The Denver Broncos have the means to be aggressive in free agency this offseason. Given how 2025 ended, this team could be active in trying to fill the key roster holes, but there is always a catch in free agency, as teams can get caught overspending on players that just never play up to the contract they got.
The Broncos still have to be careful that the players they sign are the right ones for this team and are signed for the right price. At the end of the day, though, it's safe to say that the team should be exhausting every avenue out there to improve the roster, especially on offense.
With free agency beginning in about three weeks, we've created a way-too-early free agency haul that has Super Bowl written all over it.
Denver Broncos early free agency haul has Super Bowl written all over it
Travis Etienne, RB
Travis Etienne is a good player at a position that has hurt the Broncos for multiple years now. J.K. Dobbins was signed last offseason to be the solution at running back, but he got hurt 10 games in and missed the rest of the season. Dobbins was on pace for over 1,300 yards, but the Broncos are simply not in a position to bring him back and simply hope that he remains healthy.
Etienne is much more of a known commodity - he's missed just two games over the past four seasons and has rushed for 3,798 yard over that span, also adding 1,338 receiving yards. Etienne has a whopping 5,136 scrimmage yards and 32 touchdowns over his NFL career and is a slam-dunk infusion of talent and production in the team's offense.
Cade Otton, TE
One thing that Cade Otton brings to the table is his ability to be an in-line tight end. Otton is a good blocker who is also a competent receiver as well, and the Broncos just do not have that type of tight end. Otton wrapped up a 2025 season where he hauled in 59 receptions for 572 yards. He had 600 yards and four touchdowns in 2024 and averages 545 yards across a 17-game season.
This would not be a flashy signing, but Otton can block and receive, and that is a bit of a lost art among tight ends in the NFL. The Broncos signed Evan Engram last offseason, but Engram has never been a good blocker, and that's simply not what he brings to the table.
Pairing Otton with Engram in the tight end room is a massive disadvantage for opposing defenses.
Kaden Elliss, LB
Kaden Elliss makes all the sense in the world for the Broncos. Not only is he the brother of outside linebacker Jonah Elliss, but the older Elliss was drafted by Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints back in 2019, so it's clear that Payton has his eye on this bloodline.
But the other thing with the inside linebacker, who was most recently on the Atlanta Falcons, is that he's a reliable, above-average player at a position, like running back, that has hurt the Broncos in recent years.
In 2025, not only did the team deal with some iffy play from Alex Singleton, but Dre Greenlaw only played in eight regular season games, so the room just could not get situated. Both Singleton and Justin Strnad are free agents, so there is a chance that both aren't retained.
Elliss has played in every single game in each of the last four seasons and has not missed a start since the 2022 campaign. In 2025, Elliss racked up one interception, six passes defended, 3.5 sacks, 107 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 10 quarterback hits.
He has a ton of upside as a rusher from the position and is as reliable as you can get. You'd have to think that the Broncos front office would jump on this chance given the need and the name.
Bonus: Trade pick 30 to Miami Dolphins for WR Jaylen Waddle
This isn't technically a free agency signing, but the Broncos have been looked at as a landing spot for Jaylen Waddle in a trade. Waddle brings the skillset Denver is missing in the room. He began his career with three 1,000-yard seasons in a row before failing to reach that mark in 2024 and 2025, primarily due to subpar quarterback play.
If the price is right, Denver has to pull the trigger, as Waddle is a consistent producer at the position and becomes a perfect '1a' in the room. This would also allow the other top targets in Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin to slide down one spot in the rotation, further maximizing what each player brings to the table.
This haul might seem a bit unrealistic, but all four of the addressed positions are legitimate needs for this team, so the time to make aggressive moves like this is now, as this precise haul would get Denver to the Super Bowl in 2026.