Quick preview of Broncos before Packers' preseason showdown in Denver
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The Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos will continue the 2026 preseason with an exhibition showdown at Empower Field at Mile High on Friday night.
A quick preview of the Broncos with Broncos Wire editor Jon Heath before Friday night's kickoff:
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1. The two big questions: How does Bo Nix look in his return from injury, and did the Broncos do enough this offseason to cement their status as a top Super Bowl contender?
Heath: Bo Nix appears to be healthy — he’s running around and cutting normally, and he has said his ankle is back to normal. Denver did hold him out of their preseason opener on Atlanta’s artificial turf, but he’s expected to play in the team’s two home preseason games on natural grass.
The Broncos’ big loss this offseason was defensive end John Franklin-Myers, and while they have a group of promising young DEs to help replace him, none of them are expected to individually match JFM’s production. Still, the defense should rank among the NFL’s best again this fall. On offense, Denver was missing a speedy, play-making wide receiver, and they added one in Jaylen Waddle. That should, in theory, help the offense take a big step forward. So with an elite defense and an improved offense, the Broncos should be able to contend for a title.
2. Are there any intriguing position battles going on in Denver this summer?
Heath: JFM’s replacement has been a storyline of Denver’s offseason. Malcolm Roach is the favorite for that job, but Eyioma Uwazurike, Sai'vion Jones and Tyler Onyedim will rotate in. On offense, Sam Ehlinger is pushing Jarrett Stidham for the backup quarterback job, but non-Broncos fans might be most interested in the wide receiver rotation for fantasy football purposes. Waddle and Courtland Sutton are obviously the top two targets. Right now, Denver has Marvin Mims listed as WR3. Pat Bryant has looked extremely impressive this summer, though, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Bryant third in line for targets behind Waddle and Sutton this fall.
3. Who are the top Broncos rookies to watch in this preseason showdown?
Heath: Onyedim was the team’s first pick in this year’s NFL draft (in the third round), but he’s probably going to be a rotational player in Year 1. The big name to watch for is Jonah Coleman, a fourth-round running back out of Washington who has turned heads at training camp. The Broncos might not give him an extensive workload, though, because coach Sean Payton is already starting to treat him like an established player without much to prove. Two standout undrafted rookies to watch for are linebacker Taurean York and cornerback Brent Austin. A pair of UDFA wide receivers — Cam Ross and Kolbe Katsis — are attempting to splash as returners. But Denver fans are fascinated with another receiver, Joseph Manjack, because he plays without gloves.
4. The Packers really had a tough time defending the pass in the preseason opener. Who are the Broncos backup QBs and pass game weapons?
Heath: Stidham and Ehlinger are the backup QBs. Stidham looked sharp in the team’s preseason opener last week, but he struggled when the Broncos needed him in the AFC Championship game last season. Ehlinger will attempt to unseat him for the QB2 job this summer. At receiver, Troy Franklin is competing with Mims and Bryant for playing time behind Waddle and Sutton. Lil'Jordan Humphrey isn’t flashy, but Payton clearly likes him as a blocker and veteran receiver. Hakeem Butler is a former UFL star who is attempting to break into the NFL for a sixth time.
5. What will make Friday night a successful preseason game for the Broncos?
Heath: No. 1: Stay healthy. Denver has also won eight consecutive preseason games, and Payton has preached the importance of wanting to establish a winning culture. So, he wants to win, but Friday’s game is really about developing the young players coming through. Clarity in the backup QB battle, Coleman continuing to show promise, and backup linebackers and safeties stepping up would be a great night for the Broncos. That might be too tall of an order, though, so I’ll reiterate that a healthy game would be a successful game for Denver.
Packers Wire answered questions from Broncos Wire here.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Quick preview of Broncos before Packers' preseason showdown in Denver