The Denver Broncos aren't missing much of anything on the roster. If all goes well, which is possible, this team could hoist the Lombardi Trophy in the 2026 NFL Season. At the moment, it does feel like the Broncos are the team to beat in the AFC.
The roster arguably got a lot better this offseason with the Jaylen Waddle trade, and even with the losses of John Franklin-Myers and Dre Greenlaw on defense, you could argue that Waddle's addition does still bring a net improvement to the pure talent on paper.
The team swung a deal for Waddle to give Bo Nix that weapon the offense was missing. Whether it was drops or no wide receiver on the roster being able to consistently separate, the Waddle trade was much-needed. It does make you ask just how good the Broncos offense can be in 2026. If the Broncos are near their ceiling, some very fun Nix conversations would start.
Denver Broncos best-case offensive scenario for 2026 would give the franchise an abundance of success
In Bleacher Report. Kristopher Knox identified the best and worst-case scenario for every NFL offense in 2026. Here's what he had to say about the Broncos best-case offensive scenario:
"Best-Case Scenario: Jaylen Waddle Helps Bo Nix Take the Next Step
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix helped his team reach the playoffs as a rookie in 2024. This past season, he helped Denver emerge as one of the top contenders in the AFC, at least, until he suffered a fractured ankle in the divisional round.
While there are plenty of reasons to believe Nix is the Broncos' long-term answer at quarterback, it's worth noting he didn't make the sort of Year 2 leap that young quarterbacks often do. In fact, he regressed in areas like completion percentage, yards per attempt, and quarterback rating last season.
This season, though, Nix will have something he didn't have in either of his first two seasons: a big-play No. 1 receiver.
The Broncos traded for Jaylen Waddle just before April's draft. If the speedy playmaker can be a consistent top target for Nix, we may see the third-year signal-caller finally take another step in his development."
While Knox is right that Nix has never had a No. 1 receiver like Waddle, I would absolutely push back that he didn't make a leap in year two. It was apparent from Week 1 last year that Nix had a more thorough understanding of the offense. Where we saw a major leap was in his late-game performance.
It's not a stretch to say that Nix became the most clutch quarterback in the NFL last year, and he did also have to deal with a ton of untimely drops, so a lot of the production (or lack thereof) that you see on paper could absolutely be attributed to below-average playmakers.
But Waddle should help fix that, and if Nix indeed does take that next step, he'd not only flirt with being looked at as an elite quarterback, but he'd also likely have a major payday coming in the 2027 offseason
While the talking point of whether Nix can take that next step in 2026 seems overplayed, it's really the one major question mark with this team right now. The quarterback position is also the most important in all of sports, so this year is likely coming down to the third-year signal-caller.
Fortunately, it feels a lot more likely that Nix does take that next step than not, as he's played extremely well these past two seasons, and he even led the NFL in passing attempts in 2025, which should make us believe that he can become an efficient high volume passer.
And, financially speaking, Nix would be eligible for a contract extension next offseason, and depending on how good he is, that deal could potentially creep near $60 million per season. A ton of team success is on the line, and Nix's pocketbook is also something that could motivate him for the 2026 season, which feels like one of the most important in team history.
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