What Has to Go Right For Broncos to Overcome Early 2026 Onslaught

Reality bites. And it just took a huge chunk out of the Denver Broncos with the NFL's schedule release.

For months, Broncos fans had known which opponents were on the team's first-place schedule, but the NFL clarified the order of matchups. There's no sugar-coating it: the Broncos have a brutally tough first eight weeks of the schedule, with only one reprieve, which is their Week 7 road trip to face the Arizona Cardinals.

Otherwise, that first eight-week block on Denver's schedule features the Kansas City Chiefs twice, the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers on the road, plus the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks at home. Yeah, it's a doozy.

In order for the Broncos to contend this season and give themselves a chance to get back to the AFC championship game, a few things have to go right, especially early on. Let's break them down.

Fast Start

Sean Payton and Bo Nix — Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Bo Nix. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Teams coached by Sean Payton over the years have traditionally been slow starters, and the Broncos have been no different. The Broncos went 0-3 to start Payton's first year, with Russell Wilson under center, and 1-2 in each of the two seasons Bo Nix has been the quarterback.

With a road trip vs. the Chiefs, followed by the Jaguars and Rams at home, the Broncos can't afford to start so slowly this season. Even if the Broncos emerge from the first eight weeks at 4-4, winning the first three games will be crucial to buying themselves a competitive margin for error against the likes of the 49ers, Chargers, Seahawks, and Chiefs (at home).

Fans can reasonably expect the defense and offensive line to be solid out of the gates, but for the Broncos to truly start fast, Nix and the offense as a unit have to hit the ground running in 2026.

Davis Webb Must Be a Hit

It's hard to see the Broncos starting fast out of the gate without Webb succeeding. Payton made the curious decision this offseason to give Webb the primary play-calling duties after promoting him to offensive coordinator.

Payton will be there as a fail-safe if Webb struggles to find his footing, but the Broncos can't afford much of a learning curve for the first-time NFL play-caller with the schedule they're facing. Payton has been one of the premier offensive minds and play-callers of the 21st century; it's hard to find a coach anywhere as good as him, let alone better.

But Payton sees such a coach on his staff. Just announcing Webb as the new play-caller is a massive rubber stamp of approval and a major confidence boost.

Now Webb has to go out and justify it. The destiny of Nix and the Broncos hinges on it.

Jaylen Waddle Has to Impact

The Broncos gave up a first and third-round pick to acquire Waddle from the Miami Dolphins, and with a schedule like this against some of the NFL's best defenses to open the season, he's going to have to show up early and often.

Much of that will be contingent on Webb the play-caller and Nix the quarterback, but if the Broncos can get Waddle rolling early, it's going to open up all kinds of possibilities for Courtland Sutton and Evan Engram, as well as the Broncos' ground game. Opponents won't be able to load the box with impunity if they fear Waddle as a threat.

Nix and Webb have to make opponents fear Waddle by looking his way out of the gates.

Run Game Must Step Up

Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) runs the ball in the second quarter vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After fielding a lackluster run game down the stretch and into the playoffs last season, the Broncos invested in the running back room by re-signing J.K. Dobbins and drafting Jonah Coleman. Just having a healthy Dobbins back will work wonders for this offense, but Coleman's presence as a between-the-tackles thumper will come in handy, too.

Part of the backfield's outlook is the Broncos' expectation that RJ Harvey will take the next step in his development, after providing some impressive returns at times as a rookie, especially as a receiver out of the backfield. When Dobbins went down with that season-ending injury in Week 10, though, Harvey proved to be woefully unprepared to carry the load, which is partially understandable; he was a rookie, after all.

The Broncos' offseason moves made it much more unlikely that Harvey will need to be the bell-cow again, but regardless, the team fully expects its 2025 second-round pick to turn a corner in Year 2. If he does, this ground attack is going to be something fierce to behold.

Stay Healthy

Bo Nix and Shaq Thompson — Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) is tackled by Buffalo Bills linebacker Shaq Thompson (45). | Dustin Bradford / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Normally, this would go without saying. Of course, any team's potential is tied to staying healthy, but this year the Broncos have more than one key player rebounding from injury and several veterans who've been susceptible to the injury bug throughout their careers.

The two most obvious players are Nix and Dobbins, both of whom factor greatly into the Broncos' ultimate ambitions this year. Nix is coming off a surgery to repair the fractured ankle that ended his playoff run in January, while Dobbins missed the final seven games and both postseason contests with a Lisfranc injury suffered in Week 10.

With Coleman in the fold and Harvey returning for Year 2, the Broncos are better positioned to survive a potential Dobbins injury. But as Nix goes, so follow the Broncos. Without him, Denver's whole merry-go-round comes to a screeching halt.

Other vets, like safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones, along with Engram, have struggled with injuries that have cost them time over the years, but a little luck in the health department will be needed, especially early, if Denver is going to weather this brutal first eight weeks.

The health demands also apply greatly to the Broncos' offensive line, a unit that stayed remarkably healthy in 2024, but went long stretches in 2025 without interior starters. Denver needs left guard Ben Powers and center Luke Wattenberg to stay on the field in 2026, along with the other three starters on the O-line.

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