2026 Denver Broncos season

2026 Denver Broncos season
Owner	Rob Walton and Greg Penner
General manager	George Paton
Head coach	Sean Payton
Offensive coordinator	Davis Webb
Defensive coordinator	Vance Joseph
Home stadium	Empower Field at Mile High
Uniform

← 2025 Broncos seasons 2027 →

The 2026 season will be the Denver Broncos' upcoming 57th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 67th overall. It will also be the team's sixth under the leadership of general manager George Paton, the fifth under the ownership of the Walton-Penner family group and the fourth under head coach Sean Payton. They will attempt to match or improve on their 14–3 record from 2025, make the playoffs for the third consecutive season, and win the AFC West for the second consecutive season.

2025 Denver Broncos coaching staff changes
Position	Previous coach	Reason	Replacement(s)	Source(s)
Assistant strength and conditioning coach	Korey Jones, 2020–2025	Not retained	Zaviar Gooden	^[1]
Cornerbacks coach	Addison Lynch, 2025	Fired	Doug Belk (as defensive backs coach)	^[2]^[3]
Defensive pass game coordinator	Jim Leonhard, 2024–2025	Hired by the Buffalo Bills	Robert Livingston	^[4]^[5]
Offensive consultant	John Morton, 2025	Promoted to pass game coordinator	None	^[6]
Offensive coordinator	Joe Lombardi, 2023–2025	Fired	Davis Webb	^[2]^[7]
Offensive pass game coordinator & quarterbacks coach	Davis Webb, 2023–2025	Promoted to offensive coordinator	John Morton (as offensive pass game coordinator)	^[7]^[8]
Offensive pass game coordinator & quarterbacks coach	Davis Webb, 2023–2025	Promoted to offensive coordinator	Logan Kilgore (as quarterbacks coach)	^[7]^[8]
Offensive quality control coach	Logan Kilgore, 2023–2025	Promoted to quarterbacks coach	JD Johnson Kyle Kempt Willie Snead IV	^[7]^[9]^[10]
Offensive quality control coach	Favian Upshaw, 2023–2025	Hired by the Miami Hurricanes	JD Johnson Kyle Kempt Willie Snead IV	^[7]^[9]^[10]
Passing game specialist	Zack Grossi, 2024–2025	Hired by the Baltimore Ravens	None	^[11]
Senior offensive assistant	Pete Carmichael Jr., 2024–2025	Hired by the Buffalo Bills	None	^[12]^[13]
Wide receivers coach	Keary Colbert, 2023–2025	Fired	Ronald Curry	^[2]^[14]

Roster changes

Position	Player	Date signed	Source(s)
LB	Levelle Bailey	January 26	^[15]
TE	Caleb Lohner
NT	Jordan Miller
RB	Cody Schrader
G	Calvin Throckmorton
RB	Deuce Vaughn
LB	Garrett Nelson	January 27	^[16]
T	Marques Cox	January 29	^[17]
C	Michael Deiter
G	Nash Jones
DT	Kristian Williams
CB	Jaden Robinson	January 30	^[18]

Position	Player	Tag	Team signed with	Date signed	Notes	Source(s)
TE	Nate Adkins	RFA	Denver Broncos	March 10	1 year, $1.555 million	^[19]
RB	Tyler Badie	ERFA	Denver Broncos	March 6	1 year, $1.075 million	^[20]
FB	Michael Burton	UFA
RB	J. K. Dobbins	UFA	Denver Broncos	March 10	2 years, $16 million	^[21]
QB	Sam Ehlinger	UFA	Denver Broncos	March 11	1 year, $2 million	^[22]
DE	John Franklin-Myers	UFA	Tennessee Titans	March 12	3 years, $63 million	^[23]
DE	Matt Henningsen	UFA	Denver Broncos	March 11	originally an RFA^[24] 1 year, $1.145 million	^[25]
WR	Lil'Jordan Humphrey	UFA	Denver Broncos	March 12	1 year, $1.215 million	^[26]
DE	Jordan Jackson	ERFA	Denver Broncos	March 6	1 year, $1.075 million	^[20]
S	Devon Key	ERFA	Denver Broncos	March 6	1 year, $1.075 million	^[20]
TE	Lucas Krull	UFA	Denver Broncos	March 11	originally an RFA^[24] 1 year, $1.33 million	^[27]
S	P. J. Locke	UFA	Dallas Cowboys	March 10	1 year, $5 million	^[28]
RB	Jaleel McLaughlin	UFA	Denver Broncos	March 13	originally an RFA^[24] 1 year, $1.145 million	^[29]
CB	Ja'Quan McMillian	RFA	Denver Broncos	February 27	1 year, $5.8 million	^[30]
C	Sam Mustipher	UFA
G	Alex Palczewski	RFA	Denver Broncos	March 5	2 years, $9.5 million	^[31]
FB	Adam Prentice	UFA	Denver Broncos	March 12	1 year, $1.215 million	^[32]
LB	Alex Singleton	UFA	Denver Broncos	March 10	2 years, $15.5 million	^[33]
LB	Justin Strnad	UFA	Denver Broncos	March 10	3 years, $18 million	^[34]
LB	Dondrea Tillman	ERFA	Denver Broncos	March 6	1 year, $1.075 million	^[20]
TE	Adam Trautman	UFA	Denver Broncos	March 9	3 years, $17 million	^[35]
Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA): Players with four or more accrued seasons whose contracts expired at the end of the previous season Restricted Free Agent (RFA): Players with three accrued seasons whose contracts expired at the end of the previous season Exclusive-Rights Free Agent (ERFA): Players with two or fewer accrued seasons whose contracts expired at the end of the previous season

