Denver Broncos

Denver is in a strong short-term position with $32.7M in cap room and the lowest dead money in the league, but next-year room shrinks to just $2.0M, so this offseason's cuts matter enormously.

25 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Six starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Denver holds eight picks in the upcoming draft, including six in the first round equivalent across the next three years, three of which are actual first-rounders, giving the franchise exceptional resources to fill holes and replenish the roster over the rebuild window.

• Acquired: Round 7 from Saints, this draft

The roster's top strength is a defense featuring multiple elite and Superstar-trait contributors at corner, edge, and safety, while the weakest spot is the running back room, which ranks 28th among starters league-wide.

• HBhigh

  J.K. Dobbins is the starter at 81 overall, but the position ranks 28th among starters league-wide, making a high-impact upgrade the roster's single most pressing priority.

• WILLmedium

  Justin Strnad starts at WILL but the position ranks 23rd in starter quality and dead last in depth at 28th, leaving the second level dangerously thin.

• LGlow

  Ben Powers is a cut candidate whose potential release would open the starting job to Kage Casey, a 71-overall Star dev player who could develop into a quality starter.

• TElow

  Evan Engram is a cut candidate at $11.0M freed, and with Adam Trautman as the primary backup, Denver needs a reliable receiving tight end to complement the passing game.

• 64Jarrett StidhamQBJarrett Stidham is the second-string quarterback behind Bo Nix at 64 overall, and cutting him frees $6.0M against $2.0M in dead money, making him an easy roster-dollar reclaim.Frees $6.0M · $2.0M dead
• 76D.J. JonesDTD.J. Jones is a 76-overall backup DT behind Zach Allen who is entering a later stage of his career, and his release frees $10.1M against just $4.4M in dead money, making it a meaningful cap savings.Frees $10.1M · $4.4M dead
• 74Ben PowersLGBen Powers starts at LG but ranks only 22nd at the position league-wide, and cutting him frees $12.5M against $5.7M in dead money, freeing resources to upgrade or develop Kage Casey behind him.Frees $12.5M · $5.7M dead
• 78Evan EngramTEEvan Engram starts at TE but sits at 78 overall on a costly deal, and releasing him frees $11.0M against only $3.1M in dead money while Adam Trautman can step into the role.Frees $11.0M · $3.1M dead
• 57Sam EhlingerQBSam Ehlinger is the third-string quarterback at just 57 overall, and his release costs nothing in dead money while freeing $2.0M to be used elsewhere.Frees $2.0M · $0 dead

The Broncos are built around one of the league's most talented defenses, with Pat Surtain II, Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen, and Talanoa Hufanga forming a core that can carry the team while the offense matures. Bo Nix is a 26-year-old Star-trait quarterback with room to grow, and the surrounding skill positions, Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton, and a developing Troy Franklin, give him credible weapons. Sutton is entering a later stage in his career, so Troy Franklin's development at 23 and the WR depth behind him become increasingly important over the next few seasons. The offensive line is a legitimate strength with Bolles and Meinerz, though Bolles is deep into his career at 34 and a successor at left tackle must be identified in the near term. The running back room is the clearest hole, ranked 28th in starter quality, and fixing it is the most actionable move this roster needs. With $32.7M in cap room, virtually no dead money, and eight picks in the upcoming draft, including three first-rounders over the next three years, Denver has the resources to address those holes and push toward contention within the window that this defensive core provides.

The Denver Broncos were founded on August 14, 1959, when minor-league baseball owner Bob Howsam was awarded a charter franchise in the upstart American Football League (AFL), and they began play in 1960 in Denver, Colorado. Denver won the first-ever AFL game, a 13-10 victory over the Boston Patriots on September 9, 1960, but the decade that followed was bleak: the Broncos compiled a 39-97-4 record across the AFL's ten seasons, the worst of any original AFL club, and were the only original AFL team never to post a winning season or reach the league title game. The franchise nearly relocated in 1965 before a local ownership group led by the Phipps brothers stepped in, and the 1967 signing of Syracuse running back Floyd Little, nicknamed 'The Franchise', helped stabilize the club. Denver joined the NFL in the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. The Broncos' first sustained success arrived in the mid-1970s: Denver posted its first winning season in 1973 under John Ralston, and in 1977, first-year head coach Red Miller and the vaunted 'Orange Crush' 3-4 defense, anchored by linebacker Randy Gradishar, carried the team to a 12-2 record and its first Super Bowl (XII), a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The defining modern era began in 1983 with the arrival of quarterback John Elway, who reached five Super Bowls and authored signature moments such as 'The Drive.' Under owner Pat Bowlen and head coach Mike Shanahan, Elway and MVP running back Terrell Davis finally broke through, winning back-to-back titles: Super Bowl XXXII over the Green Bay Packers (31-24, Davis MVP) and Super Bowl XXXIII over the Atlanta Falcons (34-19, Elway MVP in his final game). After a playoff drought, the Peyton Manning era (2012-2015) delivered a defense-driven 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, the franchise's third championship. The Broncos hired Super Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton in 2023, drafted Bo Nix in 2024, and rapidly returned to contention, going 14-3 and reaching the AFC Championship Game in 2025.