Ranking the Broncos' Position Groups From Strongest to Weakest

Throughout this offseason, there has been a lot of talk about how good the Denver Broncos' roster is, but where is it strongest? What better way of divining the answer than by ranking the Broncos' position groups from strongest to weakest?

These rankings factor in starting-caliber talent, depth, career length, and injuries. While fans can be excited about a given rookie, until they've actually played, there's no guarantee the Broncos have a hit on their hands, and this lack of experience impacts a few position groups.

So, let’s get into it.

1. Cornerback

Patrick Surtain II and Ja'Quan McMillian. — Denver Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian (29) celebrates with cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) against the Kansas City Chiefs. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

When you have one of the best players at the position, if not the best, it is obviously going to elevate the room, but the cornerbacks don’t get the top spot only because of Patrick Surtain II. Riley Moss, even with his penalty issues and performance drop-off late in the 2025 season, is still a premier No. 2 corner in the NFL.

Ja’Quan McMillian's run defense, takeaways, and other elements make him a top 12 slot corner in the NFL, even if the analytics sites don't grade his coverage well.

Jahdae Barron, in limited reps as a rookie, had an up-and-down showing, but there were times you could see the flashes that led to Denver selecting him with the 20th overall pick in 2025. Kris Abrams-Draine is also a good depth piece to have and helped Denver overcome some injuries over the past two seasons.

2. Outside Linebacker

Nik Bonitto. — Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) celebrates a sack against the Los Angeles Chargers. | Jevone Moore / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

The edge room has a complication with the ranking due to Jonathon Cooper's off-the-field situation, but until that is resolved, we will still include him in the room, which helps keep the unit from dropping a few spots. Nik Bonitto is the big piece in the room as one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL, but his run defense can still be problematic.

With Sean Payton confirming Jonah Elliss is staying at outside linebacker, the depth of the room boosts the ranking a lot. Elliss has proven to be capable, though injuries have been a concern through two years; Dondrea Tillman is probably the best edge-setter in the room, and Que Robinson had some great flashes as a rookie.

3. Wide Receivers

Jaylen Waddle is a significant boost to the position, and along with Courtland Sutton, they really lift the room. There is a lot of potential with the depth, too, but concerns still limit how much the room benefits from it.

Even after a big year in 2025, drops remained a problem for Troy Franklin, and his route-running dropped off late in the season as he started dealing with soft-tissue injuries. He is still the best depth piece in the room, even with questions about his role with the Waddle addition.

Marvin Mims Jr. is known for his returns, but he has been reliable when called upon as a receiver; the issue here is that he isn’t called upon as a receiver very often, which has led to some frustration on his part. Pat Bryant was showing well before suffering a pair of concussions late in the season and a soft tissue injury that caused him to miss time. This is a good room, full of potential, but also plenty of questions.

4. Defensive Line

Denver Broncos Defensive Lineman Zach Allen (99) lines up against the Cincinnati Bengals. | Michael Allio / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Denver might have the best nose tackle duo in the NFL with D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach, who each play around 42% of the defensive snaps, giving them a good rotation in the middle of the defensive line. Zach Allen is also one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL as Denver's left 3-4 defensive end, and these three do some heavy lifting in the room.

Eyioma Uwazurike finally showed his potential in 2025 in a rotational role, but there were clear alignments that he struggled with. In terms of depth, Uwazurike is the main one, as Sai’vion Jones has hardly played in the NFL and Tyler Onyedim is a rookie.

5. Interior Offensive Line

Denver Broncos linemen Luke Wattenberg (60) and Quinn Meinerz (77) talk vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. — Denver Broncos linemen Luke Wattenberg (60) and Quinn Meinerz (77) vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. | Kevin Schultz / Cal Media / IMAGO / Newscom World

Quinn Meinerz is an elite player, with Ben Powers and Luke Wattenberg being solid starters at their positions. This group is similar to the defensive line, due to Jones, Roach, and Uwazurike out-valuing Powers, Wattenberg, and Alex Palczewski, the last of whom is the Broncos' top interior depth piece.

Palczewski was fine on the right side in recent years, as a tackle, but his play at left guard last year was among the worst in the NFL. Kage Casey is a rookie, so he is still of that unknown quality, as is Nick Gargiulo, who is working back from injury.

Matt Peart, who started a game at left guard for Powers last year, is likely on his way out this summer, leaving Alex Forsyth as the only other depth piece to bring value, and he hasn’t shown much growth from his playing time of the past two seasons.

6. Offensive Tackle

Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles (72) and right tackle Mike McGlinchey (69) | Derek Regensburger / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The questionable depth is what pushed the tackle position to the middle of the pack in the overall rankings. The fourth- to eighth-ranked positions are very close and difficult to separate.

