2026 Denver Broncos Team Preview

By Brian Murphy, Thursday, July 30, 2026 1:07:12 PM EDT

The Denver Broncos were on the doorstep of a Super Bowl appearance
last year if they hadn’t had to start a backup quarterback in the AFC
championship game against the Patriots at home. In their third season
under Sean Payton, the Broncos went 14 -3, giving their head coach a
32-19 record in Denver while winning one of his three chances in the
playoffs. Over 18 years running the NFL franchises, he has a 184 -108
record with a Super Bowl victory in 2009 with the Saints.
Davis Webb was promoted from offensive pass game
coordinator/quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator over the
winter. He has been with Denver for three seasons since retiring as a
player in 2022. Webb had one career start in the NFL (168/1 with six
rushes for 41 yards and another score). He takes over an offense that
underachieved expectations in points (401 – 14th) and offensive yards
(5,949 – 12th).
Joseph enters his third consecutive season running Denver's defense,
bringing one of the more seasoned resumes in the league to the role.
His NFL coaching career stretches back to 2005, and he's held
defensive coordinator positions with Miami, Arizona, and now Denver.
It was his 2016 work with the Dolphins that elevated his profile enough
to land the Broncos' head coaching job, where he went 11-21 over two
seasons before transitioning back to coordinator duties, most recently
spending four years in Arizona before returning to Denver in 2023.
The results under Joseph have been consistent and impressive. For the
second straight year, the Broncos surrendered just 311 points, good for
third in the NFL, while finishing fourth in yards allowed (5,124).
Continuity and a clear defensive identity have Denver playing at an elite
level on that side of the ball.

Offense

The Broncos repeated their 16th ranking in rushing yards (2,018) while
running the ball 42.7% of the time (44.7% in 2024). They scored 18
times on the ground with 11 runs of 20 yards or more. Denver gained
4.4 yards per carry on 26.8 rushes per game.
Denver aired the ball out 613 times (4th) last season, but their plus
passing opportunity led to below-league-average results in yards (3,931
– 17th), with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Their offensive line
gave up 47 sacks. The Broncos gained only 6.4 yards per pass attempt,
down from 6.7 in 2024.
Quarterbacks

QB Jarrett Stidham, DEN

Jarrett Stidham projects for 84 passing yards, 0.6 passing TDs, and 0 INTs, with 3 rushing yards and 0 rushing TDs adding fantasy value for the Denver Broncos. This is a projection-derived draft blurb and requires player-ID and team validation before CMS import.

QB Bo Nix, DEN

Bo Nix projects for 4111 passing yards, 29 passing TDs, and 10 INTs, with 384 rushing yards and 5 rushing TDs adding fantasy value for the Denver Broncos. This is a projection-derived draft blurb and requires player-ID and team validation before CMS import.

RB RJ Harvey, DEN

RJ Harvey projects for 171 carries for 734 yards and 8 TDs, plus 55 catches for 405 yards and 4 TDs in the Denver Broncos offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

RB J.K. Dobbins, DEN

J.K. Dobbins projects for 162 carries for 663 yards and 6 TDs, plus 10 catches for 52 yards and 0 TDs in the Denver Broncos offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

RB Jonah Coleman, DEN

Jonah Coleman projects for 31 carries for 132 yards and 1 TDs, plus 35 catches for 261 yards and 1 TDs in the Denver Broncos offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

RB Jaleel McLaughlin, DEN

Jaleel McLaughlin projects for limited stat volume in the current projection set in the Denver Broncos offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

WR Courtland Sutton, DEN

Courtland Sutton projects for 70 catches for 940 yards and 7 TDs in the Denver Broncos offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

WR Jaylen Waddle, DEN

Jaylen Waddle projects for 73 catches for 1005 yards and 7 TDs in the Denver Broncos offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

WR Pat Bryant, DEN

Pat Bryant projects for 12 carries for 224 yards and 1 TDs, plus 19 catches for 224 yards and 1 TDs in the Denver Broncos offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.