Position	Player	Previous team	Date signed	Notes	Source(s)
WR	Michael Bandy	Denver Broncos	February 19	1 year, $1.075 million	^[36]
S	Tycen Anderson	Cincinnati Bengals	March 19	1 year, $1.5 million	^[37]

Position	Player	Date	Notes	Source(s)
LB	Dre Greenlaw	March 12	Released/post-June 1	^[38]

Position	Player	Date signed	Notes	Source(s)
G	Quinn Meinerz	March 8	Restructure	^[39]
LB	Jonathon Cooper	March 13	Restructure	^[40]
T	Matt Peart	March 18	Restructure	^[41]
WR	Jaylen Waddle	March 24	Restructure	^[42]

Trade partner	Broncos give	Broncos receive	Date	Source(s)
Miami Dolphins	2026 first-round selection 2026 third-round selection 2026 fourth-round selection	WR Jaylen Waddle 2026 fourth-round selection	March 18	^[43]

Staff

**Denver Broncos staff**
v
t
e

	Front office Owner – Rob Walton Owner / CEO – Greg Penner Owner – Carrie Walton Penner Owner – Mellody Hobson Owner – Condoleezza Rice Owner – Lewis Hamilton President – Damani Leech General manager – George Paton Assistant general manager – Reed Burckhardt Vice president of player personnel – Cody Rager Co-director of player personnel – Cam Williams Co-director of player personnel – A. J. Durso Director of pro personnel – Jordon Dizon Vice president of football operations – Kelly Kleine Van Calligan Vice president of football administration – Rich Hurtado Vice president of player development – Ray Jackson Vice president of football technology and research – Tony Lazzaro Director of college scouting – Bryan Chesin Assistant director of college scouting – Dave Bratten Director of football analytics – Scott Flaska Senior personnel executive – Roman Phifer Senior personnel executive – Nick Schiralli Head coach Head coach – Sean Payton Assistant to the head coach – Paul Kelly Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Davis Webb Offensive pass game coordinator – John Morton Quarterbacks – Logan Kilgore Director of game management/assistant quarterbacks – Evan Rothstein Running backs – Lou Ayeni Wide receivers – Ronald Curry Tight ends – Austin King Offensive run game coordinator/assistant head coach – Zach Strief Offensive line – Chris Morgan Offensive quality control – JD Johnson Offensive quality control – Kyle Kempt Offensive quality control – Willie Snead IV			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Vance Joseph Defensive line – Jamar Cain Inside linebackers – Jeff Schmedding Outside linebackers – Isaac Shewmaker Defensive pass game coordinator – Robert Livingston Defensive backs – Doug Belk Senior defensive assistant – Joe Vitt Defensive quality control – Todd Davis Defensive quality control – Brian Niedermeyer Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator/assistant head coach – Darren Rizzi Assistant special teams – Marwan Maalouf Special teams quality control – Zach Line Strength and conditioning Vice president of player health and performance – Beau Lowery Director of strength and conditioning – Shaun Snee Head strength and conditioning – Dan Dalrymple Assistant strength and conditioning - Zaviar Gooden Assistant strength and conditioning – Taylor Porter → Coaching staff → Front office → More NFL staffs

