The Denver Broncos clinched the top slot in the AFC Conference in Week 18. While their first playoff opponent remains to be seen, how the Broncos went from “cap jail” to atop the conference is coming into focus. It all started in the 2024 offseason. Then-Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson had the largest dead cap hit in league history at $85 million. What happened next set the backdrop for the current Broncos.
How Broncos Went From ‘Cap Jail’ to AFC’s No. 1 Seed
Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer said, “The Denver Broncos are the number one seed two years after cutting Russell Wilson. And if you remember, when they cut Russell Wilson, there was a lot of talk about how they were going to be in cap jail. They had to eat $85 million dollars in dead money. That’s an NFL record. $53 million in ’24, $32 million in ’25. That narrowed the path that meant they had to get draft picks right. That means they had to nail their free agent signings. They couldn’t mess up.”
So, who are these draft picks and free agent signings? Starting in 2023 — the evaluation period of Wilson by Broncos head coach Sean Payton — it was right tackle Mike McGlinchey, left guard Ben Powers, and interior defensive lineman (3-4 DE) Zach Allen in free ageny. Then there was Marvin Mims Jr. and Riley Moss in the draft. The former is a Pro Bowler, and the latter is No. 21 in PFSN’s NFL CB Impact Metric.
(The jury is still out on inside linebacker Drew Sanders, set to start next season in the final year of his rookie contract.)
And in 2024, after cutting Wilson, the Broncos’ offensive line was No. 4 in PFSN’s NFL OL Impact Metric behind McGlinchey and Powers. The Broncos were 10-7, with draft picks quarterback Bo Nix, EDGE Jonah Elliss, and wide receiver Troy Franklin (drafted No. 102) in the starter rounds.
Allen, meanwhile, is No. 8 in PFSN’s NFL DT Impact Metric this past season. In the offseason, the Broncos added tight end Evan Engram, inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, and safety Talanoa Hufanga. And through the draft, Denver added cornerback Jahdae Barron, running back RJ Harvey, wide receiver Pat Bryant, and interior defensive lineman (3-4 DE) Sai’vion Jones in the starter rounds.
So, out of 15 acquisitions, not counting Sanders, the Broncos hit on at least 10 players. Elliss hasn’t shown much in his second season, Engram is a bust, Barron and Bryant need more snaps, and Jones looks to be supplanted by fellow interior defensive lineman Malcolm Roach. That means, realistically, the Broncos can have hit on 12 of 15 acquisitions from 2023 through 2025 by the end of the 2026 season.
As Naval says, “If you want to be great, walk the rope without a boss and without a net.” Great things are happening in Broncos Country, let’s ride.
