There is a "Joker" in Denver, but he doesn't play for the Denver Broncos. And that's an issue that we could see resolved rather quickly in the 2025 offseason.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton was asked about Raiders star rookie tight end Brock Bowers at his Wednesday press availability, and he gave one of the longest individual answers to a question we've seen all year long. Bowers was taken one pick after the Broncos selected quarterback Bo Nix 12th overall, and the former Georgia Bulldogs star was honestly one of those players who might have been worth taking at that slot if you didn't love a quarterback.
Thankfully for the Broncos, they loved a quarterback. Bo Nix is red hot and potentially pulling away with NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
But Brock Bowers has begun making his case for that award as well, which is wild to think about. Bowers has quickly become one of the biggest mismatches in the NFL at the tight end position, and his presence in Las Vegas serves as a great reminder to Sean Payton of one of the Broncos' biggest needs beyond this season.
When you hear what Sean Payton had to say regarding Bowers, you will get a very clear sense of what could be arguably Denver's top priority in the 2025 offseason or 2025 NFL Draft.
Sean Payton may have hinted at Broncos top 2025 NFL Draft need
"Someone had a real good vision for him and you see -- All the 'joker traits' means change of direction. It can’t be a little. It’s a high-end receiving trait and he can move, he can be outside and he can run a route tree maybe different than most tight ends. He certainly goes up and makes the first touchdown catch against us. When it’s happening week in and week out—we see that with the player in Detroit. We’re seeing it obviously with Kelce. We see it with Kittle. Man, that’s a weapon and it becomes a little bit more challenging when they’re at that position than when they’re outside at receiver. That’s important in this game.”
- Broncos HC Sean Payton (via team PR)
Payton has a host of young receivers that he seemingly likes on this Denver Broncos roster right now. And while it's very likely we'll see the Broncos make some additions/changes at receiver in the 2025 offseason, I think it's clear from what Payton said there about Bowers that getting a game-changing tight end is going to be at the top of his priority list. And those guys don't just grow on trees, do they?
You can look back at Sean Payton's history in the league -- the tight end position is of critical importance to him and he was rarely -- if ever -- without a true weapon at that spot. You can go back to his time in New York with the Giants or Dallas with the Cowboys even before he was with the Saints. He's had guys like Jeremy Shockey (in New York and New Orleans), Jason Witten, Jimmy Graham, and plenty of others.
He makes a concerted effort to find these "joker" types of players and the Broncos were hopeful that Greg Dulcich could be that guy. At this stage, Dulcich only has six games left to prove he will even be on this team beyond 2024.
The Broncos will continue to get solid contributions from Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins, but those guys are not going to be jokers in the offense. At this point, it would be a stretch to put Lucas Krull in that category as well.
There are currently just a handful of tight ends expected to enter the 2025 NFL Draft who are considered top-50 overall prospects. That doesn't necessarily matter or mean anything, but the consensus top guys right now are Michigan's Colston Loveland and Penn State's Tyler Warren, who are both considered to be top-tier pass-catching options and weapons who can float positions.
Hearing Sean Payton gush over Brock Bowers and some of the other game-altering tight ends in the league and then saying, "That's important in this game," sort of seems to give us our biggest hint yet about the top priority for the Broncos in the 2025 offseason. We know that the Broncos have other in-house priorities like offensive tackle Garett Bolles, but figuring something out with him might just be a formality at this point.
Getting more weapons to surround Bo Nix with talent is hugely important and having a true Joker for the offense will be a game-changer for Denver.