Inside the Broncos’ Biggest Offseason Decisions Thus Far

It should be no surprise that Waddle is the biggest and best move the Broncos made this offseason. They paid a hefty price in the trade to get him, but adding a dynamic weapon to this offense was one of the biggest needs for this team to feel good about its chances of competing for a Super Bowl.

Waddle brings big-play ability to the table, and he's a threat to take any catch to the house. He should open up the run game with lighter boxes, because opponents will fear him beating them over the top. 

Ja'Quan McMillian

McMillian was the Broncos' best decision of the offseason until the Waddle trade. McMillian is a plus player on the defense and maybe Denver's biggest playmaker on that side of the ball.

I would not be shocked if the Broncos worked out a long-term deal for him sometime this season to keep him around beyond 2026. He is a top-five slot cornerback in football and a huge piece of the puzzle for the Broncos to remain a top-three defense in the NFL. 

Justin Strnad

There is a strong argument that Strnad was the best linebacker on this roster in 2025. He has been improving almost every season in the NFL and has gone from special teams helper to legit starting linebacker.

His contract is also very manageable, making this a great value signing for the Broncos. 

Alex Palczewski

The Broncos continue to invest in the offensive line. Since arriving as head coach in 2023, Sean Payton has proven that he will invest in keeping the trenches strong.

Palczewski is a great depth piece with starter potential after this season. The fact that he can play possibly four positions on the offensive line is huge value to get him locked up for the next two years.

He was up and down at times this past season when thrown into the starter role, but after another year with this coaching staff/system, I expect his best football days are ahead of him. 

J.K. Dobbins

I know there might be some who disagree that Dobbins was a great decision. He is the biggest risk/reward player the Broncos signed so far, true.

Many were hoping the Broncos would get in on Travis Etienne or Kenneth Walker III, but the team stayed disciplined with how much they wanted to spend on the position. What many have forgotten about is that, for the first half of last season, Dobbins was a top-five running back and outperformed both Etienne and Walker.

If Dobbins can stay healthy, this could be the steal of free agency. If he goes down with injury, then we'd better all hope the Broncos have a better backup plan than the RJ Harvey/Jaleel McLaughlin combo. 

ERFA | RFA | One-Year Prove-It Deals

This list could get very long if I laid out all of these players as individual decisions. Every team has the Lucas Krull, Jordan Jackson, Devon Key, Jaleel McLaughlin, Nate Adkins, and Tyler Badie type players.

They have value, but many of these players will be on the roster bubble when cut-down day comes at the end of training camp. I expect a few of them to be around, but the Broncos did a great job of keeping this roster deep with players that have experience and contracts the team can move on from if needed. 

Alex Singleton

It's very hard for me to put Singleton this low on the list. He is an inspiration and a great locker room guy to have in the building.

Singleton is also the captain of the Broncos' defense, wearing the green dot and keeping everyone on the same page in a very complicated defense. He brings value, but I struggle with the contract part of the equation.

Singleton is entering his age-33 season and has some weaknesses in his game that offensive coordinators try to exploit when he is on the field. If he got the same deal as Strnad, I would have him higher on this list. 

Adam Trautman

The biggest Trautman fan on the planet, beyond his own parents, might be Payton. He sees something in Trautman that perhaps no one else does.

Truatman struggled as both a receiving threat and a run blocker last season. If there was a spot the Broncos could have upgraded during free agency this year, it would be the tight end group.

Maybe the Broncos still bring in a free agent like David Njoku, but even if they do, the contract handed to Trautman adds to the head-scratching decision. He is getting paid $5.6 million per year for being, at best, a net neutral starter at the tight end position.

Hopefully, the Broncos are not done adding to this room, and we either see an upgrade with an Njoku signing or through the draft. The Broncos need someone to help with run-game blocking. 

The Takeaway

The Broncos easily have a top-five roster in the NFL. It was always going to be tough to find big upgrades without spending a lot to make it happen.

The Broncos mostly made the right decisions in bringing back their own guys while also making one big splash move in trading for Waddle. This team is set to hit the ground running and take its schemes on both sides of the ball to a higher level with so many returning players. 

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