State of the Broncos

The Broncos are moving on from starters and some key rotational pieces to upgrade the starting lineup, while raising the roster's floor by keeping their depth largely intact. But the Broncos don’t have a good roster overall and will need to make significant changes next year (53 Bronco free.agents in 2025).

Quarterbacks

Bo Nix will be the starter with Jarrett Stidham and Zack Wilson competing for the back up position. The Broncos can gain $5m in cap space by cutting Stidham and Wilson (who may be the most talented quarterback on the roster) has extensive starter experience (and lower cost) in the NFL. Ben Dinucci was released and John Matocha was not signed after his tryout.

Running Backs

The running back situation is murky with non of the 2023 backs being totally safe, with the exception of FB Michael Burton. That said, if Javonte Williams is back to his 2021 form, he will be the unquestioned starter. However, he and Samaje Perine are both in the final year of their contracts and Audric Estime will push both backs when the pads come on. HC Sean Payton likes Jaleel McLaughlin but UDFA Blake Watson has a high signing guarantee and a legitimate threat to McLaughlin and it could come down to who blocks better. RB Tyler Badie shouldn’t be overlooked as a third down option, but it appears he has an uphill battle.

Wide Receivers

Courtland Sutton is the X and number one receive. Troy Franklin is the designated Z receiver but it remains to be seen when he becomes the starter (likely early). Tim Patrick can play X and Z and possibly big slot. He’s on the field for OTAs and looks good. Experienced Josh Reynolds figures to be in the mix and Marvin Mims can take the top off the defense but needs to improve his route running to become a starter. The rest of the wide receivers are vying for one or two roster spots with special teams ace Lil’Jordon Humphrey and speedster Jalen Virgil leading the group. Devaughn Vele should not be overlooked.

Tight Ends

The tight ends remain a mess. Adam Trautman will probably be the starter with often injured Greg Dulcich as the receiving threat. Nate Adkins and UDFA Dylan Leonard are blocking specialists and Lucas Krull and UDFA Thomas Yassmin are athletic tight ends with upside. Nate Adkins may challenge Trautman because of his blocking skills and versatility as an H-Back.

Defensive Line

John Franklin-Myers, DJ Jones and Zack Allen along with Malcolm Roach, Angelo Blackson and Matt Henningsen give the Broncos an improved starting group and better depth than in 2023.They’re all good against the run and can push the pocket. They play hard and have good football character.

Edge rushers: Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper are your likely starters with Nik Bonitto and rookie Jonah Elliss being pass rush specialists. All four will be in a heavy rotation throughout the season.

Linebackers: Alex Singleton is your starter. Jonas Griffith and Cody Barton (coverage) will play designated roles at the second spot. Justin Strnad is a special teams leader but the defense could use help at linebacker. Drew Sanders is out, until late in the season.

Cornerback:. After Patrick Surtain II, it’s a wide-open competition: Veteran Levi Wallace, Riley Moss, Damarri Mathis, and rookie Kris Abrams-Draine. Ja’Quan McMillian is the slot but could be tried outside. Moss has had several good days of practice.

Safety: Brandon Jones and P.J. Locke are the starters with Caden Sterns and JL Skinner are the backups. Delarrin Turner-Yell is on the roster bubble. The Jones-Locke tandem is solid.

The clock has started on the Payton/Paton rebuild. They improved the team with the draft and low cost free agents. They followed their trend over the past few years of reaching in the first three rounds and taking fallers early on Day 3.

Rookie Mini Camp

QB Bo Nix was exactly what Sean Payton expected. The team and Nix are working on his under center work and he displayed improvement since his Senior Bowl Game. He was accurate, in control and had no problem throwing deep outs. Nix will throw deep and was second only to Jayden Daniels for explosive throws in 2023. Payton will have Nix on the attack.

