, finally be Josh Allen’s year? He was foiled at Empower Field back in January, but he’ll have a squad again this fall.
Drake Maye and Co. took full advantage of a strange year and played in a Super Bowl ... well, technically. A complete team in Year 2 under coach Mike Vrabel. The bet here is that former Payton acolyte Declan Doyle will be good for Lamar Jackson, and that Jesse Minter will be an instant success as a head coach.
Starting in 2022, the Eagles have won 14, 11, 14, and 11 games. You know what that means. Fourteen big ones inbound for Nick Sirianni’s team.
The 49ers went from afterthought to nearly capturing the No. 1 seed in the NFC last year. If they can stay healthy, they’ll be a force. Been a big “if” recently. The Mike McDaniel and Justin Herbert pairing is one of the NFL’s most fascinating. If Herbert gets comfy, it can be a scary offense. The Jags got hot last year and won the division. Imagine how much fun they’d have been with a healthy Travis Hunter. Hopefully 2026 is the year.
Caleb Williams started to look like a star in the making under coach Ben Johnson. The Bears are really back… and apparently moving to Indiana as well. Duh Bears!
The Lions went from Ben Johnson to John Morton at OC. It didn’t work. Drew Petzing should be a good fit for Jared Goff and Co., but Detroit’s got to play defense, too. The Texans have perhaps the scariest defense in the NFL. They are an absolute hurricane under DeMeco Ryans. If C.J. Stroud finds his form, this will be an under-ranking. The Packers flamed out again, then extended everybody. At times, Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love look like a Super Bowl waiting to happen. Sometimes.
We know the Cowboys will score with Dak Prescott and those receivers. If former Denver assistant Christian Parker gets the defense straightened out, look out. This is destined to be a hilarious under- ranking if Patrick Mahomes quickly returns to form. But, for now, questions abound around the starter under center. Every season Joe Burrow has played 16 or more regular season games, he’s thrown for at least 4,475 yards and 34 touchdowns. Let’s do that again. This team went to the NFC Championship Game in 2024, then Jayden Daniels’ follow-up season was scuttled by injuries. Here’s hoping for a healthy Year 3. The Bucs get great play from Baker Mayfield and, at times, look like one of the best offenses on the planet. Yet they somehow end up 7-8 and in the hunt for the NFC South. Basically the same as above, but just not quite as good at quarterback. Bryce Young, though, has a division title under his belt and a chance to repeat. Daniel Jones is supposedly going to be healthy at the start or early in the season. That’s good. Probably. This team was so fun for the first half of 2025. If nothing else, the Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers reunion will be tremendous theater. What if they actually make one more run together?
What a calamity to let Sam Darnold go after a terrific 2024. Now they’ve got a Kyler Murray/J.J. McCarthy situation that feels like a Kevin O’Connell cry for help. The Saints can win the NFC South in part because it’s a bad division but also because Tyler Shough has juice and New Orleans was cooking down the stretch last year. John Harbaugh should bring some instant calm and respectability to the Giants. If he can get Jaxson Dart to take another step, the G-Men will have a bright future. Kevin Stefanski and Matt Ryan are the new braintrust in Atlanta, but the Falcons have questions at QB and around the roster. They’re quite a way away.
Titans Cam Ward did some good things as a rookie and clearly has some moxy to his game. Now, can Robert Saleh help build the rest of it around the young QB?
No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza has fun weapons in Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty. Klint Kubiak is a talented offensive coach. It’s going to take longer than a year. Former Broncos asst. GM Darren Mougey has been wheeling and dealing. They’ve got troves of premium picks the next couple years. It’ll be fun. But not in 2026. Deshaun Watson said recently he’d be open to an extension. That’s nice. Here’s betting the Browns think $230 million for nine wins (so far) will have been plenty. The Cardinals in the coaching carousel this winter felt a bit like they had nowhere to turn. Eventually it was to Dial-A-McVay Assistant. Or, er, Mike LaFleur. Give the Dolphins credit for going all in on the rebuild. But they’re paying $112 million to players on the team and charging $179 million in cap space to players who aren’t. — PARKER GABRIEL, THE DENVER POST
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DENVER POST PREDICTIONS How will the Broncos fare?
