Three months ago, the Broncos intentionally walked away from calls and conversations empty-handed at the NFL’s trade deadline, and Sean Payton stood firm in his belief in the receiver room he’d curated.
“We like this group,” the coach said as the deadline passed, “and where we’re going.”
Where they ended up, ultimately, was a snow-covered home field Sunday with an injury-riddled group of wideouts that couldn’t separate much. Second-leading wideout Troy Franklin didn’t play with a hamstring injury. Rookie Pat Bryant exited early with a hamstring injury, too. Denver finished the AFC title game with two depth receivers in Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Elijah Moore, who were signed midseason, and an overall WR group that gave backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham little help with three drops.
On Tuesday, though, general manager George Paton said he didn’t regret not making a move for a receiver earlier this season.
“I don’t think that’s the reason we didn’t make the Super Bowl,” Paton said. “I think those guys, they’re all right. They had good years. We had some injuries in the end that hurt us … I don’t think what was available (at the deadline) would’ve made much of a difference for us.”
Still, over the course of season-ending press conferences the last two days, a combination of comments from Payton, Paton and players have made abundantly clear that Denver intends to take a hard look at its skill-position talent this offseason. The unclear question: Will that hard look involve drastic changes in personnel, or more general fundamental changes to Payton’s offense?
“We have everything we need,” left tackle Garett Bolles said Monday, before directly contradicting himself. “We just need a couple more playmakers, and sky’s the limit for this team.”
This evaluation begins at receiver, where both Payton and Paton repeated that they like the group — veteran Courtland Sutton, rookie Bryant, second-year wideouts Mims and Franklin — but Payton said technique needs to change.
The Broncos finished second among all NFL teams in total drops this season with 37, according to Pro Football Focus.
“We’ve got speed, we’ve got size, we’ve got all the things I’m used to that you’d want to have in a good offense,” Payton said Tuesday. “But I think there’s a proper way to catch a football. And most of the times, it’s with your thumbs together. Not the other way around.
“The other way around – I’m serious – only exists when the ball’s below your belly button,” he continued. “Even the deep balls should be caught with your thumbs together. So we gotta be better at that.”
Payton, meanwhile, called improving the Broncos’ run game “one of the key things” on his to-do list this offseason. On Monday, the Broncos’ head coach stepped into offensive line coach Zach Strief’s office for some initial self-evaluation. Behind veteran back J.K. Dobbins and a heavier emphasis on outside-zone concepts, Denver’s ground game was the engine of Payton’s offense for half the season. After Dobbins went down, though, production ground to a halt.
Rookie second-round RB RJ Harvey averaged just 3.3 yards per carry as the Broncos’ lead back, after Dobbins was lost for the season to a Lisfranc injury in Week 10. Denver didn’t total more than 80 rushing yards in either playoff game this season, and averaged more than 4.0 yards per carry in just three of its final nine games of the year after Dobbins’ injury.
“When we want to run it under center and control the game, we’ve been able to do it a few times, but not as much as I’d like, I think,” Payton said Tuesday. “And so, that’ll be an important study, and with urgency.”
Payton, too, still made clear he likes the roster flexibility to run a two-back system. Harvey showed more than enough —12 touchdowns in his rookie year — to factor heavily into the Broncos’ offensive plans in 2026. Denver could elect to bring back Dobbins as a veteran presence on a short-term deal, or look again to the draft to add a complement for Harvey.
There’s the issue, too, of Denver’s tight-end room. Payton never quite figured out how to use free-agent signee Evan Engram, whether due to a miscommunication of his role or a perceived decline for the 31-year-old tight end. Veteran favorite Adam Trautman’s contract is also up. Engram said Monday he felt the Broncos’ TE room could “bring a lot more than it did this year,” but Payton’s overall approach to utilizing the position in the passing game is unlikely to change if Denver enters 2026 with the same group.
In the weeks to come, as Paton said Tuesday, the Broncos’ front office will conduct a deep dive on how its roster stacks up at each position against the rest of the AFC West. They may find, in short order, that more help is needed for quarterback Bo Nix.
“I think we have some young talent,” Paton said. “And if we can add, we will. And if we can upgrade, we will, certainly.”
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