Current roster

**Denver Broncos roster**
v
t
e
Quarterbacks (QB) 4 Sam Ehlinger 10 Bo Nix 8 Jarrett Stidham Running backs (RB) 28 Tyler Badie -- Jonah Coleman 27 J. K. Dobbins 12 RJ Harvey 38 Jaleel McLaughlin 46 Adam Prentice FB 25 Cody Schrader 42 Deuce Vaughn Wide receivers (WR) 83 Michael Bandy -- Sean Brown 13 Pat Bryant 11 Troy Franklin 5 Lil'Jordan Humphrey -- Kolbe Katsis -- Dane Key -- Joseph Manjack 19 Marvin Mims -- Cam Ross 14 Courtland Sutton 17 Jaylen Waddle Tight ends (TE) 45 Nate Adkins -- Dallen Bentley 1 Evan Engram -- Justin Joly 85 Lucas Krull 84 Caleb Lohner 82 Adam Trautman		Offensive linemen (OL) 72 Garett Bolles LT -- Kage Casey LG 70 Marques Cox LT 73 Frank Crum RT 67 Michael Deiter C 54 Alex Forsyth C 66 Nick Gargiulo LG 62 Nash Jones LG 69 Mike McGlinchey RT 77 Quinn Meinerz RG -- Tyler Miller RT -- Gavin Ortega RG 63 Alex Palczewski RG 79 Matt Peart LT 74 Ben Powers LG 76 Calvin Throckmorton RG 60 Luke Wattenberg C Defensive linemen (DL) 99 Zach Allen DE 91 Matt Henningsen DE 94 Jordan Jackson DE 93 D. J. Jones DT 95 Sai'vion Jones DE 90 Jordan Miller NT -- Tyler Onyedim DE 97 Malcolm Roach DE 96 Eyioma Uwazurike DT 75 Kristian Williams DE		Linebackers (LB) 56 Levelle Bailey ILB 15 Nik Bonitto OLB 0 Jonathon Cooper OLB 52 Jonah Elliss OLB -- Dasan McCullough OLB -- Red Murdock ILB 53 Garrett Nelson OLB 47 Karene Reid ILB 51 Que Robinson OLB 41 Drew Sanders OLB 49 Alex Singleton ILB 40 Justin Strnad ILB 92 Dondrea Tillman OLB 55 Jordan Turner ILB 59 Johnny Walker Jr. OLB -- Taurean York ILB Defensive backs (DB) 31 Kris Abrams-Draine CB -- Tycen Anderson FS -- Brent Austin CB 23 Jahdae Barron CB -- Ahmari Harvey CB 9 Talanoa Hufanga SS 22 Brandon Jones FS 26 Devon Key FS 29 Ja'Quan McMillian NB 21 Riley Moss CB -- Parker Robertson SS 33 Jaden Robinson CB -- Miles Scott FS 34 JL Skinner SS 2 Patrick Surtain II CB 35 Reese Taylor CB -- Will Wright CB Special teams (ST) -- Luke Basso LS 16 Jeremy Crawshaw P (Int.) 48 Mitchell Fraboni LS 3 Wil Lutz K		87 active (1 exempt), 7 unsigned As of April 27, 2026. Rookies in italics. Roster Depth chart Transactions

Preseason

The Broncos' preseason opponents and schedule will be announced in the spring.

Regular season

2026 opponents

Listed below are the Broncos' opponents for 2026. Exact dates and times will be announced in the spring.^[48]

Category	Home	Away
Division opponents (AFC West)	Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers
Conference opponents (AFC East)	Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins	New England Patriots New York Jets
Conference opponents (based on 2025 division placement)	Jacksonville Jaguars	Pittsburgh Steelers
Interconference opponents (NFC West)	Los Angeles Rams Seattle Seahawks	Arizona Cardinals San Francisco 49ers
Interconference opponent (based on 2025 division placement)	No game	Carolina Panthers

v t e Denver Broncos
Founded in 1960 Based in Denver, Colorado Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado
Franchise	History All-time roster Starting quarterbacks Coaches Seasons First-round draft picks
Stadiums	Mile High Stadium Empower Field at Mile High New Broncos Stadium (proposed)
Key personnel	Owners Rob Walton Greg Penner (CEO) Carrie Walton Penner Mellody Hobson Condoleezza Rice Lewis Hamilton General manager George Paton Head coach Sean Payton
Culture	A Few Seconds of Panic Alan Roach Barrel Man Bucky the Bronco Cheerleaders "Elevation" Elway to Marino Everybody's All-American "Hold That Mork" (Mork & Mindy episode) "Joy to the World" Miles Orange Crush Defense "Rocky Mountain Way" South Park "Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut" "Sarcastaball" Thunder "You Only Move Twice" (The Simpsons episode)
Lore	1977 season (Broncomania) Snowball Game The Drive The Fumble Tebowmania 3:16 game Mile High Miracle No Fly Zone
Rivalries	Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers Pittsburgh Steelers Seattle Seahawks Brady–Manning rivalry
Retired numbers	7 18 44
Division championships (16)	1977 1978 1984 1986 1987 1989 1991 1996 1998 2005 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2025
Conference championships (8)	1977 1986 1987 1989 1997 1998 2013 2015
League championships (3)	1997 (XXXII) 1998 (XXXIII) 2015 (50)
Media	Radio network Dave Logan Brian Griese Scott Hastings Ed McCaffrey Alan Roach TV: KUSA 9News Radio: 850 KOA (AM)
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: West Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)

2026 Denver Broncos season

Roster changes

Future contracts

Free agents

Signings

Departures

Extensions and restructures

Trades

Draft

Staff

Current roster

Preseason

Regular season

2026 opponents

Awards and honors

Yearly

References

External links

Related Articles