The whole team seemed focused, happy and energetic. Payton taught his three types of tempo: walk through, OTA (hardest to coach), and full tempo. Nix had plenty of receivers to throw to, with obvious chemistry with WR Tory Franklin and frequent targets to and receptions by WR Devaughn Vele. WR Colin Wilson (Washburn) was a surprise standout. Franklin has a blue-collar work ethic and works hard on his game. Franklin is here to work on his game with his quarterback.

You can’t really evaluate running back, linebackers, and safeties until the pads come on because there’s no live tackling. However, Javonte Williams and Audric Estime will compete for the top spot. Both are powerful runners who can ware down a defense. No running backs job is safe. Williams and Estime are possibly a 50-50 split and Estime could win the job outright. McLaughlin, Blake Watson and Tyler Badie will compete for third down back. Samaje Perine maybe the odd man out.

As the off-season progresses, the center position will be hotly contested between Alex Forsyth, Luke Wattenberg and Sam Mustipher. Another area to watch is the back end tight end battle between Lucas Krull and Nate Adkins. The cornerback room needs to step up with key depth: Levi Wallace vs. Damarri Mathis vs. Riley Moss. The second ILB is up for grabs between Drew Sanders, Cody Barton and Jonas Griffith.

It’s May and Bo Nix is already locked in on running Payton’s offense the right way while Jarrett Stidham and Zack Wilson will contend to make the roster and for the number two quarterback slot.

Sean Payton believes the new kickoff rule will make for drastic changes in in the special teams approach. The Broncos will need two deep backs with excellent ball skills and a unique skill set for the different type kicks they will have to handle. He also expects the blocking units for return teams to get bigger. Fortunately, the Broncos have several candidates for returner and the draft gave them bigger players to handle the kickoff blocking.

2024 Schedule

The NFL thinks the the Broncos will stink in 2024 as evidenced with only two prime-time games: one Thursday night and NO Monday night game. Wins and losses matter (7-10?), but for the long term, this season is about the progress of the first-round quarterback.

Broncos 2024 preseason schedule:

Week 1: @ Colts (Sun. Aug. 11, 11 a.m.)
Week 2: vs Packers (Sun. Aug. 18, 6 p.m.)
Week 3: vs Cardinals (Sun. Aug. 25, 2:30 p.m.)

Regular Season Schedule

Organized Team Activities

The Broncos will have had 10 OTA practices, offense versus defense, 11 on 11 before their three-day mandatory mini-camp June 11-13. Most of the team is on the field for OTAs. Courtland Sutton and John Franklin-Myers, DJ Jones are not and a few guys are limited, like Greg Dulcich. Drew Sanders being out opens a door for UDFA Levelle Bailey from Fresno State. Another UDFA to watch is Alec Mock. Tim Patrick’s on the field and looks good. TE Lucas Krull is looking sharp with Dulcich limited.

Players to watch going forward are: 1) Jarrett Stidham ($5M cap savings) cut if Zack Wilson produces; 2) Greg Dulcich has high expectations, but another hamstring could see him cut; 3) Wide receivers caught in the numbers game-Brandon Johnson, Lil’Jordon Humphrey, and Jalen Virgil; 4)CBs Damarri Mathis (under performing/lost confidence) and Riley Moss (under whelming/injuries); 5) absentee Courtland Sutton who could be replaced by a healthy/better Tim Patrick; and, 6) DL Eyioma Uwazurike (1-year suspension) if reinstated, but may be released before training camp.

Week 1

1. RB Samaje Perine is one of the best pass catching backs in the NFL and averaged 4.5-yards a carry on limited carries in 2023. He has looked good all week and is the fifth best running back in the AFC West.
2. RB Javonte Williams (Pacheco and Edwards) is arguably the third best running back in the AFC West. However, it doesn’t appear that he has his old burst and it will take getting into pads before we know if his tackle breaking ability has returned. He could be a surprise cut late in training camp.
3. QB Bo Nix was "perfect" in rookie mini-camp, but not so against the number one defense. The defense fooled him pre-snap,but he learned from his mistakes and did not get fooled the same way twice and made the defense pay.
4. WR Marvin Mims appears to have put in the work during the off-season as he showed crisp cuts on his routes. He could potentially be a super-fast number one wide receiver for the Broncos.
5. TE Lucas Krull is a big fast tight end who makes play-after-play no matter who is quarterback.
6. CB Riley Moss didn’t play much as a rookie, but is making a bid to start opposite Pat Surtain, II. Moss confidently baits the quarterback and uses his speed and high football I.Q. to make him pay for mistakes.
7. WR Tim Patrick is moving well but his burst has not returned and he limps from time to time.

