Breer: Broncos Are the Top Challenger to the Chiefs

The NFL at large is beginning to wake up on the Denver Broncos. Outside of the incongruent opinions of Pro Football Focus, for the most part, NFL media is no longer sleeping on the Broncos.

That means that NFL teams aren't either. As one of the latest examples, The MMQB's Albert Breer says he'd "buy on Denver" becoming the top AFC West threat to the Kansas City Chiefs. Even more so than Jim Harbaugh's Los Angeles Chargers.

"Bo Nix had an offseason that only steeled belief in Denver that he will take another leap in his second year with a young ascending group of wideouts and ancillary pieces Evan Engram and R.J. Harvey Jr. added around him. The defense, in my mind at least, might be the NFL’s best, with a young core of edge rushers (Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper) and corners (Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss and rookie Jahdae Barron) in place and middle-of-the-field-thumpers Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw coming aboard from the San Francisco 49ers," Breer wrote. "So there’s a lot to like, and there’s Sean Payton calling the offense and Vance Joseph calling the defense for a third year."

Nix was the buzz of the Broncos' offseason training program. He's thinking less, acting faster, leading harder, and looking poised for a big Year 2 leap.

The Broncos added multiple weapons around Nix this offseason. Breer mentioned Engram and Harvey, but don't forget about rookie wideout Pat Bryant and new running back J.K. Dobbins. Throw in the fact that Denver is returning all five of its starting offensive linemen, and Nix is going to be loaded for bear on this hunt.

Breer wisely points to many of the key names on the Broncos defense, but there's one conspicuous omission: All-Pro defensive lineman Zach Allen. Both he and John Franklin-Myers return to wreak havoc on opposing run games and quarterbacks in 2025.

The Broncos added Greenlaw, which gives them a fiery presence and passing coverage in the middle of the defense, but we can't overlook the return of Alex Singleton. The Broncos' tackling machine has worked back from the ACL tear that cost him 14 games last season. Singleton and Greenlaw will forge a fierce linebacker duo.

Then, as Breer writes, there's the impact from Payton and his coaching staff.

"Beyond just that, I’ve seen the way Payton’s Broncos work and the culture built in Denver. I saw the gassers they ran and the two-and-a-half-hour practice they scheduled, and it’s hard for me to see a group that’s bought in the way this one is to backslide after a breakthrough 10-win season last year," Breer wrote.

Payton's culture has absolutely taken over in Denver. The head coach's impact is being felt in multiple ways, including in the remarkable turnaround the Broncos have had on the health/injury front.

Payton kept the Broncos in Phase 1 of the offseason training program (strength and conditioning) for a whopping five weeks, instead of the accustomed two weeks. Yes, the Broncos spent more than a month working out together and getting their bodies ready for the 2025 season before Payton had the players even touch foot on a field to practice football.

All four of the Broncos' big-name free-agent signings have a serious injury jacket. Payton's confidence in his team's player wellness, strength, and conditioning program assuaged the worst of those injury concerns, and entering Year 3 of his tenure here, there's a track record to reinforce it.

On paper, the Broncos have already taken a leap forward since losing to the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs. If Payton can keep his team healthy once again (only 16 injuries leading to a player missing a game last year, a league-low), the Broncos will be one of the most dangerous teams in the juggernaut AFC.

And let's not forget that since Payton's arrival, the Chiefs haven't been able to bully the Broncos as they did for seven long years. The Broncos have split with the Chiefs in each of Payton's two seasons here, and were one highly improbable blocked field goal away from sweeping their bitter division rival in 2024.

I'd concur with Breer; buy on the 2025 Broncos.