Denver Broncos News

The Denver Broncos reached a two-year deal with two-time Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram, according to reports on Wednesday.The contract is worth $23 million, including $16.5 million guaranteed.Engram was recently released by the Jacksonville Jaguars after having a down season in 2024 that followed a career-best campaign in which Engram caught 114 passes for 963 yards and four touchdowns.

The Denver Broncos reached agreement on a two-year deal to retain quarterback Jarrett Stidham, according to multiple reports on Sunday night.The Denver Post reported that the deal is worth up to $12 million with $7 million guaranteed.Keeping Stidham was pivotal for the Broncos as they keep continuity in the quarterback room after Bo Nix stood out as a rookie last season.Both Stidham and third-stringer Zach Wilson were slated to become free agents.Stidham, 28, competed for the starting position last summer before it became clear to head coach Sean Payton that Nix was ready to play.Nix performed so well as a rookie that Stidham never threw a pass last season. He appeared in three games.

The Denver Broncos agreed to a three-year deal worth an estimated $45 million with former Pro Bowl safety Talanoa Hufanga, according to multiple reports.Hufanga will reportedly receive $20 million in guaranteed funds.Hufanga, 26, spent his first four NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He had a huge 2022 season in which he earned first-team All-Pro honors and was selected to the Pro Bowl after recording 97 tackles, four interceptions (one for a touchdown), two forced fumbles and two sacks.Hufanga had three interceptions in 10 games in 2023 before sustaining an ACL tear in his right knee in a November game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.He missed the first two games of the 2024 season while completing his recovery from the ACL injury. But his bad fortune continued when he tore ligaments in his wrist during a game against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 6.Hufanga returned later in the campaign but played in just seven games and had 38 tackles.

Broncos outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite was accused of assaulting a police officer over the weekend in Denver, multiple outlets reported Monday.Wilhoite, 38, was booked in the Denver jail on Sunday on a no-bond hold. He has a court appearance Monday on a charge of suspicion of second-degree assault of a police officer, per reports.The Broncos issued a statement saying that they are aware of the situation and in the process of gathering more information.The alleged incident reportedly occurred after Wilhoite dropped someone off at the Denver International Airport.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton added a familiar face to his staff on Friday, hiring former New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator.Rizzi, 54, served as special teams coordinator on Payton's staff from 2019-21, when both were with New Orleans. Rizzi spent six seasons with the Saints, including an eight-game stint as interim head coach in 2024 when the club went 3-5.Before joining the Saints' staff, Rizzi began his NFL coaching career in 2009 with the Miami Dolphins, spending 10 seasons there in various roles, including special teams coordinator.

The Denver Broncos fired special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica after two seasons, the Denver Post and NFL Network reported Friday.The move comes after a season in which the Broncos finished first in the NFL in punt return yards (15.7 yards per return), sixth in field goal percentage (91.2 percent) and tied for 15th in kick return yards (28.0 average).Kotwica, 50, joined coach Sean Payton's staff in 2023 after holding special teams positions with the Minnesota Vikings (2022), Atlanta Falcons (2019-20), the Washington franchise (2014-18) and New York Jets (2007-13).

