On Monday, the Denver Broncos helped Bo Nix get better, if you ask Sean Payton.
The picture for Denver’s offseason was “certainly clearer” this spring than it had been in 2024, as Payton said at last month’s NFL combine, when any vision of the Broncos’ roster was beset by a mess of fuzzy pixels at quarterback. But they have their spiky-haired man, now. The objective, simply, is to build around Nix. And there was more than one way to do that, Payton emphasized in Indianapolis.
“The running back and the tight end could obviously help in his development,” Payton said, on surrounding Nix with positional weapons. “And then, I would also say, like, a really good, elite pass-rusher, can help in his development. A really good cover corner.”
“I’m only saying that because the best player helps the team get better.”
And Payton and general manager George Paton moved aggressively on the first day of free agency to ensnare roster upgrades on the defensive side of the ball, nabbing San Francisco free-agent linebacker Dre Greenlaw and playmaking safety Talanoa Hufanga on multi-year deals. But the Broncos’ most public offseason target — a playmaking running back and-or tight end to create matchup issues over the middle of the field, or a “Joker” — remains a wild card.
Juwan Johnson, a 6-foot-4 open-space threat who Payton plucked undrafted out of Penn State in 2020, is re-upping for three years with the New Orleans Saints after constant buzz over a potential Payton reunion in Denver. Fellow top free-agent tight ends Austin Hooper, Mike Gesicki, and Zach Ertz are signing elsewhere. An already thin free-agent running back class has been combed through, as jewel Aaron Jones re-signed with the Minnesota Vikings. There are only so many pieces that can fit the Joker puzzle, and many have been snatched off the table.
One potential 240-pound cornerstone dangles on the edge, as Jacksonville Jaguars tight Evan Engram visited Denver Monday but left without putting pen to paper. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Engram was visiting the Los Angeles Chargers Tuesday, setting up a potential tug-of-war between AFC West foes for the dynamic two-time Pro Bowler.
With or without Engram, the Broncos’ patience in pursuing weapons for Nix in free agency signals a likely commitment to finding offensive talent in April’s NFL Draft. If Engram doesn’t wind up in Denver, or even if he does, the Broncos could look to Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, who finished seventh in Heisman voting after a 1,233-yard senior season in 2024.
A source told the Denver Post that Warren had a formal visit with Denver at the combine, and that if he chose to forgo physical drills at Penn State’s pro day, he’d be open to setting up a private workout with the Broncos. Warren, however, is favored by teams in the top half of the draft, meaning — as with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty — that Denver would likely have to trade up from pick no. 20 to draft him.
“When you pick 20, it’s not as easy to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to find that,’” Payton said at the combine, of finding his Joker in the draft. “Because that player can be a running back, it can be a tight end.”
There’s an overwhelming amount of depth, though, that’d still sit for Denver if they stayed pat at no. 20 or dipped into later rounds. Look at Michigan tight end Colston Loveland or Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson. Look at Kansas running back Devin Neal, a potential third-round target who the Broncos are planning to send multiple scouts to see at Kansas’s pro day in late March, according to a source.
“I think we could get over 30 (running backs) drafted this year,” Jordan Reid, an NFL Draft analyst for ESPN, said on a conference call with media last week. “So, that just goes to show how deep this running back class is.”
If Denver stands pat at 20 and doesn’t wind up with Jeanty or North Carolina back Omarion Hampton, they could easily look for a tight end in the first round and running back in middle rounds.
And Engram or no Engram, Payton could walk away with a couple shiny new toys for Nix.
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