The Denver Broncos are right in the middle of the 2026 offseason and have accomplished a lot thus far. The major trade for Jaylen Waddle should thrust this offense over the top, and the retaining of many free agents shows that this team believes in their own guys.
All across this operation, you see efficiency and key players. As of now, it's hard to imagine that this team does not make a deep run when the playoffs roll around.
And while this team has had quite the successful offseason, there are still a few major moves that need to be made before Week 1.
Denver Broncos still have a few major moves that need to be finished up before Week 1
Extend one of Ja'Quan McMillian or Riley Moss
All of Ja'Quan McMillian, Riley Moss, and Brandon Jones are slated to be free agents next offseason for the Broncos. It's worth betting on Jahdae Barron sliding into a starting spot in 2027, at least. Barron was a first-round draft pick and could have the skill set to actually play in the slot, on the outside, or even at safety.
Given that Jones has missed time in each year of his Broncos tenure and isn't playing quite as valuable a position as McMillian or Moss, it's probably trending toward Jones not being retained after 2026. This would then leave McMillian or Moss, and, at least to me, it wouldn't make much sense if the Broncos let all three defensive backs leave.
Re-signing one of them would make a load of sense, as the secondary is among the best in the NFL, and seeing three quality players leave with only one de-facto replacement in Barron would be poor roster management. Extending one of Moss or McMillian keeps much of that group together for a bit longer and keeps that unit a strength.
Figure out a legitimate plan to replace John Franklin-Myers
The Broncos were never going to re-sign John Franklin-Myers at the $20-plus million price tag he got from the Tennessee Titans. All of Eyioma Uwazurike, Sai'vion Jones, and Tyler Onyedim figure to 'compete' for that starting spot, but it might end up being more of a committee effort. Franklin-Myers actually played less than 50 percent of the snaps in 2025, so it's not like the Broncos saw 75 percent of their snaps at the position leave.
My best guess would be that Uwazurike would begin each game as the starter, given that he's a veteran and actually played well in 2025, and the team would then turn to Jones and Onyedim to fill in the cracks as needed.
Nothing is guaranteed at the moment, and no matter what the team chooses to do, they must put a viable plan in place, as Franklin-Myers' production was quite good in his two years with the Broncos.
Sort out the tight end room
This might not make a ton of sense, but Sean Payton, back in May, hyped up second-year tight end Caleb Lohner quite a bit. If what Payton said does end up being the case throughout the offseason, how would the Broncos be able to keep him off the roster?
The team drafted two tight ends in Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley in the 2026 NFL Draft. Joly is still just 21 years old and has a really strong receiving profile, and while Bentley is 25, he's someone who can do a bit of everything and might already be in a spot where he can contribute given his age and two-phase skill set.
However, the Broncos just re-signed Adam Trautman on a three-year deal and have Evan Engram under contract for another year, who is a good friend of offensive coordinator Davis Webb. It's not likely that the Broncos would keep five tight ends on the roster - that would simply be unheard of.
This does then form a bit of an issue (perhaps a good one) where the Broncos may have to make a tough decision and risk losing someone like Lohner or Bentley, for example, to another team during final roster cuts.
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