The Denver Broncos needs in free agency are backed by where they fell short last year in the pursuit of a Super Bowl.
Namely, Sean Payton’s offense lagged far behind the defense.
Now, Payton and GM George Payton have a lot of work to do in free agency to sure up those positions of need ahead of 2026.
Ranking Denver Broncos needs in free agency this offseason
During the annual NFL Combine, head coaches and general managers talk about their team and how to improve it.
Just like how head coaches use coachspeak to camoflauge their thinking on a week-to-week basis, those team leaders are doing the same at the Combine.
While also mixing in their real needs and wants in terms of the approaching NFL Draft and free agency.
Sean Payton said on Tuesday the Broncos two “musts” are at running back and linebacker. But there are other holes to consider, too. And on Friday, they placed a 2nd-round tender on Ja’Quan McMillian.
So, let’s explore the Broncos most-important positions of needs in order.
Running Back
Up first is running back.
When it comes to winning in the playoffs, or even in the regular season, teams who can run the ball with consistency win games.
Early in 2025, when J.K. Dobbins was healthy, the Broncos leaned on the run game more and with success. When he went down, their run attack struggled mightily. Partially because RJ Harvey was a rookie and partially because he’s not built to run between the tackles.
Now, Denver needs to go get a new starting running back and allow Harvey to continue growing behind him.
There are a ton of great players available at the position, so this should be a place where the Broncos spend money this offseason.
Breece Hall was a target, but he’ll be franchise tagged if not re-signed by the Jets.
That leaves guys like Kenneth Walker, who seems like a long shot, Rachaad White, Tyler Allgeier, and even possibly Alvin Kamara if he’s cut.
Or, if they want to roll the dice on his injury history again, the Broncos could just bring back Dobbins.
Wide Receiver
Keep in mind this is my ranking, not Sean Payton’s. He and George Paton may be happy with the state of the receiver room after drafting four players at the position over the last three drafts.
Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, and Pat Bryant are all still on the roster too, while Devaughn Vele was traded last year.
Franklin took some positive steps forward last year, but is he the legitimate No. 2 wideout Denver needs?
I argue they need another standout guy.
Unfortunately, the free agency pool is a little shallow. George Pickens was franchise tagged by the Cowboys on Friday, and Alec Pierce may demand $30 million per year. Behind them, Wan’Dale Robinson is an intriguing name for the Broncos, though he’s likely to cost $20M per year himself.
In trade, there are guys like A.J. Brown and Jaylen Waddle who may be available. The Broncos reportedly reached out about acquiring Waddle at the trade deadline, so maybe they’ll reach back out. His downside is a massive payday in both 2027 and 2028.
Linebacker
The Broncos have Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad as free agents currently. Will they re-sign one, or possibly even both of them?
If they pick just one of them to keep, it seems likely Denver will go after another starter in free agency, and there are a ton to choose from.
Quay Walker, formerly of the Packers, is one intriguing name. And then there’s Demario Davis, who at 37 years old still played 98% of the snaps for the Saints. Payton does love his guys, so you never know.
Tight End
The next most-important is tight end.
That’s partially because Evan Engram is still on the roster and he’s a $14M cap hit this year.
Adam Trautman is a free agent, so that opens up 57.1% of the offensive snaps. He’s a better blocker than Engram, so it would make sense if the Broncos looked at a blocking tight end rather than a pass-catching specialist.
Defensive Line
It looks like the Broncos are letting John Franklin-Myers walk, which means they will want to replace him with someone.
Denver’s defensive front is stout and deep, but they will probably add another guy in the middle of the line either in free agency or the Draft.