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Broncos Predicted to Challenge Chiefs After Offseason Moves

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Coby Leibowitz | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 3:45 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens have dominated the AFC for the past few years. You will almost always see these teams in the playoffs, the AFC Championship, or the Super Bowl, in the Chiefs' case. These teams are still going to be prominent in the league, but the question is, who is going to challenge them and try to claim a spot at the top?

That is a question that Jeffri Chadiha of NFL.com asked in one of his recent articles. His answer was clear and calculated; he believes that the Denver Broncos pose the biggest threat to the top teams of the AFC this season. He said the biggest difference maker between them and teams like the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Chargers is their outstanding defense.

He mentions that the Broncos' defense was one of the best in the league last year, ranking first in sacks and third in points allowed. He then goes on to explain how Denver has maybe the best defensive line trio in the league of Zach Allen, Jonathan Cooper, and Nick Bonitto, and they had an outstanding cornerback duo of defensive player of the year Patrick Surtain and Riley Moss. All those players are returning, and he mentions that they made a lot of additions to the defense as well.

They added linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga, and drafted Jahdae Barron with their first-round pick. This is going to make an already talented unit even scarier, and Chadiha even said that this group has the potential to be the best defense in the league. The identity for the Broncos may be their defense, but he also mentions how important the improvement of the offense is going to be.

He first mentions how important Bo Nix is in his second season, with a year in Sean Payton's offense is going to be. He already had an impressive rookie season, and he should only get better this year. It mostly has to do with the hard work he has been putting in, but it also is because of the weapons Denver has brought in as well.

The Broncos finally added a receiving threat in the tight end room by signing Evan Engram. This is a massive upgrade from the tight end unit last season. They also signed J.K. Dobbins recently, and they drafted RJ Harvey in the second round of the draft. They also drafted wide receiver Pat Bryant out of Illinois in the third round, and they signed Trent Sherfield Sr. to add some receiving help to the team as well.

Bo Nix will be loaded with a lot more weapons to work with than last year, and hopefully, a lot stronger run game. It was mentioned that Chadiha's only concern was that the Broncos brought in a lot of players with injury histories. However, they are all talented, and if they can stay healthy, this is going to be a team no one wants to see in the playoffs.

The Broncos kick off their season against the Tennessee Titans on September 7th, and that will be their first chance to show that they are ready to compete for the Super Bowl this season. Until then, they will have to make sure they have a great training camp and preseason to prepare for this year. If all goes well, they could be looking to make their first AFC Championship appearance since 2016.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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