The Denver Broncos exceeded expectations in 2024 by a mile. The most enthusiastic fans sporting Orange and Blue-colored glasses might have been able to predict double-digit wins and a Wildcard playoff berth, but few could have foreseen that Denver would lead the NFL in sacks, or that the oft-dismissed rookie quarterback Bo Nix would go on to set franchsie and NFL passing records, eclipsing all first-round signal-callers but Washington's Jayden Daniels in the Offensive Rookie of the Year sweepstakes.
Under the self-confident and driven guidance of head coach Sean Payton, the Broncos fielded a top-10 defense and a top-15 offense with a rookie quarterback. Although the 2024 campaign ultimately ended in an ugly and disappointing Wildcard loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Broncos defied the oddsmakers (who set their over/under win total at 5.5) and set themselves up for a potentially even greater leap forward in 2025.
However, as every offseason goes, teams have to walk the razor's edge of balancing personnel losses and acquisitions in free agency and the draft. The perennial contenders achieve that feat, fielding consistently competitive rosters.
But did the Broncos do enough this offseason to close the gap on the Kansas City Chiefs?
On the heels of signing free-agent linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga, and tight end Evan Engram, along with a 2025 draft class headlined by first-round cornerback Jahdae Barron, Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame likes the steps Denver has taken, giving the team a B+ offseason grade, and writing in his headline, "Broncos Closing In on Chiefs."
"Denver went into this offseason with the mission of not sliding backward after going 10–7 and reaching the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. It seems general manager George Paton has succeeded in that regard," Verderame wrote.
Verderame approved of how the Broncos resisted going overboard by overpaying free agents, while still wisely managing to fill roster holes. And he foresees the arrival of second-round running back RJ Harvey as giving the Broncos offense "some punch."
"While the Broncos didn’t add a litany of big contracts, they wisely picked up some key free agents that will help in multiple areas. If the team struggled in any defensive area last year, it was at linebacker," Verderame wrote. "Finally, the offense needed some added punch and got some with Engram, who came over after being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Engram played in only nine games last year but in 2023 was named a Pro Bowler with 114 receptions and 963 yards. If rookie running back RJ Harvey can be an immediate contributor, the unit has some punch."
Meanwhile, Verderame gave the Chiefs' offseason a B grade, opining that they didn't make "any flashing moves," because they didn't "need to." There are plenty of reasons why the Chiefs almost three-peated, and their roster depth was a big one.
The Los Angeles Chargers, who finished No. 2 in the AFC West last year, garnered a D offseason grade, while the Las Vegas Raiders received a C+. With the Jim Harbaugh/Justin Herbert duo, the Chargers are always going to be a problem (they swept Denver last year), and although the Raiders' early personnel and draft moves haven't been roundly praised, they seem to have finally put a cast of NFL adults in the front office with a proven head coach in Pete Carroll.
The Broncos defense, which was the impetus to beating the Chiefs in two of their last three matchups, will once again be a force to be reckoned with. But just as it is with any NFL team, with very few exceptions throughout history, the Broncos will go as far as their young second-year quarterback can take them.
Questions about whether the team did enough to "build the nest" around Bo Nix abound within on Broncos Country, but there's more to that objective than just adding skill-position players. The upgrades Denver made on defense will, in theory, provide more possessions and opportunities for Nix and the offense to score points and eat clock, and lead to fewer points from opponents.
A common NFL cliche is that a potent ground game is a quarterback's best friend, and while there's obviously some truth to that, I would argue that an elite defense is an even greater blessing. Ask Peyton Manning, circa 2015, about how much easier winning can be on a quarterback when complemented by a top defense.
It's not as if the Broncos didn't add weapons for Nix this offseason. Engram offers the Broncos that mythical 'joker' tight end, and should not only help Nix win with the inside passing game, but he'll also help take attention away from Courtland Sutton.
Harvey projects as the Broncos' No. 1 running back, and if Paton and Payton were right in their assessment of his relatively untapped abilities as a receiver, he could be in line for a massive rookie season as the de facto starter. Throw in third-round wideout Pat Bryant, a Sutton clone, and it's clear the Broncos made sure to add weapons to Nix's arsenal.
But the truth is, a franchise quarterback is the tide that raises all ships in the NFL. It's not the other way around. Try as he might, Tim Tebow couldn't elevate the late Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker into 1,000-yard Pro Bowl receivers. But Manning did.
The point is, Nix showed in Year 1 that he has the wherewithal to elevate the supporting cast around him, including Sutton. The NFL went from clowning the Broncos' skill positions before last season to glazing guys like Marvin Mims Jr., especially down the stretch.
Adding Engram, Harvey, and Bryant to an arsenal featuring incumbents like Sutton, Mims, Troy Franklin, Audric Estime, and Devaughn Vele could give Nix all the ammunition he needs to build on his historic rookie campaign and help the Broncos unseat the Chiefs for divisional and conference supremacy.
