The Denver Broncos are headed into training camp with something they haven’t had in a while: real, honest-to-goodness belief.
Veterans report on July 28, which means the official start of camp is right around the corner and the 2026 regular season is now less than two months away. For Denver, that timeline comes with a lot more weight than usual.
The stakes are enormous. So is the optimism.
That’s what happens when a team gets that close.
The Broncos beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round and were set to host the AFC Championship Game with the Super Bowl in sight. Then Bo Nix’s shocking broken ankle changed everything. The season ended there, and with how hard it is to get back to that point, Denver enters camp carrying both the pain of what was lost and the confidence of what was nearly achieved.
And there’s plenty to like about what’s coming back.
The Broncos were on the doorstep of the Super Bowl in 2025, and that alone is a powerful thing to bring into a new season. They know they were good enough to reach the final game.
They nearly proved it. On top of that, the roster may have actually improved this offseason with the addition of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and a group of 2026 NFL Draft picks that includes Tyler Onyedim, Jonah Coleman, and Justin Joly, all of whom could help right away.
The bigger picture is even more encouraging. Denver looks built the way contenders are supposed to be built.
Stud quarterback, check.
The ability to protect the quarterback, check.
The ability to get to the quarterback, check.
An elite coaching staff to tie it all together, check.
There are still places fans could point to, with inside linebacker standing out as a spot where better players would be welcome. But that’s not usually the position that decides championships.
In the NFL, the teams that consistently win at the highest level usually do it in the trenches and at quarterback. That’s where Denver appears to be strongest.
The Broncos also have what the source material calls the best overall collection of trench talent in the league, and Nix would have clearly been able to help them beat the New England Patriots.
So when the veterans walk back in on July 28, the mood around this team should be unmistakable. This could be one of the most talented Broncos teams ever assembled, and it wouldn’t shock much of the NFL world if Denver won it all this season.
That kind of expectation brings pressure, of course. But as the saying goes, “pressure is a privilege.”
For the Broncos, it really does feel like it’s all there for the taking.
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