A Finalized Look at the Broncos' 2026 Preseason Schedule

Dec 25, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton during the third quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

A Finalized Look at the Broncos' 2026 Preseason Schedule

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Zack Kelberman | Last updated May 21, 2026 2:38 PM ET

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The Denver Broncos on Wednesday officially announced the dates and times for their three-game preseason schedule this summer.

Denver will begin its exhibition docket on the road taking on the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, Aug. 14, with kickoff from Mercedes-Benz Stadium set for 5 p.m. MT.

The Broncos will then make their preseason home opener the following Friday, Aug. 21 against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. MT.

The club will remain home to wrap up its docket, hosting the Minnesota Vikings on Friday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. MT.

This preseason release comes on the heels of Denver unveiling its full 17-game regular season schedule, which begins with a Monday Night Football clash at Kansas City and concludes with a yet-to-be-finalized home date against the Los Angeles Chargers.

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What to Watch For

While August remains a ways away, a few things can already be determined regarding the expectations for the Broncos' preseason — which, as always, is more of an evaluation period for fringe players than it is a worthwhile measuring stick for the roster locks.

We know starting quarterback Bo Nix, purportedly ahead of schedule in his recovery from ankle surgery, is unlikely to see much, if any, snaps against the aforementioned opponents. Nix should participate in training camp, but whether he's under center for ultimately meaningless action is less certain.

We also know that Denver's rookie class (draft picks and undrafted signings) will be in action, fighting for their respective 53-man roster lives ahead of Aug. 25 cutdown day. Leading the group will be third-rounder Tyler Onyedim, competing to start at defensive end, and fourth-round running back Jonah Coleman, who could be the future successor to returning starter J.K. Dobbins.

Onyedim remains the lone unsigned selection, after the remainder of the class finished putting pen to paper in recent days.

“I think we both feel really good about the last couple days and the team in general," general manager George Paton told reporters following the draft. "I talked about it last night. We had seven total picks and yet, we also got [WR Jaylen] Waddle. So feel good about the team, feel good about the weekend. I think we helped our depth; we helped our team in a lot of areas. We wanted to get younger in both lines. I feel like we did that. Wanted to get some offensive help as well, more explosion. I think we helped ourselves at running back and tight end and just depth across the board. So I think we got younger; I think we got better over the weekend. You factor in our first-round pick is a really good player so feel good about that as a whole. I think we got great make up. You go down the list [and] there are captains on this list, and I could go through each of these players. We just added to a really good locker room.”