With the regular season opener just days away, the Broncos are firmly focused on their Week One matchup with the Tennessee Titans. Denver will run out their revamped offense loaded with offseason acquisitions to try and help Bo Nix avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. On the other side of the field, they'll employ their feared defensive units that figures to be one of the best in the NFL yet again.
After a surprising playoff run in 2025, Sean Payton and George Paton spent considerable time trying to fortify their young team as a legitimate contender, building upon their work as an upstart contender. With that, there are new expectations for the Broncos, and new pieces will need to contribute in a way that Paton and Payton believe they can.
If the Broncos are going to live up to expectations and challenge for the AFC West title, they will need to start in week one. Denver faces an interesting opponent in the Titans, who are being led by arguably the least hyped first overall selection in some time. Let's look at three best-case scenarios for the Broncos in week one against Ward and his Titans squad
Best-case scenarios for the Denver Broncos in Week One
RJ Harvey Arrives
If the Broncos are going to do anything of note this season, RJ Harvey is going to need to have a good rookie campaign. Denver's offensive system relies heavily on an explosive back who can work in a dual-threat mold, and RJ Havrey presents just that. The Titans have a weaker defense, especially in the second level, which the team showed when they signed Kyzir White to beef up their group, and Harvey could take advantage of that. His blazing speed and mismatch with a linebacker or safety could be exploited early, and it could lead to an impressive NFL debut for the UCF product.
Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw produce and stay healthy
For good, bad, or indifferent, the ability of Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton to stay healthy will probably be a season-long storyline for the Broncos. Denver is taking a massive gamble on their health and desperately needs to be correct. The priority for Denver in week one should be getting Singleton and Greenlaw through the game healthy with meaningful production. Denver has enough defensive depth that they can work around any injury, but no team wants their depth tested in week one, especially when their third inside backer, Drew Sanders, is already on the IR. Greenlaw specifically is already on notice and needs a big week one.