Heading into the 2026 NFL Season, the Denver Broncos have one of the very best rosters in the NFL, and whether it's due to NFL Draft hits, smart trades, or free agency signings, this team is firing on all cylinders.
But this is the NFL, after all, and there is no such thing as a perfect roster. Denver figures to bring in help at inside linebacker, running back, and tight end in the draft later in April. Those three positions are very clearly the weakest on the roster as of now, but in its current state, Denver's group is good enough to win it all this coming season.
And perhaps the best, strongest part of this entire operation is the offensive line. With that said, are the Broncos investing too much money on a certain player in this unit?
Denver Broncos left guard is seen as the Denver Broncos most overpaid player for 2026
Brad Gagnon in Bleacher Report dubbed Ben Powers as the Broncos most overpaid player for the 2026 NFL Season:
"Denver Broncos: G Ben Powers
Denver's offensive line is fantastic, but Powers is clearly the weakest link. The left guard is a replacement-level player who missed significant time due to injury in 2025 and is entering his age-30 campaign with no Pro Bowl nods on his resume. His $18.2 million cap hit for 2026 is the ninth-highest at the position."
There is some truth here, but I do believe the analysis from Gagnon isn't right on the money. Powers' cap hit for the 2026 season is $18.155 million, which is the second-highest on the roster, but there is more to this than meets the eye.
Powers was signed all the way back in 2023, and typically, when a team goes out and signs a free agency on the market, they structure the contract in such a way where the lower cap hits are earlier in the contract, and the higher cap hits are near the end. Powers is in the final year of a four-year deal, so his cap hit of just over $18 million is the highest cap hit that his contract has had.
That doesn't necessarily mean he's an overpaid player. Powers has been a good starter at left guard for the Broncos, and the offensive line did miss him when he got injured last season and missed about two months.
Furthermore, many of the other top players on the Broncos that recently got extensions got those deals years after Powers did, so the Broncos will soon begin to see higher cap hits begin to hit their books. Just because Powers cap hit is what it is, doesn't make him an overpaid player.
In fact, based on PFF's data from the 2025 season, Powers allowed zero sacks and just one quarterback hit. To me, that's fantastic. Sure, the Broncos probably do not intend to bring Powers back beyond 2026, as he is beginning to get up there in age, and the team likely has future starting plans for Alex Palczewski, but calling him an overpaid player is a slight stretch.