The Denver Broncos are good enough to win the Super Bowl this year, and that was the case last year, but as we all saw, things can get a bit crazy. Fortunately, the Broncos have emerged as one of the more stable franchises in the NFL, so not many would be shocked if the team again won a ton of games and even earned the top playoff seed.
But this league is very unforgiving, so anything could happen. As we head into OTAs, we cross another major milestone in the offseason, getting us closer and closer to Week 1. Denver clearly has a lot at stake, but more specifically, a ton of players under pressure, too.
Let's talk about the five players under the most pressure on the Broncos for the 2026 season.
Denver Broncos under the most pressure for 2026 as OTAs draw near
Bo Nix, QB
Let's get the obvious player out of the way. When you consider how 2025 ended, what could be at stake for Bo Nix financially, and the addition of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, there might not be a player under more pressure in the NFL than Nix himself.
In two years in the league, Nix has proven himself to be a legitimate franchise quarterback, but there does appear to be some wiggle room here - will Nix fail to progress forward and perhaps settle in as, let's say, the 12th-best passer in the league?
Or, will he take his game to the next level and become, unquestionably, a top-10 player at the position? There isn't a weapon that Nix doesn't have, and he'll be eligible for a contract extension after the season as well.
There have been stretches through his two years where Nix has absolutely shown the ability to be a high-end quarterback, but that hasn't necessarily been consistently present thus far.
Jaylen Waddle, WR
We briefly mentioned Waddle above - the sixth-year wide receiver was traded to the Broncos for first and third-round picks. Not only is that a major investment for the player, but it comes at a perfect time. The Broncos didn't just make this trade out of the blue; this was very obviously a calculated move to give the offense precisely the type of player the unit was missing.
Waddle hasn't hit the 1,000-yard mark since 2023, so this may seem like a huge gamble, but the front office is clearly believing that Waddle's production was being hurt due to bottom-tier quarterback play, rather than actual skill. He'll be the focal point of the offense and will be under a ton of pressure in 2025.
Jonathon Cooper, EDGE
Jonathon Cooper has no more guaranteed money on his contract after 2026, and his production did take a bit of a hit in 2025. He notched 2.5 fewer sacks, eight fewer tackles, three fewer tackles for loss, and four fewer quarterback hits.
It's important to note that Cooper did play fewer snaps than he did in 2024, but it did feel like he wasn't as effective in 2025 as he was in 2024. In fact, over the final seven games of the regular season, Cooper was only able to tally:
.5 sacks
21 tackles
1 tackle for loss
4 quarterback hits
That type of production from a starting EDGE just can't happen, especially given what the Broncos are trying to accomplish in 2026. If Cooper has another 'ho-hum' season in 2026, Denver may be very comfortable moving on and perhaps looking to Que Robinson to step into a future starting role.
Riley Moss, CB
Riley Moss has one of the toughest jobs in the NFL - playing opposite Patrick Surtain II. While Moss did struggle with pass interference penalties, he was consistently holding up in coverage and saw a ton of passes thrown his way.
Pro Football Reference notes that Moss was targeted 118 times, but he allowed just 68 receptions and a respectable opposing passer rating of 88.2. He also led the NFL with 19 passes defended. The penalties did make it seem like Moss was a 'boom or bust' player at the position, but he was and is a solid, starting-caliber cornerback.
But he's also a free agent following the season, which would also join Brandon Jones and Ja'Quan McMillian as other free agent defensive backs. The Broncos likely won't pay all three, so this is a huge year for all of them, but Moss is the most polarizing player of the bunch and does play a more pivotal position.
Davis Webb, offensive coordinator
Davis Webb is suddenly the play-caller of the Broncos, a team that really should have made the Super Bowl last year. This has to be a ton of pressure, as Webb has never called plays in the regular season before, and all he's doing is taking over for one of the best play-callers of all-time in Sean Payton.
With one of the most well-rounded offenses in the NFL that doesn't have a clear weakness, the pressure is on for Webb, and we've talked about all of those reasons above. Webb isn't even that far removed from being a player in this league, as his rapid rise up the coaching ranks should hopefully come to a climax here in 2026.
This is a Super Bowl-caliber team, and given that the defense is stable and as good as any unit in the NFL, all eyes are on and will continue to be on the offense.
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