Nate Peterson Sports Editor
Sean Keeler Sports columnist
Troy Renck Sports columnist
Luca Evans Broncos reporter
Parker Gabriel Broncos reporter
Broncos record
10-7
11-6
12-5
11-6
11-6
AFC West finish
3rd
1st
1st
2nd
2nd
Broncos’ second win
Week 4, at San Francisco
Week 2, Jacksonville
Week 2, Jacksonville
Week 4, at San Francisco
Week 2, Jacksonville
Record first six games
2-4
3-3
3-3
2-4
3-3
Bo Nix passing yards/TDs
4,097/ 28
3,922/ 26
4,100/ 33
4,017/ 31
4,119/ 27
Bo Nix rushing attempts/yards
69 / 287
81 / 352
67/ 305
72/ 297
80/ 340
Broncos leading receiver (yards)
Jaylen Waddle (1,148)
Jaylen Waddle (1,013)
Jaylen Waddle (1,090)
Jaylen Waddle (1,126)
Jaylen Waddle (1,202)
Marvin Mims Jr. catches and yards
39 / 562
31/ 359
40/ 575
43 / 617
35/ 530
J.K. Dobbins (952)
J.K. Dobbins (933)
J.K. Dobbins regular season games
12
12
13
14
13
Jaylen Waddle catches/yards/TDs
72 / 1,014/ 6
78 / 1,013 / 7
87/ 1,090/ 6
93 / 1,126/ 7
99/ 1,202 / 8
Offensive points ranking
11th
11th
10th
9th
12th
Defensive points ranking
6th
4th
5th
8th
7th
Total sacks
57
64
60
56
54
Total takeaways
21
22
24
22
25
Rush yards allowed rank
3rd
5th
4th
3rd
5th
Nik Bonitto sacks
10
11
16
15.5
16
Talanoa Hufanga tackle total
81
92
70
74
89
NFL MVP
Lamar Jackson, Ravens
Matthew Stafford, Rams
Joe Burrow, Bengals
Lamar Jackson, Ravens
Joe Burrow, Bengals
Coach of the Year
Jim Harbaugh, Chargers
John Harbaugh, Giants
Sean McVay, Rams
Ben Johnson, Bears
Ben Johnson, Bears
Offensive Player of the Year
Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions
Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions
Bijan Robinson, Falcons
Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions
Bijan Robinson, Falcons
DPOY
Myles Garrett, Rams
Myles Garrett, Rams
Myles Garrett, Rams
Will Anderson, Texans
Myles Garrett, Rams
Offensive ROY
Jordyn Tyson, Saints
Jeremiyah Love, Cardinals
Carnell Tate, Titans
Jeremiyah Love, Cardinals
Jadarian Price, Seahawks
Defensive ROY
David Bailey, Jets
David Bailey, Jets
Caleb Downs, Cowboys
CJ Allen, Colts
Sonny Styles, Commanders
Disappointing team
Cowboys
Packers
Chiefs
Eagles
Jaguars
Surprise team
Saints
Giants
Giants
Titans
Saints
AFC champion
Ravens
Broncos
Broncos
Broncos
Bills
NFC champion
Rams
Rams
Rams
Bears
Rams
Super Bowl champion
Rams
Rams
Broncos
Broncos
Rams
Broncos leading rusher (yards)
J.K.Dobbins (1,005) J.K. Dobbins (946)
J.K. Dobbins (994)
46
| BRONCOSPREVIEW | DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
NFC NORTH PREVIEW Can MVP Stafford, Rams dethrone champs?
SOOBUM IM — GETTY IMAGES FILE
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford looks on during a game against the Seahawks at Lumen Field on Dec. 18in Seattle.
