What the NFL Draft Told Us About Payton’s Real Plan for the Broncos

The NFL draft is now a week in the rearview mirror. The Denver Broncos drafted seven players and signed 14 college free agents.

What does the Broncos' 2026 draft haul tell us about Sean Payton's real plan for the team?

First, Free Agency

To answer that question fully, we have to back up first, and talk about free agency. The Broncos re-signed 17 of their own free agents and only signed one outside guy.

The Broncos also traded for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, which wasn't nothing, but from a traditional free-agency perspective, it was an uber-conservative offseason approach. Remember, Waddle wasn't a signing; he was a trade, and backup safety Tycen Anderson was the only outside free agent the Broncos brought in.

What that tells us is that Payton is very confident in the roster that produced 14 wins, an AFC West crown, and a playoff victory. Payton believes in this roster that had the Broncos on pace to make the Super Bowl, until a rude, mind-bogglingly untimely Bo Nix injury arrested that momentum.

People at Broncos HQ may not like to categorize it like this, but this team opted to run it back. And more power to them; Payton wasn't quiet about his Super Bowl aspirations for the Broncos last summer, and he was proven right.

Expiring Contracts

Evan Engram. — Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram (1) runs with the ball against Los Angeles Chargers. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

So, the Broncos are running it back, but the big issue — and it's something that every team deals with each year to a greater or lesser degree — is the players on expiring contracts. We're talking about key veterans like tight end Evan Engram, safety Brandon Jones, and left guard Ben Powers, among several others, entering a contract year.

The Broncos preempted the potential loss of these veterans in 2027 by drafting replacement candidates. The Broncos drafted two tight ends, Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley, offensive lineman Kage Casey, and safety Miles Scott, none of whom will factor much into the 2026 picture, but 2027 is a completely different story.

Even the selection of running back Jonah Coleman has similiar implications. The Broncos re-signed J.K. Dobbins to a two-year deal, yes, but it's essentially a pair of one-year, $8 million contracts that give the team the freedom to part ways after 2026 if, ostensibly, he struggles to stay healthy or Coleman renders him expendable.

Of all the Broncos' draft picks, third-round defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim and Coleman are the ones most likely to contribute on the field in 2026, beyond special teams. As Broncos GM George Paton said before the draft, with how deep this roster is, it's going to be hard for any drafted rookie to step in and have a role, and definitely don't expect any of them to start — barring unforeseen injuries.

The Takeaway

The draft further illustrated Payton's push to run it back while providing some insurance and competition at key positions where the Broncos are poised to lose starters in 2027. Now, it's worth mentioning that just because the Broncos drafted potential replacements doesn't mean that all of these contract-year vets are as good as gone in 2027.

Whether Engram, Jones, or Powers are re-signed will come down to how well they perform in 2026, first and foremost, but it will also be influenced by how quickly these draft players at their positions develop.

Running it back isn't the sexiest offseason approach. It certainly cuts down on offseason headlines, media scrutiny, and the very storylines fans crave.

By March each year, fans are dying for anything newsworthy on their team to help them pass the time and get through the offseason. Those free-agent signings, and later, the draft picks, serve as offseason conversation and content fodder that help fans get through the down period.

The Broncos have never shied away from obliging in free agency, but this time, they mostly stayed out of the action. At least they got the Waddle trade done, though.

This all makes for a longer, more boring offseason for fans; that's for sure. However, Payton knows what he's doing, and when football season rolls around, Broncos Country will be thanking its lucky stars that the brass kept this roster intact and prepared for the future via the draft.

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