The Denver Broncos sport one of the best rosters in the NFL, and one of the downsides to that is there really isn't a ton of room for players to come out of nowhere and play better than expected. The Broncos do have so many quality players that it's almost tough to see where others could fit in and have sizeable roles.
However, there are a few opportunities here and there for the Broncos tosee some breakout players in the 2026 NFL Season, a year that could go down as one of the most important in team history based on how the 2025 campaign ended.
Let's sift through this loaded roster and find a few lesser-known players who could be primed for a massive breakout season in 2026.
Three obvious Denver Broncos breakout players for the 2026 season
Pat Bryant, WR
While much of the attention in the wide receiver room has understandably been centered around Jaylen Waddle and his acquisition, there is room for a third wide receiver to make some noise, as Courtland Sutton is clearly entrenched as the de-facto WR2 of this team. While many might look at Troy Franklin's 2025 production as being a reason for optimism, second-year receiver Pat Bryant is a more complete player.
Bryant finished with fewer than 400 receiving yards in his rookie season in 2025, but he did have a notable stretch from October 26th through December 21st of last season:
7 games
22 receptions
301 yards
1 touchdown
This seven-game stretch may not seem like much, but this chunk of production, which was nearly half the season, was a 53-receptionception, 731-yard season over a full 17 games. With Bryant being bigger, more physical, better in run blocking, and possessing better hands than Franklin, I am not sure Franklin is the one we need to be looking at as the third wide receiver on the depth chart.
Bryant does have a more complete skillset and did flirt with some nice production around the middle of the season last year.
Eyioma Uwazurike, DE
Eyioma Uwazurike was a rotational player along the defensive line last year and finished with 3.5 sacks, 39 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits. He did this in 36 percent of the defensive snaps.
Uwazurike's size, length, and motor keep him involved in most plays, and he has shown a strong ability both as a rusher and defending the run. With the Broncos having lost John Franklin-Myers in free agency to the Tennessee Titans, the Broncos will need a 'new' starting defensive end.
And while even when JFM was in the mix, the Broncos were frequently rotating players, someone will need to field most of the snaps, and Uwazurike could be that player.
Sai'vion Jones and Tyler Onyedim are the other two notable defensive ends in the depth chart, but Jones hardly played as a rookie, and Onyedim is a rookie. Uwazurike would also step into a situation with a top-5 defensive line in football and best pass-rushing group if he earned the starting role.
And based on how solid he was last year as a rotational player, the natural progression here could be a breakout season.
Justin Strnad, LB
Justin Strnad has started exactly eight games in the 2024 and 2025 seasons for the Broncos, filling the role of a part-time starter nearly perfectly. He and Alex Singleton both got multi-year deals with the Broncos this offseason, but Strnad's deal is the one to be excited about, as he's a flat-out playmaker with high-end athleticism.
Over the last two regular seasons, he's racked up one interception, six passes defended, 7.5 sacks, 131 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 12 quarterback hits.
He's honestly bringing depth EDGE rusher production at linebacker, and now that he has a runway to be the full-time starter next to Singleton, a stat-sheet filling breakout season could be coming for the veteran.
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