The Denver Broncos unveiled a stunning new $175 million facility at the start of training camp in 2026, but a trio of players might be making camp even more expensive with their play on the field.
A number of prominent starters and role players on the Broncos are entering contract years in 2026, and it should come as absolutely no surprise that a handful of them are already finding ways to stand out as training camp has gotten underway. The Broncos' philosophy is to draft, develop, and take care of their own, so it might just be a matter of time before we start to see some new contracts being handed out.
The question is, which players are about to get paid? We're going to take a look at three players in particular who are making a case for contract extensions early on in training camp.
Riley Moss leads Denver Broncos players pushing for a new contract with camp performance
1. Riley Moss, cornerback
By all accounts, Riley Moss might be having the best training camp out of any player on the Denver Broncos right now. Considering how many names have popped up as having strong practices early on, that's saying something.
Riley Moss just wrestled a one-on-one deep ball away from Courtland Sutton for a would-be pick. Was a free play, but a heck of a rep by Moss. He’s looked great in camp thus far IMO
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) August 3, 2026
The discussion around Moss over the past couple of seasons has been pretty polarizing, to say the least. Moss led the NFL in penalty yardage last year, but it was clear that he was being picked on by the officials. On the other side of the coin, Moss tied for the NFL lead with 19 passes broken up last season. He got a lot of opportunities to make plays on the ball with 118 targets into his coverage, but even with all of the penalties being called, his confidence never wavered.
Moss was a 3rd-round pick by the Broncos back in the 2023 NFL Draft, the first year of the Sean Payton era. Considering how well he's developed as a player, it would be surprising if the Broncos simply didn't have any interest in keeping him around on a long-term deal.
The presence of Jahdae Barron on the roster has made the conversation a little more interesting, simply because of his 1st-round NFL Draft status. But the Broncos don't appear to have opened up any sort of competition for Moss's job this year, contrary to what was assumed earlier this offseason.
If Moss continues to have a strong camp, perhaps he can pull off an upset and get a big-money deal from the Broncos to stick around for the long haul.
2. Marvin Mims Jr., WR
If there's one player on the offensive side of the ball who seems to be making a loud statement with his performance so far at training camp, it's wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr.
The Broncos traded for Jaylen Waddle this offseason, casting some doubt over any potential role increase for Mims this upcoming season, but he might be earning his way to the 3rd-most snaps and/or targets at the position.
Mims has been making one big play after another, showing off his outstanding hands and ball tracking abilities. As an elite return specialist, it should come as no surprise that Mims is one of the best at tracking the ball deep downfield, but it's the way he has put that skill to use in huge moments that is more impressive than anything.
Every day at camp so far, Mims's name has popped up as making a huge play, and the more you think about what he brings to this team, the more it makes sense for the Broncos to keep him around.
Mims was the first draft pick ever made by the duo of GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton. He's been an All-Pro and Pro Bowl in the return game. He has the best hands on the team. He's been the Broncos' most clutch offensive player over the last three seasons despite a significant lack of snaps and overall touches.
Now, at training camp, Mims has been running a more "diversified" route tree while also being utilized more on pre-snap motion, a wrinkle that would be a major change of pace for the Broncos compared to the past few seasons.
Without Mims, what is the Broncos' solution in the return game? If the team is working to get him more involved in the offense, why not sign him before his price increases significantly? There is too much proof of Mims's value to this team to simply let him play out his contract and walk in free agency next offseason.
3. Evan Engram, TE
In the first handful of days of training camp, Evan Engram has found himself a regular in the "winner" category.
That's huge for both Engram and the Broncos, because there was a lot of doubt about Engram's fit with the team and role moving forward after the disappointment that was the 2025 season. But with offensive coordinator Davis Webb as arguably his biggest advocate, Engram has been more involved early on, and was considered one of the true standout players from the first few days of camp.
Head coach Sean Payton had some interesting comments regarding Engram, really challenging him to "earn" touches as opposed to simply being force-fed:
“He’s one other piece where you’re trying to spread the ball around. Who’s going to earn those touches? Those have to be earned.”
- Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)
This statement was in response to a question about whether or not Davis Webb had new ideas of how to utilize Engram. Payton made it clear that Webb is, to a degree, adding some of that in, but that it's up to Engram when it comes to execution, ball security, landmarks, etc.
A scenario does exist where Engram absolutely balls out for the Broncos this season, and what do you do in that case? He might not be getting a new contract during camp or even during the season, but if he can keep stacking days and respond to the challenge put forth by Payton, then the Broncos may have no choice but to keep him around for another run in 2027.
Add us as a preferred source on Google