Despite adding Jaylen Waddle to a potent offense, Denver enters 2026 as divisional underdogs, banking on a healthy Bo Nix to overcome key defensive departures and roster skepticism.
The Denver Broncos are heading into the 2026 season looking for their third consecutive playoff appearance. After coming one game away from the Super Bowl after star quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending injury in the Divisional Round, last season left a poor taste in the mouths of Broncos fans.
There’s no question of what type of team the Broncos can be, and if some horrible injury luck didn’t strike their quarterback, they could have been the team to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy at the end of the year.
With that said, the Broncos have their sights set on getting what they think they deserve, most of all – a Super Bowl win. They’ll have a fair shot at doing so next season, ranking as the No. 7 roster after the draft according to The Athletic’s Austin Mock.
By far the biggest move of the offseason for Denver has been the huge trade to bring in star receiver Jaylen Waddle in exchange for draft capital. Waddle and his 1,000-yard potential instantly boosted one of the weakest spots on the Broncos’ depth chart.
The Denver offense as a whole should be better than last season, which had its fair share of inconsistencies. Able to re-sign running back J.K. Dobbins, trade for Waddle, and keep together a top-five offensive line, the Broncos will be stronger on that side of the ball in 2026.
Denver’s defense took much of the credit for the 14-3 record they earned last season, but they lost some star power earlier in the offseason. With linebacker Dre Greenlaw leaving town after just one lackluster year and defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers also leaving in free agency, the Broncos will be relying on players to step up big time next season.
Still, Denver has one of the better defenses in the NFL. Edge Zach Allen and linebackers Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton will be great in the ground game, while their secondary proves that it's one of the best in the league in the passing game.
Interestingly, despite being tied for the best record in the league last season, the Broncos’ post-draft roster ranks behind three of its divisional opponents. Both the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers are ranked above the Broncos despite Denver winning the division by a three-game margin last winter.
Another year as underdogs won’t scare Denver, however, as that is what they were all of last season. Week after week, the Broncos were expected to eventually crumble – that never came.
Instead, they found themselves on the doorstep of the Super Bowl, coming one injury away from a potential championship. Perhaps 2026 brings better luck for the still-underated Broncos.