Report: Broncos considering facility renovation — or new facility altogether

It’s not just the name on the Broncos’ training facility that could be about to change. The facility itself could be headed for a makeover — or a replacement.

Per a report from KUSA-Ch. 9, the Broncos are investigating either renovating their current facility or building a new headquarters on the land that sits at the corner of Broncos Parkway and Potomac Street.

According to the KUSA report, Broncos top brass toured three NFL facilities in recent weeks: those of the Bears, Raiders and Dolphins. Miami and Las Vegas moved into their new headquarters in 2021 and 2020, respectively. Chicago renovated its Lake Forest, Ill. headquarters — known as Halas Hall — in 2019.

The Broncos moved to Dove Valley in 1990. Over the last two decades, renovations have been a near-constant in the Broncos’ tenancy there. In 2004, the team built a new strength-and-conditioning center and weight room. After some tweaks over years, major overhauls followed in the 2010s, including the 2014 opening of the Pat Bowlen Fieldhouse.

Upgrades to the locker room, team cafeteria, meeting room and offices took place in the last seven years. But as a recent NFLPA survey showed, some players consider the Broncos’ facility lacking.

Specifically, the locker room received a low grade: D-plus. That ranked 22nd of 32 NFL teams. The Broncos renovated the space in 2016. But the design of the main building of Broncos headquarters limits the work that can be done to upgrade and expand the space.

This gives the Broncos an everyday locker room that is cramped by current NFL standards. Their locker room at Empower Field at Mile High is substantially larger, but they use that only on game days.

A move to consider renovation or a new building shows just how seriously the Walton-Penner group takes player concerns.

Other aspects of the Broncos’ facility have been surpassed by other teams. The Broncos offer a grassy berm for fans to watch training-camp practices, but other teams have bleachers or permanent stands. The Vikings have a 6,000-seat stadium on their grounds.

Tampa Bay built room in its field house for approximately 3,000 fans to watch practices moved inside because of inclement weather. And the Cowboys have a 12,000-seat indoor venue that also hosts high-school football, basketball tournaments and conventions.

All that said, don’t expect changes to happen overnight. As is the case with the stadium, Broncos management is in the information-gathering-and-evaluation process. That spurred their tour of other teams’ homes.

“We tried to get an understanding of a few things: The size and spaces, the layout and flow, particularly on football levels,” Broncos president Damani Leech told KUSA. “All of those things have been really interesting to see.

“We’ll continue to look at others over the course of this spring and summer and probably not just the NFL. It could be collegiate, it could be NBA. There’s a number of new facilities that have been renovated or built over the last several years.”

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