The Denver Broncos could have legitimately carried the same exact group of players from 2025 into 2026, and it's likely we're still talking about the roster as being one of the best in the NFL and being capable of winning it all.
While many of the same faces from 2025 are still here in 2026, there were some key improvements on both sides of the ball. On defense, of note, the inside linebacker room got a bit of a makeover with all of Jonah Elliss, Red Murdock, and Taurean York joining the mix.
On offense, all of the running back, tight end, and wide receiver positions got some major help with Jonah Coleman, Justin Joly, Dallen Bentley, and, of course, Jaylen Waddle. For some reason, though, there are folks who seemingly think that the Broncos did not significantly improve its wide receiver room this offseason...
Denver Broncos WR room not among league's most improved units, according to Ben Solak
For ESPN, Ben Solak ranked the 10 most improved positions across the league this offseason, and while there were a ton, the Broncos' wide receiver room did not make the cut, somehow. Notably, the Los Angeles Chargers tight end unit was slotted at 9th in these rankings, going from Tucker Fisk, Will Dissly, and Tyler Conklin to David Njoku and Charlie Kolar.
Additionally, there was a 'Just Missed' category, with all of the following teams and positions listed, with Denver nowhere to be found:
-Las Vegas Raiders quarterbacks
-San Francisco 49ers wide receivers
-Houston Texans offensive line
-Kansas City Chiefs running backs
-New York Jets defensive line
This is just flat-out ridiculous in every single way. How do the Broncos' wide receivers (a unit that did not have a No. 1 target in 2025) not get some sort of recognition here? Additionally, how did the San Francisco 49ers wide receivers at least get listed, yet the room saw an aging Mike Evans and Christian Kirk enter the mix?
How would either of those players be more impactful than Waddle, someone who is younger and clearly still in the prime years of his career? Evans and Kirk combined for 607 yards and four touchdowns in 2025. Waddle, despite having horrendous quarterback play, finished with 910 yards and six touchdowns.
This is insane, right? Denver went from not having any semblance of a No. 1 receiver and targeting Troy Franklin 104 times to bringing in a legitimate No. 1 player who fits this room like a glove. Waddle's ability as a legitimate burner and separator was precisely what this team was missing.
Just think - the Broncos are going to see a ton of targets get shaved off from Franklin and Courtland Sutton's totals in 2026. Those two combined for 228 targets in 2025. According to Pro Football Reference, they also combined for 12 drops. Denver's receiver room has been below-average for years now, but suddenly, adding Waddle to the mix does give the team a rather full, deep, and talented room.
One of the main points that we and others have talked about is that adding Waddle as the de-facto top target does push the rest of the players in the room down one spot on the depth chart, which is what was needed.
Sutton will now likely see matchups against opposing CB2s, rather than continually getting the team's best cornerback. This would be the case for Franklin as well, who could see matchups against backup players.
All in all, adding Waddle to the room was and is one of the most impactful additions that any team made this offseason, period.
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