1.Los Angeles Rams
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 5-1; Over-under win total: 11.5 Strengths: Many. But the most topical place to start is the defensive front, where Jared Verse has been swapped out for Myles Garrett. He’s joining Byron Young on the edges, an arrangement appealing enough to tempt DT GOAT candidate Aaron Donald into possibly coming out of retirement. The Rams have also added CBs Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to their defense. Weaknesses: Can the reigning MVP be considered a potential weakness? The fickleness of a 38-year-old NFL player’s body can, at least. Matthew Stafford is entering his 18th season with no indication that a decline is imminent, but the more miles you put on your star QB, the more natural it is to worry. Still, you have to squint to identify weaknesses on this roster.
2. Seattle Seahawks
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 11-1; Over-under win total: 10.5 Strengths: Defense won Seattle the championship, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t be a superb unit again during the title defense. Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II and Jarran Reed are an excellent trio on the interior defensive line. If 2025trade deadline acquisition Rashid Shaheed can increase his production to capitalize on the attention on Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the receiver room should also be potent in Seattle. Weaknesses: The Seahawks lost starting RB and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to Kansas City in free agency, leaving questions in the backfield — at least while Zach Charbonnet remains sidelined by the ACL he tore in January. Rookie Jadarian Price will be an X-factor, drafted to help plug the hole.
3. San Francisco 49ers
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 171; Over-under win total: 10.5 Strengths: Valor Christian High School’s own Christian McCaffrey is coming off one of the best years of his decorated career. He rushed for 1,200yards while amassing his most receptions and yards through the air since 2019. If he’s healthy, he’ll continue to touch the ball more than any player in the league. And QB Brock Purdy is steady at making sure the ball finds him. Weaknesses: Heads, shoulders, knees and toes. McCaffrey, of course, is one of the most injury-prone stars in the NFL. Purdy missed half of last season. Nick Bosa is preparing to return from a torn ACL, and the 49ers’ pass rush tends to suffer dramatically without him. Ricky Pearsall has recently been placed on season-ending IR, thinning out a receiver room.
Arizona Cardinals
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 500-1; Over-under win total: 3.5 Strengths: Trey McBride has the enviable task of trying to live up to his monstrous 2025season, in which he cemented himself as the best pass-catching tight end in the league. Flanked by Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson, he’s the centerpiece of a pretty talented group of skill players in Phoenix. Weaknesses: Unfortunately, the Cardinals don’t have a quarterback capable of truly maximizing those players. Jacoby Brissett is likely to be their opening-day starter after the release of Kyler Murray. Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck are waiting in the wings. Between the QB room and a potential bottom-10defense, this roster remains pretty incomplete.
DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
| BRONCOSPREVIEW | 47
NFC EAST PREVIEW Eagles look to maintain division dominance
MITCHELL LEFF — GETTY IMAGES FILE
The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Dallas at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 4in Philadelphia.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 18-1; Over-under win total: 10.5 Strengths: Quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley will always be dangerous, especially operating behind an impenetrable offensive line that features Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata at the tackle spots. New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is bringing fresh ideas to a roster that remains pretty loaded. The Eagles have the firepower to maintain their monopoly on this division. Weaknesses: Safety is easily the weakest position group following the loss of Reed Blankenship to Houston in free agency. Philadelphia’s by-committee approach might include nickel Cooper DeJean getting more safety reps. Linebacker Nakobe Dean and receiver AJ Brown were also key departures this offseason.
2. Dallas Cowboys
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 25-1; Over-under win total: 9.5 Strengths: George Pickens proved to be one of the best acquisitions of the 2025offseason. He amassed 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in a breakout year, pairing with CeeDee Lamb to provide Dak Prescott with one of the most impressive receiver corps in the league. The Cowboys have a golden opportunity to lead the NFL in passing yards twice in a row. Weaknesses: One of the league’s worst defenses is desperate for a philosophical overhaul. Can new DC Christian Parker deliver? The secondary was particularly pitiful last season, rarely generating INTs and consistently making opposing quarterbacks look good. Returning CB DaRon Bland and rookie safety Caleb Downs are the best hopes to facilitate a turnaround.
