It would be nice if free agency began tomorrow, but there are still about three weeks left, so the Denver Broncos, along with 31 other teams, are continuing their preparations in the biggest period of roster movement in the league.
Denver's needs this offseason are well-documented, and it's going to be a massive failure if all of those needs aren't adequately addressed. Sure, there will be other teams with the team needs as Denver, but the Broncos are on the cusp of being a Super Bowl team, so they need to up the aggression.
But internally, there will be some tough goodbyes to be had, and we looked at three starters who are as good as gone when free agency begins.
These Denver Broncos starters are as good as gone when free agency begins
John Franklin-Myers, DE
We've talked about John Franklin-Myers too many times to count, but it's for good reason. Franklin-Myers does seem to be the odd-man out along the defensive line, as the Broncos have paid all of DJ Jones, Zach Allen, Jonathon Cooper, and Nik Bonitto.
The Broncos also used a third-round pick on Sai'vion Jones in the 2025 NFL Draft, a developmental defensive end who could be in line to take that starting job in 2026. The Broncos would surely love having Franklin-Myers back in free agency, but he's at the stage of his career where this offseason could be the final time he could get a huge payday, and there is bound to be a team out there who is more willing to pay up for Franklin-Myers.
The Broncos have to invest heavily at inside linebacker and at all three skill positions on offense. Franklin-Myers just can't be squeezed in here unless something major happens.
Ben Powers, LG
Ben Powers missed about two months with a biceps injury, and his cap hit rises to over $18 million this year. It's not that Powers is a bad player, but, like Franklin-Myers, he simply might be a good player who just doesn't have a fit with the team going forward.
The Broncos have paid all of Luke Wattenberg, Garett Bolles, and Quinn Meinerz after paying Powers, and he's much more likely to be cut or traded than Mike McGlinchey, the Broncos steady right tackle. I do believe Denver might be able to get a late-round draft pick back in a trade for Powers, but in today's NFL, no team can pay everyone, and you really don't see a team allocating five big-time contracts along the offensive line.
Powers is likely gone in 2026.
Dre Greenlaw, LB
This tidbit from Mike Klis really stuck out to me regarding the linebacker room for the Broncos:
"Re-signing Singleton ($6 million last year) and Strnad ($2.8 million) figures to be priorities, especially if Greenlaw becomes a cap casualty. But both Singleton and Strnad will get significant raises."
Maybe I'm just a conspiracy theorist here, but doesn't this kind of read like the Broncos want to re-sign both Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad? Klis did call them 'priorities,' but with both due for raises, that could push Dre Greenlaw out of the mix after just one season and eight regular season games.
A post-June 1st cut of Greenlaw would save the Broncos just over $8 million against the cap and force them to eat just $2.1 million in dead money. Even if the release was pre-June 1st, the Broncos would still net cap savings.
I am not sure I would personally agree with this particular avenue, but it could also be where the Broncos are headed. In this case, it would be a massive shock if the position wasn't further added to in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Greenlaw's injury history unfortunately plagued him a bit in 2025 with the Broncos, and the team simply can't just continue taking injury risks like this with players at high-profile positions of need.