Five Keys to Ensuring Broncos Don't Take a Step Back in 2025

The Denver Broncos finally snapped their playoff drought but how can they afford regressing back to post-Super Bowl 50 form?

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) signals to the players before the snap during the first half of the Buffalo Bills wild card game against the Denver Broncos at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 12, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos exceeded expectations in 2024, and now the focus turns to putting in the work to return to the playoffs. After snapping an eight-year playoff drought, the Broncos don't want to take a step back.

Since 2020, 25 NFL teams have the playoffs only to miss the tournament the following season. That equals about eight teams per year. 

Among those teams that missed the playoffs the following year, the average difference in record was -3.5 wins from the season prior. This includes four instances where a team won the same number of games.

The Broncos have to take steps to avoid regressing. What exactly must Denver do to ensure another successful playoff campaign?

There are five keys to unlock in this crucial offseason, so to speak. Let's examine.

Build The Nest

The Broncos have to build up the offense around Bo Nix. That means reworking the running back and tight end rooms, adding a wide receiver, and possibly upgrading the center position. 

The Broncos' run game was abysmal all season despite some surges of play. With few exceptions, the backs were inconsistent from series to series.

Javonte Williams is a free agent and isn't expected to be re-signed, and while Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin are still under contract, they should have to compete for a roster spot. This is a solid free-agent group of backs and a very deep draft class, so the Broncos should add two or three. 

It's much the same with a Broncos tight end room that didn’t do much this past season. Adam Trautman was a disappointment, Nate Adkins came along as a blocker, and Lucas Krull was a practice-squad-caliber player at his best.

This is why the Broncos have been heavily linked to tight ends Tyler Warren (Penn State) and Colston Loveland (Michigan) in the pre-draft buzz and mocks. There aren’t many tight end options in free agency, but Juwan Johnson (New Orleans Saints) is a name to watch. Like with running back, the Broncos should add two or three new tight ends, with at least one veteran free agent. 

It was the Courtland Sutton show at receiver, but the room is full of potential more than realized talent. Marvin Mims Jr. came along nicely, but he's a gadget player more than a wide receiver.

Devaughn Vele had a nice rookie campaign, but who knows what his next step will be? The rest of the Broncos' receiver room left a much be desired.

The Broncos need a No. 1 or 2 receiver to pair with Sutton if he sticks around beyond 2025, as he's poised to have another clash over his contract. This is why the Broncos have been linked to multiple veteran receivers in trade and free agency, but if they can’t land a veteran, it'll be crucial to add one with a draft pick. 

As for the center position, Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth were serviceable, so the Broncos will be alright if they can't land an upgrade. However, based on what we saw from both last year, if the Broncos can upgrade, they should.

According to Pro Football Focus, 49 centers played at least 290 snaps on offense. Wattenberg ranked 35th in run blocking grade and Forsyth 16th, with Wattenberg ranking second and Forsyth 31st in pass blocking.

So perhaps Broncos O-line coach Zach Strief and Sean Payton see something in these two to keep working with, but if so, Wattenberg is entering the final year of his deal, and Forsyth has two years left. 

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Build the Middle of the Defense, Develop the Edges

Jan 12, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Denver Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones (93) warms up before a game against the Buffalo Bills in an AFC wild card game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Since the offseason began, Payton has talked about improving in the middle, which means interior defensive line (primarily nose tackle), linebacker, and safety. D.J. Jones was a solid rotation player as the nose tackle, but he's set to be a free agent. Both of Denver's starting linebackers — Cody Barton and Justin Strnad — struggled to close the season, and both are free agents, while P.J. Locke struggled a lot as a starting safety. 

There are options in free agency to replace Jones, and the draft is loaded with nose tackle types the Broncos can draft to develop, with many of them having the potential to start right away and can be had after the first three rounds. 

Losing the top two linebackers could be rough, but their play makes them expendable. Alex Singleton is returning in 2025, but his age and the severity of his ACL injury are a concern.

The Broncos would be wise to throw the bag at Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun, who can also help with Drew Sanders' adjustments and growth as a player, as the two players had a similar flip with their positions. The Broncos can then add a linebacker in the draft to grow and develop to replace Singleton after the season. 

