ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- NFL plans are tenuous. A knee injury here, a free agency departure there and the drawing board gets messed up quickly.
But as the Denver Broncos (6-5) attempt to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015, a quest that continues Sunday at the Las Vegas Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET, Allegiant Stadium, CBS), they are executing a long-term plan that includes several of their young homegrown players. If things go the way they hope, the Broncos might have found a core to build around, especially on defense, despite having to navigate the salary cap troubles and missing draft picks that resulted from the 2022 trade for Russell Wilson and his release this past March.