Did Javonte Williams' Departure Net Broncos a Compensatory Draft Pick?

One aspect of NFL free agency is the potential for teams to gain compensatory draft picks in a future NFL draft. Teams can gain picks if they lose more compensatory free agents than they sign.

A compensatory free agent is defined as a player whose contract expired and wasn't re-signed by his previous team. If a player is cut, he's not such a free agent, nor is a player in whom a team declines its prerogative to tender as a restricted or exclusive rights free-agent tender.

However, a compensatory free agent must also hit a certain snap threshold or earn incentives during the season in order to count. The free agent must also be signed before the NFL draft.

The Denver Broncos are currently on the board for two 2026 seventh-round picks because of compensatory free agents they lost to other teams versus those they signed. However, that projection by Over The Cap is not final.

I will refer you to Over The Cap's compensatory pick table for 2026, which shows the Broncos are currently projected to receive seventh-round picks in 2026 for punter Riley Dixon and running back Javonte Williams. There are links on that page on which you can read more about how compensatory picks are determined.

Per the calculations by Nick Korte, who tracks compensatory pick projections for OTC, the Broncos have lost five unrestricted free agents while gaining four. The Broncos lost linebackers Cody Barton and Zach Wilson, but the signings of linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga canceled out any potential comp picks.

However, the signing of tight end Evan Engram did not factor into the comp pick formula because Engram was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars before his deal expired. Engram was a street free agent and, thus, was not considered a compensatory free agent.

Then comes an unrestricted free agent the Broncos signed but currently don't count toward the comp pick formula: wide receiver and core special-teamer Trent Sherfield. In his case, he has a contract with incentives that could mean he doesn't earn the full amount in 2025. If he does reach the incentive, he'll count toward the formula, but if he doesn't, he won't.

Meanwhile, the Broncos also lost special-teamer Tremon Smith, in addition to Dixon and Williams. However, Smith doesn't count toward the comp pick formula at this time. Whether or not he will at some point remains to be seen, but Smith didn't get incentives added to his deal, thus he likely won't reach a point in which he will count.

As a general rule, fans shouldn't worry too much about compensatory picks. They can be useful but they aren't something to worry about if you are trying to improve a team. As long as the Broncos sign free agents that fill a need and aren't a luxury signing, they need not worry about comp picks.

One thing that did allow the Broncos a better chance at comp picks was taking care of their own players. When a team drafts well or finds free agents that fit well, that allows the team to re-sign more of its own players and not have to look for players elsewhere.

We'll get a better idea about where the Broncos actually stand with comp picks, if any, after the 2025 season is finished. For now, know that the Broncos might have a little more draft capital for 2026.