Week 2

1. Marvin Mims, Jalen Virgil, Tremon Smith and Devaughn Vele give the Broncos multiple options in the return game.
2. Bo Nix continues to look good, not great. Jarrett Stidham continues to be the most constant and has had some good throws. Zack Wilson continues to show the best arm, but although showing improvement, he is still Zack Wilson (but shows developmental potential with Payton).
3. Javonte Williams isn’t back to form and doesn’t have his old burst. Payton says "it’s two year heel" for the knee (which won’t be until October) and it remains to be seen if he gets that much time. He did show a brief flash this week.
4. Audric Estime is out until training camp with a "clean-up" scoped knee, while the other running backs are doing everything asked of them.
5. Tim Patrick is clearly not 100% back but he is a team leader so will get his chance.
6. WR Devaughn Vele may be the steal of the draft for the Broncos.
7. Edge Jonah Ellis showed his moves and messed up things for the second team defense after missing week one due to his injury at Utah last year.
8. S Brandon Jones is stepping up as a defensive leader in his first year in Denver.
9. The defensive line is playing with gap discipline unlike last years crew. This bodes well for the defense.
10. Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth continue to rotate at center.

The Broncos have officially signed all of their undrafted free agents (13) and most of their draft picks. Released QB Ben DiNucci. Released IDL Rashard Lawrence and WR Phillip Dorsett. Waived rookie receiver Lincoln Victor and punter Nik Constantinou. Resigned WR Phillip Dorsett and signed CB Quinton Newsome. Agreed to terms with former Chicago Bears veteran punter Trenton Gill. Waived rookie DB Cam Allen.

The clock has started on the Payton/Paton rebuild. They improved the team with the (money ball) draft and low cost free agents. They followed Paton’s trend over the past few years of reaching in the first three rounds and taking fallers early on Day three. Bo Nix will win the job. The only question is when? Payton needs to stop the three man rotation and give Nix more first team reps in training camp. Nix’s numbers will depend on how quickly he connects with his supporting cast and how good they are. Stidham could be the starting quarterback in Weeks 1-4/5. But Nix is ready for success because he doesn't take sacks, he's accurate, makes good decisions and he’s a playmaker when he needs to be. Nix was the best quarterback in the nation in pressured passing grade over the past two seasons. Payton’s quick passing game relies on stick and space concepts which Nix excelled in at Oregon with good pre-snap reads and avoiding negative plays. Payton also likes to take shots 20-yards down the field which Nix grades out at 95.5 and a big time throw rate of 28.3. Courtland Sutton will not be traded and he will make Nix better but he needs to get to camp and develop timing with Nix.

This draft set the future foundation for Payton’s offense: QB Bo Nix, WR Tory Franklin and RB Audric Estime. UDFA RB Blake Watson and WR Devaughn Vele and TE Lucas Krull are on track to be part of the offensive juggernaut. This draft set the future foundation for Payton’s offense: QB Bo Nix, WR Tory Franklin and RB Audric Estime. UDFA RB Blake Watson and WR Devaughn Vele and TE Lucas Krull are on track to be part of the offensive juggernaut. This is a young team that will require patience and realistic expectations while they learn. But the roster is stacked with smart players which hasn’t necessarily been the case in recent years. Their intelligence gives the team a lot leeway to mix and match its personnel groups and schemes.

Make no mistake, this team has a lot of talent. It may be unproven talent, but talent will out.

End.