Continuity in the NFL is rare these days, but the Denver Broncos have seemingly mastered it in recent years.
Out of necessity, the Broncos took on the "young and hungry" mantra in the 2024 season. They found a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft with Bo Nix, who looks like a true franchise player at the game's most important position. They had a bunch of players on both sides of the ball really emerge as cornerstone pieces of the roster after an embarrassing uniform reveal, with seemingly no one with longevity to model the jerseys for the team.
The Broncos went from being perceived as having the worst roster in the NFL in 2024 to being projected as a 10-win (or more) team for 2025. How did they do it? Well, one of the key factors is something virtually no one is talking about: Unparalleled roster continuity.
Broncos have highest roster continuity percentage in the NFL in 2025
Shout out to Jason, the founder of OverTheCap.com, for pointing out a very cool stat that is indicative of something I think more people should be talking about with this Broncos team.
The Broncos have had to completely retool and reset since Sean Payton took over as the team's head coach, but roster retention rate is really as strong of an indicator as you will find of a couple of things. First of all, you're drafting well. Second of all, you're keeping the players you have on the team happy.
This is not something that will be a high percentage every single year in the NFL, but look at some of the company the Broncos are keeping on that list. The Packers, the Bills, the Lions, the Rams...these are teams who really emphasize making targeted moves in NFL free agency while prioritizing drafting and developing.
Roster retention is a clear indicator that the philosophy of drafting and developing is not only being prioritized but it's working, and that's an important distinction to be made in Denver's case. Out of the 22 total starters on both sides of the ball, you can safely project 13 of them to be draft picks the team has made in recent years. And the depth of this team has been significantly boosted by players the team has drafted in recent years.
The Broncos are doing a great job of scouting both on the pro personnel side as well as the college side, and even with some turnover in the front office this offseason, this is something they'll look to continue going forward.
You don't always want continuity in the NFL, but based on how much this team grew last year with 10 wins and how much they are capable of growing going forward. Continuity on the roster means better chemistry between the players and better culture in the locker room. Overall, it's great news for the Denver Broncos and a great sign of the working relationship between head coach Sean Payton and George Paton.