Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season and periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.
Drew Sanders was a five-star recruit out of Texas, a Butkus Award winner and first-team All-American at Arkansas and a third-round draft pick of the Broncos. But through his first two NFL seasons he has barely seen the field. The Broncos have a great need at inside linebacker this offseason. Could he be the answer?
— Jeff Bear, Loveland
Hey Jeff, thanks for writing in. Indeed, Drew Sanders is one of the more interesting figures on the Broncos roster as he prepares for his third pro season. He played both inside and on the edge as a rookie — he moved outside when the Broncos needed some help there — and then had his second season impacted in a major way by a spring Achilles tear. When he returned, he first appeared to be set to return to outside linebacker. But by the time Sanders was ready to play, Denver’s edge group had become a strength and the inside linebacker group was struggling and had lost Alex Singleton for the season to a torn ACL.
This offseason, head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton have committed Sanders to inside linebacker. That’s the opposite of this time last year.
Sanders is a terrific athlete, possessing the kind of size and range Denver has lacked in the middle of the field. Still, he hasn’t shown he can play inside full time. Heading into free agency, the three inside linebackers on the roster are Sanders, Singleton (still months away from being cleared to return) and 2024 undrafted rookie Levelle Bailey. Could Singleton and Sanders be the Broncos’ regular pairing in 2025? Definitely. But it’s far from a sure thing. That’s why it will be fascinating to see whether Denver aggressively pursues an inside linebacker in free agency. Payton was part of the group that drafted Philadelphia All-Pro Zach Baun to New Orleans back in 2020. Denver’s seen a whole lot of Nick Bolton the past four years in Kansas City. There are other quality options that will hit free agency next week, too. They could also address the position in the draft.
Regardless of who Denver adds over the next two months, though, Sanders will be one of the most closely watched players on the roster.
How come Bo Nix does not use a wrist bracelet with plays on it like most other quarterbacks? Does he know the plays that well that Sean Payton wants to run? Does he have a photographic memory? Whatever it is, it is impressive for a rookie.
— Mike, Omaha, Neb.
Hey Mike, thanks for the question. Nix certainly had good command of the offense by the end of the season, but he did have a band most of the time. Late in the year, he wore it on his belt rather than on his wrist. Payton has said, both with Nix and Russell Wilson before, that the main point of the band is to shorten some of the wordiest play calls. Payton’s got play names that could make an auctioneer blush. So instead of relaying a 19-word call to Nix and then having him relay that to the huddle, it’s easier to shorten the inbound call to the quarterback. It’s not really an indication of play-call command or anything like that.
To Denver’s credit, though, Nix, Payton and the offensive brain trust found a good rhythm as the season progressed of getting to more things that the rookie was comfortable with. The coaches’ job is to give Nix things he can succeed with. And Nix’s job is to make sure that list is always expanding. That’s part of what’s fascinating about this offseason. Nix and Payton will benefit from their first year together and can go much deeper into the bag. But the rest of the league will also be devising ways to make life more difficult on the quarterback in his second season. Is it September yet?
Sean Payton and the Broncos surprised the preseason pundits with this year’s success. With over a third of the Broncos’ 2025 opponents in this year’s playoffs, do you expect our boys to show everyone the 2024 season was no fluke and head to the postseason again?
— Curt Hanlen, Bosque Farms, N.M.
Hey Curt, good question. Way, way, way too early for those sorts of predictions, but you know the Broncos will say their standard has been set and they have no plans on back-sliding.
To your question, 43% of the NFL makes the postseason every year, so you’re going to have a good number of playoff teams on your schedule, even if you’re one of the 14 that makes it. The Broncos still play a third-place schedule this fall, so it’s not the gauntlet that division champions typically face. Though, to be fair, Green Bay and Cincinnati are no slouches as third-place finishers. They’re probably saying the same thing about the Broncos.
This part can’t be said enough: The AFC is going to be a beast for years to come. You know the quarterbacks in the conference: Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, C.J. Stroud and onward.
Chemistry: An overused or misunderstood term? How do you rate the Broncos team chemistry? You are around the team much more than fans, what do you see and hear in the locker room?
— David Brown, Silverthorne
Hey David, yeah, interesting question. Even from our positions, I’d caution against saying anything too categorical. But the 2024 Broncos certainly seemed like a group that had good chemistry and a good locker room. The defense was tight-knit and the addition of Malcolm Roach — a big personality among a group that has some business-like guys — really helped solidify the group’s culture. They kind of took to heart the idea that Pat Surtain II was the only first-round pick among them and that they were a group that had to fight, individually and collectively. Obviously the offensive line played a part in setting the tone offensively, but Nix’s addition and the way the unit bought into him became palpable quickly.
The Broncos showed resilience on multiple occasions — after the 0-2 start, after the crushing loss to Kansas City and after losing in Weeks 16 and 17 in frustrating fashion. That’s usually a telltale sign of good chemistry. Now the task is to build off of that with what will be a 2025 team built on a similar foundation but, like every year in the NFL, featuring many new faces, too.
I’ve heard and read references to teams wanting Zach Wilson next season. Should the Broncos sign him, play him in the preseason and try to trade him, or just allow him to walk as a free agent? Also, which looks more likely: Denver selecting a tight end or a running back early in the draft?
— Fred Waiss, Prairie du Chien, Wis.
Hey Fred, thanks as always for the note. More on this later in the week, but yes, the Broncos need a backup quarterback to Bo Nix and it’s not likely they’ll get both Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson back.
Wilson clearly has more upside and you could just tell from the way that Payton and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb talked about him that they liked the trajectory he was on. Another season working with him — or the chance to sign him, let him play extensively in the preseason and then trade him — would be an exciting prospect. One of the highlights of getting to the stadium 3.5 hours before kickoff each weekend was watching Webb take Wilson through an early workout on the field before Stidham and Nix warmed up. The talent is obvious.
But when free agency starts next week Wilson will undoubtedly be looking for a place where he can compete for a starting job. Not that there’s nobody else who could be a suitable backup, but the worst-case scenario for Denver would probably be trying to get Wilson back, failing and in the meantime losing Stidham to another team. We’ll see how quickly they address the position in the coming days.
Not a question, but a suggestion. Troy Renck asked for a new name for the hybrid position in the Broncos offense, out of respect for Denver’s only true Joker. My vote is for Mustang. It hints at the wildcard nature of the position, and it also happens to stick with the Ford equestrian theme. Let’s make Mustang happen!
— Patrick, Denver
Mustang, Joker, call it what you want. If the Broncos find that guy in the draft this spring, it’s got the potential to make a world of difference for Nix in Year 2.
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