Insider Explains Why NFL Should 'Look Out' for the Broncos

It seems that some people forgot about the Denver Broncos after Bo Nix went down with an ankle injury that kept him from playing the AFC championship game. As a result, the New England Patriots managed to punch a ticket to the Super Bowl, despite the Broncos holding Drake Maye to under 50% completion and 86 passing yards.

If Nix doesn't go down, the Broncos are winning that home game against the Patriots, and who knows what would have happened in the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. It genuinely felt like the AFC team to beat last season was robbed of the chance to represent the conference in the Super Bowl.

But six months will have passed since Nix's injury by the time the Broncos kick off training camp on July 28. Nix will be healthy, and Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer advises the NFL to "look out."

"Had it not been for Bo Nix’s freak injury in the AFC title game, we might be talking now about the Broncos coming off a Super Bowl. And here, to me, is the best part about it: Having to manage expectations won’t be a problem, because Sean Payton already foisted those upon his growing team last summer, when he told everyone who’d listen that he had a Super Bowl team. Now, with Jaylen Waddle aboard to add another dimension to the offense, Nix healthy and most of the rest of the operation intact (pending Jonathon Cooper’s legal situation), look out," Breer wrote.

Expectation Management

Bo Nix and Sean Payto — Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with quarterback Bo Nix (10) during the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Breer's point about the management of expectations is a great one, and I haven't seen anyone else in the national perspective assert it. Super Bowl expectations? That's nothing new to the Broncos after Payton whispered it publicly last summer. He almost spoke it into existence.

The one difference, I'd say, is that last year, few people around the NFL actually bought Payton's championship forecast. The Broncos were still very much a sleeper, for example, when they went into Philly and knocked off the defending-champion Eagles in Week 5.

By the time the Jacksonville Jaguars snapped the Broncos' 11-game winning streak, nobody was sleeping on Payton's team anymore. The Broncos ended up winning 14 games, dethroned the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West crown, and earned the No. 1 playoff seed in the conference.

Suffice it to say, the Broncos have the NFL's attention now. They'll get everybody's best shot in 2026.

Waddle's Arrival

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle catches a pass during OTA practice at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. | Gabriel Christus/Denver Broncos

With Waddle in the fold, new offensive coordinator Davis Webb sees a parallel in Denver from his time backing up Josh Allen in Buffalo back in 2020. The Bills acquired Stefon Diggs via trade ahead of Allen's third year, and in Webb's opinion, it sparked the young quarterback's immediate ascension.

Webb believes the Broncos still have a lot of work to do, but Waddle's arrival has him forecasting a similar Year-3 jump from Nix. Complemented by an elite defense that is replacing only one starter, if Waddle sparks a Nix ascension, the Broncos are going to be a very tough out for opponents.

The 2026 schedule opens up with a veritable gauntlet, but you typically don't have to worry about the Broncos against upper-crust competition. Denver gets its dander up for such opponents.

Where you have to worry about the Broncos is against lesser opponents. The Nix-era Broncos have shown a troubling tendency to play down to competition, just as much as they play up to opponents.

To really cement the Broncos' status as one of the NFL's elite teams, Payton has to set the 60-minute standard, regardless of opponent. Like, this is just how the Broncos execute and perform, no matter if it's against a playoff-caliber opponent or a basement dweller.

The Takeaway

With Payton taking on more of a CEO-type role in 2026, it'll be interesting to see how it shapes up. The Broncos are extremely confident in Webb taking over the play-calling duties, and it's certainly created some excitement among the players.

The NFL isn't sleeping on Denver anymore. That's okay. The Broncos remain focused on the Super Bowl, and managing the expectation will be nothing new for Payton's still-young roster.

Sign up for our free Denver Broncos On SI newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google