The Denver Broncos offense needs to be better early in games, especially if the defense takes a step back in terms of performance and/or health.
The Denver Broncos were one of the best teams in the National Football League in 2025 but there’s reason to believe they will decline in 2026.
While the Broncos are returning 94 percent of players that played significant snaps (300) for them last season, Denver had one of the oldest rosters and there’s no guarantee that these players can take on the same load.
The Broncos will have to rely on younger players stepping up and playing bigger roles, especially if injuries become a problem.
Denver had a solid bill of health across the board during the season, but a team that has good health for one year can easily struggle to stay healthy the following year.
“This was the league's fifth-oldest team on a snap-weighted age basis a year ago, and I'd be a little concerned about some of those veterans getting worn down and staying healthy through a full 2026 season,” wrote ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who suggested that the Broncos are a prime regression candidate in 2026.
“I'm just not quite as confident that the Broncos will be a top-five unit in 2026, in part because of injuries and they weren't necessarily playing that way against starters down the stretch.”
Denver’s success on the defensive side of the ball took a hit after their Week 11 bye week and though the unit recovered against the New England Patriots in the American Football Conference Championship, it was concerning to watch with the future in mind.
In the case the Broncos defense takes a step back, which is entirely possible considering they nearly set the single-season sack record, the offense needs to step up and earlier in games.
Denver excelled late in games; when the fourth quarter rolled around, and the Broncos were down in the game, it felt like it was a guarantee that they would end up on top by game’s end.
Along with that, Denver was 9-2 in one-score games, a feat that’s hard to accomplish year over year. But the addition of star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle should help the Broncos add another element to their offense, as he does a lot of his best work across the middle of the field and quarterback Bo Nix was hesitant to attack in that area last year.
In his two drives against the Green Bay Packers this past weekend, Nix was confident over the middle and even connected with Waddle for a 35-yard gain. Pairing him with Courtland Sutton sets up a more well-rounded passing game and should elevate all three players.
And the team will need that if it wants to offset a potential defensive decline.
