The Denver Broncos can point to plenty of solid offensive numbers from 2025, but the kind of leap they need in 2026 is a different animal entirely.
Last season, Denver finished 14th in total points scored even while its defense forced only 26th in takeaways. The offense also landed 11th in passing yards, 16th in rushing yards, 11th in third-down efficiency and 13th in red zone efficiency.
Respectable? Sure.
Good enough to sound like a Super Bowl offense? Not quite.
That’s why Ted Nguyen of The Athletic standing the Broncos up among his top five offenses most likely to break out in 2026 matters. It’s one of the first real national nods this offseason that lines up with the belief already circulating in Broncos Country: this group has “all of the ingredients for a top 10 offense” this season.
At the center of it all is Bo Nix, the quarterback who carries both the promise and the pressure of making this thing go. He’s been part of the reason the offense hasn’t consistently hit its ceiling, but he’s also the player most capable of pushing it there.
Nix has the late-game flair, the playmaking, the big-play mindset and the leadership traits that make him look like a franchise quarterback. He’s confident, athletic, poised and talented.
The sticking point has been consistency, especially when it comes to accuracy.
Nguyen’s read on Nix was straightforward: he has shown he can play at a “high-level,” but he needs to do it more often.
If that happens, Denver’s offense could become a nightmare to deal with.
There’s already evidence of what this group can do when it’s rolling. Before JK Dobbins’s injury last season, the Broncos had the 5th-leading rusher in the league and ranked 10th in explosive runs, defined as runs of 10-plus yards. Nix also tied Caleb Williams for the most touchdown passes of 20-plus yards last season with 13, which says plenty about the offense’s downfield punch.
Even Nix has acknowledged the team has been missing explosiveness over the last two years, and that gap has been addressed with the arrival of Jaylen Waddle. He brings something Denver didn’t have, and unlike a player the Broncos could have selected with the 30th pick in this year’s draft, Waddle comes with proven production, top-end speed and experience at the highest level.
Still, the whole thing circles back to Nix. He has to deliver the ball on time and on target, and he has to do it consistently. The short and intermediate throws have to become dependable so the explosive shots mean even more when they show up.
Nix already has 11 total game-winning drives in his career, though some of those situations could have been avoided. And while some analysts focus only on the flaws, that’s not the right way to judge him heading into his third season.
That’s what makes Nguyen’s prediction such a meaningful one. It’s coming from outside the Broncos bubble, and it reinforces that the best version of this offense is real, visible and hard to dismiss.
In Other News...
Broncos Super Bowl Push Could Hinge On One Risky New Addition
As training camp nears, the Broncos are carrying the kind of expectations that come with a team that thinks it can push into the Super Bowl conversation. Bo Nix is at the center of that pressure after Denver loaded him up with more offensive help, while J.K. Dobbins and Riley Moss are also entering seasons where their roles could say plenty about how high this roster can climb. If the quarterback takes the next step, the offense should look the part. If he doesnt, the questions about whether he is the long-term answer will only get louder.
Dobbins brings a different kind of uncertainty, since his availability has already been a concern and Denver has built in some protection with Jonah Coleman waiting as a possible fallback. Moss, meanwhile, is set to keep living on an island opposite Patrick Surtain II, which means every week can turn into a stress test. For a team trying to turn promise into a real January run, the margin for error is thin, and the Broncos know these are the kinds of players who can swing the season in either direction. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Backfield Overhaul Just Put One Familiar Role In Jeopardy
The Broncos spent last season trying to find a running game that could hold up week to week, and this offseason has brought a clear effort to reshape the backfield around a different identity. New running back Jonah Coleman called it a three-headed monster, a phrase that fits a group being asked to do more than just fill carries. Under new offensive coordinator Davis Webb, Denver is expected to lean into a more committed outside-zone approach, which would ask the backs to be more versatile and more decisive than the unit was a year ago.
That shift has put a familiar set of names under the microscope, especially Jaleel McLaughlin and Jaleel Badie, who are both trying to carve out space in a crowded room. McLaughlin has focused on getting stronger in the weight room so he can handle more between-the-tackles work, while Badie continues to offer value in pass protection, a trait coaches tend to trust when roster decisions get tight. With training camp approaching, the Broncos backfield looks less like a settled depth chart and more like a competition that could reshape how they want to run the ball. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Camp Could Force One More All-In Move
As the Broncos move toward 2026 training camp, the roster has been reshaped in a few important spots, but one area still stands out as a potential problem: inside linebacker. Denver has been active elsewhere this offseason, yet it has not made a major investment there, leaving a clear question about whether the current group is enough for a team trying to keep climbing.
That is why the speculation around a possible all-in trade has picked up steam, especially with Miami in the conversation after the two teams already did business earlier this offseason in the Jaylen Waddle deal. If Denver decides it needs a bigger swing before camp, it would not be hard to see why it would look toward a proven linebacker solution rather than hope the position sorts itself out on its own. [Read more 🡒]