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Thoughts and feelings from the Broncos 2025 offseason.
After yesterday’s final minicamp practice, the
Denver Broncos' 2025 offseason is officially in the book. They’ll have a short break over these next six or so weeks until the start of training camp, which officially kicks off the 2025 season. So, this gives us a good opportunity to take a look back at the Broncos' offseason and analyze what happened, share our thoughts, and offer our opinions on the matter.
I believe the Broncos had a strong offseason where they not only improved their offense but also significantly improved their already strong defense. The Broncos won’t be the lovable underdogs anymore as they’ll enter training camp as a team many view as on the rise with much higher expectations than they have had in previous years.
With all that said, let us take a look at the main storylines that came out of the Denver Broncos' 2025 offseason workouts.
1. Bo Nix is comfortable, confident, and in charge
Bo Nix is coming off an impressive rookie year that saw him grow and improve significantly throughout camp, the preseason, and during the regular season. He helped lead the Broncos back to the postseason and is now looking to improve on that in his second season with the team.
Sean Payton on how he’s seen Bo Nix’s comfort level increase:
“Less pause, less hesitation with the play-calling in the huddle. Less pause, less hesitation in the pocket. He’s playing faster.”
Pretty much what you want to hear of any QB going into Yr 2
pic.twitter.com/gWafA6ED7w
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans)
June 12, 2025
On Thursday, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton told reporters that Nix has less pause, less hesitation with the play call in the huddle and in the pocket. He continued by saying that Nix is playing fact, protecting the ball, still hard to sack, and that he is practicing “faster with more confidence”.
“Less pause, less hesitation with the play call in the huddle. Less pause, less hesitation in the pocket. He’s playing fast, and again protecting the ball. He’s hard to sack. He was hard to sack in college. You’re seeing him practice faster with more confidence.”
We saw Nix improve last year as the season went on. You could tell he was feeling more comfortable and confident out there, and the results backed that up. Now, if he’s even more confident and playing faster than before, the results could be even better this upcoming season.
This is Bo Nix’s team.
2. Emphasis on the run game
Heading into the offseason, we knew there was an emphasis on improving the Broncos' run game, and well, they did just that. In the second round of the 2025
NFL Draft, the selected explosive UCF running back RJ Harvey, who will fill the Alvin Kamara role in Sean Payton’s offense. Then, just this week, they signed veteran running back JK Dobbins, who was coming off a solid 2024 season with the
Chargers, to a one-year deal, and he’ll fill the Mark Ingram role in Payton’s offense. On paper, the Broncos' run game looks much improved, and I believe we’ll see the results on the field improve this upcoming season as well.
Harvey figures to be a big part of the offense this upcoming season, not only as a rusher, but as a pass catcher. He made some plays in the passing game during the offseason workouts and earned some praise for his work as a pass catcher from quarterback Bo Nix.
“He’s done a really good job working. He does a good job out of the backfield. It’s hard to tell with shorts and a t-shirt what it’s like running the ball with no pads, but that’s obviously why we got him. You know he can run the ball, but I think it’s the other things that he’s showing. Just the routes, [his] suddenness and quickness in his hands. I think all that’s really good to see, but he’s a great guy, first and foremost, then I think it’s going to translate for him being a successful player.”
He is an explosive player who will look to be an explosive rusher and a dangerous player in space for the Broncos in the passing game. However, he is not the only back the Broncos added to their backfield. Veteran rusher JK Dobbins was signed this week and adds a veteran presence that raises the floor of the room, and is just another good player added to the Broncos' offense. Sean Payton called Dobbins “a good football player,” and while there are no set roles as of yet, they feel like they know who the player is and what they are getting.
Dobbins told reporters that the Broncos were the best fit for him and went on to hype up all areas of the team.
“I felt like it was the best fit for me. The defense is really good—like super good. The quarterback is amazing. I like the running back room. The offensive line is amazing as well. It was a no-brainer—and Coach Sean Payton and all the other coaches on staff, too. I know I’ll get coached well here. I also heard that it’s a good fan base. That’s why I’m here.”
If the Broncos' offense wants to take that next step this upcoming season, they need their running game to be productive. Having a productive run game will make life easier for quarterback Bo Nix and open up the play-action game, and just make the Broncos offense even more dangerous.
3. Troy Franklin had a really good spring
I have touched on this a few times already, but it is worth mentioning again. Second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin appears to be the big winner coming out of the offseason workouts. He was making explosive plays throughout the OTA practices and continued that into minicamp and earned a shoutout from Head Coach Sean Payton.
Payton told reporters that Franklin added some weight this offseason and displayed greater awareness, which allowed him to play more confidently and faster as a wide receiver. He continued by saying the explosive wide receiver had a “good spring,” which is exciting to hear.
In his second season, Broncos WR Troy Franklin has put on some extra weight -- "five pounds," Sean Payton estimates -- and that, plus "greater awareness" and repetition helped him play faster and make progress during offseason work "He's had a good spring," Payton said.
pic.twitter.com/kPAkmdz84B
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver)
June 13, 2025
We saw flashes of brilliance from Franklin last season, but unfortunately, he would either drop the ball, or Bo Nix would just miss him on a deep ball. We saw him make a big play vs. the Bills in the wildcard round on the Broncos' opening drive, and it appears he has carried that momentum into the offseason.
Franklin has good size at 6-3 and appears to have added a few pounds of muscle mass as well. On top of that, he has legit 4.4 speed and is a big play waiting to happen in the passing game. If he can play more confidently, put the drops behind him, and continue this explosive play throughout camp and into the season, he will be a major addition to the Broncos' passing attack.
Having a true deep threat who can line up wide and make the defense account for him will open up things in the middle of the field for Courtland Sutton, Evan Engram, Pat Bryant, Devaughn Vele, and others. Also, it will open up Franklin as a deep threat off play action, or someone Payton can get into space and see what happens.