Sean Payton calls it "re-entry."It's the adjustment period of transitioning from the daily grind of an NFL season to a normal schedule. That period began this week for Denver's head coach following the Broncos' season-ending 31-7 loss at Buffalo in the wild-card round of the playoffs."Obviously it's always difficult. It's hard because there's something addicting to preparing each week, especially when you get into the postseason," Payton said on Wednesday. "So we'll go through the next, call it the next 2 1/2 weeks where we'll evaluate our team, which I think is very important (for) our staff. Then eventually move on to free agency and the league schedule."There will be a distinct difference when the Broncos embark on that evaluation process this offseason.Instead of an impending -- and messy -- divorce with his quarterback, Payton is now confident he has identified his signal-caller of the future. After deciding to eat an $85 million cap hit and informing Russell Wilson of his imminent release last March, Payton and general manager George Paton used the No. 12 overall pick on Bo Nix the following month.Nix went on to start all 17 games as a rookie, rebounding from an 0-2 start to lead the Broncos to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth. He completed 66.3 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.Payton saw enough on and off the field to convince him that Nix is the franchise quarterback he has been seeking since his years with Drew Brees at the helm in New Orleans."I think there were a lot of things to be encouraged about," Payton said of Nix's rookie season. "His movement skills, some of the things, maybe, that we didn't even see or forecast coming. His decision-making. He's extremely accurate. I've said this before -- he's hard to sack. That's a good trait to have in our league."Then there are things that he's going to look at and grow from and build on, whether it's third-down snaps, whether it's pressure snaps. I'm really encouraged, and I'm glad that he's with us and that it worked out the way it did.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix played through a broken bone in his back in the latter part of his stellar rookie season.Nix sustained a transverse process fracture in his back during the first half of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 24. He finished the game and played the following week through pain against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 2, a Monday night affair.Nix told reporters on Monday that he had three fractures."That week, got treatment, made it through that week. Monday Night Football was a stretch where we were all kind of banged up," Nix said. "And I wasn't going to miss the first Monday night game (of my career). I got treatment on it and then we were fortunate to have a (bye) week the next week and it kind of went away after that."That moment was annoying, but we all play with something."Despite the injury, Nix passed for 294 yards, including a 93-yard scoring pass to Marvin Mims Jr. during a 41-32 home victory.Nix guided the Broncos to the postseason for the first time since the 2015 season. Denver's season ended with a 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card round on Sunday."This has been a good run. We started where we were, and to be where we are now, play an extra week of football, an opportunity to play in the playoffs, it's exciting and it's an exciting time to be in Denver right now," Nix said. "I love this team and will always appreciate what they did for me as a rookie coming in and learning the NFL. It was an honor to play with those guys each week."

With Sean McDermott and Josh Allen in charge, the Buffalo Bills have churned out one great regular season after another. And year after year, the franchise's first Super Bowl title has eluded them.Buffalo, the No. 2 seed in the AFC for the third year running, begins its latest playoff journey against the seventh-seeded Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon in Orchard Park, N.Y.The Broncos (10-7) made the postseason for the first time since Peyton Manning guided them to the Super Bowl 50 title. In the nine years since, the Bills (13-4) have become a playoff staple: They've qualified for the sixth year in a row, and they won their wild-card game each of the past four postseasons.Of course, they've managed just one AFC Championship Game appearance in that stretch. McDermott said that adversity has become part of the Bills' identity."I would say yes and no," the coach said. "I would say yes because it is in our history, of not getting to accomplish our ultimate goal year to year. But at the end of the day, we've had a lot of success and it's a hard thing to win in this league. And you're looking at an AFC that is loaded with high-level teams, and it starts right from the start with Week 1 for us with a really good football team in the Denver Broncos."Allen has thrown 13 touchdown passes in five appearances in the wild-card round (4-1 record). Only Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers have totaled more wild-card TDs in their careers.One major difference this time around for Buffalo: The architect of the offense is Joe Brady. In his first full season as the coordinator following two years as quarterbacks coach, the Bills have the No. 2 scoring offense (30.9 points per game) and rank ninth in both passing and rushing yardage.Asked Wednesday what Brady has done for the unit -- as franchises in need of a head coach snoop around -- Allen quipped, "Nothing. Teams should stay away from him."The key battle will be whether Buffalo can play mistake-free football against Denver's disruptive defense.The Bills gave up the fewest sacks (14) and fewest turnovers (eight) in the league. The Broncos racked up 63 sacks, nine more than any other team, and generated 25 takeaways.Broncos coach Sean Payton explained the many benefits a sack-happy defense provides.

Sean Payton has a monumental task in preparing his team for Sunday's wild-card game at Buffalo, so the second-year Denver Broncos coach isn't wasting time relishing in proving his doubters wrong.The prospect of the Broncos ending a playoff drought that had dated back to their Super Bowl-winning season of 2015 appeared dim after Payton's first year in Denver ended with an 8-9 record and a parting with quarterback Russell Wilson.But in stepped rookie Bo Nix, who threw a career-high-tying four touchdown passes in leading Denver to its 10th victory of the season on Sunday. In doing so, the Broncos clinched the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs and a date with the second-seeded Bills on Sunday.It has been a quick and dramatic turnaround for a franchise that was mired with massive salary cap restraints when Payton arrived just two years ago."We all like a challenge, right? I guess it's like a challenge when someone says ‘X.' The first thing I think of is, ‘Who is that someone?'" Payton said Monday. "... I think your players certainly do have a little bit of a chip when they see those initial prognostications or whatever. Then eventually when you're in this long enough, you tune that stuff out because half those people don't have a clue what they're talking about."Yes, who's done this before with over $80 million (in dead cap) -- all those things you think about. No one's done that before. Let's be the first one."Payton faces a different type of challenge in preparing his team for the Bills, who went 13-4 during the regular season and are led by quarterback Josh Allen, who many believe will win his first Most Valuable Player award.Buffalo went 8-0 at home during the regular season, and began the week as a consensus nine-point favorite.

