Broncos Legend Predicts Big Payoff from Offseason Upgrades

Now that the dust has settled on the Denver Broncos' 2025 draft, opinions will remain divided until further notice. Going with Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron with the 20th overall selection was an unexpected curveball by the Broncos' front office.

However, dig just a little deeper into the narrative, and the approach taken by Denver points to taking down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. It would seem the Broncos believe they're entering a championship window. 

The championship window may be swinging open, so much so that Broncos legend Ed McCaffrey feels the Chiefs are poised to be dethroned, if the current trajectory continues. 

"They're going to compete right away," McCaffrey told Forbes reporter DJ Siddiqi. "They played the Chiefs well. They played them tough the last couple of years, even during the regular season. With a great defense, the offense can pick up a little bit and move the ball against a good Kansas City defense. They're going to be in those games. They match up well against them." 

Free agency seemingly laid out a more straightforward path to filling the remaining roster needs, so Denver waiting until pick No. 60 to select running back RJ Harvey puzzled many, McCaffrey included. 

"I did think they're going to take a playmaker in the first round," McCaffrey told Siddiqi. "I thought they'd add a receiver, running back. They went with the DB in the draft, you got to take the best player available if that's what they had on their board. They picked up a running back later, so we'll see how they use them." 

Harvey is the pick that perhaps holds the biggest key in creating more offensive production moving forward. Reassuringly, the former UCF star's 4.4 speed does much to suggest he can become a home-run hitter within Sean Payton's scheme. 

McCaffrey is of the opinion that the offense only needs a little boost here and there anyway; the stellar defense, with all its new additions, will keep the Broncos in every game.

"Offensively, if they can pick it up a little bit, score another three points a game with that defense they have, they're going to be contenders," McCaffrey told Siddiqi. "They're going to be contenders. I like the direction." 

Of course, when McCaffrey rocked the No. 87 jersey for the Broncos, he had the twin pillars of quarterback John Elway and head coach Mike Shanahan to rely upon. Examples of championship teams emerging without the critical head coach and quarterback building blocks being firmly in place are rare. 

McCaffrey feels that the fail-safe in Denver these days is Payton and second-year quarterback Bo Nix. The business-first approach being taken also appeals greatly to the former back-to-back Super Bowl champion wideout. 

"Sean Payton, he's all business," McCaffrey told Siddiqi. "The guy's a serious guy, he's a serious coach. He loves the game and he wants to win, and he's very honest about his intentions. They really hit it out of the park with Bo Nix last year. They got the quarterback of the future and the defense was phenomenal." 

Nix taking his level of play to the next level is a tantalizing prospect. On that front, the additions of a bonafide pass-catching tight end in Evan Engram and an explosive running back in Harvey can only help Nix make even more improvements during his crucial sophomore campaign. 

Ultimately, McCaffrey stopped just short of rolling out the rather well-used "defense wins championships" platitude, but he wasn't far off from doing so.