The Denver Broncos have a recent habit that should have a few players paying close attention as the Week 10 bye approaches: when the front office likes what it sees, it tends to move fast on keeping its own.
That’s been a clear part of how the Broncos have operated in recent years. The organization has leaned into a draft-and-develop approach, but it has also shown no hesitation about adding talent through trade or free agency. More importantly for the players already in the building, strong play has usually been rewarded with a new deal.
Last season offers the clearest example. After their Week 11 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos went into their 2025 bye at 9-2, and they used that break to lock up three players who were headed toward free agency. Kicker Wil Lutz, defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, and center Luke Wattenberg all got extensions during the bye week, keeping them in Denver before they could reach the open market.
That kind of move makes sense for a team trying to stay ahead of the roster churn that never really stops in the NFL. Lutz hasn’t been at his best this season, but he has been a very accurate kicker for Denver and has become a dependable late-game weapon. Roach has been an even better example of a deal paying off, taking on the highest percentage of defensive snaps of his career and putting himself on pace for nine tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hits.
With Denver’s bye coming after Week 10 this year, the timing lines up close enough to make you wonder if the Broncos could once again use that window to get ahead of future free agency.
The names to watch are Riley Moss, Ja'Quan McMillian, Brandon Jones, and Marvin Mims Jr., all of whom are set to become free agents this offseason. Evan Engram, Ben Powers, and Jarrett Stidham are also on that list, though there’s a stronger sense that they may not be near the top of the team’s priority board.
If the Broncos do decide to work on in-season extensions, it would make sense for the conversation to center on one or more of Moss, McMillian, and Jones. At the same time, the roster context matters.
Denver already has Patrick Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga on major contracts, while Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine are both showing starting-caliber ability. That makes it hard to imagine all three of Moss, McMillian, and Jones landing new deals.
Still, McMillian stands out as the most likely candidate. He has made a habit of delivering big plays for the Broncos and has proven to be the kind of player who shows up in clutch moments. Denver also already gave him a significant raise from 2025 into 2026, and at 26 years old, he fits cleanly into the kind of in-season deal the team could pursue.
Moss and Jones, though, also bring real value to the secondary, and both could be worth keeping beyond 2026.
Whether the Broncos actually choose to revisit the extension market at the bye remains to be seen. But after last year’s flurry of moves, there’s every reason to think Denver could take the same approach again when this year’s Week 10 break arrives.
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