3. Washington Commanders 4. New York Giants BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 66-1; Over-under win total: 7.5 Strengths: Quarterback, as long as you choose to believe the real Jayden Daniels was the one who appeared on MVP ballots and led an NFC title game run during his historic rookie season, and not the one whose completion rate dropped 9% during an injury-plagued sophomore year in which he missed 10 games. Weaknesses: The Commanders signed 11 defensive players in free agency, so that unit will look completely different after an atrocious 2025. Offensively, they need the 30-year-old Terry McLaurin to stay healthy, or they’ll be thin on quality pass-catching options for Daniels to target. McLaurin also missed seven games last season.
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 66-1; Over-under win total: 7.5 Strengths: John Harbaugh was the flashiest hire of the coaching carousel this offseason. Can he spark an immediate turnaround in his first year away from Baltimore since 2007? At the very least, he has one of the best edge rusher rooms in the league at his disposal, equipped with edge rushers Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns (the NFC leader in sacks last year). Weaknesses: Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo turned heads last year, but can the young QB-RB tandem elevate to a playoff level under a new coaching regime? Star receiver Malik Nabers also remains an unknown variable coming off a torn ACL. And as good as those edge rushers are, New York’s interior defensive line is nowhere near as complete.
48
| BRONCOSPREVIEW | DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
NFC NORTH PREVIEW Lions look to bounce back from down year
JOHN FISHER — GETTY IMAGES FILE
The Lions’ Jared Goff is pressured by the Packers’ Micah Parsons during a game at Lambeau Field on Sept. 7in Green Bay, Wis.
1. Detroit Lions
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 18-1; Over-under win total: 10.5 Strengths: Scoring points. Sure, 2025was a massive disappointment, and the O-line has required some reassembly since then, and the luxury of RB2David Montgomery is no more. But new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is inheriting a unit that features Jared Goff throwing to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and TE Sam LaPorta, when Jahmyr Gibbs isn’t tearing up defenses on the ground. Weaknesses: Both starting safe-ties are question marks from a health standpoint. Meanwhile, potential starting CB Terrion Arnold was released this offseason while facing armed robbery and kidnapping charges, causing ripple effects down the depth chart. This is shaping up to be a wobbly secondary again, unless the Lions can add help.
2. Green Bay Packers
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 20-1; Over-under win total: 9.5 Strengths: Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs form one of the NFL’s most talented quarterback-running back tandems, with Love coming off a strong year. Xavier McKinney anchors a strong secondary as one of the league’s most impactful safeties. Tight end Tucker Kraft is reportedly on track to start opening week as he finishes up ACL rehab. Weaknesses: On Dec. 14in Denver, the Packers were riding high, off to a 9-3-1 start and carrying a 23-14 third-quarter lead over the top seed in the AFC. Then, in about an hour, Micah Parsons tore his ACL. The Packers didn’t win another game. Parsons’ timeline is unclear entering the season, but he’s bound to miss at least a few weeks. Green Bay’s pass rush could be woeful without the star edge rusher.
3. Chicago Bears
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 25-1; Over-under win total: 9.5 Strengths: The Bears emerged as a surprise playoff team and one of the most compelling stories of the 2025season thanks to a few key ingredients: a superb offensive line; a sophomore QB defiant against the notion that he’d been the wrong No. 1overall pick in his draft class; a first-time head coach who wanted all the smoke; and pixie dust. The O-line should be stout again. Weaknesses: It’s rather easy to poke holes in the Bears’ infrastructure. They’re due for a regression to the mean in takeaways after they benefited from a league-leading 33 last season, masking a shaky defense. They trailed after the two-minute warning in seven of their 12wins. Their QB completed only 58.1% of his passes despite the and clutch TD throws.
