The Denver Broncos have a lot to look forward to this season on both sides of the ball. Even the special teams unit has much to offer, with a new coordinator and an incumbent All-Pro returner.
Inexplicably, the Broncos finished as a top-10 scoring offense in 2024 with a rookie quarterback under center. Entering Year 2, the Broncos reloaded the arsenal, which has this offense poised to break into the NFL stratosphere.
When it comes to predicting the future, ESPN's Mike Clay released his annual 2025 statistical projections for each team. Let's examine the key Broncos on offense and how Clay projects their stats ending up in 2025.
Bo Nix | QB
- Pass yards: 3,949
- Pass TDs: 27
- Comp %: 65.9%
- INT: 12
- Rush yards: 418
- Rush TDs: 3
These are relatively modest projections based on what Nix achieved last year. Clay may have missed that after the first four games of his rookie season, Nix averaged just 165 passing yards per game, which put him on pace for a sub-3,000-yard passing season, but he finished with 3,775 yards.
Like most rookies, Nix's first four games were a massive learning curve, but by the time he hit October, he climbed into a much higher gear. Clay's yardage prediction doesn't quite eclipse Nix's actual totals last year by even 200 yards, and he has the Broncos' quarterback passing for two fewer touchdowns and the exact same number of interceptions. Curious.
I'd project Nix to eclipse 4,000 yards passing (remember, it's 17 games now) with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. I agree that, as a rusher, Nix will likely won't be called upon to carry the rock as often as last year, and his rushing touchdowns may actually be even fewer than the three that Clay projects because of the arrival of the guys we'll talk about next.
RJ Harvey | RB
- Rush yards: 811
- Rush TDs: 5
- Avg: 4.5
- Rec: 54
- Rec yards: 421
- Rec TDs: 3
As a rookie, Harvey likely won't start off the season as the No. 1 running back, but it won't take him long to slightly out-earn his new veteran counterpart in Sean Payton's offense. Projecting Harvey to eclipse 1,000 scrimmage yards may sound bold, but Clay's numbers are on the money, with the exception of his rushing touchdowns.
I expect Harvey to find the end zone a few more times than five. As a receiver out of the backfield, this would be one heck of rookie showing.
J.K. Dobbins | RB
- Rush yards: 705
- Rush TDs: 5
- Avg: 4.5
- Rec: 30
- Rec yards: 193
- Rec TDs: 1
Bullseye. I can't disagree with how Clay sees Dobbins impacting the Broncos' offense statistically. Dobbins will come a few hundred yards shy of a 1,000, but it won't feel that way to fans.
If Dobbins gets utilized this much in the passing game, it'll be a tremendously encouraging development for how Payton's offense is evolving with Nix under center.
Evan Engram | TE
- Targets: 109
- Rec: 80
- Rec yards: 716
- Rec TDs: 3
Clay is picking up what Payton has been putting down on the Engram front. The Broncos' new tight end is going to get a lot of looks from Nix, and it's going to redound to significant impact by Engram, and open up things for the wideouts.
If anything, Clay's yardage projection for Engram might be a tad modest. I project that Engram finishes in the 900s, health willing (which goes for all of these numbers).
Courtland Sutton | WR
- Targets: 125
- Rec: 75
- Rec yards: 1,017
- Rec TDs: 9
Once again, Sutton will be Nix's most targeted receiver, narrowly edging out Engram. But those passes are going to consume chunk yardage at a higher clip. I see Sutton's yards-per-reception metric being way higher than Clay's 13.6 — close to his first two years in the league (16.0).
75 receptions (as Clay projects) that average 16 yards per completion would total 1,200 receiving yards, which would not only be a new career-high for Sutton, but it's about what I expecte to see.
Last thing; if Sutton catches nine touchdowns, it'll be the second-most of his career, behind only 2023 and one more than he hauled in from Nix last season.
Marvin Mims Jr. | WR
- Targets: 65
- Rec: 44
- Rec yards: 627
- Rec TDs: 4
All of the numbers Clay projects for Mims would be career-highs, but it appears the ESPN stat czar missed the memo on how Denver's 'gadget' receiver finished last season. Mims was on pace for a dismal second-year showing statistically until Week 10 hit.
From there on, Mims produced at an extremely high level and capped off the season with back-to-back double-touchdown games. He also had two 100-yard receiving games down the stretch.
I get that there are only so many touches to go around, but the Broncos are planning on Mims having a much bigger bite at the apple. I'm hesitant to project anything too bombastic — though, I do see him as Denver's most likely 'breakout' candidate — but if Nix turns another corner, as expected, the Broncos could have two 1,000-yard receivers and a tight end who comes just short.
Pat Bryant | WR
- Targets: 54
- Rec: 34
- Rec yards: 428
- Rec TDs: 3
Clay has Bryant finishing as the Broncos' third-leading wide receiver, which is interesting considering that he's a rookie. But I don't quibble with the projections.
Bryant could leapfrog the guys we'll talk about next, but it won't be easy, as each of the guys currently ahead of him on the wideout depth chart has conjured some momentum of his own.
Troy Franklin | WR
- Targets: 24
- Rec: 14
- Rec yards: 202
- Rec TDs: 1
I'm sorry to say, but these projections for Franklin are comically low and they smack of an analyst who hasn't been paying attention to what's happening at ground level, let alone how Franklin produced as a rookie. I agree that Franklin will be the Broncos' fourth-leading wideout, but he'll likely have 24 targets by the time September is in the books.
Franklin is another young Bronco with all the markers of a 'breakout' candidate, but the depth chart is a logjam currently, which clouds the future. I will say this, though: Franklin will double the stats Clay projects, if not more.
Devaughn Vele | WR
- Targets: 22
- Rec: 15
- Rec yards: 154
- Rec TDs: 1
All due respect to Clay, but I think he may have overlooked how Vele entered the 2025 offseason as the Broncos' de facto No. 2 wideout, and he's done nothing through all of OTAs to change that. In fact, Vele has only reinforced his standing as a starter on offense.
I'm excited about what Bryant can bring to the table, but the Broncos' starting trio is likely to be Sutton, Mims, and Vele. In Vele's case, he'll also reach these totals by the end of September.
The Takeaway
In all fairness to Clay, it's an immense undertaking to project the individual stats of all 32 teams, and it's his job to ensure objectivity and pragmatism. So, while some of his projections may have seemed woefully low, overall, he did a solid job of projecting a modest step forward for what is still a very young offense.
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