If we're being honest, every single player on the Denver Broncos roster is under pressure for the 2026 season, as the end of 2025 really only turns up the temperature for everyone inside that building. It was no one's fault that Bo Nix broke his ankle, but it happened, and had it not happened, Denver is maybe hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
With 2026 rapidly approaching, the Broncos will soon have a chance to begin some revenge on how 2025 ended. There really isn't anything on paper that this team is missing from winning it all, either. Sure, avoiding another major injury is required, but the odds of something like that happening again could be quite low.
If you asked yourself who on the Broncos is under the most pressure, the answer might be obvious, but there is an argument for someone else, and it makes a lot of sense...
Denver Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins was named the player under the most pressure for 2026
Jacob Infante of Pro Football Network dubbed J.K. Dobbins as the player under the most pressure on the Broncos for 2026:
"J.K. Dobbins missed seven games in 2025, which continues the trend of availability issues in his NFL career. He averaged a career-high 77.2 rushing yards per game with a strong 5.0 yards per carry for the Denver Broncos last year. However, with 2025 second-round pick RJ Harvey and rookie Jonah Coleman also in the backfield, the Broncos could save $8 million by releasing him if he continues to struggle with staying healthy."
Had Dobbins not gotten hurt, even without Nix, the Broncos may have won the Super Bowl. He was on pace for over 1,300 yards across those first 10 games. Even if Dobbins would have been able to come back for the AFC Championship Game, it feels like with the way things shook out, that he would have helped the Broncos enough for the team to have beaten the New England Patriots.
And while you might argue that someone like Nix or even Jaylen Waddle is under the most pressure, those two players are rather entrenched in their roles. Nix is the unquestioned starter and leader of this team - there isn't someone breathing down his neck to take his job.
Waddle was just traded for and has a consistent half-decade of production in the NFL, so, if nothing else, there is absolutely a high-floor that Waddle is going to bring. Given his skill set, there isn't another wide receiver on the roster who is coming for his job, and those other wide receivers are the reason why Denver made this move - the group pre-Waddle just was not nearly good enough.
As for Dobbins, though, it makes sense that he could be the player under the most pressure. Not only do the Broncos have two younger running backs on the roster, but Dobbins' contract with the team is, practically speaking, another one-year deal.
Even though it's a two-year deal, the Broncos can easily move on in 2027, even in a pre-June 1st cut. If that were to happen, Denver would save $8 million and only have a dead cap charge of $2 million. Given Dobbins' lengthy injury history and the two young running backs in the mix, RJ Harvey and Jonah Coleman, the former Raven and Charger is under the most pressure when you think about it from this perspective.
The Broncos offense also took a bit of a nosedive when Dobbins got hurt and left the lineup, so he carries a lot of leverage in this running back room. It's certainly not a bad thing since Dobbins is a top-7 player at the position when healthy, but it really comes down to just that in 2026.
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