Denver Broncos News

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (ankle) was a full participant, as expected, in Wednesday's training camp practice, according to The Athletic's Nick Kosmider. Nix is coming off an ankle injury that he sustained in the AFC Divisional Round playoff win against the Buffalo Bills. The 26-year-old had surgery in January and a minor clean-up procedure in April. Nix not only was a full participant in practice but also looked sharp during red-zone work, according to Kosmider. He could be in line to take his game to the next level after the team traded for Jaylen Waddle earlier this offseason. On paper, Waddle and Nix make the perfect pairing for real football and fantasy football success. Nix is currently an undervalued target in redraft leagues and is being drafted as QB15 on Yahoo.

When the Denver Broncos take to the field for their first practice of training camp on Friday, one of the more intriguing positional battles will be for the third receiver spot, and a player who should factor heavily into the mix is 2025 third-round pick Pat Bryant. As a rookie, Bryant became a trusted option for quarterback Bo Nix late in the year, but with the top two receiver spots presumably locked up by veteran Courtland Sutton and big-ticket trade acquisition Jaylen Waddle, he'll need to carve out his own role from a group that includes Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin. One of Bryant's biggest strengths in year one was his run-after-catch ability when working underneath. The spacing now provided by Waddle could allow him to further thrive and help to create the most dynamic version of the Broncos' passing attack while also bringing usable size to the running game. Bryant is RotoBaller's WR76 for 2026, but with a fluid situation such as his, drafters would be advised to monitor his usage throughout training camp.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton has earned the trust of quarterback Bo Nix and will continue to be a high-leverage target-earner in 2026, per Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. Sutton has been the WR1 in Denver in each of Nix's first two seasons with the team, recording back-to-back years with at least 120 targets, 70 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. However, the Broncos made a big swing this offseason to acquire wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from the Miami Dolphins, which could push Sutton into more of a supporting role as he enters his age-31 campaign. While Waddle's presence could certainly lead to a reduced role for Sutton, Kosmider speculates that Waddle's ability to win in the middle of the field may open up more one-on-one opportunities for Sutton on the outside. RotoBaller currently ranks Sutton as the WR37 for redraft leagues ahead of 2026.

The Denver Broncos are "betting that (running back) J.K. Dobbins can replicate his performance across the first 10 weeks" of the 2025 season, according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. Dobbins got off to a hot start to his first season with Denver, recording 772 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 153 carries across 10 games. However, he went down with a season-ending foot injury in Week 10. Dobbins has had major difficulty staying healthy to this point in his NFL career, as he's missed 36 games since the start of the 2022 season. The Broncos have younger options in their backfield in 2025 second-rounder RJ Harvey and 2026 fourth-rounder Jonah Coleman, both of whom could take on a larger role in the team's offense this season. Still, Denver re-signed Dobbins to a two-year, $16 million contract this past spring, which Kosmider writes is indicative of the team's faith that he can still be a key piece in its offense. Heading into 2026, Dobbins profiles as a boom/bust flex option in redraft leagues.

Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram is still recognizable enough to tempt fantasy managers, but last season gave them little reason to chase the name. He caught 50 passes for 461 yards and one touchdown across 16 games while starting twice and playing only 42% of the offensive snaps. Denver has since added Jaylen Waddle, and fifth-round rookie Justin Joly brings another movable receiving option to the tight end room. Engram remains atop the depth chart for now. That does not guarantee the larger role he never found in 2025. RotoBaller ranks him TE35 for redraft, and he has slipped to 265th overall in its newest dynasty rankings. A rebound is possible if the playing time changes, but that is a preseason hope, not an expectation. Engram belongs on deep-league watch lists. Standard-league managers can find better late-round bets.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton has topped 1,000 receiving yards in consecutive seasons, while his streak of scoring at least seven touchdowns dates back to 2023, but the team's first public training camp practice on July 31 could provide an extended look at how he will fit into Denver's new-look offense. The Broncos sent a first-round pick to acquire Jaylen Waddle from the Miami Dolphins, and with head coach Sean Payton handing play-calling duties to first-time offensive coordinator Davis Webb, the early days of training camp could provide a revealing glimpse of how the 30-year-old ninth-year veteran will be deployed in 2026. Since the Broncos made him a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Sutton has faced little competition at the top of the depth chart, with none of his teammates ever topping 1,000 yards. Like many of Miami's offensive players, Waddle had a down year in 2025, but he started his career with three straight 1,000-yard campaigns of his own, and he brings an explosive element that was clearly missing from a Broncos offense that still threw the ball at one of the highest rates in 2025. If that high-passing volume carries into 2026, Sutton could outperform expectations, but now more reliant on touchdowns than ever, he has fallen to RotoBaller's WR37.

