The Broncos were a field goal, a fumble and a snowstorm away from playing for a Super Bowl title last season, so they shouldn’t need a lot to remain near the top of the AFC, right?

Standing still in the NFL usually means you’re falling behind so as much as Denver believes it can just run it back with the same team as last season, upgrading a few positions is necessary this offseason.

I think there are three areas Denver General Manager George Paton and coach Sean Payton need to prioritize starting Monday: wide receiver, tight end and inside linebacker.

Let’s start with defense.

Alex Singleton has been a tacking machine during his time with the Broncos, but his lack of athleticism in covering tight ends and running backs was obvious. Dre Greenlaw has the ability to cover tight ends and backs and is a solid tackler, but he needs to stay on the field.

There are plenty of good players available at inside linebacker in free agency and Denver should use the cap space they have, now that Russell Wilson’s contract is off the books, to sign a difference-making inside linebacker. The player at the top of their list should be Devin Lloyd.

Lloyd was an All-Pro last season with Jacksonville, with 81 tackles, 1.5 sacks and five interceptions. His athleticism and ability would give defensive coordinator Vance Joseph a true playmaker in the middle of the field.

The tight end market in free agency doesn’t feature big names, but there are a couple of players that Denver could snag to improve their middle of the field pass-catching. Tampa Bay’s Cade Otton is a true inline tight end, one who can line up as a run blocker and also be used as a pass catcher from that spot — keeping defenses from knowing if a run or pass is the pay call based on the personnel on the field. The other player to target is Isaiah Likely. Either Otton or Likely would give Denver a tight end that could stretch defenses in the middle of the field and also provide a good run-blocker.

If the Broncos want to upgrade at wide receiver, they will likely have to resort to a trade as the free agent market after former Colt Alex Pierce features aging veterans or vets coming off injury.

My proposal? Use some of the depth you have — at cornerback, offensive line and pass rusher — to swing a deal for a wide receiver. I’d give Arizona a call and see if they would trade Marvin Harrison Jr., who has been a minor disappointment in the desert, for Denver’s first-round pick and either Riley Moss or Jonah Elliss. Maybe the Jets would part with Garrett Wilson for the same package. Or take a big swing and see if Minnesota would trade Justin Jefferson for a few picks, Moss, Elliss and guard Ben Powers.

If trading for a receiver doesn’t pan out, signing Jahan Dotson or Romeo Doubs would give Denver another good young pass-catcher to round out the wide receiver room.

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Adam Busack

In my preseason column last August, I expressed my concern that the Broncos’ front office did not do enough to address their most glaring weakness going in to the year — running back. I was skeptical that the tandem of oft-injured J.K. Dobbins and inexperienced rookie R.J. Harvey would combine for enough firepower (and, just as importantly, availability) to break into the upper echelon of run attacks.

Dobbins went down with a Lisfranc injury during the Broncos’ week 10 win over Las Vegas and subsequently missed the remainder of the season, and in his absence, Harvey hardly seized the reins as the team’s lead back.

The rookie rusher finished the season a pedestrian 40th in ground yards league wide last season, and eighth amongst only rookies. (Dobbins, by the way, finished 25th in the league in rushing yards despite playing only 10 games.) On a rate basis, Harvey was even worse than that, ranking 10th among rookie running backs after averaging just 31.8 yards per game on the ground. Remember, Harvey was the fifth running back taken in last year’s class, and unlike several rushers more productive than him, the former Central Florida star spent half the season as the team’s primary back.

Two different seventh-round picks in Chicago’s Kyle Monsngai and Washington’s Jacory Croskey-Merritt both outperformed Harvey by over 200 rushing yards last season — they were the 22nd and 25th running backs selected in the 2025 draft, respectively. Harvey also produced less yards per game than fourth-round picks Woody Marks and Cam Skattebo, as well as sixth-rounder Jawhar Jordan.

In total, Broncos backs combined for 2,018 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns (356 yards and five scores via quarterback Bo Nix), good for just 18th-best and 11th-best in the league. Frankly, that was not good enough, and it won’t be next season, either.

With Dobbins an unrestricted free agent and reserve back Jaleel McLaughlin not tendered a contract, the Broncos will carry only four running backs on their roster into the offseason in Harvey and depth pieces Tyler Badie, and two practice squad players — Cody Schrader and Deuce Vaughn, neither of whom appeared for the Broncos last season.

