On Wednesday, the Denver Broncos will welcome back their rookies — draft picks and undrafted free-agent signings — for a week of work before the full team reports for training camp July 28. It’s another offseason milepost that points the way toward a rapidly approaching season of huge expectations for the franchise.
Today, I’m debuting my inaugural list of the 20 Broncos players who are most critical to the team’s success this fall. The list is broken into two parts, with Nos. 11 to 20 today and Nos. 1 to 10 to follow later. A quick note: This is not just a ranking of the team’s best players — though many of them populate this list — but rather a ranking of the players who will be most important to the team’s hopes of reaching a Super Bowl in coach Sean Payton’s fourth season.
Statistics below come from TruMedia unless otherwise noted.
20. TE Evan Engram
In his first season with the Broncos, Engram did not match his Pro Bowl-worthy production from 2023 in Jacksonville, when he caught 114 passes for 963 yards. His snap rate in Denver (42 percent of the offensive plays) was the lowest of his career. The notion that Denver would play more two- and three-tight-end sets never materialized. Payton often opted for a second big receiver — Lil’Jordan Humphrey during the second half of the season, for example — in three-receiver sets. Still, Engram’s 50 receptions (461 yards) were the most by a Broncos tight end since Noah Fant five years ago. He can create mismatches in the middle of the field, illustrated by his catch-and-run play against the Washington Commanders in overtime last season that helped the Broncos escape with a victory.
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19. RB RJ Harvey
The selection of Jonah Coleman in the fourth round of April’s draft will give the Broncos a new option on third down and a potential short-yardage workhorse. Coleman mirrors the style, in some ways, of lead back J.K. Dobbins, who returned to the Broncos in free agency on a two-year deal. Harvey, though, brings a unique element to Denver’s backfield. He caught 56 passes as a rookie last season, including nine for 68 yards in the postseason. His make-you-miss traits in space as a receiver showed up at important times, including during a critical drive late in the divisional-round victory over the Buffalo Bills. Harvey also had three rushes of at least 38 yards — only six backs in the NFL had more — providing an explosive, change-of-pace element that Payton’s best offenses have typically possessed.
18. C Luke Wattenberg
In June, Broncos offensive coordinator Davis Webb called Wattenberg “the smartest center I’ve been around” — a notable statement given Webb’s extensive experience as a player. Wattenberg, a 2022 fifth-round pick, is entering his third season as the team’s starting center, meaning he’s the only player who has held that role full time since quarterback Bo Nix entered the league. That experience has created an important shorthand for QB and center as they navigate the line of scrimmage. Wattenberg signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension in November that kept him out of free agency and illustrated that the organization sees his role as pivotal, even if he isn’t recognized in the same way as Pro Bowl linemates Quinn Meinerz and Garett Bolles.
17. WR Marvin Mims Jr.
Mims may have squeezed onto this list even if he didn’t add Pro Bowl-level return impact. He was only Denver’s fifth-most-targeted receiver during the 2025 season, but he was No. 1 in the playoffs (14 targets, 12 receptions). The Broncos have not found a way to make Mims a consistent weekly target — a mission, Payton said this offseason, that is still a high priority — but the 24-year-old has nonetheless been at his best in the biggest moments. There is no greater example than his eight-catch, 93-yard performance against the Bills that included a go-ahead touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
There are once again questions about Mims’ role given the addition of similarly speedy wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, but he will undoubtedly be called upon at key spots during the season. His track record of delivering in those spots throughout his career makes Mims a central figure for the Broncos as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.
16. CB Riley Moss
Moss played more coverage snaps last season (676) than any player in the NFL. He was targeted on a league-high 116 of those, meaning quarterbacks threw his way on nearly one in every five pass plays. Such is life playing opposite Pat Surtain II, who teams try to avoid whenever possible. Since the start of the 2024 season, Moss has been charged with a league-high 12 pass-interference penalties, but he rarely lets the flags impact his approach. The Broncos do have depth at the No. 2 outside spot in Kris Abrams-Draine and Jahdae Barron, who could get a longer look outside during his second training camp. But Moss, entering the final year of his rookie contract, figures to be the one in that role when the Broncos begin the season. His ability to handle a high volume of targets, particularly against some of the elite offenses the Broncos face early in the season, will be vital.