The Broncos' tackle depth is Frank Crum, who has barely played, though he did look solid in a small sample size in 2025, along with the undrafted rookie Tyler Miller, who doesn’t add to the room, and the recent signing of second-year veteran Reid Holskey.

Mike McGlinchey ranks in the middle of the pack among starting right tackles in the NFL, landing somewhere in the 14-18 range, but he is a very solid starter for the Broncos. Garett Bolles is coming off a career season, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors, but his age raises some concerns about how much longer he can sustain that level of play.

These two lift the room a lot, but each has concerns.

7. Running Back/Fullback

Even with some concerns about his success and consistency as a runner with RJ Harvey, his play as a receiver as a rookie still makes him a good depth piece for Year 2, even if his rushing ability doesn’t show the needed improvements in 2026. Then there is Adam Prentice, who has proven himself to be a very capable fullback for the Broncos when they've used him.

The issue here is that Jonah Coleman is a rookie and that J.K. Dobbins has an injury history. When healthy, Dobbins is a great player, but he misses games so consistently and has had multiple season-ending injuries, making him hard to bet on.

The rest of the depth isn’t anything special to lift the room, including Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie, and Cody Schrader.

8. Quarterback

Denver Broncos QBs coach Davis Webb exits the tunnel with Bo Nix (10) and Jarrett Stidham (8). — Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) and quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) before the preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Bo Nix is the franchise quarterback, but his ankle injury lowered the quarterback rankings somewhat. Even as a franchise quarterback, he still has plenty of room for improvement, but if we were just ranking starters, the quarterback would be much higher on the list.

After watching Jarrett Stidham in the AFC championship game, the Broncos' depth at quarterback is like an anchor dragging the group down. Teams may be interested in Stidham, but a trade seems unlikely at this point, and Sam Ehlinger won't factor into the position rankings much until he shows it on the field.

9. Specialists

Wil Lutz is solid overall and one of the NFL's better kickers under 40 yards, but anything over that is a problem. Jeremy Crawshaw had a good rookie season and was a top-10 punter, so it will be interesting to see how much he grows.

Mitchell Fraboni, as the long snapper, does a more-than-capable job.

10. Safety

Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones — Denver Broncos safeties Talanoa Hufanga (9) and Brandon Jones (22) chat during a voluntary minicamp practice in May of 2025. | Ben Swanson/DenverBroncos.com

Medicals and depth hit the safety room hard, as Talanoa Hufanga was excellent in 2025 and Brandon Jones was solid. Jones is coming off a season-ending injury, and Hufanga has an extensive injury history himself.

The Broncos also lost their top depth piece when P.J. Locke left for Dallas. Denver is now betting on Devon Key to step up as the third safety. There is potential there, as Key is an All-Pro special teams player, but he's unproven on defense.

The Broncos' other depth safeties are the rookie Miles Scott and two special teams players, JL Skinner and Tycen Anderson (the free-agent addition to the room). Neither Skinner nor Anderson has done well on defense in the NFL. One injury could derail the position.

11. Linebacker

Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton — Denver Broncos linebackers Alex Singleton (49) and Justin Strnad (40) celebrate a sack vs. the Tennessee Titans. | Derek Regensburger / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Despite the hate, Alex Singleton is a solid starter. He may not be great, but he's a starter you can win with in the starting lineup.

Justin Strnad is at that same level, with serious issues as a run defender. This duo's vulnerabilities can create problems for the defense, and many questions remain about Denver's depth.

Red Murdock and Taurean York aren’t being factored into these rankings as rookies, and the Broncos' other depth pieces are Karene Reid, Levelle Bailey, and Jordan Turner. All three have seen action in regular-season games and been on the 53-man roster, but they're practice-squad-caliber linebackers. The Broncos have shown a lot of faith in both Reid and Turner specifically.

12. Tight End

The Broncos should have done more to upgrade this room in the offseason. Evan Engram and Adam Trautman are the two ‘starters’ in the room, and they are far more problematic than Strnad and Singleton, which puts the tight ends below linebackers, though it is close.

Depth at both positions remains questionable at best, with Justin Joly, Dallen Bentley, and Caleb Lohner not factoring in due to their lack of NFL experience. While Lohner isn’t a rookie, his 57 snaps in college football and his rookie year spent on the practice squad take him out of the equation, not to mention how bad he was in the 2025 preseason.

That leaves Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull as the depth pieces, and both have serious issues. Adkins is the best blocking tight end on the roster, but that isn’t saying much, and he has struggled to stay healthy. Krull isn’t a great blocker or receiver and has issues staying healthy.

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