Say this for Sean Payton: He sure liked to spread the drops around.
The Broncos were the only NFL team to place three players among the league’s top 15 in dropped passes during the regular season, per Pro-Football-Reference.com — wide receiver Courtland Sutton (eight), tight end Evan Engram (eight) and running back RJ Harvey (seven).
No wonder a 15-4 record feels like such a Boverachievement, in retrospect.
It’s going to be a beast to repeat if Payton and GM George Paton don’t add an experienced, proven wideout for Bo Nix in 2026. Or a big-time tight end. Better yet, both.
What the heck. Russell Wilson is off the books, right? Paton is rolling into the offseason with diamond encrusted Walmart gift card in his wallet. Go nuts.
“I think the position that this team, the position that we’re in, (we) have a win-now mentality,” Engram said Monday at Dove Valley as the Broncos cleaned out their lockers following a 10-7 loss to New England in the AFC Championship. “And there are some things that we can work with to even make our roster even better.
“So, yeah — I have the utmost faith in the guys upstairs, all the decision-makers, the coach. They’ve done a great job since they’ve been here. They’ve built (a) championship team. Being able to add to that already, we’re in a great spot. We’ll be in a good spot for a while.”
Yeah, but you’ve got to strike now. Nix is on a rookie contract through 2027. That time is going to fly by. Like the Nuggets with Jokic and Murray and the Avs with MacKinnon and Makar, this is the window. Right here. We going for this? Or not?
“Obviously, we need some key players to come in and do what they need to do by getting points on the scoreboard,” veteran left tackle Garett Bolles noted Monday. “(We’ve) got a phenomenal defense. We have everything we need. We just need a couple more playmakers, and sky’s the limit for this team.”
Almost everything. Nix can sling it with Sam Darnold all stinking day. What do the Super-Bowl-bound Seahawks have that the Broncos don’t? A bell cow tailback (Kenneth Walker) who has averaged 15 games per season over his career. And a No. 1 wideout (Jaxson Smith-Njigba) who’s putting up seven catches and 86 receiving yards per game this postseason.
Over two playoff games in ’25-26, Sutton’s totaled seven catches and 70 yards through the air. In total.
That’s not to dog Big No. 14, who, at age 30, has been healthy and productive on the field — and a much-needed leader off of it.
It is to say that the man needs more help. And more outside help, especially.
Pat Bryant Jr. made strides, but you worry about all those repeated dings as of late. Troy Franklin had some amazing flashes. Yet while they might be cost-effective, neither of them has the kind of consistency of, say, a Tee Higgins. Or a Jaylen Waddle. Or a Cooper Kupp. Or a Davante Adams. Or Garrett Wilson.
Payton has it backwards. He thinks he can turn anybody into a WR1 with his system. In truth, the system needs another potential WR1 to take off.
OverTheCap says the Broncos should have $27 million in cap room for ’26. Time to go shopping. And not in the discount section, either.
Giants wideout Wan’Dale Robinson is a free agent coming off his first 1,000-yard season. His drop rate was 2.29% — 10th lowest among players with at least 90 targets. The Colts’ Alec Pierce, who’s got the kind of size (6-foot-3) that Payton craves, is also hitting the market after his first 1,000-yard campaign. The former Cincy Bearcat sported a miniscule 1.2% drop rate this past fall and a 3.4% rate for his career.
The Broncos went 13-3 in one-score games in 2025, 12-2 during the regular season. It wasn’t luck. But it’s also tough to repeat, at least at that pace. Those fine margins are only going to get finer. And more fleeting.
Ideally, you build an offense that can pile up more leads, which eases the burden on that defense. Vance Joseph’s unit seemed to carry a game for three quarters until Nix and the offense came to life in the last eight minutes. You might sustain that over a season. It’s a lot to sustain it for two. Ask the Chiefs.
Per Pro-Football-Reference.com, only the Jaguars (45) logged more drops (43) than the Broncos did during the regular season. And Denver ranked second to Jacksonville in drop rate (7.0% to the Jags’ 8.0%.)
For a coach who thinks running the ball is for squares and suckers, that’s not exactly adapting one’s philosophy to fit your personnel.
Unless, of course, you change said personnel. A year ago, Payton vowed to upgrade the inner triangle of running back/tight end/slot receiver. J.K. Dobbins was a step in the right direction in the backfield — at least before he got hurt. Engram’s impact at TE1 was erratic, though, to put it kindly.
“I can only do the most with the opportunities that I get,” Engram said Monday. “There (were) times where I had opportunities. There (were) times where they were a little slim.”
Or none. Engram logged one or zero catches four times over the course of the season and logged three or fewer targets on six different occasions.
“Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, that’s kind of out of my control,” Engram reflected. “I do think there are opportunities in this offense. I think that the tight end position can bring a lot more than it should. Even speaking for the other guys, there’s a lot more that we honestly could have helped with.”
Moving the chains, mostly. Which is why it’s time for the Broncos to put their money where Payton’s mouth is.
Denver ranked 19th in NFL cap spending on wide receivers, according to Spotrac.com. The Broncos were 28th in 2024. When it comes to wideouts, you tend to get what you pay for. Right between the hands.
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Sean Keeler
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