The Denver Broncos are close to taking that next step into contention, but could they be at risk of having a huge mistake this offseason? This is the offseason for the Broncos to try and make a leap. For months before the season began, I constantly wrote about how the 2024 Broncos had a chance to become the 2023 Houston Texans, and that ended up being accurate.
What did the Texans do last offseason? Well, while it wasn't the perfect offseason, as there is no such thing, they were certainly a bit aggressive - they traded for two quality players in Joe Mixon and Stefon Diggs, and they also made a big signing in defensive end Danielle Hunter.
Houston made a series of moves that indicated they were trying to get into the next tier of teams and leap to contender status. Now yes, they didn't make that leap in 2024, but the process was correct - Houston recognized that they had a stud QB on their hands in CJ Stroud, so they tried to build around him with immediate-impact players.
And the Denver Broncos have to do this exact thing in 2025.
The Broncos cannot sit on their hands in the 2025 NFL Offseason
This would be a huge mistake - the Denver Broncos have to go out and be smartly aggressive this offseason. Denver must sniff out the trade market for player fits and should not hesitate to sign a big-name free agent if the money works. They have just over $40 million in cap space, and Russell Wilson's dead cap is already figured into that amount.
They could also free up a bit more cap space with moves like extending Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto. The Broncos could save even more if they were to cut players like Alex Singleton and PJ Locke III. All in all, the Broncos could have a ton of cap space this offseason.
They also have their own first and second-round picks for the first time since the 2021 NFL Draft. Right now, Denver has the resources to be aggressive and to build around their QB, Bo Nix. It's clear that Nix is a franchise QB - he showed a ton during his rookie season, and if it was not for Jayden Daniels having the best rookie QB season ever, Nix would be getting a lot more attention.
Having an efficient QB on his rookie deal is one of the biggest advantages in all of sports and a thing that most NFL teams are trying to strive toward. Denver hit the nail on the head with their evaluation of Bo Nix, so why not try to capitalize on it? Them not being active in the offseason in trying to improve this roster would be a huge mistake.