Broncos leaned on the two guys who weren't here last year, and it worked
The Broncos spent the offseason deciding they liked the roster they already had. Two players who weren't on it are the reason they have a win.
Jaylen Waddle and Jonah Coleman led Denver past Jacksonville in the home opener, per ESPN, and that pairing is the most interesting thing about a team that otherwise chose continuity. Denver kept most of its 2025 roster together. Then it opened the season by losing to Kansas City, with Davis Webb calling plays for the first time and an offense that looked incapable of carrying anything.
Sunday was the correction. Jacksonville never found a rhythm. Trevor Lawrence finished 17-of-29 for 189 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, two sacks and a 63.7 passer rating. Parker Washington needed 12 targets to produce 7 catches and 98 yards. Bhayshul Tuten's 65 rushing yards on 13 carries were the Jaguars' only steady source of offense.
What Denver has that Jacksonville doesn't is a pair of new faces the staff can build around. That matters more than it sounds for a team that treated the offseason as a vote of confidence in the 2025 group. Newcomers rarely get to lead. When they do, it usually means one of two things: the front office found something cheap, or the old core needs replacing.
My read is the second one, and it doesn't have to be a problem. Waddle should be Denver's No. 1 option from here forward, and the Broncos should stop treating him as an addition to the offense and start treating him as the offense. Coleman gives Webb a second lever when the pocket gets crowded.
The Broncos are 1-1 with the home opener behind them. Their margin this season is two players deep. Denver's front office bet on continuity and got rescued by the exceptions to it, which is a fine way to win in September and a fragile way to win in December.
