The Denver Broncos' job at fielding a top-tier roster is only going to get harder as the years progress. Fortunately, Denver will have cap space and draft picks to wheel and deal. I would be shocked if this team did not add notable talent on offense.
And they could also invest a ton into the LB room as well. To keep it simple, Denver is going to be aggressive at certain positions in the 2026 NFL Offseason, but that could also mean that certain players are already out of the picture even as 2025 continues.
The front office is surely thinking of the roster moves they plan on making and not making. Let's talk about four players whose fates are already sealed after 2025.
No matter what happens, these Broncos players likely have their fates sealed already
Alex Singleton, LB
Alex Singleton has been a great story this year for the Denver Broncos and was quite good for the team for multiple seasons, but he's a free agent this offseason, on the wrong side of 30, and is clearly not the same phyiscally after his 2024 ACL tear. Denver may need to again rework the LB room, and it's hard to envision how Singleton has a role. He's unfortunately not a very good player anymore.
Justin Strnad, LB
Justin Strnad has been quite good for the Denver Broncos this year at the LB position and is someone who can rush the passer quite well. Even if Denver decides to say goodbye to Alex Singleton and perhaps even Dre Greenlaw, which is very financially possible, keeping Strnad makes a lot of sense. He's a starting-caliber, high-floor player and someone who has been with the team for years. Strnad should not go anywhere in 2026.
Ben Powers, LG
Ben Powers is just now getting back into things from an October biceps injury. He's been a good player for the Broncos, but he's getting paid a lot of money, and Denver can free up a good bit of cap space by cutting or trading Powers in 2026. You rarely, if ever, see teams paying all five OL starters, and with Denver extending Luke Wattenberg during the bye week, Powers is clearly the odd man out in 2026.
John Franklin-Myers, DE
The Denver Broncos have a similar situation on the other side of the ball with John Franklin-Myers, who has seen all of his DL teammates getting paid. It's not likely that Denver pays JFM, as he really doesn't play more than 50% of the snaps, and the Broncos have already signed all of DJ Jones, Zach Allen, Nik Bonitto, and Jonathon Cooper to big-time deals recently. With how well Denver drafts and develops along the DL, the team is likely very confident they can effectively replace JFM in 2026, so I would not expect him to be back in any scenario.