The Denver Broncos were never rebuilding to begin with

The Denver Broncos have come away with quite the haul in the 2024 NFL Draft and even added a nice player via trade. The team was never rebuilding to begin with. Folks, did you really think that a coach with a Hall of Fame bid at stake was going to undersee a rebuild? It was never going to happen, and the Broncos have proved just that this offseason.

The major move was cutting Russell Wilson, which made many think that the team was indeed headed toward a rebuild. Other veterans like Justin Simmons, Jerry Jeudy, and Josey Jewell were also parted with, and the Broncos did bring in some youth in free agency, including DT Malcolm Roach, S Brandon Jones, and QB Zach Wilson.

The Broncos had a clear play of attack in free agency, but they also brought in some quality, veteran players like WR Josh Reynolds and CB Levi Wallace. At no point were the Broncos doing anything to rebuild, and they further proved this in the 2024 NFL Draft, coming away with their future franchise QB in Bo Nix.

They also took an EDGE rusher in Jonah Elliss, and perhaps most notably, drafted Bo Nix's college teammate, WR Troy Franklin. It's been a fun draft to experience, but during Day 3 of the NFL Draft, the Broncos send a 2026 sixth-round pick to the New York Jets for DE John Franklin-Myers, which is just an insanely good trade for Denver.

JFM turns 28 during the 2024 season and has 19.5 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, and 61 QB hits across his NFL career, so he's been a productive player from the iDL. JFM figures to start at the DE spot opposite Zach Allen, as the Broncos make a clear investment into their defensive front, which has also included additions of Jonah Elliss, Malcolm Roach, Angelo Blackson, and Rashard Lawrence.

The Denver Broncos are much better, on paper and otherwise, than they were at any point during the 2023 NFL Season, and it was silliness to think that they were rebuilding in the first place. Sean Payton is going to have this team ready to go in 2024.