Bo Nix's career day punched the Denver Broncos' ticket to the playoffs with a 38-0 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.It is the first time since the 2015 season that the Broncos have reached the postseason.Nix completed his first 18 passes and was 26 of 29 for the game, an 89.7 completion percentage that set a new Broncos' single-game record. Nix set a career high with 321 yards and also had four touchdown passes. He led the Broncos with 47 rushing yards as the club clinched the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs.With the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs wrapped up, the Chiefs rested Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Chris Jones, Jawaan Taylor and George Karlaftis.Cortland Sutton had five catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. Marvin Mims Jr. hauled in five passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns and Devaughn Vele had four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown for Denver (10-7).Nik Bonitto had two sacks, Jonathon Cooper, Jordan Jackson and John Franklin-Myers each had a sack for Denver. The Broncos (10-7) held the Chiefs (15-2) to five first downs and 98 total yards.Carson Wentz was 10-of-17 passing for 98 yards for the Chiefs.The Broncos opened the game with a six-play, 70-yard scoring drive. A play-action pass play featured a fake hand off, fake reverse and screen pass from Nix to Mims for a 32-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

The Broncos would clinch a playoff berth with a win on Sunday, and Denver coach Sean Payton isn't concerned that the opposition won't be at full strength.Denver (9-7) plays host to the Kansas City Chiefs (15-1), who have wrapped up AFC West title and the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC playoffs. The Chiefs will hold out quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other starters in the regular-season finale to keep the squad healthy for a run at a third consecutive Super Bowl title.Payton said Wednesday, "Like I said to the team this morning, 'Our focus has got to be on this team in general.' They'll be, I'm sure, some different people in different places. ..."Credit to Kansas City, (Chiefs coach) Andy (Reid) and his team. When you go 15-1, then you're afforded those decisions. I've been in that position where your team might need a break here or there. They've earned that and that's part of the deal. For us, it's about understanding what we're seeing scheme-wise and being ready to play our best game."Chiefs backup QB Carson Wentz will get the start in place of Mahomes. Wentz owns a 47-45-1 record as an NFL starter but is on his fifth team in five years and has made just one start over the past two seasons, a win for the Los Angeles Rams one year ago this week."He's in this league for a reason," Payton said. "He's big, and he's strong. He was a first-round draft pick. We spoke during the offseason a little bit with him and his agents. It's the player but it's also everything around it and understanding what they're trying to do."

Bo Nix was in high school the last time the Denver Broncos qualified for the playoffs.Should the rookie quarterback snap his team's two-game losing streak on Sunday against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs (15-1), Denver would clinch the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs.It would be the first playoff berth for the Broncos since they won Super Bowl 50 during the 2015 season.Nix has thrown for 3,454 yards and completed 65.1 percent of his passes with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Even though the Miami Dolphins (8-8) and Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) are next in line should the Broncos slip up against the Chiefs, Nix insisted he doesn't feel any stress."I think this lifestyle, the situation as quarterbacks, we live with pressure, it's second nature at this point," Nix said. "I believe pressure is a privilege and I was taught that a long time ago."Because the Chiefs already wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs with a 29-10 Christmas win at the Pittsburgh Steelers, starting quarterback and three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes won't play.Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Carson Wentz will start at quarterback and a number of other starters will sit out or see limited action. The Chiefs want to be well rested as they attempt to become the first team to win a third straight Super Bowl.Regardless of which players see the field, Denver coach Sean Payton said roster limits mean the Broncos will still be challenged."Our focus has got to be on this team in general," said Payton, whose team lost 16-14 at Kansas City in Week 10. "There will be some different people in different places, I'm sure. But this is not like college. We don't have a roster of 105 players."Competing against the Kansas City defense in practice has prepared Wentz. The Chiefs own the No. 2 scoring defense in the NFL, allowing 18.0 points per game. The Broncos check in fifth at 19.4 points per game.