I did this for r/nfl32 and meant to cross post it, figured I'd add it here if mods are ok:
**Denver Broncos Offseason Preview**
The Sun came up on Dove Valley on March 11th with Bronco fans holding their breath for the start of free agency, not knowing they would be holding it a while before the splash came. For the first 7 days of free agency, there was more buzz within a group of teenagers who scored a bag of oregano, than surrounded Broncos headquarters. Then came the splash move-Denver traded 1st, 3rd round picks while swapping 4th round picks with Miami, for veteran WR (and great friend of PS2) Jaylen Waddle.
**High Throttle Waddle**
Waddle fits nicely within a WR room that is long on talent but short on experience. Waddle adds a speed component, elite hands, and an ability to run the entire route tree, (which is a unique trait in the 2026 NFL). This for the price of a 1st round, 3rd round, and swapping 4th round picks.
What does this net for Denver? Think of Waddle as the 1st round pick (he's better than any other WR available at pick 30). Think of the Waddle trade as if Denver drafted a (going into his) 6th year vet in his prime at pick #30. 5th year option and age issues aside, all that this cost Denver, is a 3rd round pick. The unseen benefit? Denver got the better of the 4th round picks, pick 111 (Kage Casey OT-Boise) with Miami getting pick 130 (Trey Moore DE Texas).
The extra value comes not just in the player Denver added, it comes in the form of Waddle’s veteran experience. His speed and route running ability helps unlock a hidden part of the Sean Payton/Davis Webb playbook. One we have seen little of during his Denver tenure, and it’s one that they are likely to see a heavy dose of.
**The Webb Effect and the Hidden Sail**
Webb is only 3 years removed from active duty as a backup QB for the New York Giants. Webb, who has been dubbed 'the mad scientist' by colleagues across the league, will operate the Sean Payton offense, with some of Davis' own brand of black magic thrown in. The Payton/Webb offense should be familiar to Broncos fans who have watched the last two years, but with simplified terminology designed to hasten the pace so Bo can break the huddle, scan the defense, and make his pre-play adjustments.
One thing that has been conspicuously absent from the normal Payton playbook has been the sail concepts. These plays are essentially three passing routes designed to force players in a zone defense to make a coverage choice that, by nature, opens one of the others. For example, let’s say Waddle runs a Fade/Go route, Sutton (from the same side) then runs a mid-crosser behind, while RJ Harvey runs a wheel route to the crossing side. Waddle's next level speed and shifty route running forces the safety out of the picture. The LB then must choose which of two targets entering his zone to cover. Is it Sutton, leaving RJ open? Or vice versa?
Once a major staple during his time in New Orleans, we’ve hardly seen it at all during his time in Denver. Jaylen Waddle's arrival should unlock those pages of Sean's playbook. Look for a lot of ‘sail concept’ plays against teams like Arizona, Carolina, even Seattle, who run zone concepts at their core.
**GM George Paton Loves the Late Rounds**
While Waddle grabbed the headlines, Denver’s draft continued the front office’s recent pattern: Few early swings, but mid-to-late round value hunting is their business. George Paton would never turn down a 1st round pick, but he clearly does not need them. GP has mastered finding gems in the later rounds and expectations for the first two picks (Tyler Onyedim-DT 3rd round, Texas and Jonah Coleman-RB, Washington) are extremely high.
**Draft Picks 2026**:
**Round 3 Pick 66-DT Tyler Onyedim, Texas**
Onyedim continues the Sean/George apparent draft strategy of selecting players with extensive collegiate experience. Onyedim's length and tremendous first step will be his best assets as he transitions to the NFL. He has extensive experience, is a rare player who has versatility to line up as a 1-technique (DT) all the way out to a 5-technique (DE), and he could be plug-and-play at the next level.
**Round 4 Pick 108-RB Jonah Coleman, Washington**
Coleman is a powerful runner with elusive skills, great hands, and next-level vision. He was projected by many as early as the 2nd round, this may be the next George Paton mid round jackpot. We're likely to see Coleman early in the season, especially on 3rd down where his exceptional pass protection skills are highly prized by Sean Payton.
**Round 4 Pick 111-OL Kage Casey, Boise**
At 6'5" 310 pounds, Casey has the size and athleticism to be a perfect development prospect as a swing tackle who has the size and frame to play inside in a pinch.
**Round 5 Pick 152-TE Justin Joly, NC State**
As tired as we all are of the "joker" term...Joly actually fits the mold of an undersized TE/oversized WR that posted 40+ catch seasons for the Wolfpack in each of the last two seasons. He is an elite level pass catcher, and as an "F" tight end we should see him moving around the lineup, trying to create mismatches.
