Two Broncos Stars Have a Legitimate Beef With Latest Top 100

With the NFL regular season less than two weeks out, we're almost through the woods of the ubiquitous offseason lists and rankings around the web.

The most meaningful offseason list is always NFL Network's Top 100 Players because only the players vote. The Denver Broncos had six players ranked in NFLN's Top 100, the most they've had in years.

It's a great illustration of how the Broncos' NFL peers view them at an individual level. The latest is one that draws no shortage of fanfare around the internet: ESPN's list, which seeks to predict the top 100 players of the 2026 season.

ESPN's list is voted on and compiled by 12 of its writers and analysts. Five Broncos made it:

79. Zach Allen | DL
56. Nik Bonitto | OLB
53. Quinn Meinerz | OG
37. Garett Bolles | OT
7. Pat Surtain II | CB

Oddly, Meinerz, a back-to-back first-team All-Pro, made ESPN's list but was snubbed by his peers on NFL Network's. I'm sure he received votes from his fellow NFL players, but not enough to crack the top 100.

When it comes to ESPN's list, there are two obvious snubs, but I could argue as many as four. Allow me to elaborate on the Broncos who deserved to be on ESPN's top 100 players list.

Bo Nix | QB

Nix checked in at No. 59 on the NFLN top 100, his second straight year earning a spot. He's only been a pro for two years, so it's impressive to see him make it both seasons.

Statistically, Nix finished top 10 in passing yards (eighth) and passing touchdowns (10th) last season. He led the Broncos to 14 wins and a division crown, while securing the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed.

Nix outdueled ESPN's second-ranked player — Josh Allen — in the divisional round of the playoffs, leading the Broncos to a 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills. That Bills loss sent shockwaves through the organization, with head coach Sean McDermott being fired after nine years with the club.

What more Nix needs to show in order for the national media to buy into him as a bona fide franchise quarterback and one of the best players in the NFL I couldn't say. But he deserves to be on any top 100 list, regardless of network of publication.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton recently jumped on social media to clap back at the latest shallow Nix take in a sea of shallow Nix takes. All you've got to do is just watch the tape to see appreciate how special Nix truly is.

Courtland Sutton | WR

Sutton made NFLN's top 100, checking in at No. 68, but was snubbed by ESPN. Sutton just produced his second straight 1,000-yard campaign and earned the second Pro Bowl selection of his career.

One of the prime victims of the Broncos' post-Super Bowl 50 quarterback carousel, Sutton found a way to produce nearly 1,200 yards and six touchdowns in 2019 (his first Pro Bowl selection), despite being dependent on the inconsistent play of three different starting quarterbacks.

That's ancient history, sure, but the arrival of Nix brought back stability and competency to the Broncos' quarterback position, vaulting Sutton back into the 1,000-yard club. He deserved to be on ESPN's list.

Potential Snubs

Jaylen Waddle | WR

Waddle was traded to Denver at the cost of a first- and a third-round draft pick, a king's ransom for the Miami Dolphins. That cost to acquire Waddle is a far more accurate representation of his value and standing in the NFL than his absence on ESPN's list.

Waddle didn't make NFLN's top 100 list this time, but he's appeared there three times before. Despite producing 910 receiving yards and six touchdowns last season in Miami, his NFL profile suffered from the lack of quality quarterback play around him.

That's fixing to change in the Mile High City. Don't be surprised to see Waddle back on NFLN's top 100 next year. Waddle is poised to return to the 1,000-yard club with a quarterback like Nix throwing him the ball and offensive coordinator Davis Webb helping to scheme him open.

Talanoa Hufanga | S

In his first year as a Bronco, Hufanga produced 106 tackles (67 solo), six tackles for a loss, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a career-high 11 pass break-ups. He was snubbed in the Pro Bowl voting, but was named a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press.

It was a great first season, and it could have been 10x better if Hufanga's hands had been more reliable. He dropped nearly 10 interceptions — no exaggeration — and if would have caught even half of them, he probably would have been a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

Hufanga has worked hard to improve his hands this offseason. And with the Broncos' focusing on taking the ball away more in training camp, we could see him capitalize on such opportunities far more often in 2026.

ESPN's list included five safeties. Hufanga is more deserving than at least two of them.

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