The air at the Broncos practice facility this week smells like fresh-cut grass and opportunity. It is June 4, 2026--voluntary OTAs are wrapping up, mandatory minicamp is a couple of weeks away, and the locker room is filling with the sound of new voices.
Sean Payton stood at the podium on June 2 and said something that should echo through Dove Valley all summer.
"The reason we've been so good the last couple of years is because of our depth."
He wasn't talking about stars. He was talking about the guys buried on the third-string depth chart, the developmental projects, the Day 3 picks who will spend August fighting for a roster spot. And for the first time in a while, Denver has a bunch of them who look like they belong.
The 2026 draft class is only a few weeks into its NFL education, but two rookies have already made impressions worth tracking.
Justin Joly, the fifth-round tight end out of NC State, carries himself like a man who understands how little he knows. That's a good thing. When he spoke to reporters on June 1, he kept coming back to the same idea.
"Honestly, it's wherever the coaches want to put me," Joly said. "If they want to put me in the backfield, I'll do it."
Versatility is the lifeblood of Payton's offense. It is what made Jimmy Graham a star in New Orleans and what turned Taysom Hill into a unicorn. Joly is 6-foot-4, athletic enough that one of his new teammates described him as someone who "could jump out the sky fast, quick twitch." That description came from Joly himself, who repeated a teammate's assessment with the kind of wide-eyed sincerity rookies bring before they learn to talk in clichés.
"He got to see him do that more at A&M, which he'll be doing here," Payton said--referring generally to the athletic profile he values, especially on the defensive line.
Payton's comments about the difficulty of finding athletic defensive tackles underscore why this draft class is so important. But Joly is a tight end, and the Broncos tight end room is suddenly crowded in an interesting way.
Evan Engram is coming off a season in which he caught 50 passes for 461 yards and a touchdown in 16 games. Adam Trautman played all 17 games and added 20 receptions and 195 yards. Lucas Krull and Nate Adkins each chipped in as well. Caleb Lohner, a 2025 draft pick, is entering his second season with the organization.
Joly is not walking into a thin room. He is walking into a room where a 50-catch tight end is the clear No. 1, where Trautman is a trusted blocker, and where the coaching staff can afford to be patient.
That is the kind of environment where a fifth-round pick can learn without pressure. And Joly seems to understand the assignment.
"Just go out there, do this route, make sure you do it correctly," he said. "I'm going to try to come back and be better the next day."
He credited the coaching staff for teaching him techniques and putting him in position to learn. The specific name previously mentioned is omitted here to align with editorial guidelines.
Then there is Kage Casey, the fourth-round offensive tackle from Boise State.
Casey is 6-foot-6, rangy, and carries himself like someone who has spent his whole life being told he is smart. He confirmed as much on June 1.
"I think my football IQ is good," Casey said. "I'm ready to just compete wherever they need me."
That is a valuable trait for a rookie offensive lineman. The Broncos have two entrenched starters at tackle--Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey--and neither is going anywhere soon. Bolles is entering his tenth season; McGlinchey his ninth. Both are experienced, well-compensated, and locked into starting roles.
That leaves Casey in a familiar position for a mid-round tackle: developmental swing, injury insurance, future starter candidate.
"I've been watching a ton of tape on Quinn and Ben," Casey said, referencing interior linemen Quinn Meinerz and Ben Powers. "It's been really helpful."
He studies technique from veterans who play a different position--a sign of a player with a strong football mind.
"The way he describes all the techniques and the plays makes it so seamless," Casey said of the offensive line coach, "I can just learn so much faster."
Payton has made it clear that depth is not a luxury. It is a necessity.
"We're looking for young developmental backups with some traits that we can develop," Payton said.
That is exactly what Denver got in both Joly and Casey--and in the rest of the 2026 draft class. Tyler Onyedim at defensive tackle was a third-round pick who fits Payton's emphasis on athleticism at the position. Jonah Coleman at running back adds another young body behind J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Tight ends Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley both bring developmental promise. Red Murdock and Miles Scott project as developmental linebackers and safeties.
Payton has talked about hitting on picks in the later rounds.
"We should hit on the second or the third, now third-round pick," he said. "We like day three, we like where we're picking in day three."
Day three of the draft used to be where teams found core special-teamers and practice-squad depth. Payton sees it differently. He sees it as the place where a roster goes from good to deep--and deep is the only place a team can survive a 17-game season.
"You always have vision forward or backwards," Payton said. "You're mindful of picks, it's ammunition."
That is the lesson he learned in New Orleans and brought to Denver. The Broncos are not in the business of trading future picks for short-term fixes. They are in the business of accumulating young talent and developing it.
The rookies themselves are not yet thinking about the big picture. Joly is worried about the next rep. Casey is focused on the next technique. That is exactly how Payton wants it.
"Great vibe and he wants to win, and I love it," Joly said of the coaching staff. "I want to win too."
That is the line that matters most.
The Broncos won 10 games in 2025. Bo Nix threw for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns. Courtland Sutton went over 1,000 receiving yards. The defense, led by coordinator Vance Joseph, was stout. But the AFC West is not getting easier. The division champion--whoever that ends up being in September--will need to survive injuries, attrition, and the grind of a long season.
That is what depth is for.
And that is what this rookie class is being built to provide.
They are not stars yet. Joly is not going to threaten Engram's snap count in July. Casey is not going to push Bolles to the bench. But in November, when the inevitable bumps and bruises start piling up, the Broncos will be grateful for the young men who spent June learning how to do their jobs the right way.
"I try to translate my leadership skills to every aspect of my life on and off the field," Casey said.
For a fourth-round rookie, that is the right mindset. Lead by learning. Compete by working.
Payton will take that every time.
"The reason we've been so good the last couple of years is because of our depth," he said again.
He is right. And if these rookies keep developing, Denver's depth is only going to get better.