5 Broncos Make NFL.com's 'Best 53-Man Roster Money Can Buy'

For some time now, there has been considerable praise for the work head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton have done in rebuilding the Denver Broncos, from both local and national media. Payton arrived after the 2022 season, and many expected the Broncos to take a few years to rebuild, but things only got worse after the 2023 campaign with the release of Russell Wilson.

However, the Broncos returned to the playoffs in 2024, Payton's second year as head coach. The NFL has certainly taken notice of the bang-up job Payton and Paton have done so quickly, and one example of that respect from national media comes through various offseason lists and rankings.

NFL.com's Tom Blair paid tribute to the Broncos and multiple players by creating what he views as the best 53-man roster "money can buy," while staying under the NFL salary cap. Although the Broncos only have one starter on Blair's roster, multiple players made the team. 

Patrick Surtain II | CB

The lone starter should be obvious: Surtain, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. This is an obvious selection, even with Surtain having inked an extension almost a year ago.

Despite his at-the-time record extension, Surtain only counts for a little under $8.4 million on the cap this year, which helps make him an easy choice for an All-53-Man Roster, especially one that stays under the salary cap. 

Bo Nix | QB

Among the Broncos who made it as a backup is Nix, who is a cost-controlled and cost-efficient player still on his rookie contract. Blair has Patrick Mahomes as the starter, which isn’t surprising, and quarterback isn’t a position to penny pinch.

To add to his restraints, Blair had a limit on the number of rookie contracts he could include, with 24 total, and four in each of the first three rounds, followed by 12 in the final four rounds. So, Nix managed to make it as one of the four first-round rookie contracts, adding to the respect given by Blair. It could’ve been easy for Blair to make adjustments elsewhere to include Jayden Daniels over Nix. 

Evan Engram | TE

Engram also made the list behind Brock Bowers and Isaiah Likely, who take up two rookie contract spots, with Bowers being a first-rounder and Likely being one of the final 12. Even though Engram takes up the most cap space of the three tight ends, Blair valued his veteran presence and his ability to shine as a primary target in the passing game. 

It's surprising to see no Broncos offensive or defensive linemen make it, except for the ones you could argue for, who also cost a lot of money. Nine offensive linemen made Blair’s team, with four of them on rookie contracts, and only one made more than $10 million. The five defensive linemen had the most expensive one, Jalen Carter, at $5.9 million on his rookie contract. 

Nik Bonitto | OLB

However, a Broncos edge rusher does make an appearance behind Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, and Gregory Rousseau. That would be Bonitto, who is in the final year of his rookie deal and accounts for a little under $5.7 million against the salary cap. If Blair does this again next year, odds are Bonitto will be left off due to an impending big contract extension that's expected to come from the Broncos soon. 

Talanoa Hufanga | S

Hufanga is the final Bronco to make it, who counts for a little over $3.4 million against the salary cap this year. Blair mentions the injuries over the past two years, but Hufanga proved he is a great starter in 2022, and none of his injuries create long-term concern about his ability, outside of maybe having some rust.

While it doesn’t pertain to Blair’s project, an underrated aspect of Hufanga's contract is that it demonstrates how the Broncos can structure big deals to keep initial cap hits low. That ability makes it clear that they can extend contracts to Bonitto, Zach Allen, Courtland Sutton, and John Franklin-Myers without any issues, if they so wish. 

The Takeaway

In all, five Broncos made Blair’s All-53-Man Roster, with one as a starter. The Broncos were the second-most-represented team behind the Philadelphia Eagles, who had eight players. Even with the salary cap and rookie restraints, it's a good sign that so many Broncos players were selected from the field.