When and Where: Week 5 at home
Last season: Beat up a soft schedule to make the playoffs, going 8-0 against teams with a losing record and 1-7 against teams with a winning record, not counting a blowout of the Carson Wentz-led Chiefs in Week 18.
Added: JK Dobbins, Evan Engram, Talanoa Hufanga
Lost: Cody Barton, Javonte Williams, Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Players added or lost in order of snaps played last season.
Top draft picks: Jahdae Barron, RJ Harvey, Pat Bryant
Biggest question facing this team: Was 2024 a mirage?
The Broncos drafted a QB last year, then made the playoffs to get their rebuild ahead of schedule. We’ve seen this story before. The Patriots also made the playoffs with a 10-7 record with a rookie QB in 2021, only to get blown out by the Bills, just as the Broncos did. Or the Giants in 2022, also unexpectedly making the playoffs as a wild card as the 3rd place team in their division, only to get blown out by an actual Super Bowl contender, just like the Broncos.
The Broncos 2024 season wasn’t exactly the same as those teams, but it was closer to those ahead of schedule rebuilds that were actually mirages than it was to a team leveling up with floor and ceiling raising changes to their roster. The Broncos beating up on bad teams but got beat by nearly every good team they played. Five of those losses were by one score, so perhaps this team is close to hanging with the best of the AFC than their blowout losses to the Ravens and Bills would indicate. But they didn’t do a whole lot to improve in the offseason.
They need a dependable running back, they added 5’8” RB RJ Harvey and just signed JK Dobbins. They needed a tight end, their only notable addition was Evan Engram, who has had one good season in the last four years. They needed help at WR, their only notable addition was drafting Pat Bryant in the 3rd round. They brought in bodies, some that have some upside. But the Broncos didn’t raise their ceiling much this offseason. The 2021 Patriots and 2022 Giants also fooled themselves into relying on small moves and internal improvements, and they fell flat.
The Eagles play nine teams that made the playoffs last year. Not all nine will make it this year. The Broncos feel like easy money to be one of them. A losing record by Denver shouldn’t be a surprise.
