The Denver Broncos have the best roster in the AFC, at least, and may have the best roster in the NFL as well. It's clear that this group is plenty good enough to win it all, and when you add in elite coaching and strong quarterback play, the only thing in the Broncos way in 2026 is the team itself.
Denver is well-positioned to win the a AFC West for the second year in a row, and that would guarantee the team at least one home playoff game. Being able to earn the top seed again would also go a long way in making a Super Bowl push.
And while the urgency is there for how the 2025 NFL Season ended, there is absolutely another layer of urgency that fans might not realize, and it's further proof of just how much is at stake for the 2026 season.
The Denver Broncos are the 5th-oldest team in the NFL entering 2026
While some may think the Broncos have a younger squad, that simply is not true. In fact, in a table assembled by Ian Hartitz, it shows that not only are the Broncos not young, but the roster is the fifth-oldest in the league for the 2026 season:
Average NFL roster age entering the 2026 season (sorted from youngest to oldest) pic.twitter.com/h74Tm35Dnu
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) May 6, 2026
Looking further, the Broncos have one of the oldest offenses in the NFL, but the defense is more on the average side. Obviously, the offense's average age being skewed so highly is primarily due to the offensive line, as the projected five starters all aren't necessarily young anymore, and some are truly getting old:
LT: Garett Bolles, 33 (34 in May)
LG: Ben Powers, 29 (30 in October)
C: Luke Wattenberg, 28 (29 in September)
RG: Quinn Meinerz, 27 (28 In November)
RT: Mike McGlinchey, 31 (32 next January)
Both Adam Trautman and Evan Engram aren't young, either. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton is 30 and will turn 31 during the season, so while this does feel like a younger team on the surface, the data says otherwise. Fortunately, key players like Bo Nix, Jaylen Waddle, J.K. Dobbins, Nik Bonitto, Patrick Surtain II, and a few others are all still sporting some youth.
And if there is one unit on a roster that can be on the older side, it's the offensive line. Typically, the offensive line has a longer shelf life than other positions. Bolles is a great example of this, as he's just now playing the best football of his career, but he's already set to enter his mid-30s later this month.
Defensively, DJ Jones is 31 years old. Defensive end Zach Allen is 29 years old in August, and Alex Singleton turns 33 years old in December. What is nice, though, is that it's clear the front office is looking to get younger at some of these positions.
We've seen youth brought in at tight end, linebacker, running back, and defensive line in recent years. And it's certainly not a mystery to the front office that this roster is on the older side. The main idea here, though, is that the urgency is not only high based on how 2025 ended, but also high due to the age of the roster.
This group is going to look a lot different over the next two seasons.
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