The Denver Broncos have had a tremendous rise over the last two years despite the fact that they've been dealing with a roster in transition under a new coaching staff, $90 million in dead cap this past season, and one of the youngest teams in the league (with a rookie starting at QB) in 2024. It's shaping up to be one of the most exciting offseasons in recent memory as the Broncos have discovered a true franchise QB in Bo Nix and are coming off of a 10-win season and their first playoff appearance since 2015.
Just 10 years after Denver's Super Bowl 50 victory, the Super Bowl is returning to Santa Clara, CA, for Super Bowl LX and the Broncos have an actual chance to get back. But they cannot sit on their hands in the 2025 offseason. Make no mistake about it -- there are ways this team can wind up completely failing in the 2025 offseason depending on the moves they end up making.
What would be considered a failure of an offseason in 2025 for Broncos GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton?
5 moves that would constitute failure for the Broncos in 2025 offseason
1. Status quo at wide receiver
Sean Payton recently told Kay Adams that the Broncos are better at wide receiver than people think, which is to say that he and the coaching staff like the young players on the roster. And that's understandable. The Broncos are high on the guys they've drafted recently: Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, and Devaughn Vele.
It also seems like Courtland Sutton is a player this team is going to continue to feature in the offense. But Payton acknowledged that the veteran wide receiver fits in the "need" bucket this offseason. So what kind of veteran receiver are we talking about here?
There's been plenty of talk about guys like Cooper Kupp and Deebo Samuel, but are those the types of players this team should be looking to add via trade? Should the Broncos wait it out and see if Davante Adams gets cut? We saw Denver cut the likes of Tim Patrick and Josh Reynolds last year, so shouldn't we be assuming the veteran receiver they want/need is going to be a level above those guys?
Maintaining the status quo would be very frustrating.
2. Passing on the IDL class in 2025 NFL Draft
This is one of the deepest classes of interior defensive linemen you can possibly imagine when it comes to the NFL Draft. The Broncos would be absolute fools to pass on drafting someone here.
Does that mean they should absolutely take one in the first or second round? Not necessarily, but it's also not a bad idea at all. This interior defensive line class is sort of like the idea of going to Costco and getting a $50 gas gift card for the price of $25. It's free money for something that is essential. You can't pass it up.
You are going to be able to get such good value in this draft class on the interior defensive line and considering the Broncos have nobody on this unit under contract for 2026, this is more of a need than a luxury.
3. Not making a clear upgrade at running back
The Broncos are likely to let starting running back Javonte Williams walk in free agency, but what does that mean for the rest of the room? All of Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estimé, Tyler Badie, and Blake Watson will be back. Do the Broncos have a "joker" among those guys potentially?
The only one who really makes sense in that regard would be Blake Watson, at least in terms of what we know of his skill set as a former wide receiver.
The Broncos can get the same type of production in the running game out of Estimé that they got out of Williams last year, but I'm not sure Estimé is there in the passing game yet. This Denver team struggled to run the ball all year and the running back position was the primary culprit. There was simply nothing consistent.
Who could be the back to come in and ignite this group? We know Payton has stated that getting a Joker is the top must-have this offseason but failing to make a clear upgrade at running back would constitute a major offseason failure for the Broncos, especially after what we saw in 2024 elsewhere around the league.
4. Not getting a dynamic pass-catching option at tight end
The Broncos have obviously put a little too much faith in the likes of Greg Dulcich and Lucas Krull over the last couple of years at the tight end position. There is nothing wrong with banking on player development when you have internal conviction as a franchise but if you don't have built-in contingencies, that becomes a huge problem.
The leading receiver at tight end this past season for the Broncos was Adam Trautman with 188 yards. Krull led the unit in receptions with 19. Those numbers are egregiously low for a team with a rookie quarterback under center.
It's not mandatory for the Broncos to get a Brock Bowers this offseason but they absolutely need someone to come in and be a more featured weapon in the passing game.
5. Staying with the status quo at LB/SAF
One thing the Denver Broncos absolutely cannot do in the 2025 offseason is maintain the status quo at linebacker and safety. Luckily, it seems like they understand that already.
Alex Singleton is under contract but he's going to be 32 this season and coming off of a major knee injury. Both Cody Barton and Justin Strnad are unrestricted free agents and the Broncos could frankly upgrade over both in the starting lineup this coming season.
On top of that, the safety position with PJ Locke in the starting lineup needs an upgrade. Locke allowed a passer rating in his coverage of 125.8 and has just one interception in two years for the Broncos.
This team had a fantastic improvement defensively this past year and there are a couple of clear and obvious ways they can continue to get better. There's no way they can pass on these two positions in free agency, specifically.