The Denver Broncos selected running back Jonah Coleman out of Washington in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL draft, and he is slated to be the team's RB3, behind J.K. Dobbins (foot), whom they just re-signed to a two-year contract, and behind RJ Harvey, whom they spent second-round draft capital on in 2025. Coleman profiles as more of a bowling-ball-type running back, standing at 5'8 ", 220 lbs. Over his past two collegiate seasons at Washington, he accumulated 27 touchdowns, 54 receptions, 531 receiving yards, and 1,811 rushing yards. He profiles as a true bell-cow back with receiving upside and has received comparisons to guys like David Montgomery of the Houston Texans. For the 2026 season, he will be buried on the depth chart and likely won't be relevant in the first half of the season barring injury; however, the Broncos are not committed to Dobbins long-term and Harvey did not capitalize on his from an efficiency standpoint in 2025, so Coleman is a top target in dynasty formats, specifically for teams who are rebuilding or just need to get younger at the running back position.

Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (foot) is a tough player to value in dynasty because the production is still there whenever he is. He averaged 5.0 yards per carry last season, piling up 772 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games before a torn ligament in his foot required surgery. Dobbins missed the final seven regular-season games, yet Denver still brought him back on a two-year deal. The Broncos are not handing him the backfield. RJ Harvey scored 12 times as a rookie, and fourth-round pick Jonah Coleman gives Sean Payton another physical runner. Still, Denver's own camp preview put Dobbins at the front of the room, and the rushing attack lost some of its consistency after he went down. That gives him a place on contending rosters. RotoBaller ranks Dobbins as the dynasty RB42. He is a bench piece at this stage, not someone to build around. Rebuilders have little reason to hold a 27-year-old back with this injury history. Contenders should be slower to move him. There may not be much long-term value left, but Dobbins can still help this season if his foot holds up.

The Denver Post's Parker Gabriel projects quarterback Sam Ehlinger to take over the backup QB job in 2026 from Jarrett Stidham. Gabriel admits that projecting Ehlinger as the QB2 is "a bit out on a limb," considering Stidham has earned plenty of equity with the front office, coaching staff, and locker room as he enters his fourth year with the team. The Broncos' coaching staff was very excited about the addition of Ehlinger a year ago due to his mobility and potential jump in performance in his second year in Denver. It looks like there will be a fierce battle between Ehlinger and Stidham for the No. 2 job this summer, with the loser potentially being a trade chip before the start of the 2026 season. If there is a way for Denver to keep both Ehlinger and Stidham, they will certainly give it strong consideration. Stidham's lackluster effort in the Broncos' AFC Championship loss to the New England Patriots in January definitely didn't help his cause, but he will most likely have to continue to fall apart for Ehlinger to surpass him as the QB2 going into the 2026 season.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (ankle) is expected to be good to go for the start of training camp next week, according to Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Head coach Sean Payton has been saying the same thing after Nix was limited during mandatory minicamp following offseason ankle surgery and a follow-up procedure earlier this year. The 26-year-old is expected to be a full-go for the start of camp, which means he shouldn't be limited at all for the start of the 2026 regular season on Monday night in Week 1 against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs. The former 12th overall pick in 2024 out of the University of Oregon has finished as a top-10 fantasy QB in his first two seasons, even though he hasn't had much success deep down the field in Payton's offense. Nix threw for 3,931 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions on a league-high 612 pass attempts in 17 regular-season starts in 2025, completing 63.4% of his passes. The hope is that the addition of receiver Jaylen Waddle will help the Broncos stretch the field and become more explosive through the air, but ultimately, Nix's ability to run the ball after ankle surgery could determine whether he'll finish as a top-10 QB for a third straight season. Fantasy managers should consider the third-year signal-caller as a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 with a little more risk coming off a serious ankle injury in last year's postseason.

Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey said he made it a point of emphasis to study more film of other successful RBs as he enters his second year in the league in 2026, according to Andrew Mason of Denver Sports. Harvey has studied footage of Christian McCaffrey, Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, and Jahmyr Gibbs, in particular. "Just watching more film, watching other guys around the league, watching their film ... just trying to see things on film that they do, trying to help better my game," Harvey said. "In Year Two in the system, I feel way more comfortable and it's only going to get better from where I left off." Through his first 10 games, Harvey had five or fewer carries seven times with J.K. Dobbins dominating touches. Harvey took on a bigger role after Dobbins' season-ending foot injury, but he was mostly inconsistent, averaging 3.4 yards per rushing attempt in the final seven games of the regular season and 3.0 yards per tote in two playoff games. The 25-year-old former second-rounder could have more of a pass-catching role in head coach Sean Payton's offense in 2026, but the addition of rookie Jonah Coleman and the re-signing of Dobbins means Denver will likely go with a committee approach at RB. Harvey's fantasy stock has fallen after his first NFL season, but he could still be a useful RB3/flex option in PPR leagues at a lowered cost.

