The Denver Broncos are watching the roster take a step back thus far in free agency, and it's a brutal reminder of just how frustrating things can be from an outside perspective. Denver has seen talent go out the door and has not filled that talent with upgrades thus far.
At the end of the day, the front office clearly has a plan, but the plan doesn't appear to coincide with an all-in, Super Bowl window. Denver is clearly wanting to just retry next year and hope that their starting quarterback doesn't get hurt, missing out on a ton of potential upgrades.
And while free agency contracts cannot become official until March 11th, the Broncos are going to end up regretting not signing these free agents.
The Denver Broncos will come to regret not signing a few free agents this offseason
Travis Etienne, RB
The New Orleans Saints were able to snag Travis Etienne on a four-year deal worth $52 million. That comes out to $13 million per season, which might seem like a lot, but that's simply the going rate for a running back of Etienne's caliber. He's amassed over 5,000 scrimmage yards over the past four seasons and has missed just two games during that stretch.
Etienne also has three 1,000-yard seasons during this stretch and is clearly someone the Broncos could have used in the backfield. Re-signing J.K. Dobbins is not a bad idea by any means, but given Dobbins' injury history, the Broncos are going to be sniffing around for another addition, but that would not have had to be the case if Etienne were in the picture.
Devin Lloyd, ILB
Devin Lloyd will be signing with the Carolina Panthers on a three-year deal worth $45 million per season, and that honestly seems lower than many expected. Only $15 million per year for a linebacker as good as Lloyd is a very fair price and really not at all an overpay. Lloyd was an All-Pro in 2025 and really excelled in coverage. Like Etienne, Lloyd would have been a massive upgrade over who the Broncos currently have, and it's not that Denver just didn't sign Lloyd, it's that they also brought Alex Singleton back, who is a declining player at a weak spot on the defense.
The Broncos may unfortunately find out quite quickly why not signing Lloyd, or another top linebacker, was a bad choice.
Kaden Elliss, ILB
Kaden Elliss will actually be headed back to New Orleans. Elliss was drafted by Sean Payton and the Saints back in 2019, and younger brother Jonah plays for the Broncos. Not only is there a strong familial connection here, but Elliss is also a very good linebacker who also would have been a monumental upgrade over Singleton.
The Broncos, simply put, have botched the linebacker room thus far, and they'll come to regret not making more substantial moves at that position.