Broncos Offseason Preview: Impending Free Agents, Draft Picks, and Top Needs

One of the NFL's longest playoff droughts ended in 2024 as the Denver Broncos earned a postseason berth for the first time since 2015. The 2024 season was a major success for Denver, and there's plenty of potential going forward. Bo Nix was solid in his rookie season as the starting quarterback, and the Broncos have major building blocks like superstar cornerback Pat Surtain II --who finished the regular season as the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year.

Despite an overall positive season, this squad still ended the 2024 campaign under criticism with a deflating 31-7 loss against the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round. Denver has plenty of room for growth, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Let's break down the upcoming offseason for the Broncos.

Broncos' 2024 Schedule-Adjusted Rankings

• Overall Offense: 16th
• Pass Offense: 16th
• Rush Offense: 18th
• Overall Defense: 2nd
• Pass Defense: 2nd
• Rush Defense: 3rd

Broncos' Impending 2025 Free Agents

• D.J. Jones, DT
• Cody Barton, LB
• Javonte Williams, RB
• Justin Strnad, LB
• Zach Wilson, QB
• Jarrett Stidham, QB
• Matt Peart, T
• Quinn Bailey, T
• Michael Burton, FB
• Zach Cunningham, LB
• Tremon Smith, CB
• Lucas Krull, TE (exclusive rights free agent)
• Ja'Quan McMillian, CB (exclusive rights free agent)
• Dondrea Tillman, LB (exclusive rights free agent)
• Devon Key, S (exclusive rights free agent)
• Jordan Jackson, DT (exclusive rights free agent)
• Lil'Jordan Humphrey, WR
• Riley Dixon, P
• Mitchell Fraboni, LS (restricted free agent)

**List via Spotrac

Among 2024 playoff teams, the Broncos had the second-youngest roster behind the Green Bay Packers. With that said, Denver has its fair share of key players on rookie contracts, from Nix and Marvin Mims to Surtain and Nik Bonitto.

The 2024 offseason brings a decent share of free agents, but none are cornerstone players for the Broncos' newly-found success. Defensive tackle D.J. Jones, running back Javonte Williams, and linebackers Cody Barton and Justin Strnad are probably the most notable names.

Denver is around the middle of the league with the 16th-most cap space for the upcoming offseason. Coming off of a solid season, Jones will likely be a question of price. Barton or Strnad could be cheap re-signs, but starting linebacker Alex Singleton will be back for the 2025 season after a torn ACL. Alongside Singleton, one of Barton or Strnad could be quality re-signs.

Williams will be an interesting case as he logged snap shares of 37% or lower in the final two regular-season games, yet he recorded a 74% snap share in the Wild Card Round. Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime got plenty of snaps throughout the 2024 season, and Denver could look toward the draft for another running back.

A backup quarterback is another question mark as Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham enter free agency.

Broncos' 2025 NFL Draft Picks

• 20th overall
• 2nd round
• 3rd round
• 4th round
• 6th round
• 6th round (via Arizona Cardinals)
• 6th round (via Philadelphia Eagles)

(NOTE: This list does not include compensatory picks, which are typically announced in early March.)

Denver's top option with the 20th overall pick seems pretty black and white. The 2025 class is a terrific group of tight ends, led by Tyler Warren of Penn State, Colston Loveland of Michigan, and Harold Fannin Jr. of Bowling Green.

The Broncos could use improved receiving threats for Nix, especially at tight end. While the 20th pick may be too late for selecting Warren, they could still have their pick between Loveland and Fannin Jr. In FanDuel Research's 2025 NFL Mock Draft, our Austin Swaim mocked Fannin Jr. to Denver.

If its not a tight end, a receiver could be in the picture -- such as Emeka Egbuka from Ohio State. Other needs don't have the same kind of value at the 20th pick. If running back Ashton Jeanty happens to slide to this slot, this could be a dream come true for the Broncos.

Needs like safety will likely be addressed in the later rounds, and this could be a team looking to trade up considering its three sixth-round picks.

Broncos' Top Offseason Needs

• Running Back
• Tight End
• Safety

We mentioned the need for more skill position players on offense. Tight end should have more urgency than finding another receiver. Denver's tight end room was a revolving door with little upside as Adam Trautman led the group with a deflating 188 receiving yards.

After tight end, the Broncos clearly need a running back to ignite this ground game -- which finished at 4.2 yards per carry (13th-fewest). According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Williams (-0.60), McLaughlin (-0.19), and Estime (-0.01) all posted negative rushing yards over expectation per carry (RYOE/C) during the regular season.

While Surtain and Riley Moss were an exceptional cornerback tandem, safety was a weak spot in the secondary as free safety P.J. Locke had an underwhelming season, via a 51.2 Pro Football Focus grade.

After snapping a playoff drought, the Broncos are in a great spot moving forward. This is a young roster with most key players under contract, and most importantly, Denver has enough resources to focus on upgrading ahead of the 2025 season.

Take your sports betting to the next level with the FanDuel Parlay Hub! Explore a curated selection of popular parlays for trending games on FanDuel Sportsbook. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.