Broncos Earn 'Elite Contender' Status in New NFL Power Rankings

The Denver Broncos aren't phoning it in at training camp.

Sean Payton may be focusing on "load management" with certain tenured veterans and players coming off injuries, but that has not distracted from the Broncos' commitment to having a strong training camp. It's been a physical and competitive camp thus far, with emotions running high at times, and a heavy (and I mean heavy) emphasis on the run game.

Payton is no fool. He saw the 2026 schedule and knew that the camp recipe would call for a lot of spice if the Broncos are to emerge from the kitchen with the Golden Spoon.

Given how tough the first eight weeks are, the Broncos are working hard to be ready to rock and roll, even if it has come at the expense of a maddeningly consistent rash of soft-tissue injuries and two season-enders to a pair of depth players.

Fortunately, the Broncos have avoided any major injuries to any starters or key players. And quarterback Bo Nix, though he won't play in the preseason opener vs. the Atlanta Falcons, has looked great in camp and fully recovered from his fractured ankle.

With the preseason set to begin in earnest this weekend, Nick Shook dropped the latest NFL power rankings, with the Broncos checking in at... No. 2 overall, behind only the Los Angeles Rams.

"After falling painfully short of the Super Bowl last season, the Broncos return one of the most complete rosters in the NFL with hope spilling out of their saddlebags. There's good reason for the optimism: Their core contributors return on both defense and offense, and they've added a new weapon in explosive receiver Jaylen Waddle. Theoretically, the team that finished 14-3 last season should be even better," Shook wrote.

Close But No Cigar

Bo Nix. — Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) walks off the field after the AFC Divisional Round game against the Buffalo Bills. | Dustin Bradford / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

The alacrity with which the Broncos' 2025 season came to a screeching halt last season was jarring. The campaign may have officially ended in the AFC championship game, but it was over a week earlier after the euphoric overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Nix injured his ankle on the third-to-last play of the game, though fans didn't learn about it until 45 minutes or so after the final gun. That 45 minutes was blissful for Broncos Country, jubilant over the notion of this Nix-led team being set to host the AFC title game the next week.

Then Sean Payton stepped back to the podium and delivered the shocking news nobody west of the Mississippi wanted to hear: Nix was done for what remained of the season. The Broncos tried to rally around Jarrett Stidham, but the wind had been taken from the team's sails with the reality of Nix's injury, and the backup quarterback did not prove to be equal to his opportunity in the AFC championship game.

Knowing they were that close to the Super Bowl, the Broncos opted to batten down the roster's hatches, striving to retain as many of their free agents as possible, which they did. The Broncos will return 90% or so of their 2025 snaps this season, and with only a few strategic offseason additions, like Waddle and the club's draft class, the club hit training camp with continuity very much on their side.

'Elite Contenders'

Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) during training camp at Broncos Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"The Broncos have enjoyed an ideally quiet camp, are led by a veteran coach with a history of high-level success, welcomed their quarterback back into the fold after his injury-related exit in January and are hoping J.K. Dobbins can fulfill his sky-high promises (including completing a full season)," Shook wrote. "They also have five 2025 playoff qualifiers on their schedule in the first six weeks of the season. Right now, they're one of the elite contenders. They'll hope the same is true by the time winter arrives."

I'm not sure what qualifies as an "ideally quiet camp," but I would challenge Shook's assertion, based solely on the fact that, since the pads went on (Day 3), the Broncos have dealt with at least one injury per day.

Mostly of the soft-tissue variety, Payton has vowed to get to the bottom of it, but the notable absence of key players and starters, like Waddle, Marvin Mims Jr., Nik Bonitto (returned to practice days ago), Luke Wattenberg, Alex Forsyth, Devon Key, and others, has been conspicuous.

Again, though, the silver lining has been that nothing serious has befallen any of the players mentioned above. Backup defensive tackle Matt Henningsen (Achilles) and third-string center Michael Deiter (quad) have been lost for the season in camp, but the Broncos have seemingly dodged the worst possibilities in camp.

Knock on wood...

Dobbins even missed a day, creating more skepticism over the oft-injured running back's "pinky promise" to stay healthy for the full 17 games this season. He was back at practice the next day, though limited to individual drills, and was a full participant in Wednesday's session to prepare for the Falcons on Friday night.

The Broncos are well aware of how tough their initial schedule is. That has informed their physical, competitive training camp.

Hopefully, the collective callus the Broncos have built up during camp will serve them well when the regular season arrives, and they face the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs (twice), Jacksonville Jaguars, Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Seattle Seahawks all within the first eight weeks.

Weather that storm, though, and the Broncos will be sailing the smooth seas of the NFL's easiest second-half schedule. That is the mission, though the Broncos can only take it one game at a time come September.

The Takeaway

As the highest-ranked AFC team in these power rankings, it's clear that Denver has finally earned the respect of the national media. Being categorized as an "elite contender" by Shook reflects how far the Broncos have come over the past two years.

Everyone knows that if Nix doesn't go down, the Broncos would have been in the Super Bowl to face the Seahawks. Suffice it to say, the 2026 Broncos are looking to make up for lost time.

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