The Denver Broncos have built a very good roster over these past couple of seasons, but keeping that level of skill and talent only gets harder. Fortunately for the front office and GM George Paton, the Broncos are finally out of the Russell Wilson contract after the 2025 NFL Season.
They have navigated that situation almost perfectly and can honestly go a bit crazy this offseason in trying to make another push to keep this contention window wide open. One huge thing that front offices have to balance is putting the right amount of cap space into the right positions.
Denver has paid everyone along the offensive line and nearly everyone along the defensive line, which is smart on their part, but no team can truly pay everyone, so that's likely a huge reason why someone like John Franklin-Myers is set to be a free agent and not return in 2026. However, the Broncos could have a $52 million decision in the trenches that might be an easy one to make.
Ben Powers is a good player, but he might be on the outside looking in for 2026
Ben Powers has been a good signing for the Denver Broncos. He's in the third year of a four-year deal he signed with the team back in 2023. Powers did not miss a start until this season - he suffered a biceps injury back in October and just now returned to the lineup for the Broncos in Week 16, sharing snaps with Alex Palczewski.
Powers not being on the field did not help his case, and with the Denver Broncos having also extended Luke Wattenberg a few weeks ago, the veteran guard could be the odd man out. You simply rarely see NFL teams investing into five offensive line contracts like the Broncos have, and the team is absolutely not moving on from Garett Bolles, Quinn Meinerz, or Mike McGlinchey.
If the Denver Broncos cut Ben Powers as a post-June 1st move, they would save $13 million on their cap and eat about $5.5 million in dead money. The Broncos certainly are not scared of dead money, as they are about to wrap up a two-year stretch where they absorbed $85 million due to Russell Wilson's contract.
The Broncos still have to ensure they aren't overspending at any positions no matter how important. For the same reason that the Broncos are likely letting John Franklin-Myers depart this coming offseason, Ben Powers could be a player they move on for similar reasons.