As the NFL Combine kicks off this week, the Denver Broncos brain trust of head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton will be in Indianapolis to evaluate this year’s slate of prospects who will test ahead of April’s NFL Draft.
With the combine taking place before the start of NFL Free Agency, what are three things we are hoping to hear from Payton and Paton this week?
Denver Broncos brain trust gearing up for NFL Combine this week
NFL Combine testing begins on Thursday amongst all of the various position groups of potential NFL Draft prospects. Prior to Thursday’s testing, Broncos head coach Sean Payton will meet with the media on Tuesday, February 25th, at 12:15 p.m. MT. General manager George Paton will speak to the media directly after at 12:30 p.m. MT.
With them meeting the media before free agency begins, there will be a handful of questions following up on what Sean Payton said the team’s needs are this offseason, but how much will he give away? Here are three things we need to know this week.
What is the Broncos’ mindset regarding inside linebacker?
During his appearance with Kay Adams during Super Bowl Radio Row, Broncos head coach Sean Payton mentioned linebacker as one of the positions the team viewed as important to address this offseason, but what does that look like?
Cody Barton, Justin Strnad, and Zach Cunningham will be three players at the position who are set to be unrestricted free agents on March 12th. That leaves Alex Singleton, Drew Sanders, and Levelle Bailey as the only off-ball linebackers on the roster.
Singleton is on track and has made great progress in his ACL recovery, but it’s currently unclear what the realistic expectations are for him as he makes his way back onto the field after the injury. Sanders moved back to off-ball linebacker this season after being at edge rusher, where the team moved him last season during his rookie year from playing off-ball linebacker.
The vision for Sanders is unclear, but it’s possible the team views him as a Will linebacker going into next season. Bailey impressed during training camp and preseason last year and made the 53-man roster, but contributed primarily on special teams until Sanders came off of injured reserve after he recovered from Achilles surgery that occurred in April.
With that said, the inside backer position has the most question marks on defense going into 2025, and free agency seems like the only real path the Broncos can instantly improve this position group to maintain a high level of play for Vance Joseph’s unit.
Do Denver Broncos view tight end or running back as higher priorities?
It would be shocking if either Payton or Paton came out and directly said one position was of higher importance than the other this week, but we do know that Payton said the team’s ‘must have’ is a Joker, which Denver’s head coach classified as an elite level athlete either at RB or TE that is also an elite pass catcher.
Certainly, there are a handful of options in this year’s draft, like Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, and even Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson. Either of these three options would be great first or second-round additions by the Broncos, but so much of their draft strategy hinges upon what they decide to do in free agency.
Regardless, tight end and running back are two positions that Denver needs significantly more from in 2025 if Bo Nix and the Broncos offense are going to continue ascending and improving.
We’ll likely hear quite a bit of coachspeak, but we’ll do our best to decipher what has substance and what is just breadcrumbs.
Could Broncos add receivers in NFL Free Agency
When Kay Adams said that she believed one of the Broncos’ biggest needs was another veteran receiver to pair with Courtland Sutton, Payton didn’t necessarily shoot it down. He pivoted that ‘Joker’ was the must-have for the team and that wide receiver was a need for them.
Payton’s buckets go as follows in terms of importance — must-haves, needs, and wants.
There are a handful of receivers that will be available in free agency, but adding the right veteran fit seems like the best option for Nix, who will go into his second season in the league. Having two savvy veterans like Sutton and somebody else will be a big benefit for Nix and will help Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims, and Devaughn Vele continue to ascend in their development.
ICYMI: Broncos should look at two former AFC West WR’s to bring in for Bo Nix in 2025
While free agency will be an option, it wouldn’t shock me if the Broncos also focused on adding receivers in the NFL Draft, considering that many believe this year’s class is filled with playmakers.
Another element that will likely get brought up during Tuesday’s press conference will be surrounding Courtland Sutton and the likelihood of a contract extension as the Broncos veteran will be playing on the final year of his deal with the team. Payton helped Sutton earn the incentives the team and he negotiated during his reworked contract prior to training camp last offseason.
We’ll have coverage of the press conferences on Tuesday here at Mile High Sports.
