Denver Broncos Offseason Roadmap: How to Fill Offensive Holes
The Denver Broncos offseason needs to be focused on the offense. George Paton and Sean Payton need to sign a running back, receiver, and tight end.
The Denver Broncos offseason must be focused on filling offensive holes in the roster.
From running back, to tight end, to wide receiver—Denver needs help at every skill position on offense outside of quarterback, where Bo Nix will continue to be the guy.
Defensively, the roster is nearly set before the offseason gets underway in earnest. Therefore, their focus must be on offense.
Denver Broncos Offseason Roadmap
How do the Broncos get back into contention in 2026?
They must address their lackluster offensive production in 2025.
Yes, the 2025 season was special for so many reasons. The Broncos came back 12 times, including the huge win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the 33-point 4th quarter vs. the Giants, and the signature win over the Packers. Denver beat the Chiefs at home even when Kansas City was favored. They earned the No. 1 seed, despite that shaky offense.
And ultimately lost the AFC Championship Game due to a lack of offense—Bo Nix breaking his ankle was the reason for that—and bad coaching.
That's why it must be addressed. Now.
Sign a Running Back
First and foremost, the Broncos need to sign a free agent running back.
J.K. Dobbins is a free agent again, and RJ Harvey proved he's not ready to be a three-down back. In fact, he may never be a three-down back, and that's fine.
10 days ago, I wrote a ranking of free agent running backs and how they fit with the Broncos.
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Now, it sounds like the Jets want to re-sign Breece Hall. He was No. 2 on my list.
So, as of today, I say the Denver Broncos should sign:
Rachaad White Tyler Allgeier J.K. Dobbins Alvin KamaraHere's why I like the four.
White is a bigger and stronger version of Harvey. A lot of fans on Reddit took this as a reason why Denver shouldn't sign him, but I disagree. Being a great receiver only makes White more valuable, not less. Pro Football Focus gave him the 4th-best rushing grade of all backs in 2025, at an 87.2, he doesn't fumble, and has a nose for the goal line. He could cost $5-6M, which would be worth it.
Allgeier is much the same as White in his great nose for the goal line—7 touchdowns in the red zone last year—but he's not quite the receiver that White is. He's also comfortable playing in a two-back system, just like White, which is what Payton will continue to employ in Denver. He would be likely cheaper than White, at $2.6M per OTC's valuation guess.
Dobbins was a great back for the Broncos before he got injured in Week 10. But then again, that's his downside. He's never played a full season in the NFL and the Broncos were hamstrung once he broke his foot. Re-signing him would mean he would know the offense and his role within it all immediately. But, they'd be risking having him go down again.
Kamara may get released by the Saints. If he does, would Denver consider signing him? He was shut down last November with knee and ankle injuries and had his worst season as a professional by far. Kamara had only 657 total yards and 1 touchdown. Could reuniting with Sean Payton revitalize Kamara's career?
They can't stop at signing a running back, though. They need a receiver and a tight end, too.
Trade for or Possibly Sign a Wide Receiver
Over the last three years, the Broncos have drafted four receivers, with varying levels of success.
Marvin Mims has been a fantastic return man, and he looked to break out in 2025 but regressed as a receiver in 2025. Troy Franklin should be Denver's No. 2, but wasn't sure-handed enough last year despite taking some steps forward. And Pat Bryant showed flashes between being in and out of the lineup due to multiple concussions.
It's possible Franklin finally makes that leap we've been waiting for, or that Mims does in 2026. But, can the Broncos rely on that?
No. They need to go get a proven veteran.
Trade Possibilities
One trade possibility is A.J. Brown. He was linked to Denver by Bill Barnwell as well as CBS Sports last week.
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Brown is a decent starter, but he's too much a diva and would likely ruin the Broncos locker room culture. Plus, he doesn't try hard on the field, and the Eagles would have to eat $43M in dead cap of they traded him before June 1.
It's not likely to happen, but Nick Sirianni said to ESPN today that he can't guarantee Brown will be back with the Eagles in 2026.
Another trade candidate is Jalen Waddle.
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Denver would have to decide, first, if he's a good fit in the offense. Considering they called about him at the trade deadline, it seems like they think so.
Second, the price has to be right in terms of what they'd give up to get Waddle. A first-round pick is pretty steep, which is what Miami wanted back then. But Denver's first-rounder is 30th, which is basically a second. Still, George Paton has rarely traded picks for players, and only late-round picks when he has.
Finally, Waddle's set to make an astounding $33.8M and then $37M the next two seasons; he'd need to rework his deal.
Waddle is clearly more likely than Brown at this point.