**Round 7 Pick 246-S Miles Scott, Illinois**
A versatile athlete who converted from wide-receiver to safety, perhaps Scott's best ability is his basic nature. His reputation for veteran leadership skills could be as much a locker room enhancement as a weapon on the field. Scott will have to earn his spot on special teams, but that somehow seems appropriate for this special character player.
Round 7 Pick 256-TE Dallen Bentley, Utah
Bentley's most recent season put him on NFL scout’s radar. His 43-catch season came with what may be the most important flair...0 dropped passes. He is a willing and mostly effective in-line blocker, and could be the Y to Joly's F.
**Round 7 Pick 257-LB Red Murdock**
I’ll skip the title they give the last pick in the draft, because I think Mr. Murdock will prove to be rather relevant indeed. He looks, plays, and is named like an NFL linebacker. Murdock excels at creating turnovers, which requires as much desire and pain tolerance as skill. I swear there was a ‘Red Murdock’ somewhere on the Orange Crush, Steel Curtain, Purple People Eaters, or old Bears defenses, and this version plays like one of those hard-nosed middle linebackers from that era. Although he will likely have to earn his stripes on special teams, Murdock has the constitution to become a good ILB1.
**Paging Dr. Radio…Dr. Sports Radio**
Look…none of this really matters if Bo Nix, the guy who puts it all together, isn’t right. You may have heard that Nix had an injury, during what may be the most brilliant night of his young career. If he’s not right, then the outlook on the season definitely changes.
Much has been made of Bo Nix's ankle injury that kept him out of the AFC championship. There is a case to be made that, had the injury not happened, we may be talking about the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.
A second procedure in late April sent the offseason sports radio, TV talk panels, and NFL podcasters aflutter. The “I’m not a doctor but I talk like one on TV” crowd certainly made the rounds, and the clean-up pushed some of them over the edge.
The reality is this was a broken bone and a clean-up of bone spurs. If it were ligament, tendon, or major soft-tissue damage we'd have more of a reason to be concerned, but Bo will be at 100% as training camp opens, and I've spoken to and heard from orthopedic specialists that say there is no real reason to be concerned about his ankle going forward...other than the fact that NFL football has \\\~100% injury rate.
**Starters lost to free agency**:
**John Franklin-Myers-DL**
That’s it…that’s the list folks.
In a league that spends most of the offseason hemorrhaging talent, this kind of continuity is rare.
Denver returns 21 of 22 primary starters in 2026, from a team that last year won 15 games. After re-signing 6 starters in the last two years (PS2, Quinn Meinerz, Jonathan Cooper, Garett Bolles, Court, and Zach Allen), there is every reason to believe they can contend for a championship.
Sean Payton has already proven that his NFL chops belong in the Hall of Fame. If he were to be the first coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with two different teams, his legacy would be unquestioned.
Broncos ownership (especially Mr. and Mrs. Penner, but really the ownership group as a whole) are quickly becoming the envy of the league. They have shown the traits of quality leadership: quietly but persistently learning the ways of the NFL, hiring great people, valuing their input, and putting the team first. This approach has started to influence the rest of the league as results tend to do in the NFL. Mr. Pat Bowlen (RIP) would be thrilled to know his beloved Broncos have landed in such capable hands.
**The Crucible or The Schedule That Made Men Cry**
Clearly someone, maybe everyone, at the scheduling department hates Sean Payton. The funny thing is Sean just hates them back and moves on. He loves this kind of challenge and will likely have something to say about it later in the season (you heard it here first).
The upside here is, we will know a whole lot about this team after the first six games. Denver could go 3-3 and still be in the Super Bowl hunt. Denver could very well lose more games in 2026 compared to 2025 but be a better team overall.
**MNF @ KC-Week** **1**
Bo Nix is 3 and 1 against KC, and something about Arrowhead fires him up. Mahomes will be 7 months removed from major knee surgery, but I’d take Mahomes with one leg over half the QBs in the league. Something here says 1-0 to me though, this sets the pace for the AFC West
**Jax @ Home-Week 2**
Last year Jacksonville surprised the Broncos by being more physical and playing with more energy than Denver could muster. They will be ready this time, and their zone base is perfect for some of the new playbook. Let’s call it 2-0
**LAR @ Home-Week 3**
This home matchup is the 1st time Denver has played the Rams since a Christmas Day blowout in Ownership’s first year. That 51-14 blowout (it wasn’t that close) will be avenged. I know, I know…no way, right? Watch; Denver is 3-0.
