The Denver Broncos are mercifully moving toward real football. They will play their preseason finale Saturday against the New Orleans Saints, cut down to a 53-man roster Tuesday and begin moving toward preparations for their Sept. 7 opener against the Tennessee Titans.
That makes it a great time to dive into your questions about the team:
How many wins do you predict for the Broncos this season? — Dave F.
I predicted an 11-6 finish in the regular season when the Broncos’ schedule was released in mid-May. I’m sticking to that as the season approaches. The defense is probably even deeper and more talented than I thought. It’s clear the Broncos will be better running the football. There is nothing that has made me believe Bo Nix is barreling toward some major Year 2 slump, despite the hysteria surrounding one lackluster preseason appearance. Sean Payton has firmly cemented his culture heading into his third season as Denver’s head coach.
Yes, the schedule is tougher, but so are the Broncos, who should be much better in one-score games. I don’t see this team losing seven times in 2025.
Bo Nix
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Do you think Payton will keep three QBs again this season? It made sense to keep three last season, given that Bo Nix was a rookie and Zach Wilson had some upside. But Nix is the guy now, and nothing against Sam Ehlinger, but he’s not the same level of prospect. In particular, I would be disappointed if they kept Ehlinger at the expense of releasing a fourth RB or a sixth WR, given we have that many good players at those positions and we are likely to need all of them over the course of a long season. — John H.
My prediction is that the Broncos will only keep Nix and Jarrett Stidham on the initial 53-man roster. Ideally, the Broncos would like to have Ehlinger in the building. They’ve really been impressed with his progression since joining the team through free agency in late March, and there is certainly an off-field chemistry between the three quarterbacks similar to what the group had with Wilson last year. They could sweeten the offer of a practice squad spot by telling Ehlinger he’d be promoted to the active roster for the maximum of three games during the season, just as they did with Ben DiNucci in 2023. The Broncos must be prepared to lose Ehlinger if they cut him, but it’s a risk they probably need to take given the amount of talent they are trying to fit into this roster puzzle elsewhere.
Sam Ehlinger put it in the perfect spot 🎯
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— NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2025
I’ve been seeing and hearing that the depth of this roster is a step up compared to last year. Are you seeing this as well, or is it mostly training camp noise? Also, do you have a sense of which position battles will receive the most attention in the last preseason game? I’m thinking running back and defensive back, but would love your take. — Kenny D.
The improved depth is real. No doubt about it. Think of it this way: P.J. Locke, Justin Strnad and Ja’Quan McMillian were starters for last year’s playoff team. All three could be coming off the bench in Week 1 this season. Audric Estimé led the Broncos in rushing on two different occasions last season, and now may not even make the roster because of the additions the Broncos have made at running back. Devaughn Vele was the team’s third-leading receiver last season, but Denver was able to trade him for two draft picks Wednesday because the additions of Pat Bryant and Trent Sherfield, and the playmaking emergence of Troy Franklin, quickly created a crowded picture at wide receiver. Those are just a few examples. The Broncos are certainly a deeper team than they were last season.
As for Saturday’s preseason finale, the big battle I’m watching comes on the defensive line. We know Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, John Franklin-Myers, Malcolm Roach and rookie Sai’vion Jones will be on the roster. Denver will probably have room for one more player at the position. Will it be Jordan Jackson or Eyioma Uwazurike? The game against the Saints could be the deciding factor.
Is Jahdae Barron going to start at cornerback or end up playing several defensive positions this year? — Russell S.
Good question. Payton reiterated this week that the team views Barron, its first-round pick out of Texas, as a nickel with “outside flex.” I think we’ll see Barron and McMillian split reps at nickel to start the season, with both players potentially getting work in the dime role when Denver is in its six-DB packages — personnel they could use more often this season to get both of those sure-tackling players on the field. The interesting question for me is who will be first up on the outside in the event Pat Surtain II or Riley Moss have to miss any time: Barron or Kris Abrams-Draine.
The short answer is we’ll have to wait and see how the Broncos use Barron’s versatile skill set, but it’s safe to say he will see the field a lot and will be moved around the defensive formation frequently, regardless of his position.
Everyone says the Vele trade was possible because of the strong showing of Pat Bryant, but how much did the emergence of Trent Sherfield impact the situation? Seems to me he’s a great depth piece. — Darren S.