As a proud graduate of the University of Missouri, I would be ecstatic to see both Badie and Schrader, each of whom I have fond memories of cheering on from the student section, break camp with the Broncos 53-man roster next season. Even Vaughn, a plucky 5-foot-6 Kansas State graduate who possesses every ounce of talent but not quite the size to become an NFL mainstay, is an easy character to root for, and certainly I have no qualms with the team holding on to any of the three this offseason. But realistically, a second-year player, two former sixth-round draft picks and an undrafted free agent, none of whom have truly found their footing in the professional ranks, don’t exactly make for the foundation of a run game with its sights set on a Lombardi trophy.

Instead, the Broncos will likely have to turn to the free agency market to snag a top-flight rusher capable of shouldering the bulk of the workload ahead of Harvey and the crew.

According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Broncos are angling themselves to take a big swing at running back in the free agent market. It has been widely reported that the team was initially interested in Jets star rusher Breece Hall, even preparing an offer hefty enough that it inspired the Jets to place Hall under the franchise tag, denying him free agency.

Outside of Hall, though, a few enticing free agent options await the Broncos. Newly-crowned Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker tops the class of available free agents, but Walker struggles in many of the same aspects of the game as Harvey, most notably including pass blocking. The Michigan State product split time with teammate Zach Charbonnet in the Seattle backfield for the past several seasons because Walker was a liability in the passing game — something Harvey was at times as well. Behind him, former Jaguar Travis Etienne and former Panther Rico Dowdle would both be plug-and-play starting candidates, and Denver will have plenty of other options in the form of former backups looking for larger roles in players like former Falcon Tyler Allgeier and former Cardinal Michael Carter. J.K. Dobbins is still unsigned, too.

Then, of course, there’s the case of returning to the draft. Notre Damer standout Jeremiyah Love will likely be long gone by the time Denver’s first-round pick comes around, but Love’s Fighting Irish teammate, Jadarian Price, may very well be in play for the Broncos as the second running back off the draft board. Another intriguing name is Penn State’s Kaytron Allen, a potential late-day-two pick who compliments Harvey well, at least on paper.

In any case, the Broncos are going to have many avenues available to bolster their weakest link this offseason, the running back room. I hope they choose to pursue at least one of those avenues, or I may be writing this same column again next March.Dan West

A lot of the offseason discourse around the Broncos after an exciting, successful, but far from perfect 2025 season is the need for another playmaker or two. It’s not hard to see why.

Despite tying for the league-best record at 14-3, defeating the Bills in the playoffs and coming one Bo Nix broken ankle away from the Super Bowl, the Broncos were winning by the skin of their teeth.

They were often frustrating to watch for long sections of games. Drives would go nowhere or stall out with inconsistent play. They’d do nothing for three quarters only to suddenly come alive with time running out and pull out a thrilling last minute victory.

That’s just not sustainable.

Their offense was 15th in the league for offensive plays of 20-or-more yards and 16th for passing plays of 20-plus yards. That’s pretty ho-hum for a team that expects to be knocking on the doors of the Sofi Stadium in February next year.

We all know the defense is holding up its end of the bargain. While it will have some holes at linebacker to fill, Vance Joseph’s side will remain solid.

We need someone explosive for Nix to throw to downfield. Luckily he’s already on the roster: Marvin Mims Jr.

There has been talk about the Broncos being in on a free agent receiver or even trading for a big name. I don’t love the options available on the market (especially not Stefon Diggs, please). I also don’t think they need to give up draft capital in a trade.

Instead, the Broncos should do what every team strives to do and develop from within, and Mims is ready to pop.

Mims had an exciting rookie season in 2023, averaging 17.1 yards per reception on 22 catches. His yards per catch dipped in 2024, but were still at 12.9 yards per reception with 503 total yards. Last year his production was way down, to just 8.7 yards per catch.

That is until the playoffs.

In the postseason he caught 12 balls for 155 yards and a touchdown in two games. With a couple of receivers injured, he got an opening and really shined. Make him more of the offensive game plan in 2026. We’ve got other guys who can fill in on kickoff returns.