3 Denver Broncos Deserving of More Respect Entering 2026

After winning 14 games and coming one quarterback injury away from a likely Super Bowl berth, it's safe to say that nobody is sleeping on the Denver Broncos anymore. The Broncos have the NFL's full and undivided attention, as evidenced by their schedule.

However, Denver still has several players flying under the radar who don't quite get the attention and appreciation they deserve. As we continue marching through the offseason gruel, we're previewing the 2026 season by shining a light on three underappreciated Broncos.

Ja'Quan McMillian | CB

McMillian broke into the league in 2022 as an undrafted rookie with the Broncos. By 2023, he had taken over as the Broncos' nickel cornerback, replacing the oft-injured K'Waun Williams in the starting lineup.

McMillian broke out in 2023, and he hasn't looked back since. That didn't stop the Broncos from drafting a potential replacement in the first round last year, but Jahdae Barron's arrival only seemed to motivate McMillian, who proceeded to turn in arguably his best year as a pro.

McMillian is a sticky coverage man and a tenacious and fearless run defender, but his most indispensable asset to the Broncos' defense is his ball-hawking nature. The Broncos really struggled to force turnovers as a unit last season, but McMillian's fingerprints were on five takeaways.

McMillian co-led the Broncos with two-interceptions last year, plus he had two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. His signature play, though, came in the divisional round of the playoffs when he picked off Josh Allen in overtime to help seal the victory.

McMillian hit the 2026 offseason as a restricted free agent. The Broncos tendered him at the second-round level, and GM George Paton would go on to categorize McMillian as "one of our core players."

McMillian is back in the saddle with a significant raise, set to earn $5.8 million on his RFA tender. He's in a contract year once again, but if he continues on his current trajectory, it's only a matter of time before the Broncos bite the bullet on a multi-year extension.

J.K. Dobbins | RB

J.K. Dobbins and DaRon Bland — Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) runs against Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26). | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Dobbins doesn't get the love he deserves, and that includes from sections of Broncos Country. I don't mean to paint with too broad a brush here, because many Broncos fans see the veteran running back for what he is, which is one of the NFL's best when healthy.

There's that nasty caveat that always punctuates any positive take on Dobbins. "When healthy." He's had some bad injury luck as a pro, no doubt, and that included last season as a Bronco, as he missed the final seven regular-season games and the playoffs with a Lisfranc foot injury.

However, before Dobbins went down in Week 10, he was a top-five rusher in the NFL. The Broncos' rushing offense ranked in the top 10 with him in the lineup.

It had been a while since the Broncos had a running back that productive. It was a refreshing change, and the effect it had on the offense from a consistency standpoint was immense.

Dobbins rushed for 772 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. That was huge, but the intangible impact he had on the Broncos was just as palpable.

Dobbins didn't arrive in Denver until mid-June of 2025, but he quickly established himself as a vocal leader. The 2024 Broncos, without Dobbins, struggled to come out on top in one-score games. The 2025 Broncos flipped that script, winning 11 such games, and the confidence boost and belief imparted by Dobbins was a big reason why.

Dobbins brought swagger and confidence to the table, which was much needed. He left an indelible mark on the Broncos, from the field to the coaches' offices to the front office, which is why he was the team's top offseason priority.

The Broncos re-signed Dobbins to a two-year, $16 million deal, with $8 million guaranteed. He has incentives in his contract that could see him earn more, and if he can get a little luck by way of the injury bug, it's a certainty that he hits them.

It's all too easy to dismiss Dobbins because of his injury jacket, but give this man some props. When healthy, he's one of the most consistent running backs in the NFL. That's what the Broncos see, not the injuries.

Knock on wood that Dobbins will finally be able to avoid major injury in his seventh NFL season.

Bo Nix | QB

Unfortunately, I have to put the Broncos' starting quarterback on this list. Frankly, Nix doesn't get anywhere close to the attention he deserves.

If a quarterback like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels had become the first guy in NFL history to win 20-plus games while passing for 7,500-plus yards and 50-plus touchdowns through their first two seasons, do you suppose the national media would have made a big deal of it? We would never hear the end of it.

None of those quarterbacks even came close, though. In fact, no quarterback has ever achieved that except Bo Chapman Nix.

And yet, a quick glance at his NFL resume, and notably absent from his list of accomplishments is even one official accolade. No Pro Bowl nods. No All-Pro selections. Nada. Zip.

In fairnesss, Nix could have gotten a Pro Bowl on his resume after his rookie season, when he finished as an alternate. After multiple quarterbacks backed out of the Pro Bowl Games, he was offered a slot, but he declined, instead opting to undergo a quick offseason procedure to ensure he was ready for the 2025 season.

Through this, we see that accolades are not what drive Nix. Being there for his team and winning Super Bowls are his motivating drivers, which is why he's not losing any sleep over the lack of accolades and media attention.

Nix is still very young and he's already achieved so much. The accolades will come, even though the AFC is replete with tier-one quarterbacks.

In Year 1, Nix became the first rookie quarterback since John Elway to start in Week 1. From there, Nix led the Broncos to their first double-digit-win season since the Peyton Manning days, snapping the club's heretofore eight-year playoff drought.

In Year 2, Nix beat both teams from the previous Super Bowl, won 14 games, dethroned the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West, and earned the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC. In the divisional round, he delivered one of the most epic playoff performances in Broncos history, beating Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in a thrilling 33-30 overtime win, though it came at a cost.

Nix fractured his right ankle on the third-to-last play of the game, which ended his season while the Broncos moved on to host the AFC championship game. We all know what happened from there.

From questionable offseason rankings and ubiquitous lists, Nix still isn't getting the respect he deserves. Broncos Country knows what a franchise quarterback looks like, though, and he has already checked all of those boxes through two seasons.

Nix and the Broncos are just getting started, so there's time yet for the accolades and media attention to start coming his way. But he probably couldn't care less about any of that stuff, unless it somehow helped him and the Broncos on gameday... which it doesn't.

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