The Denver Broncos weathered the storm of their first six-game stretch, getting out to a 4-2 start, which is about as good as anyone could have expected.
The Broncos' overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks afforded them a three-day "mini-bye," a needed breather to rest up before preparing for the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7. The last few weeks have seen several players rise in relief of injured players, especially on defense.
Coming out of this mini-bye, let's break down the Broncos' biggest risers and fallers.
Riser: Jahdae Barron | CB
Barron has helped keep the Broncos' passing defense afloat while Patrick Surtain II has missed the past two-plus games. While he's given up completions, Barron has been physical and sticky in coverage, competing hard at the catch point.
Throw in his reliability as a tackler this season — which is huge, given that Denver co-leads the NFL in missed tackles — and it's safe to say the Broncos have a real player on their hands. All that summertime "bust" talk should be thrown completely out the window.
This former first-rounder has been playing up to his draft pedigree.
Riser: Kris Abrams-Draine | CB
Like Barron, Abrams-Draine has been relied upon to help cover for the absence of Riley Moss. Although Moss dressed and even played 20 snaps last week, Abrams-Draine saw the lion's share of the snaps, tasked with covering Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp.
Abrams-Draine's fourth-quarter interception against Seattle was huge, and it illustrated the confidence this kid is playing with as a cover corner. I'd like to see his tackling improve drastically, but he's never been the most physical defensive back.
Faller: Bo Nix | QB
The NFL's biggest talking point over the past four days has been Nix's slump and whether the Broncos should bench him. However, at 4-2, head coach Sean Payton made it clear on Monday that Nix's job as the starter is still secure.
That doesn't mean the Broncos are blind to Nix's struggles, though. The buzz out of Broncos HQ is that Nix is still quite bothered and affected by his ankle, which he fractured in the playoffs last season.
The Broncos say the ankle is healed, so it sounds like Nix is still struggling with the mental recovery. But now that the worst of the initial schedule is behind them, the third-year quarterback could be poised to get back on the horse, and give fans more than a glimpse of the dynamic player he was before his January injury.
Riser: Que Robinson | OLB
Robinson is on a roll, and the Broncos are going to need him to stay on it. He co-led the team last week against Seattle with six QB pressures, notching his second sack of the season.
With Jonathon Cooper returning and Jonah Elliss dealing with what could be a severe leg injury, Robinson's role should be unchanged moving forward. Robinson has been one of the Broncos' best surprise players of 2026.
Faller: J.K. Dobbins | RB
Dobbins looks indecisive and lacks burst. The Broncos have fed him over the past several weeks, but it hasn't led to much production.
Dobbins did score his first and second touchdowns of the season over the past two weeks, but he's otherwise been ineffective overall as a between-the-tackles runner. He seems to believe that the schedule had a lot to do with his lack of success early on, and if that's true, we should see him take some measurable steps forward.
Faller: Courtland Sutton | WR
Sutton is in line for a career-worst season. Granted, much of that has to do with Nix's slump and the Broncos' disjointed passing offense, but Sutton isn't blameless.
The veteran wideout isn't fighting for the ball at the catch point as we're used to seeing, and he's struggling to create separation as a route-runner, leading some to wonder whether Father Time has caught up to the ninth-year pro. Sutton needs to step it up.
Riser: Taylor Rapp | S
Although he's still on the practice squad, Rapp came in handy last week against the Seahawks with Talanoa Hufanga sidelined with an injury. Rapp played 65 of the 85 total defensive snaps last week, and he was very good for the Broncos, helping to limit JSN and Kupp.
Rapp totaled six tackles and seemed perfectly comfortable and natural playing next to Jones. The Broncos have found their No. 3 safety, it would seem, but when Hufanga comes back, they're going to have to promote Rapp to the 53-man roster eventually, which will mean parting ways with JL Skinner or Tycen Anderson, in all likelihood.
Faller: Jaylen Waddle | WR
I get it. Wide receiver is a quarterback-dependent position, but Waddle's impact could already be much greater than it's been.
He's dropped to many passes and I don't like the body language I'm starting to see from him. Right now, the Broncos need to fall in line and close ranks around the beleaguered Nix, and for guys like Waddle, when his number is called, he has to answer the bell.
Look for Payton to start opening up this offense moving forward. That should benefit Waddle.
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