The Broncos are 2-1, but that record still leaves plenty to sort out as they head into a road game against the 3-0 San Francisco 49ers in Week 4. Denver has already beaten two teams that won 12 games last year, and the late-game resolve has been real. The first halves, though, have kept people guessing.
That’s where the stock report comes in. Some Broncos are trending up fast.
Others are losing ground. And a few are sitting right on the edge of something bigger.
Courtland Sutton remains the offense’s steady hand. After two quiet games in which he mostly functioned as a decoy, he led the Broncos with 46 receiving yards against the Los Angeles Rams.
Denver’s passing game has been low-volume at times, but Sutton is still Bo Nix’s security blanket, and defenses know it. If the other receivers keep making teams pay for crowding him, that should open things up for the Pro Bowler.
Nix deserves credit, too, for not forcing throws and taking what the defense gives him.
One of the more encouraging developments was Bo Nix’s growing trust in Troy Franklin. Franklin came through with a touchdown, a 39-yard catch-and-run, a two-point conversion catch, and a drawn pass-interference penalty that wiped out what would have been a game-losing interception. He only had two receptions, but his impact went well beyond the box score.
J.K. Dobbins also made his presence felt in multiple ways.
Against the Rams, he had two plays that mattered: one as a receiver and one as a runner. His catch on a must-have two-point conversion stood out as one of the best routes and receptions from a Broncos receiver that I’ve ever seen.
He also picked up a 14-yard jet sweep. After his huge Week 2 performance, though, he finished Week 3 with just two catches for 10 yards.
A bigger day could be coming.
At tight end, Evan Engram is starting to climb even without the catches showing it yet. For the first time this season, he led all Broncos tight ends with 40 snaps, which was 13 more than Adam Trautman.
Nix missed him on two targets, but the more important sign is that the coaches are trusting Engram as a blocker and keeping him on the field. If that continues, the production should follow.
It also says something about how seriously Engram has taken his new blocking role.
Riley Moss is still a mixed bag. Pro Football Focus credited him with allowing four of six targets to be completed for 83 yards and a touchdown, and he also drew a penalty that hurt the defense.
He has flashed with an interception already this season, but the inconsistency and the flags keep showing up. That’s been the story more often than not so far.
On the other side of the ball, Jonah Elliss is making the kind of jump Denver hoped for. He’s taken over the John Franklin-Myers role, and as D.J.
Jones predicted this summer, he’s run with it. Against the Rams, Elliss generated six pressures on Matthew Stafford, added a batted pass at the line of scrimmage, and finished with two solo tackles.
Denver’s starting trio up front with Jones and Zach Allen has been effective, even if the group can get pushed around at times against the run because of its lack of mass.
Then there’s Talanoa Hufanga, who had a historic afternoon. He became the first player in Broncos history to record two interceptions, including a pick-six, along with five tackles and a sack.
That earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. He was everywhere, and if this ball-hawking version sticks, he can enter the Defensive Player of the Year conversation quickly.
Nik Bonitto finally got on the board in the sack column, and the rest of the numbers backed up how disruptive he was. He had five pressures, two hits on Stafford, two tackles, and one solo stop.
He’s been a force in all three games, including a strip-sack in Week 2 that was erased by a penalty. Now that the first sack is in the books, the expectation is that the production could start coming in bunches.
There were also some clear warning signs. Eyioma Uwazurike is back on the fallers list for the second straight week after failing to build on last season.
He kept getting knocked off the line by blockers, and while his snap share is still high, he hasn’t come close to matching Roach’s impact. If that doesn’t change, those snaps could start drifting to Jordan Jackson, Sai’vion Jones, or even Tyler Onyedim.
To his credit, Uwazurike did finish a coverage sack on Stafford because of his motor and persistence.
Jackson’s name is worth watching, too. After dressing in the first two games, he was a healthy scratch against the Rams, while Denver instead dressed Jackson, who played more snaps in one game this season than Jones had in the first two combined.
That doesn’t automatically mean the role is changing, but it’s something to monitor. Onyedim is still waiting for his turn.
Justin Strnad’s day was busy in the box score - eight tackles - but not especially clean in coverage. The Rams targeted him seven times, and he allowed six completions for 70 yards and two first downs.
Los Angeles kept trying to isolate him on Tyler Higbee, and it worked. Strnad brings experience, leadership, and a high football IQ, but the Broncos could use a younger injection at linebacker beyond the late-round and undrafted options already in the mix.
Finally, there was a big jump for Ja’Quan McMillian’s role, and the team should feel good about that development. He went from four snaps and two snaps in the first two weeks to 24 against the Rams.
He didn’t have a splash play and allowed all three of his targets to be caught, but those completions totaled just 22 yards. He was asked to cover tight ends, including Tyler Higbee, and also made a play to blow up a Kyren Williams catch for a two-yard loss.
For a 2025 first-round pick, that kind of usage matters. Vance Joseph really does have a “Barron” package.
In Other News...
Broncos Just Got A Reminder Of Where They Stand With CBS
The broadcast assignments for this week offered a small but telling reminder of how CBS is viewing the AFC West picture. Rather than placing its top crew on Broncos-49ers, the network sent Jim Nantz and J.J. Watt to Raiders-Chiefs, leaving Denvers matchup to a different booth in the same time slot. For Broncos fans, it was the kind of selection that tends to sting a little, especially when the alternative is a game that could carry more weight on the field.
The reaction followed quickly, with plenty of fans arguing that star power and familiar storylines won out over the more compelling football. It also served as another confirmation that Tony Romo remains away from CBS broadcasts, even as the network leans on its other marquee voices for the biggest windows. For Denver, the message was hard to miss: the Broncos still have to earn their place in the spotlight before CBS treats them like a featured game. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Took An Unusual Risk In Denvers Comeback Win
Sean Payton did something out of character in Denvers comeback win over the Rams, and it helped swing the game. The Broncos pulled out a 30-26 victory with a pair of successful two-point conversions in the third quarter, a stretch of aggression from a coach who usually leans conservative in that part of the game. The calls were not just bold in the abstract, either, with one built around a pass from Bo Nix to Jaylen Waddle and another coming off a trick look involving Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant.
For Payton, the moves stood out because they ran against his usual preference to avoid going for two that early. It was the kind of in-game shift that can define a close win, especially when a team is trying to claw back against a quality opponent. The Broncos got the result they needed, but the more interesting part may be what it says about how far Payton is willing to push the envelope when the moment calls for it. [Read more 🡒]
J.K. Dobbins Is Raising A Bigger Broncos Concern Than Fans Expected
J.K. Dobbins arrived in Denver with the expectation that he could give the Broncos a steadier presence in the backfield, but the early returns have been more complicated than anyone wanted. His rushing average has slipped to 3.5 yards per carry to start the 2026 season, a steep drop from a career mark above 5.0, and the numbers around him are just as thin: four first downs, no touchdowns and one fumble.
The bigger issue is what the film appears to show. Analyst Cecil Lammey pointed to Dobbins hesitation and reduced explosiveness, suggesting injuries may be part of the problem even with solid run blocking in front of him. He also left a game early with a possible hamstring injury, and for a Broncos offense that expected more stability there, the concern now is whether this is a temporary dip or something that could linger. [Read more 🡒]