NFL Offseason

What we learned about Denver Broncos’ offense during offseason program

J.K. Dobbins is back with the Broncos after signing a new two-year deal this offseason. Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — After an offseason of questions, speculation and even nail-biting worry about the most important right ankle in Denver sports, Bo Nix planted it into the turf at the end of a three-step dropback and lofted a ball toward the front pylon of the end zone. Running back RJ Harvey ran past his defender and under the arcing throw for a touchdown on the first play of the Broncos’ opening 7-on-7 session Wednesday.

Finally, Nix had his highlight.

“I said to him, ‘I’m glad we got that nice clip (of the throw) to RJ,'” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “‘We can throw that on our social media B-roll for the next month and then calm the group.'”

Nix is expected to be cleared and running the first-team offense in practice when the Broncos return for training camp in late July. It will mark the start of what the Broncos hope will be a long journey toward a Super Bowl this season. Reaching those lofty heights hinges on Denver being better offensively, as Davis Webb takes over as the unit’s new coordinator and play caller. The rising young assistant won’t reinvent what the Broncos have done offensively since he joined the staff as quarterbacks coach under Payton in 2023, but it’s also clear there will be different elements to what Denver does on that side of the ball this season.

“It’s going to look a little different,” veteran right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “Obviously, there’s a different guy calling plays, so that’s going to be different. I think that will be an advantage for us, especially early. When you open with a division opponent (at the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 14), and they don’t have any tape on you, that’s always helpful.”

The reality is we won’t have a full picture of how a Webb-called attack — featuring a dynamic new playmaker — will differ from the team’s recent offenses. Still, there were several things we learned about the unit during the offseason program that provide clues about how this unit can evolve in 2026.

Waddle believed to be missing element

Nix didn’t throw a single pass to Jaylen Waddle during the full-team sessions of the offseason program, but that didn’t prevent the third-year quarterback from envisioning the ways Denver’s newest playmaker will impact the offense.

“There’s an element of explosiveness that I think, as an offense, we’ve lacked for a couple years,” Nix said Tuesday. “We’ve had plenty of explosive plays, plenty of points, all that kind of stuff. We’ve made great strides, but there was a level of explosiveness that a guy like that adds.”

The “clear vision” the Broncos had for Waddle when they traded first- and third-round picks for the former Dolphins receiver hasn’t changed since he began practicing in Denver, Payton said. Instead, the past three weeks have reinforced the idea that the 27-year-old will stress defenses in ways the Broncos haven’t been able to in recent years. His 17-game career averages of 81 catches, 1,098 yards and six touchdowns are a portrait of consistent, if not superstar-level, production, but watching Waddle bend coverages with his speed during practices shows that his impact for the Broncos will go beyond raw receiving numbers.

“You just can’t replace speed,” Nix said. “That’s just what he brings to the table. … He looks like he doesn’t really slow down to make cuts, which is pretty tough to do for a fast guy. He’s just going to add an element of relief for everybody else …  A guy like that makes everybody on the offense better.”

The real test of Waddle’s impact may be whether he can help create cleaner looks for the Broncos in the run game. Denver saw eight or more defenders in the box on 46.1 percent of their rush attempts last season, according to TruMedia, the ninth-highest mark in the league. J.K. Dobbins saw heavy boxes on 49.7 percent of his rushes through the season’s first 10 weeks, which was the eighth-highest rate among running backs. Dobbins averaged 5 yards per carry anyway, the best rate among the 20 running backs facing the highest average of eight-defender boxes.

If Waddle’s speedy presence can push back safeties on even a handful of rush attempts per game, it could have a cascading effect for Dobbins and a Broncos running game that is intent on being more punishing to defenses this season.

It’s clear why team wanted Dobbins back

It was hard to tell which action was quicker: Dobbins’ blink-and-you-missed-it cut through a hole during an 11-on-11 drill Wednesday … or the immediacy with which he began chirping at the defense as he jogged back toward the offensive side of the ball. Either way, both sides of the scene help explain why the Broncos were eager to re-sign Dobbins in March to a two-year deal that came with $8 million in guarantees.

“He’s one of those compound multipliers,” Payton said. “There’s so much that he brings. You usually hear him before you see him in (the training facility), and probably sometimes out here (on the practice field). He’s a tremendous teammate, and I’m glad he’s with us.”

