Despite the Denver Broncos finishing with an 8-9 record in 2023, the first year in the Sean Payton era was arguably a success. The Broncos were 1-5 heading into Week 7 but finished the year 7-4, despite benching former quarterback Russell Wilson. Denver picked up huge wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, showing signs of improvement for the future.
The Broncos decided to part ways with Wilson in the offseason despite eating a monster dead cap hit. This restricted Denver’s moves in the offseason, and they traded away Jerry Jeudy and waived Justin Simmons to free up some cap space. The Broncos drafted their quarterback of the future with the 12th overall pick and fans are eager to watch Payton with a quarterback he can develop.
Here’s a look at the projected offensive depth chart for the 2024 Denver Broncos following the 2024 NFL Draft.
Broncos depth chart 2024
Quarterback
Running back
Wide receiver
Tight end
Kicker
Biggest offensive NFL Draft additions
Nix is the biggest addition from the draft, and the only question is whether he will start under center in Week 1. Denver gave him a familiar face to throw to as his teammate at Oregon, Troy Franklin, was drafted in the fourth round. It will be an uphill battle to climb the depth chart, but his already-established rapport could pay early dividends. Javonte Williams is clearly the starting running back, but rookie Audric Estime could take over as his backup. His drafts tock fluctuated throughout 2023, but there were times when he was considered a top running back in this class.
Player most impacted by NFL Draft for fantasy football
Josh Reynolds should be happy that Denver didn’t use a higher draft pick on a wide receiver. We don’t know what would’ve happened if they had passed on Nix, but since the next quarterback was drafted several rounds later, theoretically, Denver could have traded back to acquire more draft capital, still selected Nix and then picked up a better wide receiver as a result. Franklin should be able to play his way onto the field if Nix is under center, but Josh Reynolds heads into the season as the WR2 behind Courtland Sutton.