New Rankings Illustrate How Broncos Have NFL’s Most Complete Roster

Two-plus weeks into the new league year, most major moves have been completed around the NFL, with a few more free-agent signings likely to come along the way. For the most part, other than draft classes and maybe a few more trades, these are the rosters that most NFL teams will head into the 2026 season with, looking for a chance to compete for the Lombardi Trophy.

ESPN's Benjamin Solak factored in all the moves around the NFL this offseason, ranking the teams based on five factors.

Those five factors are: the value of expenditures, roster flexibility entering the draft, contract details on new signings/re-signings, compensatory pick formula, and what moves could have been made but weren't.

Rank: Fifth

The Denver Broncos rank as the fifth-best in the league, per Solak. The only teams he ranked higher are the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, and New Orleans Saints.

It seems that Solak wasn't too upset that the Broncos decided to run things back with most of their moves re-signing players such as running back J.K. Dobbins and tight end Adam Trautman. The one big move in Jaylen Waddle, though, obviously carries most of the Broncos' offseason water.

The Waddle trade reshapes the makeup of the Broncos' entire offense. That's for sure.

"This is the sort of move that contending teams in rookie QB contract windows should make," Solak wrote.

The Broncos needed a weapon that could help take the top off a defense, forcing teams into lighter boxes. Waddle can also get things done in the type of short passing game that Sean Payton loves to run.

Waddle offers both receiving elements, giving Bo Nix and this offense a weapon the defense now has to fear on a weekly basis.

Dec 21, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) reacts during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Lingering Concerns

What may raise some eyebrows is Solak's gripe about the Broncos running it back at linebacker with Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad. Both linebackers had some up-and-down moments this past season, but defenses did seem to target them when the Broncos tried to play man coverage.

Solak is not exactly wrong, but if we're picking nits in the Broncos' offseason decisions, I would point more to what they did at tight end. Trautman is not a bad player, but the contract the Broncos handed him, compared to other available tight ends, is where I'd draw the line.

Perhaps the Broncos were trying to conserve their compensatory picks by not signing an outside free -agent tight end, but saving a possible seventh-round comp pick instead of possibly upgrading the in-line tight end spot is tough to understand, let alone rationalize.

The Takeaway

Overall, the Broncos have had a good offseason. Some will forget that last year's roster went 14-3 and was very close to making the Super Bowl. They did not need to make big sweeping changes.

The Broncos have set themselves up well to either make another draft-day trade, like the one that netted them John Franklin-Myers back in 2024, or look to a few free-agent names on the market who could still be an upgrade on this roster.

The Broncos could also wait until the Monday following the draft to sign a free agent without hurting their compensatory picks projected to them next year for the loss of Franklin-Myers and safety P.J. Locke.

It wouldn't be a shock if, after the draft, the Broncos looked at veteran defensive lineman Cameron Jordan or David Njoku to bolster the tight end room because, again, it wouldn't offset their comp pick formula.

The way it looks today, though, the Broncos have the most complete roster in the NFL. Some positions could still use an upgrade, but the Broncos can feel confident that this is a championship-caliber roster entering the draft.

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