The Denver Broncos’ season ended just short of reaching Super Bowl LX after falling to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. This was the latest gut punch for a franchise that limped into this conference title matchup. The high of winning a divisional round thriller against the Buffalo Bills in overtime was almost instantly shattered once word got out that Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury. That thrust backup Jarrett Stidham into the limelight, and while the veteran had his moments, he couldn’t get his team to pull off what would’ve been a miraculous upset.
Now, Sean Payton’s club is looking into the abyss of the offseason and on the precipice of doing a postmortem of the 2025 season. By most accounts, it was a wildly successful campaign, owning a 14-3 record over the regular season, which was good enough for an NFC West title and the No. 1 seed. As they look to begin preparing for the 2026 season, let’s highlight what’s on the horizon for the organization.
Bo Nix’s recovery takes center stage
Nix suffered a broken right ankle in the final moments of that overtime win against the Bills. The second-year quarterback has already undergone surgery to repair the ankle, with the procedure done this week. The early prognosis was that Nix is expected to be sidelined for 12 weeks. If he stays on that recovery timeline, Nix should only miss a small amount of OTAs (if any) and certainly be on track to participate during mandatory minicamp later this spring. That gives Nix plenty of time to get into form before Denver opens up training camp, so this injury is not debilitating enough that it’ll bleed into 2026.
Does the coaching staff lose key figures?
Payton has been able to bring the Broncos back to relevance, but that success may soon result in key figures on his coaching staff being poached. With Denver now eliminated, teams looking for a head coach can now hold in-person interviews with Broncos staffers, including defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and offensive pass game coordinator Davis Webb. Both Joseph and Webb have been popular candidates this hiring cycle, and it would not be shocking to see one or both coaches depart in short order.
Webb has interest from the Las Vegas Raiders and Buffalo Bills, and neither of those destinations has filled their vacancy to this point. Webb also interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens, but the franchise recently hired former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. While Payton calls the offensive plays, having someone of Webb’s acumen departing is hardly ideal for a still-developing offense under Nix.
As for Joseph, he has been requested by a large contingent of teams. While some of those organizations have since filled their roles, the Raiders and Arizona Cardinals are two clubs that have expressed interest in Joseph and are still on the hunt for a new coach.
Joseph’s potential exit could prove to be the biggest X factor of Denver’s offseason. A big piece as to why the Broncos made it to the AFC Championship was due to Joseph orchestrating arguably the best defense in the NFL. Denver was fourth in the NFL in scoring and first in the NFL in sacks (including postseason). If Joseph leaves, there’s the risk that the unit takes a slight step back.
Bolstering offense around Nix
A couple of the areas the Broncos should look to address this offseason come on the offensive side of the ball. Specifically, they need to continue surrounding Nix with talent at the skill positions. This season, the Broncos ranked 28th in the NFL in yards per reception from the wide receiver and tight end positions combined. Courtland Sutton was able to lead the team with 1,017 yards receiving, but Denver did struggle to find a top secondary pass-catching option, volleying from Troy Franklin to Pat Bryant to Marvin Mims at receiver. They also never truly got Evan Engram off the ground as Payton’s “Joker” at the tight end spot.
Moreover, Denver need to bolster the backfield. The rushing attack cratered after J.K. Dobbins went down with a foot injury in Week 10. Rookie RJ Harvey averaged just 3.7 yards per carry on the year. Their inability to run the football effectively came back to bite them in the AFC Championship, where they averaged just 3.3 yards per rush as a team. With a backup quarterback under center and snowy conditions late in the contest, a capable ground attack could’ve helped them pull off the upset. Instead, that deficiency helped be their undoing. With Dobbins looking at free agency this offseason, along with a shaky injury history, Denver would be wise to add a back in some capacity this offseason.
Offseason assets, free agents
Notable free agents:
The Broncos are projected to have roughly $35.4 million in available salary cap space, which is the 12th highest in the NFL. As for the NFL Draft, Denver has five picks inside the first four rounds, including their own first-round pick.
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