Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season and periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.
Hey, Parker: So, the promotion of Davis Webb to OC was a relief for a lot of reasons (keeping him away from the Raiders is a big one), and it’s fascinating that the talk of Sean Payton giving up play-calling duties and it’s being a potential reality is fascinating. Who’d a thunk it? I know I have whined plenty about the endless screens, the trick plays in short yardage, etc. If the change is made, what do you imagine (and it would have to be imagination as there is virtually no body of work to judge Davis Webb) would be the real difference? Surely fewer screens. Not running it on second-and-10 EVERY TIME! Fewer subs to help ramp up the tempo and maybe get the primary guys in better rhythm? What say you?
— David, Charlotte
You picked a good word in your question. The whole situation really is fascinating.
We don’t know for sure what the play-calling setup in Denver is going to look like going forward. There are a lot of reasons to think, including what we know about Davis Webb’s other opportunities, that he’s going to be involved in some capacity. Whether that’s as the primary play caller, in some other capacity or with the understanding that he’ll have a chance to call plays at some point remains unclear. My beat partner, Luca Evans, surveyed people who know Sean Payton last week and most of them said they didn’t think he’d give up the play sheet. So, we wait and see what Payton has to say later this month at the NFL Combine.
We also don’t know what exactly Webb will be like as a play caller, whether that’s this fall in Denver, in the future or somewhere else entirely beyond 2026. I put that question to Broncos quarterback Sam Ehlinger after the season and here’s what he told me:
“You kind of have to be in that situation when the pressure is on and the bullets are flying to really develop that signature,” Ehlinger said. “I think he’ll have a unique mix of kind of new-school, Air Raid, attacking style. But also be able to balance the run game with all that he’s learned here from Sean and his experience in Buffalo. I’m curious to see what that becomes.”
A lot of people in the NFL are, and with good reason. There are several really talented play callers in the league and if you’re one of them, you’re getting a head coaching job sooner rather than later.
If you’re the next Sean McVay — easier said than done, of course — you’re among the most valuable commodities in the game.
Eventually, we’ll have a better sense of what that particular picture looks like in Denver. In the meantime, though, there’s a related conversation that’s every bit as impactful for the Broncos in 2026.
Payton’s clearly shaken up his offensive staff. He wasn’t satisfied with several things this past year and he hasn’t found the offensive magic from his New Orleans run, period, in three years since arriving in Denver.
So, how much is going to change? Payton acknowledged he’d already talked to offensive line coach Zach Strief this offseason about having to figure things out on that front. Webb’s ascendance to coordinator, even if it doesn’t lead to calling plays, gives him a bigger voice in the offensive meeting room when it comes to play design, game planning, substitution patterns and all the rest.
In the end, though, it’s still Payton’s offense as long as he’s the coach here. It matters who’s calling the plays, but only to an extent. The question Payton, Webb and the Broncos’ offensive staff must answer correctly over the next four months is this: Does the offensive playbook and philosophy need tinkering and tailoring or does it need a more substantial overhaul?
What roster changes might we see? Who’s not returning?
— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.
It’s been clear for months that John Franklin-Myers is going to hit free agency. Somebody or somebodies at inside linebacker will, too. Dre Greenlaw’s three-year deal last spring was really structured as “one year and then we’ll see.” So we’ll see.
Then, if you’re looking for candidates to be cut, restructured or extended, you’re looking first at big cap numbers and low guaranteed money. Here are the foremost players who hit that category for the Broncos in 2026, according to OvertheCap. Greenlaw fits the bill, too. This is not to say all of these players will get cut, restructured or extended. They’re just candidates for some kind of contractual action.
RT Mike McGlinchey — Cap: $23.775 million. No guaranteed money. Early most likely scenario: Restructure (up to $10.5 million in cap saved)
LG Ben Powers — Cap $18.155 million. No guaranteed money. Early most likely scenario: Cut ($8.4 mil saved, $9.78 mil dead) or restructure ($7.5 mil saved)
S Brandon Jones — Cap $9.24 million. No guaranteed money. Early most likely scenario: Extension.
WR Marvin Mims — Cap $6.01 million. No guaranteed money. Early most likely scenario: Play it out/revisit on bye week. Same for CB Riley Moss ($3.85 million cap hit).
Noting that of the Broncos’ “big” free-agent acquisitions last off-season, ALL of them were KNOWN to be injury prone (which trend continued predictably after Denver signed them). I’m inclined to say it’s time for the Broncos to start prioritizing realistic availability estimates over “potential” when viewing future free-agent signings. What are your thoughts?
