In my initial Future Broncos segment for this year, I delivered an outline of Denver’s picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, as well as gave my thoughts on the three biggest areas of need. Finding long-term fixtures at offensive line, defensive line, and inside linebacker were mentioned as the Top 3 heading into the season.
As the Broncos approach their bye week and over half the regular season in the books, I thought it would be good to revisit that topic and see what has potentially changed. As always, feel free to give your thoughts in the comments section. How do you see things currently? Let me know what you think are Denver’s biggest needs based on what you’ve seen from them thus far.
Making a splash at the tight end position
A tight end can be a quarterback’s best friend. After ten games, the Broncos haven’t produced much at tight end, and it certainly is a glaring hole on offense. It may arguably be one of the biggest needs, especially on offense, moving forward if things don’t change the rest of the season.
The early returns from Evan Engram at the tight end position have been lackluster to say the least. Denver has tried utilizing him inline and as a big slot receiver, but he and Bo Nix have yet to fire up a formidable connection. To date, Engram has 28 receptions for 227 receiving yards and just one touchdown on 45 targets. Prior to the season, I had authored that Engram could wind up being the second most targeted receiver on the team. As of now, he is third behind Troy Franklin and Courtland Sutton.
On top of that, Adam Trautman is in the final year of his contract. Plus, the other players on Denver’s roster certainly aren’t future TE#1 material. That’s why I’m bumping up finding a weapon at tight end up on the priority list next April.
This year’s tight end class doesn’t have the star power last year’s did at the position, however there are a few names to consider—Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq certainly topping the list. We certainly don’t know how the board will fall, but if available, Sadiq definitely merits consideration as a legitimate receiving threat who has great effort as a blocker. Given Denver’s issues at the position, he is certainly one of my early draft favorites for Denver.
Pondering reinforcements to help with Denver’s rushing attack
You don’t need to invest high draft capital in a running back to get immediate returns from the selection. Year after year, teams find productive running backs outside the first two rounds that end up being productive players. This isn’t an argument for drafting a running back early, just offering clarity on it being a bigger need than we may have assumed.
First things first. While J.K. Dobbins has impressed to date, he is expected to miss time moving forward due to the foot injury suffered late in the team’s Thursday Night Football victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Dobbins has been stellar for the Broncos as an effective first and second down runner. Unfortunately, injuries have marred his career potential and who knows what the future holds considering he is only on a one-year contract.
On top of that, RJ Harvey has dazzled as a receiver, but whether or not he can be a high-volume runner in the Broncos’ backfield remains to be seen. Though we will certainly be able to evaluate how he does in an increased role over the coming weeks given Dobbins’ absence. After him, Denver just has Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie at the position. The problem is, all three of those guys are on the small size and Denver certainly needs a bigger back to help their rushing attack between the tackles.
Thie ’26 class has some intriguing prospects running back. Pending on how Harvey performs the rest of the season, this may be an area the Broncos choose to address once again in the spring. However, the free agent class at running back, at an early glance, appears to have some quality names available.
Other miscellaneous thoughts on Denver’s ‘26 NFL Draft Needs
I still believe that finding upgrades at offensive line, defensive line, and inside linebacker—just as I pegged back in August. They have multiple players in the aforementioned position groups whose contracts are coming to an end. Other than that, a lot of positions on the Broncos are loaded with talent. They could use some depth in some places, but the wildcard here may be receiver.
If the Nix-to-Franklin connection doesn’t take flight in the second half of the season and Sutton continue to struggle, it might be an area that draws draft interest again, despite the team utilizing early selections in the past three drafts. What Denver chooses to do here, in my opinion, will significantly depend on how the rest of the receiving corps plays in the final eight games of the year. I’m still optimistic about their potential, but thus far, it’s hard to believe the Broncos have a true long-term difference maker there as of now.