I entered the offseason bullish on Franklin’s development, and it is nice to see him having a good spring. Now, he needs to carry it over into training camp and when the pads come on.
4. Que Robinson was unblockable
Did the Broncos get the steal of the draft in the fourth round? Rookie edge rusher Que Robinson has been a standout player by all accounts this spring. The explosive rookie edge rusher was unblockable at times and looks like a true pass-rushing threat.
When drafted, he came to the Broncos as an established core special teamer at Alabama and looked ready to contribute there as a rookie, and still might. However, with these reports coming out from the Broncos' practices, he may factor into the pass rush equation as well.
Broncos minicamp is OVER!
The offseason is complete.
What did we learn?
Let’s talk about it. Here are my five big takeaways:
pic.twitter.com/PgjXNv4TBq
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver)
June 12, 2025
With Robinson dominating, he makes the Broncos' edge rushing room even deeper than it already was. Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper are both coming off double-digit sack seasons, and Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman both had 5 sacks in a reserve role. Adding another explosive pass rusher to this mix makes this group extremely deep and dangerous.
Having a deep pass rushing room is beneficial because you can keep your top guys fresh throughout the game and season. Head Coach Sean Payton told reporters that he wants to lower the snap count of edge rusher Nik Bonitto from where it was last season.
“He’s playing at a high level. We have to be careful of his snap count. If you went back and did any homework and you saw he’s at a pitch count that’s borderline too high. We have to be smart about that.”
We saw the Broncos do this during their
Super Bowl 50 run with their edge rushers, and now it appears they will do it with the group they have now. So, having Robinson emerge as a pass-rushing threat will only make this easier for the Broncos coaches moving forward.
5. Broncos rookies look impressive
It’s early, but the Broncos' 2025 rookie class already looks impressive. I have already touched on Harvey and Robinson, but they’re all making an impact so far and appear to have key roles on the team this upcoming season.
Quick thoughts:
Que Robinson, Pat Bryant, RJ Harvey, holy schnikes!
The kids are gonna be alright. This rookie class has some special potential
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver)
June 10, 2025
We have gone through this without even mentioning the Broncos' impressive-looking first-round pick in cornerback Jahdae Barron. So far, he has come as advertised and has impressed Head Coach Sean Payton. He told reporters that Barron is “extremely smart”, his instincts are “real, real high,” and he has been able to handle everything thrown at him so far.
“He’s extremely smart, and he played both at Texas. His instincts are real, real high. You can give him more than maybe some other younger player at the same position. Some guys you might say, ‘Let’s just leave him at left corner or right corner.’ I think he’s one of those players that can handle volume.”
Payton told reporters that the vision for Barron is to play inside and outside at corner, so we will likely see the rookie corner be a key member of the Broncos' defense this upcoming season.
Another player who has impressed coaches is third-round pick Pat Bryant. With Devaughn Vele sidelined for the minicamp practices, Bryant saw more time with Bo Nix and took advantage of his opportunities. According to reports, he looked smooth out there, showcased his good hands, and looked like the player Sean Payton thought he could be.
Broncos coach Sean Payton made the Michael Thomas comp on WR Pat Bryant after he drafted him in April. So far, Payton hasn't been disappointed.
"Little things we're coaching up. But you like what you see, I like what I see," he said. "He's tough ... It's so important to him."
pic.twitter.com/qokiaR60gs
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver)
June 12, 2025
Earlier this week, Payton met with the media and was asked about Bryant, and the Broncos' Head Coach couldn't hold back his excitement. He asked reporters, “You like what you see?” followed by a smirk and him saying, “I like what I see”.
“Absolutely. Little things we’re coaching up, but you like what you see. I like what I see. He’s tough. There are things where he’s catching one like this… There are things that you’re immediately on these guys. That’s good to great. That’s coaching. Interview him. Be around him. It’s so important to him. I would say that’s probably the case with so many of these young guys. It’s not like an accident. There’s a profile we’re looking for. It’s not always easy. Sometimes that requires more trips and visits. But we’re looking for a certain profile.”
Sean Payton has compared Bryant to former Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas and seems to like what he has seen from him already. If he continues to impress, I think we’ll see him involved in the offense pretty significantly this upcoming season.
As for the other third-round pick, IDL Sai’vion Jones, while he did not receive the hype that we saw from some of the other rookies, he appears to have impressed veteran nose tackle D.J. Jones. He told reporters:
“He will be special one day. He’s young right now. He’s eager to learn, but he will be very special one day.”.
Jones figures to be a key reserve in the Broncos' defensive line rotation this upcoming season, and hopefully, D.J. Jones’s assessment of him ends up being accurate.
Two great plays today:
1) Bo Nix stepped up in the pocket and rocketed a pass (potentially side armed per
@AricDiLalla) to Troy Franklin coming across the middle.
2) Caleb Lohner made an incredible leaping catch over a defender. He’s had an impressive week
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR)
June 12, 2025
Finally, we have the 7th round tight end Caleb Lohner, the former basketball player transitioning to tight end. He still has a long way to go with development, but the big rookie had an impressive week according to DNVR’s Zac Stevens and made an incredible leaping catch over a defender during Thursday’s practice.
At 6-7, 250 pounds with 4.69 speed, Lohner will need to make impressive leaping catches if he wants to make it as an NFL tight end. Sean Payton has compared him to former Saints tight end Jimmy Graham multiple times now, so he has high hopes for the developmental rookie, and it appears that results have been good so far.
Lohner will be one of the more intriguing players to watch during training camp. Hopefully, we can see him continue to make impressive catches and become a dangerous red zone threat for the Broncos' offense this upcoming season.
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