Through his first two seasons in the NFL, Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin has seen solid but unspectacular production, totaling 93 receptions for 972 yards and eight touchdowns, with most of that coming in 2025. At only 23 years old, it would be unwise to think he does not have room for further growth, but now stuck on the deepest depth chart of his young career, a path to meaningful fantasy production could be difficult to find in 2026. Veteran Courtland Sutton is fresh off his second consecutive 1,000-yard campaign, and the team spent aggressively to acquire dynamic playmaker Jaylen Waddle via trade. Denver operated out of three-receiver sets at a rate above league average in 2025, but with a flatter talent distribution, it may have been easier to earn targets. With Waddle and Sutton all but locked into the top two spots, Franklin could find himself battling Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims Jr. for a tertiary role this year, with each offering a unique enough skill set to force a frustrating-for-fantasy rotation. At RotoBaller's WR85, Franklin should not fall completely off of draft boards, but he now profiles as little more than a late-round swing who can easily be dropped if he isn't reliably seeing work early in the year.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. is still only 24, but another major addition has made his 2026 role harder to trust. He finished last season with 37 catches for 322 yards and one touchdown, down from 503 yards and six scores in 2024. Denver then traded a first-round pick, among other selections, for Jaylen Waddle. Courtland Sutton remains, and Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant are also fighting for snaps. Mims will still matter to the Broncos because he is one of the NFL's better returners, but that does not help fantasy managers much. He played only 33% of Denver's offensive snaps last year, even before Waddle arrived. There is still a patience case in dynasty. Mims is 24, can create with the ball in his hands, and is entering the final season of his rookie contract. He has also acknowledged this could be his last year in Denver. Contenders should not count on him for 2026. Rebuilders with room should hold rather than sell for scraps, since a new team in 2027 may offer the receiving opportunity he has yet to find.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin finally gave fantasy managers something to work with in Year 2. Then Denver traded for Jaylen Waddle. Franklin caught 65 of 104 targets for 709 yards and six touchdowns last season, a big jump from his 28-catch rookie year. That growth should not be tossed aside because the depth chart got ugly. Waddle and Courtland Sutton now headline a room that still has Marvin Mims Jr. and Pat Bryant, and Denver has said it does not plan to trade another receiver. A steady weekly role is no longer a given. Franklin's two seasons with Bo Nix at Oregon help, but familiarity will only take him so far when the ball has to be spread around. RotoBaller has him at WR80 in its latest dynasty rankings. That is low enough to hold rather than sell after one rough offseason turn. Redraft is different. Franklin needs camp to break his way before he is more than a late bench flier, but dynasty managers can wait and see what survives from last year's breakout.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant missed a pair of games late in the 2025 season with a hamstring injury and a serious concussion, and he was forced to prematurely exit both of the team's playoff games, but he had shown notable growth near the end of his rookie campaign, with his involvement steadily on the rise. Over his final eight regular-season games, he was on a full-season pace of 55 receptions for 706 yards, and although he was on the field for only 12 total postseason snaps, he was targeted on exactly one-third of those plays, beginning both games as an obvious focal point of the Broncos' game plan. Denver's high-profile trade for Jaylen Waddle limits Bryant's opportunity for a true year-two breakout, and with veteran Courtland Sutton still on the team, the 2025 third-round pick will likely be left competing with Troy Franklin for meaningful work in three-receiver sets. However, quarterback Bo Nix threw the ball more than any player in the league last season, so the opportunity could exist for that third receiver spot to still hold fantasy value. Bryant is currently RotoBaller's WR76, but when training camps open at the end of the month, his positional battle with Franklin will be one to watch.

Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin is set to battle for the RB4 spot in the Broncos' backfield this summer with Tyler Badie, according to The Denver Post's Luca Evans. The Broncos are expected to keep only four RBs on their active 53-man roster, so the loser of the battle will be the odd-man out. McLaughlin was a healthy scratch early on in 2025 but eventually became Denver's most effective per-touch skill player down the stretch after J.K. Dobbins' season-ending foot injury boosted him to RB2 duties behind rookie RJ Harvey. But with rookie Jonah Coleman now in the mix in 2026, McLaughlin's path to a fourth straight season opening the year on the active roster "looks dicey." Badie, meanwhile, is trusted by the coaching staff and quarterback Bo Nix for his pass-protection skills and veteran instincts. The 25-year-old McLaughlin has an impressive 4.8 yards per carry in his career, but Badie's work in passing situations may eventually win out. Even if McLaughlin wins a 53-man roster spot out of training camp and the preseason, it's clear that both his redraft and dynasty fantasy stock has taken a big hit with the addition of Coleman.

The Denver Broncos made an impactful offseason move with the drafting of rookie running back Jonah Coleman in the fourth round, but they also re-signed veteran J.K. Dobbins and still have RJ Harvey at the position. The Denver Post's Luca Evans writes that Dobbins, Harvey, and Coleman "will almost assuredly form some kind of three-man carousel." Jaleel McLaughlin or Tyler Badie will serve as a change-of-pace insurance option. Dobbins was on his way to a career year in 2025 in his first year in Denver before suffering a season-ending foot injury. The 27-year-old former second-rounder should once again factor heavily into the Broncos' rushing attack in 2026, but his injury history makes a committee approach involving both Harvey and Coleman all the more necessary for a team looking to become more efficient on the ground and balanced overall on offense. At 5-foot-8, 220 pounds, Coleman should be an instant upgrade over Badie for possible third-down touches. He could also spell Dobbins for short-yardage touches early on, and he'd become an every-week fantasy starter if Dobbins misses more time due to injury. Coleman is more of an intriguing dynasty/keeper asset in 2026 than a redraft one because he won't be a lock for a heavy workload in his first year in the NFL unless one of Dobbins or Harvey misses extended time. He's ranked as RotoBaller's No. 54 fantasy RB for 2026.

DenverBroncos.com's Susanna Weir writes that Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram "could see increased production during his second season with the team" in 2026. Engram disappointed last year in his first year with the team, catching 50 passes on 76 targets for 461 yards and only one touchdown in 16 regular-season games. However, the addition of speedy receiver Jaylen Waddle this year is expected to alter the dynamic of Denver's passing game. Engram should see more one-on-one matchups with defenses devoting more resources to contain Waddle and his big-play abilities. It appears the Broncos' coaching staff has put more trust into Engram this offseason, even if they drafted rookie Justin Joly in the fifth round back in April. The Broncos also have veteran options at the position in Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins, and Lucas Krull, but Engram should be the unquestioned top pass-catching TE if he stays healthy in 2026. Engram will enter his 10th year in the NFL as a cheap TE2 sleeper in deeper fantasy leagues. RotoBaller currently has him ranked as the No. 34 fantasy tight end.

The Denver Post's Parker Gabriel writes that the battle for the No. 2 quarterback job for the Denver Broncos between Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger this summer is one to watch. Head coach Sean Payton could keep three QBs on the regular-season roster after doing so in 2024 and 2025. Stidham has been Denver's backup signal-caller since Payton arrived in Denver, but Ehlinger has "looked capable of mounting a challenge." The decision won't come down to money, but how Stidham and Ehlinger perform in training camp and the preseason. Stidham has $2 million guaranteed, and Ehlinger has $1 million guaranteed in 2026, although Stidham carries an $8 million salary cap number. The Broncos would save $4.5 million on their cap if he's released and $6.5 million if he's traded. Denver doesn't need the cap flexibility with $29.5 million in cap space. After not starting a regular-season game since 2023, Stidham predictably struggled in the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots with Nix out with a fractured ankle in a snowstorm, throwing for 133 yards, one touchdown, and two crucial interceptions in a loss.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin finally broke through in 2025, only to watch the team trade for Jaylen Waddle a few months later. Franklin went from 28 catches for 263 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie to 65 for 709 yards and six scores on 104 targets. That growth matters. So does the new depth chart. Waddle and Courtland Sutton should command most of the work, with Franklin, Marvin Mims Jr., and Pat Bryant left to sort out the rest. Franklin still has the Oregon history with Bo Nix, but that alone will not protect last season's volume. At 23, though, he is too young to dump after one bad offseason turn. RotoBaller has him at WR80 in dynasty, low enough that selling now probably means taking the loss after Waddle's arrival. Hold him and wait for the room to open up. Redraft is much thinner. Franklin sits at WR82 in PPR and needs camp to show he has a steady role before he becomes more than a late flier.