ESPN names Broncos best and worst offseason moves

Many thought the Denver Broncos would go out and make a big change or two to their roster this offseason.

The Broncos did go out and trade their first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

Other than adding an elite pass catcher, the Broncos basically decided to run it back with the nearly the exact same roster that they had in 2025.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com put out his list of the best and worst deals in the offseason for all of the AFC teams.

According to Barnwell, the best move the Broncos made this offseason was re-signing running back, J.K. Dobbins.

In June of 2025, the Broncos signed the veteran running back to a one-year deal worth $5.25 million and he clearly became the starting running back.

Dobbins, who has an injury history, only appeared in 10 games last season and rushed for 772 yards and averaged five yards per carry. While finding the end zone four times, Dobbins also caught 11 passes out of the backfield.

Barnwell likes the Broncos-resigning Dobbins because he ranks pretty high in a number of categories.

Since 2020, 51 running backs backs have racked up 500 or more rush attempts.

“Among those backs, Dobbins ranks third in yards per carry, ninth in success rate, second in explosive play rate, first in rush yards over expectation per carry and first in EPA per rush attempt,” Barnwell wrote.

It’s also worth noting that Dobbins hasn’t fumbled since 2020.

“Dobbins might be the most efficient back in the league with the ball in his hands. If you needed any healthy running back to take 15 handoffs in a game, Dobbins wouldn’t be anybody’s first pick, but he shouldn’t be far off,” Barnwell added.

“Dobbins has racked up only 589 carries across those six seasons as a product of dealing with ACL and Achilles injuries,” per Barnwell. “In 2025, he saw his season ended by a foot injury in a November win over the Raiders. Playing about half of the offensive snaps, Dobbins was averaging an even 5 yards per carry in an offense in which Denver’s other backs averaged fewer than 4 yards per attempt.”

In this offseason, the Broncos signed the veteran running back to a two-year, $16 million deal, guaranteeing Dobbins $8 million for 2026 in the process. The Broncos are hoping that Dobbins can stay healthy for the 2026 NFL season.

On the flip side, there was one one move that Barnwell didn’t like and that’s not replacing defensive end, John Franklin-Myers.

“The Broncos had a championship-caliber defense last season, and Franklin-Myers was one of the many players who helped Denver come within a quarterback injury of potentially making it to the Super Bowl,” Barnwell wrote.

In his two seasons with the Broncos, Franklin-Myers had 14.5 sacks, 33 quarterback hits and 65 total tackles.

Since the Broncos were strapped for cash to stay under the salary cap, they were forced to let the former fourth-round pick hit free agency. Franklin-Myers wound up getting a big pay day from the Tennessee Titans where he received a three-year deal worth $63 million.

With free agency not being deep at the defensive end position, the Broncos looked to the draft to find Franklin-Myers’ replacement.

Denver drafted Tyler Onyedim from Texas A&M in the third-round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

“General manager George Paton probably was trying to protect the compensatory picks the Broncos earned for losing Franklin-Myers and P.J. Locke in free agency, but with that formula now locked, it’s a surprise that Denver wasn’t more aggressive in pursuing a veteran such as Calais Campbell, who signed with the Ravens, to help become part of the defensive line rotation,” Barnwell said.

Don’t forget, Campbell will turn 40 years old in September.

If the Broncos were a Bo Nix ankle injury away from the Super Bowl and the front office wanted to run it back with 99.9% of last season’s roster, it’s clear the Broncos can be Super Bowl contenders once again in the 2026 season.

Overall, their offseason was a little stale, but a 14-3 team can afford that luxury.

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