It's not a secret that the Denver Broncos are among the best teams in the NFL and are absolutely a Super Bowl contender. Now that 2025 is behind us, every team can move forward into 2026, which kicks off in about a month with the start of the free agency period.
The Broncos have to get this offseason right, and if there were ever a time for General Manager George Paton and Head Coach Sean Payton to have their best offseasons in terms of adding talent, it's this one. Bringing in the right players for 2026 could end up in a Super Bowl 61 title for the Broncos, but the wrong players will have the team on the couch in late January.
The Broncos do have the financial resources to sign who they want and do have some 2026 NFL Draft picks that could be used to acquire talent as well, and the team has to get these players on the roster no matter what for 2026.
The Denver Broncos must acquire these 3 players no matter what in 2026
Kaden Elliss, Inside Linebacker
Kaden Elliss has ties to the Broncos in more ways than one. He's a free agent this coming offseason in a rather deep class at the linebacker position. Firstly, his brother is Jonah Elliss, one of the Broncos many talented pass-rushers. Secondly, Elliss was drafted by Payton and the New Orleans Saints back in 2019, so it's clear that Payton likes the Elliss family name.
The older Elliss has had a successful stretch in recent years, starting in all 17 games the past three seasons and not missing a game since the 2021 NFL Season. He's spent the past three seasons wth the Atlanta Falcons and is not only a stat-sheet filler, but has a ton of upside as a pass-rusher from the linebacker position.
This would be a slam-dunk signing to get a legitimate, reliable player in the middle of the defense. With both Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad set to be free agents, signing Elliss makes a lot of sense.
Breece Hall, J.K. Dobbins, Rico Dowdle, Kenneth Walker III, or Travis Etienne
The Broncos need to sign one of these players at the running back position. Once again, the free agency class seems to be rather deep, and as of now, J.K. Dobbins could be the leader in the clubhouse to return to the Broncos. If that's the case, Denver should further bolster the position in the NFL Draft.
But if the team were to sign any of Breece Hall, Rico Dowdle, Kenneth Walker III, or Travis Etienne, the backfield would finally get a legitimate RB1 presence who could shoulder a heavier workload. There's really no excuse at this point to not fix the run game, given how dire that unit is heading into 2026.
A legitimate WR1
Acquiring a legitimate WR1 is likely to be done via trade, and the two players that stand out here are Jaylen Waddle, who the Broncos previously had interest in, and AJ Brown, who could be traded for the second time in his career.
Those two players bring different skillsets, but they also fill that WR1 profile that the Broncos have been missing. The wide receiver room struggled yet again in 2025, and until the front office finds this caliber of player, the passing attack will continue to not reach its ceiling with Bo Nix.