4. Minnesota Vikings
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 50-1; Over-under win total: 8.5 Strengths: Justin Jefferson’s down year was largely a product of Minnesota’s dismal play at quarterback. Now that Kyler Murray has joined the mix to compete with JJ McCarthy on a one-year prove-it deal, the electrifying Vikings receiver should have more opportunities to make plays downfield. Murray also provides coach Kevin O’Connell with a more versatile option for play-calling purposes. Weaknesses: Minnesota’s offensive and defensive lines could struggle this season. That’s never a great recipe. If the Vikings can’t establish any run game — they don’t have much firepower in the backfield, either — that might place too much pressure on whoever prevails in the quarterback competition.
DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
| BRONCOSPREVIEW | 49
NFC SOUTH PREVIEW Panthers aim to continue their recent rise
MIKE EHRMANN — GETTY IMAGES FILE
The Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield hands off to Bucky Irving against the Panthers at Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 3 in Tampa, Fla.
1. Carolina Panthers
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 100-1; Over-under win total: 7.5 Strengths: Carolina’s young talent has some big-game experience to build on this season after giving the Rams a scare in the playoffs. Tetairoa McMillan was Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2025. Cornerback Jaycee Horn has made two consecutive Pro Bowls. The Panthers have a very competent offensive line, and Bryce Young is capable of brilliance when he needs to escape the pocket. Weaknesses: There’s a reason the Panthers went out searching for defensive upgrades this offseason. They squeaked through the division with an 8-9record last fall despite one of the worst collective units in the league. Can edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd fix them? The loss of RB Rico Dowdle to Pittsburgh also looms large.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 50-1; Over-under win total: 8.5 Strengths: Receiver Emeka Egbuka is coming off a 938-yard rookie season. Running back Bucky Irving is fully recovered from a shoulder injury with no limitations entering training camp, spurring optimism that his injury-plagued sophomore slump was only that. The defensive line is solid. The roster, in general, appears well-balanced, if not overwhelmingly talented. Weaknesses: Vibes? Two franchise players are beginning the last year of their contracts without extensions, and the poor state of negotiations has been aired publicly. Defensive lineman Vita Vea has requested a trade. QB Baker Mayfield feels disrespected because he hasn’t received a suitable contract offer. This is playing out after the loss of star receiver Mike Evans in free agency.
3. Atlanta Falcons
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 100-1; Over-under win total: 7.5 Strengths: Bijan Robinson’s trajectory and dependability. The dynamic RB has amassed 1,400rushing yards in back-to-back seasons, and led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage last year with 2,298. Three seasons in, he hasn’t missed a game. His development as a pass-catching option out of the backfield has only strengthened his value. Weaknesses: Uncertainty at quarterback. The brain trust that drafted Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall in 2024is no longer in the building, replaced by Matt Ryan, Ian Cunningham and head coach Kevin Stefanski. They’ve brought in Tua Tagovailoa to provide another QB option while Penix has finished rehabbing from a torn ACL. It’s a QB1 battle at camp, catnip for the twomeans-none believers out there.
4. New Orleans Saints
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 90-1; Over-under win total: 7.5 Strengths: Chris Olave tallied a career-high 100receptions last season. Between him and rookie Jordyn Tyson, the Saints could have one of the most ascendant receiver rooms in the league. They’ve also added Travis Etienne to the backfield alongside veteran Alvin Kamara. Juwan Johnson ranked third among tight ends in receiving yards last year (889). That’s a decent foundation at the skill positions for coach Kellen Moore to work with. Weaknesses: Was Tyler Shough’s impressive finish to last season just a flash in the pan? Or can he take the proper leap New Orleans needs him to take in order to contend for this division? Shough’s first full year as QB1will be revealing, one way or the other. The Saints also look weak in their secondary.
