Everyone knows the "NFL" stands for "Not For Long" especially when it comes to the way you build your roster. The Denver Broncos have been no strangers to roster turnover in recent years, and that should be expected once again in the 2025 offseason.
Which players currently on the Broncos' roster should we expect to be gone by the 2025 offseason? Let's take a look at a handful of names who are entering the proverbial "make or break" year with the team in 2024.
1. Jarrett Stidham, QB
Jarrett Stidham's time in Denver could be limited at this point. Although the Broncos clearly think highly of Stidham, they don't think highly enough of him with the decision to select Bo Nix 12th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Coupled with the selection of Nix is the team's decision to trade for former #2 overall pick Zach Wilson.
Although Stidham has the advantage of having spent a year with Sean Payton and this coaching staff, learning the offense, and getting to know the other players on this roster, he has the disadvantage of draft status and overall talent level. And Stidham is obviously a talented guy with a good arm and the intelligence required to start at the quarterback position.
Chris Simms of Pro Football Talk considers Stidham the 40th-best QB in the NFL right now and he's not the only one who would think of him in that way. But Denver's decisions to trade for Wilson and draft Nix have flipped the sand timer on Stidham's time in Denver.
2. Samaje Perine, RB
When it comes to Samaje Perine's longer-term outlook in Denver, I'm honestly torn a little bit. On the one hand, Perine is relatively inexpensive depth at the position and he showed a lot last year for the Denver Broncos as a receiver.
In fact, Perine may be the best overall third-down back the Denver Broncos have when it comes to pass-catching abilities as well as pass protection abilities. He's the veteran of the group, he's trustworthy in two-minute situations, and he's the only back on this roster who has played in big games (as a member of the Bengals).
There's a lot to like about Perine, but there are going to be question marks about his future in Denver all offseason thanks to the arrival of guys like Audric Estimé (5th-round pick) and Blake Watson (a priority undrafted free agent pickup). The Broncos are going to be hoping for a much better second year in Sean Payton's system from Javonte Williams, and Jaleel McLaughlin is an undrafted gem from last year's rookie class that the team obviously likes a good amount.
How much longer does Perine have in Denver? You'd love to be able to see them really load up the running back position but if he sticks in 2024, it wouldn't be shocking to see that be his final year in Denver, especially because he will turn 30 during the 2025 season.
3. Tim Patrick, WR
There's not a soul in Broncos Country who isn't rooting for Tim Patrick to make an epic comeback this season.
Patrick signed a well-deserved contract extension with the Broncos near the end of the 2021 season, and we basically haven't seen him on the field since then. Which is truly a shame. Tim Patrick is one of the most well-liked players in Denver for good reason. He's a great story of perseverance and fortitude, a player who overcame a career-threatening leg injury at the college level to become a second-contract guy in the NFL with the Broncos.
He's the type of story you love to see.
But after signing that extension, Patrick suffered two consecutive season-ending injuries. The Broncos brought him back on a revised one-year deal in 2024 and even if Patrick plays really well, it could be his last season in Denver. The Broncos have invested a good amount at the receiver position in recent years, spending a second-round pick on Marvin Mims, a fourth-round pick on Troy Franklin, a seventh-round pick on Devaughn Vele, and signing Josh Reynolds in free agency.
The team might go younger at the position after this season and it could leave Timmy P. as the odd man out.
4. DJ Jones, DL
The Denver Broncos have struggled to find continuity on the defensive line over the last handful of years, and it's not really for lack of trying.
They hit on the Dre'Mont Jones pick in the 3rd round of the 2019 NFL Draft, but he obviously left last year in free agency.
They missed on the McTelvin Agim pick in the 3rd round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
At this stage, we don't know what we're getting from 2022 4th-round pick Eyioma Uwazurike, if anything at all.
The team may need to continue adding players in NFL free agency like they did with DJ Jones back in 2022. As Jones enters his third year in Denver, the final year of his contract with the team, it's easy to see him walking in free agency in 2025 barring a much more impactful year than we've grown accustomed to. The Broncos gave Zach Allen a big-money deal last offseason and they gave pretty decent money to John Franklin-Myers who will be back next year as well.
We need to see more out of Jones this coming season both as a run defender and pass rusher if he's going to be brought back in 2025.
5. Alex Singleton, LB
The Denver Broncos let starting linebacker Josey Jewell walk in 2024 NFL free agency, and they could be poised to do the same with Alex Singleton in the 2025 offseason.
When Singleton signed with the Denver Broncos in 2022, it wasn't exactly the most well-received move. Singleton signed for less than a late-round pick that offseason and wound up starting for the team -- and playing extremely well. He earned a three-year deal from the Broncos last offseason, which obviously runs through the end of the 2025 season.
The Broncos won't be forced to move off of Singleton next offseason, but the linebacker position is an area where they could look to reset a little bit. If Drew Sanders is able to have a breakout campaign for the team in 2024, they could save $6 million by getting out of Singleton's deal.
In all honesty, compared to the rest of the off-ball linebacker market, Singleton at just over $7 million in overall cap commitment next year is not that bad. But if the Broncos are looking to get younger there, he's going to be 32 next season and could be someone the team looks into moving on from. He would probably need to have a pretty bad year in 2024 for that to happen, but his low dead cap number puts him on notice a little bit.
6. Baron Browning/Jonathon Cooper, EDGE
We're all going to be fascinated to see what happens with the Denver Broncos off the edge as of next offseason.
Right now, both Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper (former Ohio State teammates and members of the Broncos' 2021 NFL Draft class) are projected to hit free agency in 2025. Are the Broncos going to be able to keep both guys around? That's not impossible, by any means, but it also feels like the team has been preemptively preparing for one of them to leave.
Nik Bonitto was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft and Jonah Elliss was selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Broncos have also flirted with the idea of 2023 third-round pick Drew Sanders moving back to the edge where he started his college career at Alabama.
For Browning, the formula seems simple -- he's got to stay on the field.
For Cooper, it's going to be all about continual improvement on every down. The Broncos need stability off the edge on early downs and they need someone who can consistently disrupt the quraterback. It feels like both of these guys have the potential to do that but we haven't seen it consistently from either guy.
This will be a critical year, to say the least.
7. Garett Bolles, LT
Not that the Denver Broncos are going to be moving on from Garett Bolles at the first chance they get, but he's entering a contract year in 2024 and would need to be re-signed in order to stick around beyond this year.
There have been trade rumors surrounding Bolles over the last couple of years, which is understandable given the state of the team. But this offseason, we saw the Broncos really prioritize Bolles amidst their purge. They cut Justin Simmons and Russell Wilson, they traded Jerry Jeudy, and they let go of a number of other guys so they could keep Bolles and his $20 million cap hit on the roster.
That speaks volumes, but what does it mean for after 2024?
None of us knows at this point.
At this stage, it would be a little surprising to see the Broncos move on from Bolles after this season, but there also hasn't been any talk of an extension. Into his 30s now, Bolles is still playing really well. It would be cool to see him earn a third contract in Denver after the pick was so heavily criticized due to Bolles's age coming into the NFL.