Last season, the Broncos reached the AFC Championship Game behind a stifling defense and an offense that, while opportunistic behind QB Bo Nix, lacked big-play potential.
So far this offseason, the Broncos have made just a few moves, registering one main acquisition (a trade for WR Jaylen Waddle) and re-signing several players. Head coach Sean Payton is aware this seemingly quiet approach might rankle fans, but he also believes it’s what is best for his team right now.
“We tune out the angst,” Payton said at the Annual League Meeting earlier this week, adding that “you cannot chase what others outside of the building feel like you should be doing.”
Payton knows some might think that now — with Nix still on an affordable rookie contract — is the time to spend aggressively. And he acknowledged that key signings in his first year on the job in Denver (2023) helped “change the flight pattern in which we were traveling.” But he also cautioned against getting swept up in the rush to sign free agents, which can lead to deals that don’t always age well.
“Frenzy is what you don’t want,” Payton said. “Frenzy implies that it has to happen, chaos … It’s all marketing.”
Instead, the team focused on re-signing players like running back J.K. Dobbins and linebackers Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad, plus others. Although those names might not register on the national scene, they should help maintain the chemistry and continuity within the locker room and on the field.
The Broncos have a contending roster headlined by homegrown talents like Nix, Nik Bonitto, Patrick Surtain II and Jonathon Cooper, but they did still need a playmaker to push themselves over the top. Enter Waddle, a 2021 first-round pick by the Dolphins. He is a dynamic perimeter player with the speed to take the top off coverage and the explosiveness to turn short passes into big gains.
Denver had to surrender valuable draft currency (the 30th overall pick this year, plus a third- and fourth-rounder) in exchange for Waddle and a 2026 fourth-round pick. But the team clearly preferred an established veteran over an unknown rookie. With three 1,000-yard seasons and 26 career touchdowns under his belt, Waddle is exactly the kind of player who can take the Broncos’ offense to the next level.
“We could safely say that pick (No. 30 overall) would’ve been one of these seven or eight players,” Payton said. “We didn’t feel like that would help us as much as Jaylen Waddle.”
With offensive and defensive holdovers sticking around to ensure the Broncos pick up where they left off in 2025, they could make a run at repeating as the AFC’s No. 1 seed this season.