The Denver Broncos‘ start to 2026 free agency has taken a surprising turn right off the bat. The Broncos are one of two teams that are yet to sign an outside free agent.
The other team? The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
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One of the biggest issues in the Super Bowl era for contenders has been roster retention. In order to retain championship-caliber rosters, teams must keep together a common core of players, add sparingly through free agency, and continue to build a long-lasting contender through the NFL draft and youth movements. The Broncos were a win away from a Super Bowl berth, despite several issues on offense and defense.
The Denver front office has made a point to retain their own players, often at below market value. Take a look at cornerback Pat Surtain’s deal. Surtain was inked to a contract the year he won Defensive Player of the Year, originally resetting the defensive back market. Just one day later, Jalen Ramsey reset the market again. Now, Surtain’s contract looks like a bargain. The same could be said for Luke Wattenberg, Courtland Sutton, Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen, who all received massive contract extensions that now, looking back, are bargains.
Denver is building a long-lasting contender. Splashes are exciting, but backfilling gaps in an already strong roster is better than bringing in just one or two players for three years at a time. The Broncos are building to beat the best over a number of years.
Trust the process. It’ll be worth it! We will continue to track all of the team’s free agency moves on Broncos Wire.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: Broncos are 1 of 2 teams that haven’t signed any free agents