50
| BRONCOSPREVIEW | DENVERPOST.COM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
6:15 p.m. Sept. 14, ESPN
2 p.m. Sept. 20, KCNC-4
6:20 p.m. Sept. 27, KUSA-9
AT KANSAS CITY
2026 Broncos schedule
BY PARKER GABRIEL, THE DENVER POST
JACKSONVILLE
L.A. RAMS
A “Monday Night Football” opener at Arrowhead, (likely) Patrick Mahomes’ return and the propensity of Sean Payton’s teams here to start slow? That’s a recipe for disaster, right? Well, Denver’s also been good against the Chiefs recently. Bo Nix gets off to a rollicking start, Vance Joseph continues to beat Mahomes and the Broncos hype reaches a fever pitch. Broncos 24, Chiefs 16
The Jaguars are defending AFC South champions, and they’ve got a terrific young play-calling head coach in Liam Coen. They were the only team to win in Denver during the regular season last year. This time around, J.K. Dobbins is a difference-maker and the Broncos more effectively limit Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence. A barnburner would be fun. Broncos 30, Jaguars 27
The dream start is dreamy until Sean McVay brings his team to Denver. The Rams have depth, talent and one of the most daunting defensive lines out there with the addition of Myles Garrett. Matthew Stafford’s flanked by too much offensive talent. But what about a potential mid-February rematch on the Rams’ home turf? Rams 24, Broncos 17
WEEK 4
WEEK 5
WEEK 6
WEEK 7
WEEK 8
2:25 p.m. Oct. 4, KCNC-4
2 p.m. Oct. 11, KCNC-4
6:15 p.m. Oct. 15, Prime
2 p.m. Oct. 25, KCNC-4
2:25 p.m. Nov. 1, KCNC-4
AT SAN FRANCISCO
AT L.A. CHARGERS
SEATTLE
AT ARIZONA
KANSAS CITY
The Chargers lost defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. They gained offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. L.A. should be able to run the heck out of the ball, and they get two All-Pro tackles back from injury to protect Justin Herbert. This game is tougher because of the brutal stretch it falls in, but the SoFi crowd will be largely blue and orange. Broncos 19, Chargers 17
The Broncos have made it through a rugged five weeks at 3-2. That’ll play. Now, the Super Bowl champs roll into town on a short week. What if Bo Nix hadn’t broken his ankle in January? These teams probably would have played in February. Maybe they’ll make good in 2027. In the meantime, Mike Macdonald’s team is going to be a handful. Seahawks 24, Broncos 17
Davis Webb and Co. use the bye week to tinker and decide more outside zone, under center and play-action game is the ticket. Will it hold up the whole season? Hard to say from here, but the hapless Cardinals take the brunt of a creative burst from the Denver offense. Nix has had some statstuffer games in his career. This one goes near the top of the list. Broncos 44, Cardinals 17
WEEK 9
WEEK 10
WEEK 11
WEEK 12
WEEK 13
11 a.m. Nov. 8, KCNC-4
Normally a midseason bye is great, though the Broncos have benefitted greatly from having a later bye each of the past two years since they’ve been in postseason contention. A Week 6 TNF game and Week 10 bye is stacking the extra rest a bit early, though there’s more oddball game times to come. November, though, is too late for golfing in Idaho, so Payton gets a little R&R in Cabo instead.
