For the Broncos, it’s a new season with plenty of familiar faces. They’ll count on the relative roster continuity to give them an advantage in cohesion that some other competitors for the AFC’s Super Bowl spot will lack.
But as defensive coordinator Vance Joseph told Pat Surtain II, the accomplishments of last year don’t matter. Cohesion will help, but this team, like all others, starts this week from zero.
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Organized team activities can only provide a slight illumination as to what is to come, but there are some key points worth monitoring over the next three weeks of on-field work that could prove crucial for the season ahead.
1. HOW WILL THE BRONCOS MAKE USE OF JAYLEN WADDLE?
Offseason trade acquisition Jaylen Waddle can align in the slot and be more of an underneath target, or he could be a valuable downfield threat. All of that is at his disposal, especially given that Waddle’s average depth of target shot up to 16.7 yards after Tyreek Hill’s season-ending injury last year.
Prior to that, Waddle’s ADOT in 2025 was 9.0 yards; in his four previous seasons with Hill as a teammate, Waddle’s ADOT was never greater than 12.7 yards.
Without Hill, Waddle got more of his yardage before the reception because he was running deeper routes. Now, the question is this: Will the Broncos use him as the Dolphins did after Hill’s injury, as Miami did before … or as a mix of both?
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2. HOW WILL JONAH ELLISS LOOK AT INSIDE LINEBACKER?
Sean Payton mentioned in March at the NFL Annual Meeting that edge rusher Jonah Elliss would get some snaps on the inside when OTAs began. This would make sense for game-day roster-construction purposes, as if Elliss can be in the ILB mix, Que Robinson could move up to the No. 2 line at edge rusher, allowing the Broncos to have their best-possible combination of players active on game days.
But will Elliss work exclusively on the inside, or will he see just spot duty in a hybrid role? And tangential to this, how much will Drew Sanders work at edge rusher as he tries to bounce back from two years that have seen him take part in just five games — including the January 2025 wild-card loss at Buffalo — due to injuries?
3. OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE BACKUP QUARTERBACKS
The Broncos hope to have Bo Nix back on the field before their work concludes in two weeks, but for now, it’s expected to be the Jarrett Stidham-and-Sam-Ehlinger show. For Stidham, this will represent a chance to put the AFC Championship Game behind him, a performance in which he started well, but then made a crucial mistake that set the Patriots up on a short field for their only touchdown, a moment that was at least as damaging as the failed fourth-down call earlier in the second quarter.
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Ehlinger’s status is more fascinating, however. He had the opportunity to leave for Indianapolis late last season, but opted to remain on the Broncos’ practice squad. That likely doesn’t happen without the assurance of an earnest competition for the No. 2 role.
Nix’s injury could give Ehlinger the opportunity he craves — to show his potential within the Broncos’ scheme with a better supporting cast.