Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. Today's installment covers:
But first, he delves into two radically different approaches to team-building ...
There is no one right way to assemble a championship-caliber roster. The best team-builders will take advantage of every opportunity to improve, whatever path that might lead them down -- as we saw last season, when the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots reached Super Bowl LX using vastly different approaches.
In Seattle, John Schneider and Mike Macdonald handpicked a few key veterans (SEE: Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp and Demarcus Lawrence) to complement a nucleus that was loaded with young, blue-chip talents on each side of the ball. The additions attacked the team's biggest weaknesses, but otherwise, they counted on previous acquisitions and the continued development of their rising stars to forge a title run.
The Patriots, on the other hand, underwent a complete makeover under Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel, with a host of veterans coming on board to change the locker-room culture. It can be challenging to wrangle a roster stuffed with new faces, but in the Patriots' case, they were able to stock the locker room with experienced players who possessed the leadership skills and winning pedigrees to spark a rapid turnaround. The team could rely on the shared experiences of grizzled veteran arrivals like Stefon Diggs, Morgan Moses, Carlton Davis, Milton Williams, Robert Spillane, Harold Landry, K'Lavon Chaisson and others to provide hope and direction to a lineup featuring youngsters in key spots.
These two organizations provided different blueprints to success for the rest of the NFL to follow: sticking with a "draft and develop" approach, then using a few free-agent additions to supplement the biggest remaining needs, or revamping the roster quickly with a collection of veteran free agents coming on board to change the team's culture. With this year's free agency frenzy coming to a close and the 2026 NFL Draft just weeks away, I believe this is the perfect time to compare and contrast a pair of intriguing squads that are on similarly opposite ends of the team-building spectrum: the Denver Broncos and New York Jets.
THE BRONCOS' PLAN: QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
Last season, the Broncos reached the AFC Championship Game behind a stifling defense and an offense that, while opportunistic behind QB Bo Nix, lacked big-play potential.
So far this offseason, the Broncos have made just a few moves, registering one main acquisition (a trade for WR Jaylen Waddle) and re-signing several players. Head coach Sean Payton is aware this seemingly quiet approach might rankle fans, but he also believes it's what is best for his team right now.
"We tune out the angst," Payton said at the Annual League Meeting earlier this week, adding that "you cannot chase what others outside of the building feel like you should be doing."
Payton knows some might think that now -- with Nix still on an affordable rookie contract -- is the time to spend aggressively. And he acknowledged that key signings in his first year on the job in Denver (2023) helped "change the flight pattern in which we were traveling." But he also cautioned against getting swept up in the rush to sign free agents, which can lead to deals that don't always age well.
"Frenzy is what you don't want," Payton said. "Frenzy implies that it has to happen, chaos ... It's all marketing."
Instead, the team focused on re-signing players like running back J.K. Dobbins (who initially joined the team last year), linebackers Alex Singleton (first signed in 2022 and re-signed in '23) and Justin Strnad (first signed last year) and others. Although those names might not register on the national scene, they should help maintain the chemistry and continuity within the locker room and on the field.
The Broncos have a contending roster headlined by homegrown talents like Nix, Nik Bonitto, Patrick Surtain II and Jonathon Cooper, but they did still need a playmaker to push themselves over the top. Enter Waddle, a 2021 first-round pick by the Dolphins. He is a dynamic perimeter player with the speed to take the top off coverage and the explosiveness to turn short passes into big gains.
Denver had to surrender valuable draft currency (the 30th overall pick this year, plus a third- and fourth-rounder) in exchange for Waddle and a 2026 fourth-round pick. But the team clearly preferred an established veteran over an unknown rookie. With three 1,000-yard seasons and 26 career touchdowns under his belt, Waddle is exactly the kind of player who can take the Broncos' offense to the next level.
"We could safely say that pick (No. 30 overall) would've been one of these seven or eight players," Payton said. "We didn't feel like that would help us as much as Jaylen Waddle."
With offensive and defensive holdovers sticking around to ensure the Broncos pick up where they left off in 2025, they could make a run at repeating as the AFC's No.1 seed this season.
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THE JETS' PLAN: TOTAL MAKEOVER
The Jets' disappointing 3-14 campaign in 2025 appeared to result from a talent-deficiency issue on the surface, but there has since been at least one hint of potential discord in the locker room. This offseason, the Jets completely overhauled the roster, bringing on a collection of veteran leaders with "against all odds" stories to enhance the grit and toughness second-year head coach Aaron Glenn seeks from his squad.