Maybe the best wide receiver trade target out there is Brian Thomas Jr. but I don't see the Jaguars parting ways with him. Although some are saying the Bills should trade for him; no one is mentioning Denver going after Thomas.
Free Agents
Trading for a receiver is more attractive than signing a free agent because there aren't that many big named free agent receivers available.
George Pickens, who I wouldn't have advocated for the Broncos signing, will be franchise tagged by the Cowboys we learned on Monday.
The best free agent receiver available is Alec Pierce, from Indy. He will probably command in the $20-million range, which is basically going rate for a starting receiver these days. Pierce had 1,003 yards on only 47 receptions; he's an incredible deep ball threat and led the league in yards per reception the last two years (22.3, 21.3). Plus he scored six times.
Denver has $28.7M in cap space currently, and still could create more room by reworking some deals or cutting some fat. But, can they afford a second $20M receiver with multiple holes to fill? Courtland Sutton is a $14M cap hit this year but his cap number balloons to $28.5M, $30M, and $30M from 2027-2029. Obviously, as the cap keeps expanding, those later years will be more manageable, but they're still huge figures.
One name that's very intriguing is Wan'Dale Robinson; he could be a game-changer for Denver. He just finished his best season yet, with 92 receptions for 1,014 yards and 4 touchdowns. With the Giants, nonetheless. Just like Pierce, he will command around $20M per year. And both of them will have a lot of teams interested, which will likely drive the price tag higher.
Pierce and Robinson are probably both out of Denver's reach. It just depends on how much money they want to put into the position.
Mike Evans is another option, and so is Keenan Allen. Both are older dudes; I'm not sure Denver's interested in them.
Then there's guys like Jauan Jennings and Rashid Shaheed, who seem likely to re-sign with the 49ers and Seahawks, respectively.
If Shaheed doesn't go back to Seattle, he's a guy I really like as an option for the Broncos. His valuation is set at $9.2M, which is much more manageable than other free agents on this list. Plus, he's a Z receiver, and Sutton is the X already. And he's an electric kickoff return man, who Denver could pair with Mims.
Ranking WR free agent fits to the Broncos:
- Wan'Dale Robinson
- Alex Pierce
- Rashid Shaheed
- Romeo Doubs
- Christian Kirk
- Keenan Allen
Sign and/or Draft a Tight End
Evan Engram was a bit of a flop last year, but he's still on the roster and will make $14M this year. So, drafting a tight end is probably the way to go for Denver.
If they wanted to cut Engram, it would mean $10M in dead cap and a savings of $2.8M toward the 2026 cap. Next year is more likely if they wanted to cut him; it'd only be a $2.6M dead cap hit.
If Denver does want to sign a free agent tight end, there are a lot out there.
But one, Kyle Pitts, was franchise tagged on Monday. So, he's out as an option.
David Njoku, Dallas Goedert, and Tyler Higbee are some intriguing names. Njoku could be a huge boost to the offense, while Goedert and Higbee are older and less explosive options.
Then there are two former Saints in Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau, and the former Broncos tight end Adam Trautman.
For the love of god, I hope Payton doesn't sign Hill. It would be a Tim Tebow-like circus in Denver again. But Moreau could be a solid addition; he had a career-high 5 touchdowns in 2024 but was oft-injured last year.
Draft
Kenyon Sadiq of Oregon is the best tight end in the class, but many are projecting him to go in the middle of the first round. He'll be long gone by the time Denver selects at No. 30.
Max Klaire out of Ohio State could become something special, and then there's Joe Royer of Cincinnati.
It seems unlikely that they'd be ready to really contribute right away, though, which is what Denver desperately needs.
Which is why they should go find a guy, or two, in free agency.
George Paton and Sean Payton at the Combine
Denver Broncos GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton speak at the NFL Combine at 3:15 p.m. MT on Tuesday. They're not going to give away anything in terms of what they're planning on doing, but obviously this time of year is extremely important in terms of roster building.
GMs can talk to one another in Indianapolis about potential trades, and all the teams talk with tons of college prospects. It's where they can start to make decisions on who they want to draft versus what positions to target in free agency in a few short weeks from now.
There are some positions of need on the defensive side, too. Safety is one, and so is middle linebacker, and to a smaller degree the defensive line.
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Rich Kurtzman was born and raised in Denver Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins in the aughts. He's been a professional writer since 2011, covering Colorado State football and men's basketball, as well as the Denver Broncos, for many outlets. Current Denver Broncos work can be found on Mile High Sports. Previous credits include CBS Denver and The USA TODAY Sports Media Group.
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