At safety, Miami's Jevon Holland is a name to watch in free agency. He and Brandon Jones played together in Miami, so they have the needed familiarity to help Holland’s transition in Denver.

The draft also has some options in the first three rounds, though it dries up afterward. Whether the Broncos look to both free agency and the draft depends on whether Locke is retained (though he is under contract). While the Broncos have JL Skinner waiting in the wings, he will need competition for a role in 2025. 

That's how the Broncos improve the middle, but the edge also needs attention. Nik Bonitto, although he's a great pass rusher, is a concern against the run. Jonathon Cooper is a decent enough run defender, but he can be out-physicaled at the point of attack. The Broncos have to get improvements from these two, as well as Jonah Elliss and Deondrea Tillman, to better defend the edges against the run, and that includes the cornerbacks.

On top of that, the Broncos would be wise to figure out how to win by rushing four consistently. They are a blitz-heavy team, but as the Eagles showed in the Super Bowl, if you can win consistently with four, you will have success. 

After watching what the Buffalo Bills did to expose the defense in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs, the Broncos have to improve the middle and aspects of the edges (against the run especially). Teams will turn on that Bills tape and try to replicate the success.  

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Consistent Coaching

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton watches the players on the field during the second half of the Buffalo Bills wild card game against the Denver Broncos at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 12, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The most frustrating thing to watch during the 2024 season was the coaching inconsistency. The Broncos' core philosophies and mindset seemingly changed game to game. Vance Joseph would make drastic changes to the defense, which made sense at times but not always. The Broncos are an aggressive man-coverage team that heavily blitzes. 

When Patrick Surtain II went down, it was understandable to change things up. However, Joseph changed to a more exclusive zone coverage to close the season. When a team blitzes from that coverage, it leaves zones open. Teams found those windows vs. Denver and exploited them.

The Broncos couldn’t stop blitzing because they couldn’t generate pressure with only four rushers. This defense is built to be an aggressive man-cover team, but they need to stick with it unless, and only when, Surtain is out. 

On the other side of the ball, Payton has to stay aggressive with his calls and play for the win. For example, going for the tie against the Cincinnati Bengals was a significant blunder.

Payton also has to find balance with his play calls. The Broncos' run game was a consistent issue, but he would go away from it too quickly, even when it was actually working. 

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Cultivate the Underdog Mindset & Stay Focused

Jan 5, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (19) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey (84) and quarterback Bo Nix (10) in the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

This team used the preseason projections of 5.5 wins as motivation. That underdog mentality also comes with the mindset of having nothing to lose.

Whatever the Broncos use to motivate them, cultivating the underdog mindset will be key. It's unlikely that Vegas will set Denver's win total over/under at 5.5 games again for the 2025 season so that motivation might have to come from elsewhere. 

After exceeding expectations in 2024, it would be easy for the Broncos to lose sight of the ultimate goal. For many players, it was their first time in the playoffs. They can’t get complacent and accept just making the postseason but stay focused on returning to the playoffs and becoming contenders. 

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Payton Humbles Himself

Dec 19, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton watches game action against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at SoFi Stadium. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

This one pairs with coaching consistency. Payton had this issue in New Orleans, leading to questionable decision-making at times. We saw it in Denver against the Bengals when Payton opted to play for a tie, got too cute with his play-calling in critical situations, and frequently in his play sequencing. 

The Broncos are a good team, but they're not a team that can overcome issues created by the head coach. Payton is a big reason the Broncos made it back to the playoffs, but he is also a big reason why they only won 10 games and not one or two more and why they couldn't clinch a Wildcard berth until the season finale.

Payton has his guy in Nix; now, help him out by being more consistent with the run game. Don’t get too cute and put the Nix and the offense in a bad spot.

There have been a lot of great coaches in the NFL over the years. And Payton has been one of the few to reach the top of the NFL mountain. But the elite coaches have a semblance of self-awareness and a modicum of humility to pair with that supreme confidence and vision.

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