— Will Christiansen, Orem, Utah
The Broncos definitely did take a lot of injury risk with their free agent signings last year. They got, I’d say, roughly predictable results. Safety Talanoa Hufanga played every game and, overall, was terrific. Running back J.K. Dobbins was Denver’s best offensive player for 10 games before a season-ending injury. Tight end Evan Engram was mostly healthy but had a disappointing year. Greenlaw was hurt often and but impactful when he played.
The Broncos knew they were rolling the dice with these guys, but also thought their roster was strong enough elsewhere that the risk could be worth the reward. Overall, it’s hard to say they were wrong about that. They also didn’t hand out huge guaranteed money to any of the four.
In general, though, the club mostly follows along your line of thinking in the second half of your question, Will.
They’ve mostly used free agency to look for second-contract players who are still young, still have upward mobility in their careers and have been mostly healthy (almost everybody has some injury sheet). Think Zach Allen in 2023. McGlinchey and Powers, too, though they got closer to top-of-the-market money. Jones and DL Malcolm Roach in 2024.
In fact, when those guys started their first training camps with the Broncos, they all had pretty similar numbers:
Allen (2023): 25 years old, 45 games in Arizona
Powers (2023): 26 years old, 46 games in Baltimore
McGlinchey (2023): 28 years old, 69 games in San Francisco
Jones (2024): 26 years old, 51 games in Miami
Roach (2024): 26 years old, 41 games in New Orleans
McGlinchey was a little older and a little more experienced, but largely because he played a fifth season on his rookie deal with the 49ers as a former first-round pick.
Hufanga (26 years old, 49 games in San Francisco) fit the same mold, too, when he signed, just with more substantial recent injury history.
This isn’t the only type of free agent the Broncos sign, of course, but it’s a model for what, ideally, you’re looking for on the market.
What do you feel about the following moves for the Broncos?
Sign the following free agents:
IL: Alex Anzalone and/or Matt Milano — They are great in pass and run coverage
RB: Tyler Allgeier —Durable power runner with low mileage.
TE: Isaiah Likely — big, great hands, can line up across the board. Joker Sean needs.
Trade for Garrett Wilson, Jaylen Waddle or Marvin Harrison.
In my opinion, the Broncos have a two- or three-year window before they have to extend Nix. They have the salary cap and draft capital to make this work. Thoughts?
— Rob, New Rochelle, N.Y.
Looks like neither the writer of this mailbag nor Broncos general manager George Paton has much more to do this spring. You’ve got it covered.
Kidding, of course, but the suggestions you make are in line with what a lot of folks think are the positions the Broncos should address this offseason.
At linebacker, I still think Vance Joseph’s return as defensive coordinator increases the likelihood that at least one of Alex Singleton or Justin Strnad is back. Also, don’t forget to throw a couple of other, younger potential free agent options in the mix in Devin Bush and Quay Walker. This time of year, though, you don’t know for sure who actually will get to free agency and who will re-sign.
Also, one other point: The Bo Nix contract extension talk is coming sooner than that. He’s eligible after next season. The cap number can be held in a moderate range well beyond 2027, but assuming Nix has a healthy and productive 2026 season, Denver’s days with a quarterback on a rookie deal are numbered.
As you mentioned, your thinking is the Broncos need, in order, “a top-flight, all-around TE first. Then a No. 1 receiver. Then, a high-quality running back.” If you were able to be the GM and pick your top choices at each spot, who would your “dream list” include?
— Drew, Belgrade, Serbia
Dream list, like, regardless of what’s realistic this offseason? If Dallas is tagging WR George Pickens and then taking a second-round pick for him, that sounds great. Giving up a first-rounder before extending him at $35 million a year or more sounds less great, but he’s obviously a tremendous player.
I’m just not sure that guy is available at tight end. They’re rare. Among potential free agents, Dallas Goedert’s production has yet to fall off, which is impressive for the newly 31-year-old. Younger options I’m interested in include Cade Otton, Isaiah Likely and Daniel Bellinger. Bellinger, in part, of course, because he played the best game of his career receiving-wise against Denver in October for the New York Giants. Maybe Green Bay makes somebody like Luke Musgrave available via trade with Tucker Kraft on the mend this offseason, but a lot of these TE-rich teams (the Rams being another) like deploying a bunch of guys at the position. And why not? They’re useful in so many ways.
There are some interesting potential free agent backs, including Hall and Travis Etienne. Bet Kenneth Walker III made himself some money over the past month en route to winning Super Bowl MVP.
Is there competition or envy amongst sportswriters who cover teams that are seemingly always in the postseason? Example: the Chiefs, until this year, always playoff bound, so their writers cover extra games and are read in greater numbers. I would think covering the Broncos this year was far different than years past when the season was over by Game No. 12!
