What I learned about the Broncos at the NFL combine: Picture at WR, ILB gets clearer

The Denver Broncos didn’t get to see some of the marquee players at their biggest positions of need work out at the NFL Scouting Combine last week. Penn State tight end Tyler Warren chose not to run at the event. Same for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up. Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, another potential first-round prospect, sat out with a shoulder injury that should be healed by the time his first NFL training camp begins.

None of that dampened Denver’s eagerness to evaluate what appear to be deep groups at those two critical positions. The Broncos need upgrades at both spots as they try to build a more explosive offense around quarterback Bo Nix, and the combine was a critical checkpoint. Prospects don’t have to work out to be put “on the hook,” as Broncos coach Sean Payton called the expedited interview process in Indianapolis.

“The No. 1 thing would be having a chance to visit these guys in person,” Payton said. ” … For me, it’s having a conversation in a 20-minute time frame. Maybe an informal conversation, but putting a face with the name and film we are going to study. We will get this all on video, but that is one part of it.”

📍 #NFLCombine

Looking for the next Broncos. 👀 pic.twitter.com/fhRg4h3Xud

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) February 28, 2025

With the combine complete, the Broncos’ offseason will pick up speed heading into the NFL Draft at the end of April. The legal tampering period in free agency begins March 10, and an important roster-building process will take off from there.

Here are some things we learned about the Broncos — and the road ahead — after the combine:

Big free-agent splash at WR unlikely

The Broncos expressed a motivation to agree to a contract extension with veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Though Payton said at the combine that “I don’t think now is the time” to have the deal done, there is a clear understanding that neither side expects Sutton to play 2025 on the final year of his deal, which has $14 million due this season, but none guaranteed.

“Courtland is one of our guys,” general manager George Paton said. “He’s a team captain. I’ve said this for a couple years in a row, we want him here. We’ll have those discussions at the right time.”

Outside of getting a long-term deal with Sutton, I don’t expect a major splash from the Broncos at wide receiver. Payton has expressed pretty clearly since the season ended that he likes the trajectory of his young receivers. Marvin Mims Jr., Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin will all be entering their second or third seasons in 2025, and all three could have larger roles in Denver’s offense. Finding ways to get Mims and Franklin on the field together a little more frequently so that Denver can take advantage of their collective speed is something Payton mentioned wanting to do next season.

GO DEEPER

Broncos’ quest for AFC West crown will take more than finding ‘Loch Ness Monster’

The Broncos signed A.T. Perry, who spent most of last season on the team’s practice squad after being waived by the New Orleans Saints, to a reserve/futures contract in January. They are eager to evaluate the 25-year-old during a full offseason as another potential young depth piece in the receiving corps.

That doesn’t mean the Broncos aren’t closely evaluating the wide receiver class in free agency. But this is an older class outside of Tee Higgins, whom the Cincinnati Bengals say they are determined to re-sign. Four of the next five highest-rated players at the position after Higgins in The Athletic’s free-agency rankings will be at least 31 next season. The other, Chris Godwin, will be 29.

If the Broncos make a move in free agency at wide receiver, it’s more likely to come in the second or third wave — similar to the two-year, $9 million deal they reached with Josh Reynolds in late March last season.

Sanders could be key piece at inside LB

The two Broncos who played the most snaps at inside linebacker last season — Cody Barton and Justin Strnad — are both unrestricted free agents. Alex Singleton, entering the final year of his contract, is returning from an ACL injury he suffered last September. It all adds up to a decent amount of uncertainty about how the Broncos will approach a critical spot in Vance Joseph’s defense.

One thing that was made clear at the combine, though, is that Drew Sanders will be a permanent part of the room. Payton and Paton both said at the combine that Sanders will work this offseason at inside linebacker — and they have high expectations for what he could do there.

“We think Sanders can be a starter in this league at linebacker,” Paton said. “Now, let’s see how it goes. We’re going to keep adding good players. We just want competition at all of the positions. We’re not anointing anyone starters, but we just want to keep bringing in competition and we’ll get good results.”

If the Broncos do make a major splash in free agency — Paton continued to preach a targeted approach at the combine — this could be the position where it happens. Zack Baun, a former Payton draft pick in New Orleans, is the top player to watch for any team needing an upgrade at the spot. But Nick Bolton, who is still only 25 and is certainly familiar to the Broncos after spending the past four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, is another intriguing option.

Will Stidham be back as Broncos’ backup?

One component of Bo Nix’s encouraging development as a rookie quarterback last season was the relationship he built with his backups, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson. The trio spent Thursday nights having dinners together, along with their significant others, and vacationed together after the season.

“Those two definitely know how big of a role they’ve played for me this year,” Nix said of his backups toward the end of the season.

GO DEEPER

Bo Nix and the ‘divine discontent’ that will fuel the Broncos QB’s offseason work

The question now is whether the Broncos can replicate that environment with their quarterback room in 2025. Stidham and Wilson are both free agents, and it’s hard to envision both players returning to back up Nix. Wilson, in particular, figures to draw interest on the free-agent market as a player who could potentially compete for a starting job in training camp. He is only 25 years old but has five years of NFL experience, including the past season that allowed him to work behind the scenes as the third-string quarterback in Denver’s offense.

This draft class is not deep at quarterback. When Matthew Stafford agreed to an extension with the Los Angeles Rams last week, it meant one fewer option was available for quarterback-needy teams. Wilson and Stidham both figure to explore whether they can find a spot that will at least allow them to compete for a starting role — a scenario that won’t exist in Denver.

Still, the Broncos clearly would be interested in having either player back next season, depending on how the league-wide dominoes fall.

“We have to secure who the backup is,” Payton said. “There are probably a few moving parts there, but I was real pleased with the room. Then the uniqueness off the field with those guys getting along well. They really worked together well.”

My prediction for how it all unfolds: The Broncos bring back Stidham on a one- or two-year deal and add a developmental prospect on Day 3 of the draft or in college free agency.

Coaching staff still coming together

The Broncos announced the hiring of special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi the week before the combine, and Payton expressed an eagerness to have the veteran assistant working with Denver’s young players this offseason.

“The late Tony Sparano, a good friend of mine who was the head coach of the Dolphins, was I think the first guy to bring him into our league,” Payton said of Rizzi. “You had to know Tony. For him to rave about somebody, that may be once every three years. I know how Tony felt about him. I forget what year we hired him in New Orleans (2019), but he is a tremendous teacher. He is thorough. … I think will be a head coach in our league as well.”

Hiring Rizzi solved the major coaching question for Payton this offseason, but the total picture of his staff is still coming together. Outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite was arrested the day before the Broncos left for the combine for suspicion of assaulting a police officer. It’s not immediately clear what that will mean for his availability this season. The NFL is investigating the matter and the Broncos are allowing both the legal process and that of the league to unfold.

“We are on top of it relative to the local authorities as well as the league office,” Payton said. “We are monitoring that process and we will follow the proper protocols and channels. Right now, that is where it is at.”

The Broncos have a vacancy for a tight ends coach after Declan Doyle was hired to be the offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears. They need a new inside linebackers coach after Payton let go of Greg Manusky. They also lost pass game coordinator John Morton, who was hired to replace Ben Johnson as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions.

“We have taken our time,” Payton said of his staff. “At some point here, we will announce the completion of our staff. We are not there yet.”

(Top photo of Courtland Sutton: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images)

This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.