ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Members of Denver’s 2015 Super Bowl team see familiar traits in the current Broncos, a group that went 14-3 last season and reached the AFC Championship Game. “They’re us,” former Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib said when comparing the roster to the franchise’s Super Bowl 50 championship team. “They all love ball, talk to each other, hold each other to it.”
Von Miller, the Super Bowl 50 MVP, echoed that sentiment earlier this summer, saying the 2026 Broncos “do it the way we did it” and that teammates keep each other honest. The franchise itself has noted parallels between the two teams on and off the field, including institutional support, reliance on an elite-level defense and a penchant for thriving in close games.
Coach Sean Payton frequently frames questions about winning around program, grit and culture. Payton pointed to the continuity on the roster — 45 of the 53 players who were on the opener’s 53-man roster last season remain with the team — as evidence of the group’s makeup and why he believes the Broncos can contend again.
Payton also described a broader organizational approach he calls a “triangle” for success: ownership that supplies necessary resources, a personnel department that finds the right players and a coaching staff that develops them. He cited ownership under Greg and Carrie Penner, general manager George Paton and the working relationship among those leaders as part of that structure.
Defensive tackle Zach Allen said culture is rare and tangible in Denver. “If you need to be pushed, or reminded to work, or, like be told to get to work, you’re not going to be around here,” Allen said. The Broncos begin their pursuit of a fourth championship on Monday night, opening at the Kansas City Chiefs (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).
