As the Denver Broncos enter year three of the Sean Payton era, their future outlook is brighter than it has been in years.
Good morning, Broncos Country.
Roll back the clocks a few years ago and doom and gloom clouded the minds of many across Broncos Country.
And for good reason. The short-lived Nathaniel Hackett experience and the failed Russell Wilson trade reasonably made the most optimistic fans turn pessimistic in a real hurry. In order to get the franchise back to their winning ways, the Denver Broncos needed a coach with experience to help get the proverbial train back on the track.
While their preliminary coaching pursuit started elsewhere, the Broncos wound up trading off premium draft capital to the New Orleans Saints to make Sean Payton the franchise’s 20th head coach. I was skeptical of the move at the time, but Payton and his coaching staff have turned around things quickly in a short amount of time.
In his first season, the Broncos went 8-9 and finished 19th in points score and 26th in yards gained on offense. On defense, their performance was far less inspiring and a significant regression and ranked 27th in points allowed and 29th in yards allowed. But last season, much improvement was made. The offense became a top ten-unit league-wide in points scored and the defense was top three in that regard.
Drastic improvements on both sides of the ball notched the Broncos their first winning season since 2016 and their first playoff berth since they won Super Bowl 50. And with their 2025 NFL Draft efforts and free agency period, the franchise added a lot more talent and are even better poised to compete in the AFC this coming season.
When looking at their preliminary roster, there are few weaknesses that stand out. The biggest hurdle in my eyes is whether or not we will see a profound jump from the young core of talent Paton and General Manager George Paton have assembled over the past few seasons.
This is particularly true at the wide receiver and running back positions. I like the young core of talent there, but they will need a few players to take a big leap this season to increase their overall efficiency. On the defensive side of the ball, I would pencil in modest concerns at the off-ball linebacker position, primarily due to three of their four main contributors coming off significant injuries.
At the forefront of it all is second-year signal caller Bo Nix. Can he avoid the dreaded sophomore slump and develop even more? He had a rough start to his rookie season but finished the season strong and put together one of the best rookie campaigns in NFL history. With the Broncos adding more talent around him this offseason and having one of the league’s best offensive lines, I believe he is poised to put together another quality campaign in ‘25.
In a little less than a week, the NFL will be releasing its schedule for the coming season. That will give us a more in-depth look at the battles ahead, but for now, I’m content in knowing the Broncos’ future is brighter than it has been in ages. Moreover, I believe they are well-prepared to take their efforts to the next level this coming season.
As always—thank you for reading. Here is today’s slate of articles for Horse Tracks.
Broncos News & Tidbits
Mile High Morning: The Athletic selects DE Sai’vion Jones as Broncos’ best value pick in 2025 NFL Draft
“Jones may be the player with the best chance to dramatically outplay his draft slot,” The Athletic wrote.
2025 Denver Broncos Schedule: Opponents ahead NFL Schedule Release
Check out this article for a list of the Denver Broncos 2025-2026 opponents ahead of the NFL schedule release.
Denver Broncos Jahdae Barron is predicted to win Rookie of the Year, R.J. Harvey too
Jahdae Barron should be an immediate starter for the Broncos. But DPOY? Some are predicting he’ll win.
The Broncos appear to believe their roster can win the division
With the way in which the Denver Broncos made their selections in the NFL Draft, it appears they think the roster can compete.
NFL News & Tidbits
Steelers trading WR George Pickens to Cowboys
The Pittsburgh Steelers traded wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys after weeks of speculation that Jerry Jones’ club could make a splash move.
Traded players who will have biggest impact on 2025 NFL season
Can Geno Smith give the Raiders some stability to start the Pete Carroll era? Will Deebo Samuel make the Commanders unstoppable? Tom Blair ranks the eleven traded players who will have the biggest impact on the 2025 NFL season.
NFL news roundup: Jaguars release WR Gabe Davis after one season
NFL.com keeps you up to date with all of the latest league news from around the NFL. Visit NFL.com’s transaction hub for a daily breakdown.
Best NFL team fits for notable remaining free agents: J.K. Dobbins to Bears? Justin Simmons to Eagles?
In this edition of The First Read, Jeffri Chadiha identifies the best team fits for 10 notable remaining free agents. Could Ben Johnson still add a running back to Chicago’s backfield? Might Justin Simmons reunite with Vic Fangio in Philly?