2:25 p.m. Nov. 22, KCNC-4
1 p.m. Nov. 27, Prime
2 p.m. Dec. 6, KDVR-31
WEEK 14
11 a.m. Dec. 13, KCNC-4
What a year to draw the NFC West. And the Broncos get the entire division in a five-game span. The Niners figure to be really good again this year unless their local substation causes a bunch of injuries again — Joking! Mostly joking! — and this will be a tall task. Christian McCaffrey puts the dagger in Denver with a wheel route called by Kyle Shanahan. Ouch. 49ers 20, Broncos 14
AT CAROLINA
Amazing that a road trip to a 2025 champion represents the start of the soft part of the Broncos schedule. Bryce Young has come a long way and the Dave Canales/ Dan Morgan regime has been a success so far. The Broncos, though, have too much pass rush and by this time will have the Nix/ Jaylen Waddle connection rolling. Denver needs this game and gets it. Broncos 28, Panthers 17
AT N.Y. JETS
Don’t look now but the Broncos have won five in a row to get to 8-4 and right into the postseason mix. The Jets might as well be a division team at this point because they’ve ended up on Denver’s schedule nearly every year. This will be the seventh straight season they’ve played and the ninth matchup in 10 years. This one could be ugly and still a relative breeze. Broncos 17, Jets 9
BYE WEEK
LAS VEGAS
AT PITTSBURGH
The Chiefs roll into Empower Field on a roll. This rivalry, though, has turned on its head. Payton made the Chiefs one of his primary goals and now, he’s got their number. If Denver beats Mahomes twice this year, there will be no discounting the season sweep. Come to think of it, that might be too much to ask. One last dose of Travis Kelce magic proves bedeviling. Chiefs 26, Broncos 24
MIAMI
This game would have so much more juice had Las Vegas hired Davis Webb as its head coach. The only real question for the Silver and Black will be if No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza has taken over at quarterback for Kirk Cousins by this point. Either way, by the time this one is over, Mark Davis will wish he’d hired Webb. Or Vance Joseph. Or both. Broncos 27, Raiders 13
This Black Friday game will draw a massive number of eyeballs to Amazon on the biggest retail day of the year. Last time the Broncos saw Aaron Rodgers, he was the New York Jets QB and they hit him a lot of times in the rain at MetLife Stadium in 2024. How about snow instead, three rivers instead of the Jersey swamp and probably a lot more hits on Rodgers. Broncos 21, Steelers 20
When the Broncos made the playoffs in 2024, they did so with a whopping $89 million in dead cap. It was the biggest raw number of all time and just barely No. 2 by percentage of the cap ($34.8%). The Dolphins, as of this writing, have $179 million in dead cap. That’s a shade under 60%. They have $112 million in actual player contracts on their roster. Preposterous. Broncos 35, Dolphins 20
WEEK 15
WEEK 16
WEEK 17
WEEK 18
2:25 p.m. Dec. 20, KCNC-4
2:30 p.m. Dec. 25, Netflix
TBD, Jan. 2-3
TBD, Jan. 9-10
AT LAS VEGAS
This one has all the trappings of a trap game. The Broncos are likely to be big favorites, it’s in Vegas after playing on the East Coast and it’s heading into a short week before a titanic matchup against Josh Allen and Co. One of the hallmarks of Payton’s tenure in Denver, though? The Broncos have rarely lost games like this, where they’re clearly expected to win. Broncos 26, Raiders 14
BUFFALO
Standalone on Christmas Day. A rematch of a January postseason classic. Maybe No. 1 seed and almost certainly some form of postseason implications. Josh Allen. Bo Nix. Their mutual bestie Davis Webb. Sean Payton vs. protege Joe Brady. On and on and on. It has the chance to be so, so good. The bet here: This time, the kid from Wyoming does not turn the ball over four times. Bills 28, Broncos 27
AT NEW ENGLAND
If there’s a game that will have some crazy travel plans scrambled by weather, this is the obvious favorite. Early January at Foxborough is just asking for a blizzard. Not just in the second half, either. Sorry. Buffalo and New England back-to-back down the stretch of this season might be vertigo-inducing, but so might the AFC playoff race itself. Patriots 23, Broncos 20
L.A. CHARGERS
Man, back-to-back one-score losses to fall to 10-6 going into the final week of the season. After all the one-score magic in 2025, that would be enough to cause a little acid reflux. We’ve been calling for a Broncos Week 18 game where both teams need it for two years now. The third time is going to be the charm. Or, at least, that would be fun. Broncos 24, Chargers 22
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