"That was the plan from the very beginning, not just on the defensive side but on the whole team," Glenn told the Jets' website at the Annual League Meeting. "Trying to get an influx of these veteran guys to be a part of what we're building."
Geno Smith (acquired via trade) will quarterback the offense, and linebacker Demario Davis (signed for two years, $22 million) will do the same for the defense. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (acquired via trade, then given a three-year, $40 million extension), pass rusher Joseph Ossai (signed for three years, $36 million), guard Dylan Parham (two years, up to $20 million) and defensive lineman David Onyemata (one year, $10.5 million) will try to help energize the building.
Fitzpatrick brings instant credibility to the locker room as a three-time All-Pro who has played at an elite level for nine seasons. Onyemata and Ossai add experience and expertise to a defensive lineup that desperately needed a change following a woeful 2025 performance (New York ranked 31st in scoring and 25th overall).
Given Glenn's desire to change the team's culture, it is not only sensible to bring in more veterans but to add players who know him and understand his philosophy and approach, like Davis and Onyemata, who were both part of defenses in New Orleans that Glenn helped coach.
"Those guys have been with me and they know exactly what I'm about," Glenn told the Jets' site. "When you have guys -- you bring another guy like Minkah, who, just his history of what he's done in this league speaks for itself. And now the young guys have someone to point to and say, 'Man this is what I want to be like and this is how I want to do it.' "
To build a winner, you must be willing and able to show the team how to win. Although coaches can provide instruction and a plan, the players must be willing to take the plan and make it come to life. With a collection of veterans coming on board who have achieved individual and collective success, the Jets are hoping to provide their young players with a blueprint for better results in 2026.
By maximizing their opportunities to revamp their lineup in free agency, the Jets are better equipped to compete with a core of veterans leading the way.
Kirk Cousins' fit in Vegas
Perhaps it was simply a coincidence that Kirk Cousins signed with the Silver and Black a day after Fernando Mendoza impressed at his pro day workout, likely solidifying his status as the prospect who will be selected No.1 overall by the Raiders in the 2026 NFL Draft. Whatever the case, Las Vegas is bringing in a "bridge" quarterback with the skills, experience and temperament to help the reigning Heisman Trophy-winner develop into a high-end QB1 down the road.
By handpicking Cousins to serve as the interim starter, new head coach Klint Kubiak is handing the ball to a trusted veteran who understands his schemes, expectations and standards. Additionally, he is installing a role model in the quarterback room for Mendoza to learn from as he prepares to become the face of the franchise.
Speaking at the Annual League Meeting earlier this week, before Cousins signed, Kubiak explained why he was hoping to add a veteran QB to the mix.
"Ideally, you don't want [a rookie QB] to start from Day 1," Kubiak said Tuesday. "You'd love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That's in a perfect world. It doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes they have to play from Day 1, and it's our job as coaches to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show."
The 37-year-old Cousins is not just a mature adult who can serve as a role model for Mendoza; he also posted eye-popping numbers in Minnesota under Kubiak's direction as a quarterback coach (2019-2020) and as offensive coordinator (2022). During their three seasons together with the Vikings, Cousins tossed 94 touchdown passes over three seasons. He earned a pair of Pro Bowl berths and played the best football of his career during that span, posting a career-high 107.4 passing rating in 2019.
Given his proven success with Kubiak, Cousins should have no trouble convincing Mendoza to trust the process and the progressions in film sessions and on the practice field while showing him how to run the offense like a Jedi master on game day. Yes, Cousins' game and skills have diminished since his impressive run in the early 2020s, but he has the experience, expertise and temperament to be the perfect mentor for the young quarterback.
As for Mendoza, starting his career on the sideline could pay dividends down the road. As the No. 1 overall pick in 2003, Carson Palmer sat out his entire rookie season while Jon Kitna guided the Cincinnati Bengals to an 8-8 record. Two years later, Palmer earned his first Pro Bowl berth while leading the league with 32 touchdown passes. More recently, Drake Maye, Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough all played well after spending time on the bench.
The same could be said, of course, of the Raiders' minority owner, Tom Brady, along with a number of likely future gold-jacket wearers (Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers). Las Vegas' old-school developmental approach is clearly part of a bigger plan to help Mendoza max out his potential as a franchise quarterback.