Sherfield looks so far to be a solid addition and could give the Broncos more receiving pop than initially thought. He has always been penciled into the WR5/core special teams role. Bryant, looking like a player ready to substantially contribute on Day 1, made it possible for the Broncos to jump on a two-draft-pick offer from the Saints for Vele (2026 fourth; 2027 seventh) that was simply too good to pass up. As a third-round pick, Bryant was always going to make the roster, but if it appeared during camp that he needed more time before he could make an impact, I don’t think the Broncos would have had the luxury of trading Vele.
Other than Evan Engram, how do you see the tight end room shaking out? Does a TE get bounced when Nate Adkins returns? Any chance of doing your projected 53-man roster prior to cut-down day? — James L.
I’ll have a roster projection published right after Denver’s final preseason game Saturday. I’m confident it will include Engram, Adam Trautman and Lucas Krull, who has come on strong the past couple of weeks after a somewhat slow start to camp. The main question then becomes whether the Broncos keep their seventh-round draft pick at the position, Caleb Lohner. The Broncos knew it would take time to develop a player who only played one season of college football and had a limited role during that one campaign at Utah, but Payton didn’t sound too pleased with Lohner’s two penalties in last week’s preseason game against the Cardinals.
“I would say a little bit,” Payton said when asked if Lohner’s relative inexperience contributed to his miscues, “but we have to get going. We have to get going, but I would say a little bit, just overall, his football knowledge (contributed).”
It does look like Adkins will begin the season on injured reserve after having minor ankle surgery earlier this month, and Payton said he is eager to get the third-year player back. If there is one position where the Broncos might claim a player off waivers following Tuesday’s cuts across the league, tight end would probably be it.
Who’s the one Broncos player you are making sure to draft in fantasy football this season and why? — Josh W.
I don’t have many fantasy football championship trophies lying around, so I’d probably suggest throwing this question to members of our awesome fantasy team at The Athletic, who are always happy to answer them. But one player I’d be excited to pick up later in a draft would be Troy Franklin. He has been consistently improving throughout camp and will have a much bigger role in Year 2 in this offense. So, as a late-round flyer you stash for bye weeks or insert into a flex spot, I’ll bet he ends up paying dividends.
Two quarters. Two Troy Franklin TDs 😤
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— NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2025
What’s the latest on the potential new stadium and stadium location? Is there actually a chance the team could become the Lone Tree Broncos? — Grant M.
The Broncos have said publicly that they are still exploring all options for a future stadium project.
“It’s a very comprehensive, long-term process that we’re going through,” team president Damani Leech said early in training camp. “We’re trying to be very deliberate about it. (There’s) still no determination about whether it’s a new stadium or whether it’s a renovation or the location that it’s in — a lot of work to go there. … This is a 30-, 40-, 50-year decision that we don’t want to rush by a matter of weeks here or there.”
We know that Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Governor Jared Polis have said they would like to see the Broncos remain in Denver. Reporting from multiple outlets has tied recent purchases of millions of dollars in land near the Burnham Yard site outside downtown to the Broncos’ ownership group. Leech said he has had “very good conversations” with Johnston and Polis and added that both of those government leaders “have been sincere in wanting to do what’s right for the Broncos.”
But Leech also said on Saturday’s pregame broadcast on 9News that the team has continued dialogue with the representatives of the city of Lone Tree and Douglas County commissioners, saying those entities have been “tremendous partners in helping us explore opportunities.”
The Broncos aren’t in a rush to make a decision, but it’s also true that building out a stadium construction project can take around 48 months. So if the Broncos want to be in a new home by the start of the next decade, they’ll figure to make a final decision sooner rather than later.
What is the read on rookie punter Jeremy Crawshaw? The game against the Cardinals sounded better than the first at San Francisco, but if the third game is anything like the first, where do we go to find a new punter in 14 days if Payton loses confidence in our draftee? — Rick R.
Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi was asked directly on Wednesday about his confidence level in Crawshaw entering the final week of the preseason. He said Crawshaw “is in a good spot” and provided a reminder that the rookie has only had five game reps. One of those was a 61-yard boot against the Cardinals that had nearly five seconds of hang time.
“It’s just kind of getting into rhythm, getting in a groove, fixing the things we have to fix,” Rizzi said. “Again, I’m happy where he’s at. Hopefully, he’ll get a couple more opportunities, not too many this week, and we can just keep going with the progression.”
My read is that the Broncos are comfortable heading into the season with Crawshaw as their punter. They haven’t brought in any tryout competition since taking the Australian in the sixth round of April’s draft. They are willing to withstand a few growing pains. He won’t have much leeway once the season begins, though. The goals the Broncos are chasing are too grand to be overly patient if Crawshaw isn’t getting the job done.
(Photo of Jahdae Barron: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)