TheDenver Broncos can finally say they have one of the better rosters in football, but just how good is it approaching the 2025 season?
George Paton's tenure with the Denver Broncos definitely hit rock-bottom with the Russell Wilson-Nathaniel Hackett pairing in the 2022 NFL Season, but the team's decision to trade for and hire Sean Payton has really paid off.
Both Paton and Payton seem to have an exceptional working relationship together, and it has turned into the Broncos fielding one of the better rosters in the NFL, as they have hit on many draft picks and have seen many young players hit their stride.
But just how good is the team's roster across the entire NFL?
Denver has a top-10 roster, according to PFF
Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman ranked all 32 rosters for PFF, and Denver's roster got a solid and respectable 9th ranking. Here is what they had to say about it:
"Biggest strength in 2024: Elite defense
Denver’s defense was one of the best in the NFL this past season. Only the Eagles allowed a lower EPA per play figure and fewer yards per play than the Broncos in 2024. They also ranked second in the league with a 39.9% pressure rate, and Patrick Surtain II became the first cornerback to win Defensive Player of the Year since Stephon Gilmore in 2019. After drafting cornerback Jahdae Barron in the first round of this year’s draft, the Broncos are on the short list for having the best defense in football.
Biggest weakness in 2024: Offensive weaponry
While the Broncos gave quarterback Bo Nix the highest-graded pass-blocking unit in football (83.5), they didn't provide ample skill-position weapons. The Broncos earned the fifth-worst PFF receiving grade and the fifth-worst PFF rushing grade in 2024. Denver is hoping the following two players will fix that issue.
X-factor for 2025: TE Evan Engram
The only major change to the Broncos' receiving corps is tight end Evan Engram. Over his three years with the Jaguars, Engram ranked fourth among tight ends with 1,163 yards after the catch. That’s even more impressive when considering he played in only nine games in 2024 due to a torn labrum. If he can bounce back, he should be a dangerous weapon in Denver’s offense.
Rookie to watch: RB RJ Harvey
The Broncos will rely on second-round pick RJ Harvey to lead their ground game in 2025. He was one of the most productive rushers in college football during his time with UCF, placing eighth among FBS running backs with a 94.2 PFF rushing grade since 2023 and ranking fourth with 2,995 rushing yards in that span."
Max Chadwick, Dalton Wasserman
And across the entire AFC, Denver's roster ended up coming in 5th. This is quite the fair ranking, as the Denver Broncos are best where it matters the most in the NFL - they are elite in the trenches on both sides of the ball and have a franchise QB.
They've also got other key positions settled like having a shutdown CB and perhaps now having a legitimate RB1. When you look at Denver's roster, there really is not a lot more the front office can to do make it better. It will be interesting to see how the team behaves at the 2025 NFL trade deadline, as they could be in a position to add a player or two.
Young players like Bo Nix, Quinn Meinerz, Marvin Mims Jr, Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, and others have really begun to play some of the best football of their career or are on a great trajectory overall. Not only does this take a high level of coaching, but the players themselves have to have the necessary talent, so George Paton's sharp eye for scouting is really becoming more obvious with this roster.
Denver's roster ranked 9th in the NFL by PFF is a fair ranking and accurately represents just how much talent this team has ahead of the 2025 NFL Season.