NFL 2026 Preview

Today, the Denver Broncos and the Green Bay Packers

Let us be completely honest about the Denver Broncos. If you are expecting a repeat of last year's blistering fourteen and three regular season run, you are setting yourself up for a severe case of football heartbreak. Last year was a beautiful, chaotic anomaly. Sean Payton played the role of the mad scientist perfectly, Vance Joseph engineered a defense that finished third in points allowed, and everything broke exactly right. But the National Football League is a cruel beast that despises sustained happiness. As we head into the 2026 season, this team is facing structural changes, a looming regression to reality, and a massive target on their backs. They are not going to be terrible, but they are not going to dominate the AFC West with ease either. Here is the unvarnished truth about the 2026 Denver Broncos.

There is one massive, undeniable reason for Broncos fans to smile this offseason, and that is Jaylen Waddle. In March, general manager George Paton pushed his chips into the center of the table, pulling off a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins. Denver surrendered its first, third, and fourth-round picks to land the lightning-fast wideout. Pairing Waddle alongside Courtland Sutton gives quarterback Bo Nix an elite, explosive weapon that this offense desperately needed. If Payton can find ways to isolate Waddle in space, the passing game will be electric. Furthermore, the core of Vance Joseph's defense returns almost completely intact. Cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian was rightfully retained on a second-round tender, keeping a lethal secondary sharp. This unit knows how to fly to the football, strangle opposing run games, and force mistakes. They proved it in their first preseason action, suffocating the Atlanta Falcons in a twenty-seven to seven shellback.

Now for the cold water. When you trade away a haul of premium draft picks for a superstar wide receiver, your depth takes a massive hit. The Broncos entered the NFL Draft with virtually no high-value capital, forcing them to watch the first two rounds from the sidelines. Because of that, the defensive line is dangerously thin. The departure of full-time starter John Franklin-Myers in free agency leaves a gaping hole upfront. Denver is banking heavily on third-round defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim out of Texas A&M to plug holes immediately. Relying on a rookie defensive tackle to anchor your interior from day one is a terrifying gamble in a league filled with physical rushing offenses. There is also the heavy burden now resting on Bo Nix. He will not have the luxury of sneaking up on anyone this year. Defensive coordinators have a full season of tape on him, and they are going to test his protection, especially with rookie offensive tackle Kage Casey likely forced into high-pressure blocking depth early on.

Without a first or second-round pick, Paton and Payton focused purely on high-motor, positional needs to fill out the rest of the draft class. Tyler Onyedim is a raw, athletic defensive tackle tasked with replacing Franklin-Myers' production inside. Fourth-round running back Jonah Coleman is a physical, bruising runner out of Washington whose style mirrors J.K. Dobbins, adding much-needed muscle behind Jaleel McLaughlin. Fourth-round tackle Kage Casey from Boise State is built for the dirty work of offensive line depth. Fifth-round tight end Justin Joly from NC State could serve as a reliable security blanket across the middle. Late-round flyers Miles Scott, Dallen Bentley, and Red Murdock round out the class as special teams developmental projects. It is a group that does not scream championship, but it has some grit.

The Broncos are a good football team, but they are no longer an elite regular-season juggernaut. The AFC West is going to punch back harder this year, the schedule is far less forgiving, and the lack of defensive line depth will cost them a few tight, late-game battles in the fourth quarter. Jaylen Waddle will provide spectacular highlights, and the defense will keep them in almost every game. However, expecting fourteen wins again is pure fantasy. Expect a step back toward Earth, but still a firmly competitive squad.

My predicted regular season record for them is ten and seven, which should be good enough for a wild card scrap but a stark reminder of how hard it is to stay at the top.

Let us cast aside the traditional, romantic narrative surrounding Lambeau Field and take a hard, unblinking look at the Green Bay Packers. The public relations machine in Wisconsin wants you to believe that every season is a pre-ordained march toward the Vince Lombardi Trophy, but reality is a much sharper, colder blade. Green Bay is coming off a thoroughly mediocre nine, seven, and one campaign that exposed deep cracks in the foundation, and anyone expecting Matt LaFleur to suddenly engineer a flawless dominant run in 2026 is ignoring the warning signs. This is a team caught in a frustrating purgatory, good enough to tease their passionate fan base but possessing far too many structural flaws to be considered a true heavyweight.

There are legitimate reasons for optimism, and it all starts with the physical growth of the passing game. Jordan Love has firmly established himself as a highly capable franchise quarterback, showing incredible poise when his surroundings are stable. His connection with tight end Tucker Kraft has blossomed into one of the most reliable underneath combinations in the National Football League. When Kraft is healthy and rolling across the seam, the offense operates with rhythm. Green Bay also made a significant move to fix the identity of their defense, moving past Quay Walker by trading defensive tackle Kobby Wooden to the Indianapolis Colts to secure veteran linebacker Zaire Franklin. Franklin brings a needed, hard-nosed attitude to the middle of the field. Additionally, the signing of free agent cornerback Benjamin St-Juste gives the secondary a big, physical presence on the outside that LaFleur has lacked for years.

But the dark clouds looming over Titletown are impossible to ignore. General manager Brian Gutekunst has put this roster in a perilous position regarding offensive and defensive depth. Running back Josh Jacobs enters the year battered by injuries, and the options behind him are incredibly thin, meaning Green Bay will be forced to lean almost exclusively on Love throwing into heavy coverage. The trenches are equally concerning. Gutekunst used his top draft pick, a second-round selection at number fifty-two overall, on South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse. While Cisse has explosive track speed, he lacks natural coverage instincts and will face a brutal learning curve against elite route runners. In the third round, they grabbed Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan, a developmental piece who struggles with leverage and pad level. Relying on late-round projects like Kentucky center Jager Burton or Penn State edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton for emergency depth is a terrifying proposition for a team with championship aspirations.

The schedule provides no favors either. The NFC North is no longer a division where the Packers can coast to easy victories, as the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears are armed with explosive rosters. Green Bay opens the regular season on the road against a dangerous Minnesota Vikings squad before traveling to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Jets. With high-profile home games against the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, and Miami Dolphins scattered throughout the autumn months, there are very few guaranteed breathers on this slate. If the offensive line suffers even a single major injury, Love will be running for his life against some of the most violent pass rushes in football.

The Green Bay Packers are a deeply flawed, frustrating football team that will alternate between moments of brilliant execution and stretches of maddening inconsistency. Jordan Love and Tucker Kraft will generate enough big plays to keep them competitive, and Zaire Franklin will bring some much-needed toughness to the defense, but the complete lack of depth at running back and along the defensive line will ultimately doom their chances of a deep postseason run. They will win the games they should, drop a few heartbreakers to physical teams that can bully them at the line of scrimmage, and scratch their way through a brutal winter schedule. My predicted regular season record for them is nine and eight, a mark that leaves them right on the playoff bubble and cements their status as a franchise stuck in neutral.

Tomorrow, the Tampa Bay Bucs and the San Francisco 49ers.