ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos added seven new players in the 2025 NFL Draft, and it won’t be long before they add college free agents to the roster, as well.
When the new crop of rookies arrive in Denver, they’ll be provided with a message that Head Coach Sean Payton has delivered in his previous two seasons leading the Broncos.
It doesn’t matter how you got here, it matters how you perform.
“We’re going to go by what we see,” Payton said. “… This is a process. We’re trying to secure in order the best way to get the most for our draft. But once they’re here, it’s up to them to earn their stripes.”
The same, though, is true for the Broncos’ returning players. Denver may have added to certain positions in the draft, but Payton noted at the NFL Annual Meeting that he expected the current running backs, for example, to push for expanded roles.
“Year 1, they get exposed to what we’re doing,” Payton said of the team’s young players. “We’ll see growth in Year 2. We’re excited to see that with these guys. And that’s whether it’s Blake [Watson], Audric [Estime or] Tyler Badie.”
Payton said while the team always aims to address needs, the team is eager to see growth — at that position and at others.
“We look forward to seeing their development, just like we look forward to seeing the young receivers develop and the same way in the secondary if we’re looking at [Kris] Abrams-Draine,” Payton said. “I could go on and on. This is one part of making your team better, and then, hey, you create that high-level competition.”
The same is true with the second-year wide receivers in Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele.
At the running back position, in particular, the Broncos return Jaleel McLaughlin alongside Estime, Badie and Watson. McLaughlin led the returning rushers with 496 yards on the ground, and he added another 76 yards through the air. Estime, meanwhile, posted 76…
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