— David Brown, Silverthorne
Hey David, thanks for writing in and for the interesting question. To be honest, I’d never thought of it that way before. Competition is really more among your own beat rather than across teams, like you’re asking. Covering big games is a cool part of the job, so I’ll never complain when those come around. The added eyeballs, traffic, interest, etc. is great, too. I don’t see that element of it as competition, though, because you don’t have any control over that unless you specifically try to seek out a job covering a powerhouse team or something. I suppose that could be alluring, but it’s not that easy to just get a job, like any career, there are other considerations like location, family, etc. and at least in the NFL, success for so many teams comes and goes quickly.
The closest thing I can relay to your question: My first year on the beat was the 2022 season. For all intents and purposes, the season ended Dec. 26 when Nathaniel Hackett was fired and by mid-January, we were deep into covering the coaching search. Second half of January, we were reporting on Denver’s interest in Sean Payton, its pursuit of Jim Harbaugh and the brass coming away extremely impressed by DeMeco Ryans. The club traded for Payton on Jan. 31. Along the way, I remember seeing reporters posting injury reports and practice photos for divisional weekend and conference championship games and thinking, “wow, those folks are all still going to practices and doing normal football season stuff.” It felt like it had been months since we’d done that here. I thought about that this year on conference championship week. It’s a long season when the team you cover makes it that far. But it’s a heck of a ride, too.
For the love of God, please reassure me that Sean Payton won’t blow the first round of the draft again by drafting a defensive player! Part of the reason we lost the AFC Championship game was a lack of impact skill position player because Sean Payton wasted our first-round pick on a player, Jahdae Barron, who only saw the field for 20% of the plays instead of addressing the obvious needs at WR, TE and RB. … My question is what safeguards might the Broncos implement to ensure that Payton doesn’t ride roughshod over George Paton, whom I assume is at least smart enough to take a player the Broncos actually NEED, rather than a luxury at a position of excellent depth. And don’t give me the “you can use all the CBs you can get” nonsense. When you have limited salary cap, draft picks, and roster limits, excessive depth/bench players at one position will inevitably impact the rest of the roster-especially when they are first-round picks, being paid first-round money. Thank you!
— Scott Spendlove, Lakewood
Scott, thanks for writing. Bad news for you, though — well, not bad from an NFL-roster-building perspective. One of the reasons Payton and Paton work well together is that their scouting eyes and brains mesh well. They disagree, of course, but their core philosophies are similar. Among them: Draft corners, edge rushers and linemen early. Point blank. Regardless of your roster.
Now, they don’t draft only those players early. They could land on a receiver or a tight end, a linebacker or a safety in the early rounds this year. Fair warning, though, with the acknowledgement that the draft is still more than two months away: Look out there at how a lot of the public boards are falling and you will find a lot of DBs, rushers and linemen stacked in and after the top 15 or so. There are going to be options in those departments again when the Broncos find themselves on the clock at No. 30. Smart teams late in the first round have their eyes open in terms of moving up, but largely they let the board come to them and someone talented sifts their way down.
That was Barron last year.
Even asking this next question is a little misguided because rookie year impact is only a fraction of the equation, but who would the Broncos have been far better off drafting? WR Emeka Egbuka went one pick earlier. The skill guys that went right after, RB Omarion Hampton and WR Matthew Golden, were good but not team-changers. Hampton dealt with injuries and Golden caught his first touchdown in the playoffs. The Broncos considered trading back and taking TreVeyon Henderson — Luca and I were both Henderson-stans last spring — which would have looked pretty good. And there were a bunch of interesting skill players that went early in the second, between Henderson and RB Quinshon Judkins, WRs Jayden Higgins and Luther Burden and then, a bit later, TEs Mason Taylor and Terrence Ferguson. You could prefer any of those, but Barron’s a key figure in the Broncos’ future. Plus, if you’re looking at the most impactful non-QBs drafted soon after Barron, you might pick early second-rounders ILB Carson Schwesinger or S Nick Emmanwori.
What do you think of having a break after the sixth and 12th game in the season. I think giving players an extra week off would enable them to be more healthy in the last third of the season. The details could be worked out.
— Dan Main, Sioux Falls, S.D.
I’m sure the players would be all for it. The only way a second bye week is going to happen, though, is if it comes along with an 18th regular-season game. It’ll be interesting to see if the NFL and the NFLPA make any progress on that front this offseason. The players are dug in against an 18th right now and with good reason. They’ve repeatedly ceded ground to the owners over the past couple of CBAs and they probably feel a lot of pressure to make it count if they entertain an 18th game. It’s really their only big stick to leverage at this point.
If they went to a model of two preseason games, 18 regular season and two bye weeks, you’d likely be looking at Week 1 on Labor Day weekend and the Super Bowl on President’s Day weekend.
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