NFL Awards Broncos With Two Compensatory Draft Picks in 2026

Each year, the NFL awards draft picks to teams that lost more compensatory free agents than they gained. And for the first time since 2020, the Denver Broncos have been awarded two compensatory picks, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

The NFL has announced the 2026 comp picks, handing out 33 to 15 clubs pic.twitter.com/ETkycNXvt5
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2026

The Broncos got two seventh-round picks — the last two picks in the 2026 NFL draft at No. 256 and No. 257 overall. While they are the final picks in the draft, they do represent additional capital.

It's worth noting the Broncos will have the so-called Mr. Irrelevant pick going into the draft for the third time in the last 10 years. They had the last pick in the draft in 2016 but traded it away in a move up the board. They also had in 2017 and used it on quarterback Chad Kelly.

Kelly spent one-and-a-half seasons with the Broncos before getting released after a run-in with Denver police. Kelly was close to getting a shot to supplant Case Keenum as the Broncos' starting quarterback in 2018 when he got in trouble. The Broncos had to move on.

The Broncos will enter the 2026 draft with nine total selections, unless they trade picks away in advance. They have their own first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and seventh-round picks, plus a fourth-rounder they acquired from the New Orleans Saints in the trade for wide receiver Devaughn Vele.

The compensatory picks awarded this year likely came from the Broncos losing running back Javonte Williams to the Dallas Cowboys and punter Riley Dixon to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2025 unrestricted free agency. The Broncos also lost linebacker Cody Barton and quarterback Zach Wilson in 2025, but those losses were countered with the signings of linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga.

The Broncos released Greenlaw on Monday, after just one season with the club. He missed nine games in 2025.

The Broncos also added tight end Evan Engram last year, but he was a street free agent and didn't count toward the formula. Wide receiver Trent Sherfield didn't count toward the formula, likely because he didn't reach a snap threshold, and running back J.K. Dobbins didn't count, likely because he didn't earn all his incentives.

It remains to be seen whether the Broncos will get any compensatory picks in 2027, though as of Monday, they could get one for defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers, who signed with the Tennessee Titans.

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