ESPN drops strong statement about the Denver Broncos' roster that has the rest of the AFC feeling nervous

The Denver Broncos came up just short of the Super Bowl last season. Denver may have come up short of their ultimate goal, but they showed everyone that they’ve “arrived” under Sean Payton.

The Denver Broncos are looking to show everyone in the NFL this fall that their run to the AFC Championship game last season was just the start for Sean Payton’s squad.

Denver likely would’ve reached the Super Bowl last season if not for a fourth quarter blizzard and a Bo Nix ankle injury. Despite that adversity, the Broncos still nearly knocked off the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

ESPN drops strong statement about the Broncos’ roster

The Broncos will be one of the favorites in the AFC in 2026, even though the franchise didn’t make many “big-time moves” this offseason (outside of trading for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle).

A big reason why Denver wasn’t more aggressive in free agency this offseason is because the roster simply doesn’t have any holes.

ESPN’s Ben Solak, in fact, suggested this week that Denver’s roster is ready “right now” to beat almost any team in the AFC.

“The Broncos don’t have a pick in the first or third rounds,” wrote Solak while discussing Denver’s potential NFL Draft strategy. “You know what else the Broncos don’t have? Holes. With the key trade for Jaylen Waddle and internal re-signings of contributors such as J.K. Dobbins and Alex Singleton, Denver’s roster is ready, right now, to beat just about anyone in the AFC.”

“The roster is really, really good,” added Solak.

Quite a few teams garnered more headlines than the Broncos during the first wave of free agency in March. And other teams will dominate the headlines during the 2026 NFL Draft next week.

But as Payton likes to often remind fans and media, championships aren’t won in the spring. The Broncos may not have generated much hype during the early part of the offseason, but they’re going to enter the season with arguably the best roster in the AFC, and that should certainly scare the rest of the league — especially with a Super Bowl winner in Payton at the helm.