ESPN ranks Broncos ‘playmakers’ very low compared to all NFL teams

On paper, the 2026 Denver Broncos are Super Bowl contenders.

They went 14-3 a season ago, made the AFC Championship and are essentially running it back with an elite defense and exciting young QB in Bo Nix.

Still, some questions remain about the explosive ability of the offense. Does Denver have enough playmakers around Nix?

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell took a stab at the question when he ranked the best WR, TE and RB groups in the NFL on Thursday morning. And the results weren’t particularly kind to the Broncos.

Barnwell has Denver at No. 23 in the league, ahead of only the Dolphins, Giants, Browns, Bills, Panthers, Commanders, Raiders, Titans and Texans.

Buffalo is a potential championship team, perhaps Houston as well, but other than those two this is pretty bleak company for the Broncos to keep.

“(Sean) Payton does a great job of scheming opportunities open in this offense, but the Broncos could use one more difference-maker if they want to start challenging for the top 10 here,” Barnwell wrote.

Yes, it’s clear that Payton can get the most out of guys that are household names in the Mile High City but maybe not around the rest of the NFL.

Barnwell talks about the addition of WR Jaylen Waddle being intriguing, but the Broncos were No. 23 on his list last year and remain there before this season. Trading a first-rounder for Waddle from the Dolphins couldn’t even bump Denver up one spot. Although it’s still an improvement from their No. 30 ranking entering the 2024 season.

“The only concern with Waddle is injury, given that he missed games and hobbled through others in 2023 and 2024. He should settle in as the 1A ahead of Courtland Sutton,” Barnwell wrote.

That seems a bit unfair, considering Waddle played 45 of a possible 51 games over the last three seasons on poor Miami teams.

The ESPN article also mentions injury concerns with RB J.K. Dobbins, something that’s been a problem throughout his entire career.

He was dominating for the Broncos last season before a Lisfranc injury put him down for the count. Dobbins is adamant he would’ve played in the Super Bowl if Denver had made it, but they lost the AFC Title Game to the Patriots without him and Nix.

The top-5 teams on Barnwell’s list are the 49ers, Falcons, Bengals, Rams and Lions. Four of those five are in the NFC and Cincinnati isn’t necessarily viewed as a threat despite the scary trio of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

At the end of the day it’s list season, but this one isn’t too high on the Broncos. It’s up to them to go prove Barnwell wrong and have a huge year on offense.

To see the full rankings, click here.

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