Broncos Skyrocket in ESPN's Early 2025 NFL Power Rankings

The Denver Broncos are no longer a basement-dwelling franchise in the NFL. A 10-win season and a playoff berth has given a new shine to the Broncos.

So much so that Denver opened up in ESPN's (way-too-)early 2025 NFL power rankings at No. 14. Climbing nine spots year over year, ESPN's description of the Broncos' offseason is: "Learn your lesson."

ESPN Denver beat writer Jeff Legwold lays it out.

"Coach Sean Payton routinely fielded one of the oldest teams in the league with New Orleans, which led to a constant wrestle with dead money against the salary cap. In his two years with the Broncos, they have shown the same kick-the-can-down-the-road mentality with the cap. But on the field, their young, homegrown players have performed (four of the team's five All-Pros were their own draft picks). And with quarterback Bo Nix on a rookie deal, the Broncos have a window to keep building through drafts. Their dilemma is that short-term fixes are more likely to stress their cap flexibility and lead to long-term frustrations," Legwold wrote.

I would pick nits in the assertion that Payton's Broncos have shown the same level of "kick-the-can-down-the-road mentality as Payton's Saints. After all, the impetus for any can kicking in Denver really starts and ends with the botched Russell Wilson contract, which was handed out the year before Payton arrived as head coach.

However, it was purportedly Payton's decision to move on from Wilson, and incur that record $85 million in dead money on the salary cap, so in that sense, I can see what Legwold is saying — and there are other contracts with 'void years,' which do stress the cap in the future, though not to the extent as the Saints did for years. Where I'd fully concur with Legwold is the youth factor.

Because of Wilson's albatross of a contract, the Broncos had to get young last year, and really lean on rookies and players still on their rookie deals. That philosophy can either redound to astounding success, or blow up in a team's face. The key is coaching stewardship and Payton proved to be a good steward.

Nix was obviously the biggest difference-maker, but the Broncos received stunning contributions from the likes of Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper at outside linebacker, cornerback Riley Moss, second-year wideout Marvin Mims Jr., rookie receiver Devaughn Vele, among others.

Optimism is in the air at Broncos HQ. And after the Kansas City Chiefs' humiliation in Super Bowl LIX, there's a question as to whether the Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes era has peaked, and whether a new window has opened in the AFC and specifically, the AFC West.

If that door cracked open even a little, the Broncos will look to kick it wide open in 2025. Payton is 2-2 vs. Reid's Chiefs, but the Broncos can't get too big for their britches yet; ESPN ranked Kansas City — the loser of the Super Bowl — as No. 1 in its 2025 early power rankings.

As World Champions, I would have guessed that the Philadelphia Eagles would have garnered the pole-position slot by default. Instead, ESPN ranked Philly No. 4, but I digress.

The Broncos have $37.5 million in salary-cap space and a full complement of draft picks. Each of GM George Paton's two first-round picks — Nix and Patrick Surtain II — have been foundational pieces for the Broncos, so look forward to the 2025 NFL draft with relish.

Still, these ESPN rankings, combined with other insider takes, like that of Peter Schrager, reveal that the NFL at large sees the Broncos as still being a couple of years out from truly challenging the Chiefs. That may be true, but remember, few of these guys predicted the outcome of the Broncos' 2024 campaign with a rookie quarterback (although Schrager did).