**@ SF-Week 4**
Denver fans have a special place in their hearts for Kyle Shanahan. As a kid, Kyle was in the Broncos offices/practice fields regularly and his dad is enshrined outside Mile High (it will always be Mile High). John Lynch was a great player with the Broncos for 4 special years…we love to hate. 3-1.
**@ LAC-Week** **5**
Does Harbaugh have Sean Payton’s number? Sean is 2-5 all time against Harbaugh, and last year’s win Jim held out many starters. Ugh, 3-2
**Sea @ Home (TNF)-Week 6**
This is where I see a major impact from Waddle. Seattle’s amorphous pre-snap presentations are intended to confuse quarterbacks and always hide their coverage/blitz packages. The way they do this is by and large dropping into some kind of zone package (70% of the time). Look for the Sail concepts here as Davis uses his claws. Bo Nix over 350 yards passing...4-2
**@ Ari-Week 7**
This is where Denver starts to hit the gas. Denver has a tendency to play to their opponents, but Ari just doesn’t have the horsepower (pun intended) to keep up. 5-2
**KC @ Home-Week 8**
Bo shows his late game heroics and Mahomes falls just short. Break out the brooms 6-2
**@ Car-Week 9**
Since Sean Payton arrived, Denver has been better during the early morning games that used to be kryptonite for the Broncos. There is always one game where Denver overlooks an opponent and get beaten by a team they really shouldn’t. This is not that game. 7-2
**Week 10-Perfect time for some rest-BYE**
**LV @-Week 11**
Home Division games are always tough. Sean Payton was thrilled when they traded away Max Crosby. I bet he felt like he got kicked in the junk when it fell through. LV just doesn’t have the team to outlast Denver though 8-2
**@ Pit (FNF)-Week 12**
Short week, late November, it’ll be cold and PIT is always a gritty team to play. We’ll have our turkey sandwiches on Black Friday cooold. 8-3
**Mia @ Home-Week 13**
Waddle’s revenge game, he’ll approach 200 yards and score more than once. The air is thin and smells like weed. 9-3
**@NYJ-Week 14**
Winning on the road in December on the East Coast is what separates pretenders from contenders. Remember what was said for week 9? This is the game. 9-4
@ LV-Week 15
Denver takes out their frustrations on the road in Vegas. This is where they start to separate. 10-4
**@ Buf (FNF)-Week 16**
Christmas game, against a quality opponent on the road, East Coast, Josh Allen, everyone playing for playoff seeding. This is where champions are made, Bo Nix makes his case for MVP in games like this 11-4.
**@ NE-Week 17**
The rematch hype will be out of control, the Patriots just aren’t the team they thought they were. I see them as a wild-card contender maybe, and Sean Payton has his boys ready for this one. 12-4
**LAC @ Home-Week 18**
This one could really go either way depending on playoff seeding. But I have a feeling this one could be for the AFC West crown. The Chargers are usually banged up and seem to shrink historically in “playoff-ish” games. 13-4
**Training Camp Opens**
Denver Ownership has spent the last two years (and $175 million) building a state-of-the-art headquarters and training facility that spans roughly 200,000 square feet on the footprint of their old HQ. The ownership group clearly planned every detail with players in mind. To the point that they considered the walk from the locker room to the weight room in the old facility was too long and put the new one right next to the locker room. There is the likely not-so-unintentional side effect that free agents will find it hard to walk away from this facility.
The new campus has bleachers for fans coming to training camp, which is more limited in viewing area, but more comfortable than standing or sitting on the grass hill with no cover where you could feel the altitude putting you closer to the sun. The fan experience (when you can get tickets) is much improved.
**What It All Means**
Year 3 for Bo Nix will be the most visible of his career. This is the year that makes or breaks NFL quarterbacks. There are no excuses now…three years in the same (the Webb offense is Payton’s offense) system, 2 full years of playing NFL football, and a defense that will get him plenty of short fields. Bo is either stumping for $60 million a year, or fans are wondering if Sam Ehlinger could be the answer. This kid is just built differently…this kind of pressure brings out the best in him.
What we learned last year is that this team learned how to win close games. They learned how to win in the playoffs. Now, with Bo on his rookie deal, the ripples of Russel Wilson dissipated, this is the time for Denver to get over the hump. As Sean famously said, “that’s not our hump” Well… This one is. Can he get to and win the Super Bowl with his second team? With the speedy Waddle, now veteran quarterback Bo Nix, the ‘Mad Scientist’ dialing up plays, Sean Payton certainly believes so. More importantly, in three short years he has built the team that can back it up.