The Denver Broncos are far from a perfect team, but they're perhaps the best in the NFL and only have to win two games to make the Super Bowl this year. Like every other roster in the NFL, Denver battled some injuries and underperformances here and there.
As the playoffs approach, a few issues stick out that could haunt the team, and they all stem from offseason decisions one way or another. Ideally, Denver is able to cover up some of these weaknesses, and that's what a good coaching staff should be able to do.
Let's talk about a few offseason mistakes that could come back to haunt the Broncos.
Could these offseason mistakes come back to haunt the Broncos?
Signing JK Dobbins in free agency and relying on him
The Denver Broncos signed JK Dobbins in free agency, but that signing didn't happen until June. Dobbins had a long injury history, but he played in the first 10 games for the Broncos and ran for 772 yards. Dobbins was objectively awesome for the team, but he again got hurt and might not be able to come back until the AFC Championship Game. Denver probably thought Dobbins could stay healthy for a majority of the season, but they may have been better off signing a different running back like Rico Dowdle, for example, who had a nice year with the Carolina Panthers.
The Broncos not having JK Dobbins on the field was something they could have avoided, as awesome of a player as he is.
Doing just about nothing at the wide receiver position
The Denver Broncos didn't really do much at wide receiver. They reportedly were one of two teams in on Stefon Diggs until the end, but they clearly didn't make a strong enough offer to land him. Denver added Pat Bryant in the 2025 NFL Draft, but that's really it. Had Denver been more aggressive in upgrading this position, it could have yielded a more efficient passing attack, as the unit struggled big-time with drops this year.
And the WR position is yet again a need for this franchise.
Not drafting a legitimate TE prospect in 2025
It is absolutely inexcusable nonsense that the Denver Broncos did not draft one of the many legitimate TE prospects in 2025, and it's actually shocking that the front office missed on all of them.
The Broncos took a seventh-round former basketball player in Caleb Lohner at the position, but he was likely going to go undrafted anyway and has been on the practice squad all year. Outside of the first round, here are the other top TE prospects and their draft position:
Mason Taylor - 42nd
Terrance Ferguson - 46th
Elijah Arroyo - 50th
Harold Fannin - 67th
Gunnar Helm - 120th
Mitchell Evans - 163rd
Oronde Gadsden II - 165th
Denver came away with no one from this group, and while Evan Engram has been fine this year, he's been the only contributor at the position in the receiving game, again giving the Broncos a noticeable weakness at the position as the playoffs approach.