Stephen A. Smith declares the Broncos ‘a top-3 team, they just ain’t top-2’

Respect has been hard to come by for the Denver Broncos during the offseason.

QB Bo Nix has been snubbed left and right and the oddsmakers don’t like the Broncos chances of making the Super Bowl, let alone winning it.

Denver found an unlikely ally on Thursday morning in ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

On “First Take,” Smith revealed his top-5 teams entering the 2026 NFL season. Not only did the Broncos make the list, but they weren’t No. 5 or No. 4 and are Smith’s top team in the AFC.

"Rams, Seahawks, Broncos, Bills, Cowboys."@stephenasmith shares his top five NFL teams 👀 pic.twitter.com/WayifaD2xN

— First Take (@FirstTake) September 3, 2026

“This is the team right here that should’ve been in the Super Bowl to be quite honest,” Smith said of the Broncos.

That’s how almost all of Denver feels, after Nix broke his ankle in the divisional round against the Buffalo Bills. It was an epic OT win to advance to the AFC Title Game, but Nix had immediate surgery and missed the frustrating 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots. Backup QB Jarrett Stidham and the rest of the offense weren’t up to the task.

But with Nix now healthy, Smith likes the Broncos to go deep again this season.

“In the AFC Championship Game, there was no Bo Nix. Bo Nix is back. That defense with 68 sacks is back. They got Jaylen Waddle there now, okay? A speedster that’s gonna spread the field. I’ve got to give love where it’s due, Denver’s a top-3 team, they just ain’t top-2,” Smith concluded.

The addition of Waddle was Denver’s biggest move of the spring and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph returns arguably the scariest defense in the NFL. All the pieces are there to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Smith settled on the Cowboys at No. 5, the Bills at No. 4, the Broncos at No. 3, the Seahawks at No. 2 and the Rams at No. 1 with kickoff for the league less than a week away.

It’s nice to see the Broncos getting the love they deserve on a national stage. Beat the Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 1 and the hype will only continue to grow.

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