The difference between Denver’s running game with Dobbins (Weeks 1 to 10) and without him (Week 11 through the end of the season) has been well documented. The Broncos ranked eighth in the NFL in yards per carry by running backs (4.8) with Dobbins, who was fifth in total rushing (772 yards) at the time of his season-ending foot injury. They dropped to 23rd without him (3.8), and the team’s backs averaged only 3.3 yards per carry in two playoff games. Nix’s rushing attempts increased as the Broncos tried to make up for some of what they were missing without Dobbins, culminating in a 12-carry performance against the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs.

“When you lose someone like Dobbins,” Payton said, “then, obviously, there’s more stress on everyone else.”

The Broncos aren’t ignoring Dobbins’ injury history. They can’t. Not with a player who has missed more than half of his possible games because of injury since entering the league in 2020. Payton said repeatedly this offseason that he believes the running back position overall is stronger than it was last season. That accounts for an expected leap in Year 2 for Harvey and the addition of fourth-round pick Jonah Coleman into a room that also includes veterans Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin.

Still, there’s little doubt the Broncos are making Dobbins a central part of their plan for an improved offense in 2026. He accounted for 59.3 percent of Denver’s rush attempts when he was healthy last season, excluding kneel-downs. That was on pace to be the highest share for a running back on a Payton-coached team since Mark Ingram had 59.7 percent of the Saints’ carries in 2015. Dobbins is still only 27 years old, and his healthy tape last season showed a running back who still had plenty of big-play juice.

Everything the Broncos do between now and a stretch-run kick toward the playoffs should center on making sure Dobbins is ready to contribute when it counts most.

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Could new play-action concepts be part of offensive improvement plan?

The Broncos last season attempted 334 play-action passes, according to Tru Media and Pro Football Focus, the third-highest rate in the league. Their efficiency, though, was only average. The Broncos ranked 16th in team passer rating on play-action throws (97.6) and 18th in expected points added per dropback on those attempts (0.09).

As the Broncos wrapped up their offseason program, though, members of the offense ended the period encouraged by what that aspect of the attack can look like this season.

“Having play-pass work off (the run game) will be a huge factor,” McGlinchey said. “If you can make everything look similar, it’s hard to diagnose what’s about to happen. I think we’ve been working on those things wholeheartedly.”

Not all play-action concepts are created equal. A heavy diet of Denver’s throws in that category last season stemmed from RPO fakes into quick passes to the edges. The Broncos averaged only 6.1 air yards per attempt on play-action throws last season, the fourth-lowest rate in the league. The Broncos want to sprinkle in more consistent medium- and long-range shots off those play-action concepts, a quest that should be aided by a healthy Dobbins and Waddle’s blazing speed.

There’s a new non-Waddle WR to watch in training camp

Arguably the best catch of Denver’s offseason program — or at least among the sessions open to reporters — was made by a 30-year-old during his second day with the team. Hakeem Butler, the UFL offensive player of the year in 2026, signed with the Broncos on Monday and quickly made an impression. His highlight was a contested catch on a deep ball from Jarrett Stidham that Butler ripped away from undrafted rookie cornerback Ahmari Harvey for a touchdown.

Butler, whose 6-foot-5, 227-pound frame makes him the biggest receiver in Denver’s room, was an Arizona Cardinals fourth-round pick out of Iowa State in 2019. He missed his entire rookie season with a hand injury and was waived by the Cardinals before the 2020 season. He spent most of the next season on the practice squad of the Philadelphia Eagles, who converted him to tight end. He saw action in two games, but did not record a catch. Butler has lived a wandering football life ever since. He had offseason stints in the CFL, but never played a game in the league. He spent training camps with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2023) and Cincinnati Bengals (2024), but he didn’t crack either team’s roster or practice squad.

The reps in between for Butler came in the UFL, where he spent four springs (2023-26) with the St. Louis Battlehawks. He was named the league’s offensive player of the year in 2024 and 2026. Butler has made 138 catches for 2,192 yards and 20 touchdowns across 36 games played in that league, and his latest standout campaign earned him another NFL shot. The Broncos are well-stocked at wide receiver. Waddle, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant are locks to make the roster. The Broncos also have veteran Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who has played in 41 games for the team across the last three seasons. Nonetheless, Butler will be an intriguing figure to watch in training camp and during preseason games.

Jun 24, 2026

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