Ranking the Five Best Broncos Players Entering 2026
As the NFL begins unveiling its annual Top 100 players list, it’s a reminder of just how much elite talent exists across the league. The Denver Broncos are no exception, boasting one of the NFL’s deepest collections of star power after back-to-back playoff appearances and another aggressive offseason. While the league debates the best players in football, it’s worth taking a closer look at the five players who currently stand above the rest in Denver.
This ranking isn’t based on positional value or future potential. Instead, it reflects the Broncos’ five best players entering the 2026 season based on their body of work, recent performance, and overall impact on the field. From proven All-Pros to emerging stars, these players have established themselves as the foundation of a team with legitimate championship aspirations:
5. Zach Allen, Defensive Lineman
Every championship-caliber defense needs a disruptive force along the defensive line. For Denver, that player is Zach Allen.
Allen joined the Broncos as an under-the-radar free-agent signing in 2023, but he has developed into one of the NFL’s premier defensive linemen. After earning First-Team All-Pro honors and his first Pro Bowl selection in 2025, Allen has firmly established himself among the elite at his position. Over the past two seasons, he has accumulated 15.5 sacks and 87 quarterback hits, consistently collapsing the pocket from the interior.
Pass rushers often receive the headlines, but games are frequently won by players who dominate the line of scrimmage. Allen’s relentless motor, durability, and ability to generate interior pressure make life easier for every defender around him. His emergence has helped transform Denver’s defensive front into one of the league’s most feared units.
4. Quinn Meinerz, Right Guard
Few players embody player development quite like Quinn Meinerz. Selected by the Broncos in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Meinerz entered the league as one of the draft’s biggest unknowns, as he was set to make a massive leap from Division III to the NFL. Five years later, he has developed into arguably the NFL’s premier right guard.
Meinerz has earned First-Team All-Pro honors in each of the past two seasons, establishing himself as one of football’s most complete offensive linemen. His 90.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2025 ranked first among all NFL guards, while his 92.1 pass-blocking grade also led all 81 qualifying players at the position. Even more impressively, Meinerz has posted an overall PFF grade of at least 83.7 in each of the past three seasons, demonstrating remarkable consistency.
Interior offensive linemen rarely receive the recognition they deserve, but Meinerz has become impossible to overlook. His physical playing style sets the tone for Denver’s offense, and his continued development has made him one of the league’s true superstars in the trenches.
3. Garett Bolles, Left Tackle
No player has rewritten his Broncos legacy quite like Garett Bolles. Once defined by penalties and inconsistency, Bolles has transformed into one of the NFL’s premier left tackles.
The veteran enters 2026 fresh off the best season of his career. Bolles earned First-Team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl selection in 2025 after posting an 89.3 overall Pro Football Focus grade, the fifth-highest among 89 qualifying offensive tackles. His 90.8 pass-blocking grade ranked first in the NFL, and he remarkably did not allow a single sack all season.
Bolles now serves as the anchor of Denver’s offensive line and the protector of Bo Nix’s blind side. Instead of allowing early criticism to define his career, he steadily improved every aspect of his game until becoming one of football’s most reliable pass protectors.
2. Nik Bonitto, Outside Linebacker
Elite pass rushers don't come around often. The Broncos appear to have found their next one in Nik Bonitto.
After flashing tremendous potential early in his career, Bonitto has blossomed into one of the NFL’s most dangerous edge defenders. He has earned Pro Bowl honors in each of the past two seasons while totaling 27.5 sacks during that span. His explosive first step, elite bend around the edge, and knack for creating game-changing plays have made him one of the league’s premier pass rushers.
But his defining moment came when the stakes were highest. In the 2025 AFC Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills, Bonitto strip-sacked Josh Allen on a critical third-quarter drive, a turnover that set up a field goal that extended the Broncos’ lead to 23-10. Denver would go on to win 33-30 in overtime, securing its first playoff victory since Super Bowl 50 and cementing Bonitto as a player built for the biggest moments.
1. Patrick Surtain II, Cornerback
There was never much debate about who would top this list. Patrick Surtain II has established himself as not only the Broncos’ best player but also one of the premier defensive players in the entire NFL.
Surtain’s résumé already places him among the league’s elite. He won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, has been named First-Team All-Pro twice, and has earned four Pro Bowl selections. Week after week, he erases opposing No. 1 receivers and allows Denver’s defense to dictate how opposing offenses operate.
Late in the Broncos’ 2025 campaign, Surtain once again showed why he’s the NFL’s premier cornerback. With Denver trailing 23-14 in the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers in Week 15, he intercepted Jordan Love to swing momentum back in the Broncos’ favor. Denver capitalized with a touchdown on the ensuing possession before pulling away for a 34-26 victory, improving to 12-2 and clinching a playoff berth. It was another reminder that elite cornerbacks don’t just take away half the field – they change the outcome of games.
