The Broncos have a real shot at making a Super Bowl run in 2026, and the setup is obvious. They came within one game of the Super Bowl in 2025, the roster looks strong, and the financial picture gets even cleaner when the Russell Wilson dead cap finally comes off the books after being spread across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. That $85 million burden is still a major part of the story right now, but it’s also why Denver’s flexibility is so striking.
Still, no team gets a free pass to February. If the Broncos are going to turn all that promise into a Lombardi Trophy, there are a few hurdles standing in the way.
One of the biggest is the simple possibility that the playoff field gets a lot tougher. Denver’s path in 2025 was unusually favorable because Kansas City, Baltimore, and Cincinnati all missed the postseason.
The Bengals haven’t been back since 2022, but the Chiefs and Ravens both missing out in the same year was a real surprise. Buffalo was the lone serious threat in that playoff run, and even that came with the usual playoff heartbreak reputation attached to it.
If the Chiefs, Ravens, and Bengals bounce back the way they’ve done in previous seasons, the Broncos could find themselves facing a collection of teams led by generational quarterbacks. That doesn’t mean Denver can’t handle the challenge or that Bo Nix can’t match up with them, but it would make the road a lot steeper.
Another concern is whether the Broncos can duplicate the kind of close-game magic they rode in 2025. There’s every chance they win fewer one-score games this time around, and that kind of swing can change everything in a hurry.
The 2024 Chiefs are a useful comparison, a team that piled up one-score wins before sliding back toward the pack in 2025. Patrick Mahomes was 6-8 as a starter last year.
Denver’s roster is loaded enough to keep winning, but the margins in the NFL are brutal. A few bounces going the other way could be enough to cost the Broncos the AFC West.
Then there’s the unknown of Davis Webb taking over as the play-caller. The optimism is already there, but this is still his first year in the role, and that always brings some risk.
The Broncos want a faster operation, fewer personnel shifts, and more up-tempo football. That sounds clean on paper.
It’s a different deal once the bullets start flying. Webb has been around the Sean Payton era from the start, and he’s been in the QB room with Nix since the quarterback’s rookie season, so there should be comfort and familiarity on both sides.
Even so, first-time play-callers can get tested by defenses looking for any opening they can find.
The Broncos have plenty going for them. The roster is strong, the cap situation is healthier, and the ceiling is high. But if Denver is going to make the leap from contender to champion, it will have to clear those three obstacles on the way.
In Other News...
Broncos Have Several Roster Fights That May Be Decided This Week
The Broncos are moving into a stretch where preseason snaps carry a little more weight than usual, with their second exhibition game against the Packers coming at the same time the roster cutdown deadline starts to loom. Several spots still look unsettled, and the next few practices and game reps should go a long way toward sorting out who sticks on the 53-man roster and who gets pushed into the practice squad conversation.
At quarterback, Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger are still vying for position, while the back end of the roster remains open at running back, tight end, linebacker and safety. Denver also has to factor in the recent addition of Taylor Rapp at safety and a linebacker group dealing with an injury, which only adds to the pressure on players trying to make their case in these final preseason games. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Still Have One Unsettling Question About Jahdae Barron
Jahdae Barron has already given the Broncos a glimpse of why he was their top pick in 2025, but the early path to a defined role has not been simple. With Riley Moss and JaQuan McMillian also in the mix, Barron is battling for snaps in a secondary that suddenly has more answers than openings, and that has made his fit one of the more interesting issues hanging over Denvers defense.
Vance Joseph has talked about Barron in terms of versatility, with the rookie working at multiple spots in the back end rather than locking into one lane. Sean Payton has also pushed back on any notion of shifting him to safety, which keeps the focus on how the Broncos sort out their corners now and later, especially with future contract decisions looming for Moss and McMillian. Chris Harris Jr. has weighed in on Barrons development, but the bigger question remains whether Denver can turn all that flexibility into a clear starting job soon. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Nix Set A Massive Bar For Denver's Offense
Bo Nix is heading into his third year with the Broncos after a 14-3 regular season and an AFC Championship appearance, and the expectations around Denver are as high as they have been in a long time. Even so, the offense has not always looked like it belonged alongside the teams win total, which is why the Broncos went out and traded draft picks for receiver Jaylen Waddle and promoted Davis Webb to offensive coordinator.
The questions around Denvers attack have only gotten louder as the season approaches, especially after FS1s First Things First took a hard look at how much the Broncos still need to prove offensively. Rachel Nichols was skeptical about Denvers ability to stack up with a Cowboys team that put up big offensive numbers last season before turning its attention to shoring up the other side of the ball, and that kind of doubt is exactly what Nix and the Broncos are trying to erase. [Read more 🡒]