Rivals Roundup: Denver Broncos
Let's examine the offseason moves made by the Chiefs' biggest rivals and AFC challengers.
The Denver Broncos had a hell of a 2025 season. After going 10-7 in 2024 and making the playoffs for the first time since 2015, they went 14-3 in 2025, earning the coveted 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They took out the Buffalo Bills in overtime in the Divisional Round, but QB Bo Nix broke his ankle on the last play of the game. This was their first playoff win since they won Super Bowl 50 in 2015. They would go on to play the Patriots in a defensive slugfest in the AFC Championship game, eventually losing 10-7, ending their miracle year.
Bo Nix got surgery on his ankle following the Buffalo game, but would end up needing a second surgery in April to remove bone spurs that had developed. Camp reports indicate he is now good to go for the 2026 season. HC Sean Payton announced after the Super Bowl that OC Davis Webb would be calling plays for the 2026 season. That is an interesting twist. We will see if he holds to that for the entire season.
The story of the Broncos, leading all the way back to the 2015 season, has been their defense. It has been very good nearly every year since then, and was exceptional in 2025. They led the league in sacks with 68; they were 3rd overall in lowest points allowed per game, and 1st in passing yards per play. It was incredible. Defensive performance is much less stable year to year than offensive performance, but Denver has so far managed to beat the odds and maintain their dominance. I would expect that to continue this upcoming season.
The Broncos basically “ran it back” in 2026. John Franklin-Myers was their biggest departure. He left for the Titans, signing a 3-year, $63M contract worth $21M annually. He earned 7.5 sacks in the 2025 regular season despite only playing 46% of the snaps across 16 total games. Safety PJ Locke was the next biggest departure, but he only played 15.4% of their defensive snaps. TE Marcedes Lewis played an even smaller percentage of their offensive snaps.