The Denver Broncos were one of the more active teams in free agency this past spring, bringing in several key pieces to what the team hopes is a revamped and playoff-bound roster. Denver made key additions on both sides of the ball and showed fans and ownership that they were all in on this team and their chances in 2025.
Historically, free agency has been kind to Denver. Whether it is recent successes such as Brandon Jones or historic moves such as Payton Manning, the Broncos have made several splashes on the open market, some of which have helped bring Lombardis back to Denver.
George Paton and Sean Payton brought in a quarter of free agents this spring, but have had differing results. Two of them have been better than the rest, and are major reasons the Broncos have found early-season success. Without these two, Denver could be winless in the young season.
JK Dobbins and Talanoa Hufanga have been worth every penny for Broncos so far
One of the foregone conclusions from the end of the 2024 season was that the Broncos needed to overhaul their running back room. Their group in 2024 was dreadful, probably held the team back, and needed to be changed. Denver made two major changes: drafting RJ Harvey and signing JK Dobbins. In his short stint so far, Dobbins has been spectacular. Entering Week 3, the Chargers letting him walk within the division appears to be a massive mistake.
In just two games, Dobbins has cleared the 135-yard mark, scored twice, and stabilized the Broncos' rushing attack. His legs are still fairly fresh, considering his lack of attempts in his career due to injury, which gives Denver a unique advantage with him. It is only two games, but Dobbins is on pace for over 1,100 yards.
On the other side of the ball, the Broncos got exposed at safety across from Jones last year, especially in the playoffs. Denver addressed this by adding Talanoa Hufanga into their defensive core, the injury-riddled All-Pro of the 49ers. In just two games, Hufanga has been a can't-miss and an absolute rocket. Denver has sorely missed a defender who moves with his hair on fire, and Hufanga has produced just that so far.
In his two games, Hufanga has racked up a team-leading 21 tackles, forced a fumble, and has played all but six defensive snaps. Solidifying the secondary was a major point of interest for Denver, considering their investment in Hufanga and the selection of rookie Jahdae Barron in the first round of April's NFL Draft.