Broncos free agency 2026 tracker: Denver has room to maneuver after Quinn Meinerz’s restructuring

The NFL’s free-agency bonanza is here.

Welcome to The Denver Post’s free agency tracker, where Post beat reporters Parker Gabriel and Luca Evans will be constantly updating any Broncos-relevant news, signings, and general intel. Denver already moved quickly on the Sunday before free agency to re-up with several pieces of their 2025 roster — tight ends Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins, linebacker Justin Strnad, and quarterback Sam Ehlinger — but the Broncos still have a slew of needs to address. Skill talent, linebacker, and safety will be positions to watch for Denver in the coming days.

Here’s the beat-by-beat guide to all the Broncos’ action. The legal-tampering period begins Monday morning, and free agents can officially sign with new teams at 2 p.m. MT on Wednesday.

10:10 a.m.: The Broncos made a key move Sunday night to loosen the purse strings for themselves, converting All-Pro right guard Quinn Meinerz’s 2026 base salary to a signing bonus and freeing up roughly $12 million in cap room. After Denver’s run of tenders for exclusive-rights free agents, re-signing of guard Alex Palczewski and the Meinerz restructure, they’re sitting at roughly $33 million in cap space entering free agency, by The Post’s calculations — but that’s not factoring in Sunday’s re-signings.

Strnad, Trautman, Adkins and Ehlinger’s 2026 cap numbers aren’t yet known, but a very rough estimation would bundle them at around $10 million in total cap hit. It’s safe to assume in total, then, that Denver has roughly $20-25 million in free cap room as the tampering period opens Monday.

The Broncos can still create plenty further room for themselves. More potential restructurings: Mike McGlinchey (would save $10.5 million, according to Over The Cap), D.J. Jones ($8.4 million), Talanoa Hufanga ($7.8 million) and Jonathon Cooper ($7.7 million).

9:55 a.m.: Free agency has arrived.

The Broncos figure to be active in pursuing new additions, but the first order of business for the offseason has been addressing their own crop of free agents.

Denver entered the offseason with 21 free agents of all kinds — unrestricted, restricted and exclusive rights — and has now retained 10 after a flurry of Sunday activity in which the club signed four players.

The Broncos have signed tight ends Adam Trautman (three years) and Nate Adkins (one year), offensive lineman Alex Palczewski (two years), quarterback Sam Ehlinger (one year) and inside linebacker Justin Strnad (three years).

They’ve tendered restricted free agent cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian and exclusive rights free agents in OLB Dondrea Tillman, S Devon Key, DL Jordan Jackson and RB Tyler Badie.