The Denver Broncos have the most talented roster in the AFC and a top-3 roster in the league as the 2026 NFL Season approaches.
This team could win it all this year, but if that happens, they'll need their best players to play like it, and also some of their depth pieces do their jobs. If the team performs as their talent says they can, the Broncos are absolutely hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February.
But there is also a chance that some of the key Broncos players disappoint in 2026 despite high expectations.
Could these Denver Broncos players disappoint in the 2026 season?
Jaylen Waddle, WR
There has been nothing but hype with the Jaylen Waddle trade this offseason. Waddle does, in theory, bring a skillset that the team has been missing for years now. His raw speed and separation is simply something no other wide receiver in the room consistently has, as Waddle brings over 5,000 receiving yards in five seasons to the team.
With that said, he's not a perfect player. Waddle has been largely available for uch of his career. He has played just one full 17-game season, but he's never played fewer than 14 games.
He's not necessarily injury prone, but he does have a history of leaving games as they are going on with certain minor injuries. Furthermore, according to Pro Football Reference, Waddle's passer rating when targeted is just 87.1 over the past two seasons, as Miami Dolphins quarterbacks have a whopping 10 interceptions when targeting Waddle since the start of 2024.
During the first three seasons of his career, Waddle's passer rating when targeted was 101.9. He is an efficient player, and that isn't up for debate, but he's not someone who doesn't have concerns, even if they are small.
Bo Nix, QB
Bo Nix is a good QB in the eyes of some. He's even great depending on who you ask. Based on what the Broncos have accomplished thus far in the Nix era, he might be closer to great than not. With that said, he's not a perfect player and does have flaws in his game.
Nix does sometimes leave clean pockets and has messy footwork. He's also not been the most accurate QB when targeting players down the field. His passing production doesn't jump off the page, but no QB in the NFL has dealt with more drops from his pass-catchers than Nix, according to Pro Football Reference.
Anyway, when Nix was going through the pre-draft process, much of what people said about him was that he'd reach his ceiling in the NFL rather quickly, and that it wasn't a particularly high one. While I and many others in Broncos Country think Nix is going to be outstanding in 2026, there is always a chance that what we've seen from Nix thus far is about as good as he'll be.
But even as I type that, I am reminded that the Broncos are absolutely playing in the Super Bowl if he doesn't break his ankle in the AFC Divisional Round. Regardless, there is a non-zero chance that Nix doesn't play as well as people think. It's simply possible until it doesn't happen.
J.K. Dobbins, RB
The argument to put J.K. Dobbins in this exercise is an easy one - Dobbins has never played a full season in his NFL career and suited up for just 10 games last year. With the Broncos having taken Jonah Coleman in the 2026 NFL Draft, the team clearly wanted to add another reliable pair of legs behind Dobbins in the (unfortunately) likely event he goes down.
While Coleman shaving a few carries off Dobbins' workload could increase the veteran's chances of staying healthy throughout the season, it doesn't totally erase that possibility. He also promised folks earlier in the offseason that he would stay healthy, so there's that...
Dobbins is going to be the starting running back for this team in 2026, and his being able to average at least five yards per carry will be massive for the offense, but at the same time, the injury concern could wipe out any potential 2026 optimism.
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