15. ILB Alex Singleton
The Broncos gave the 32-year-old Singleton a two-year, $15 million contract at the start of free agency that came with $11 million in guarantees. The investment speaks to the importance of Singleton’s role in Vance Joseph’s defense, which is now without Dre Greenlaw following his one injury-plagued season in Denver. The Broncos are trying to build a pipeline of young inside linebackers. They have used late-round picks and undrafted free-agent slots in the past few seasons to build a group that includes Levelle Bailey, Red Murdock, Taurean York, Karene Reid and Jordan Turner. Still, Singleton is the train conductor in the middle of Joseph’s defense, relied upon to make checks and ensure the front and back ends are connected. Any injury to the eight-year NFL veteran would quickly raise concerns about Denver’s depth.
14. OLB Jonathon Cooper
Cooper is a major question mark for the Broncos entering training camp. He was arrested twice in June, first for an alleged domestic violence incident and then for an alleged violation of a protection order stemming from the first incident. He was excused from the team’s minicamp in the middle of June, and it’s not clear if he’ll join the rest of the team’s veterans when they report July 28. It’s possible Cooper could face a suspension from the NFL depending on what the league’s investigation into the events surrounding his arrests turns up. If Cooper is on the field, he’s an important part of football’s best pass rush. His 18.5 sacks the past two seasons are second on the team behind Nik Bonitto, and Cooper is a capable edge setter against the run.
The good news for the Broncos, in the event Cooper serves a suspension, is they have capable, experienced depth behind him in Jonah Elliss, Dondrea Tillman and improving second-year player Que Robinson.
13. DL Malcolm Roach
In 2024, the Broncos signed Roach to a two-year, $7 million contract. It proved to be one of George Paton’s best bargain signings as general manager. The past two seasons, Roach has provided stout interior pass-rush pressure (6.5 sacks), stout presence against the run, positional versatility and a boisterous leadership style that has made him beloved in the locker room. Roach, who signed a three-year contract extension in November that could be worth as much as $29 million, will have an even more important role this season as part of the committee that will try to replace the production of John Franklin-Myers, the lone standout from Denver’s defense last season who is playing elsewhere in 2026.
12. DB Ja’Quan McMillian
McMillian made the most important play of Denver’s 2025 season — a diving, thieving interception that he took from Bills receiver Brandin Cooks in overtime in the divisional round of the playoffs — but it’s not as if that was a new occurrence. His masterpiece performance at home against the Kansas City Chiefs, which included a timely late sack of Patrick Mahomes, thrust Denver into the driver’s seat in what became a successful run to the AFC West title. He lit the fuse on a huge upset of the Bills in 2023 when he ripped the ball away from running back James Cook on the game’s first play. McMillian’s magnet-to-the-ball tendencies have made him an indispensable piece of Joseph’s defense. Like Moss and Mims, McMillian is in a contract year after signing a one-year restricted free agency tender in March worth $5.76 million.
11. S Talanoa Hufanga
Hufanga is the first to admit he should have come away with more interceptions last season. He was credited with 11 passes defensed, but he didn’t turn any of those into picks despite having a handful of them, well, in his hands. The veteran safety said a recovery from the wrist surgery during his final season with the 49ers in 2024 limited the amount of work he could do on the Jugs machine last offseason. It’s a scary thought given that Hufanga, even without the ball production, was a highly impactful player. His 106 tackles and six tackles for loss were both the best marks of his career, and he finished many of those stops with a physicality the Broncos were missing in the back before he arrived. The Broncos will benefit from the return of Brandon Jones following last season’s pectoral injury that kept him out of the playoffs, but Hufanga brings a unique element that would not be easily replaced if he were to miss time.
Narrowly missed the list: S Brandon Jones, DL D.J. Jones, LG Ben Powers, K Wil Lutz, TE Adam Trautman
