The NFL is a copycat league, and the 49ers are in position to mimic the Super Bowl champions.

It’s a widely accepted belief that losing franchises (Washington) spend big in free agency. Successful franchises (Green Bay) are stuffed with homegrown players.

Just ask 49ers general manager Trent Baalke, who reiterated his how-to-build-a-team philosophy last month.

“The one thing that I’m convinced of is, you can’t buy championships,” Baalke said. “You earn championships, and there’s a process to it. You build through the draft. You supplement your roster with free agency. You take care of your own guys because that creates ownership on their part.”

History shows there’s wisdom in that approach, but the Broncos showed there’s more than one way to win a title.

Consider: Of Denver’s 22 starters in its 24-10 win over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50, 11 were acquired via free agency, 10 were homegrown and one was acquired in a trade.

Denver won the championship, thanks to its suffocating defense, and the title came with a significant price tag. Since 2014, the Broncos have signed four defensive starters in free agency and shelled out $37.25 million in fully guaranteed money at signing for that quartet (according to the website OverTheCap.com): outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware ($16.5 million guaranteed), cornerback Aqib Talib ($11.5 million) and safeties T.J. Ward ($7 million) and Darian Stewart ($2.25 million).

The signings allowed the Broncos to morph from an offense-reliant team led by Peyton Manning, another big-money free agent, into a defense-dominated group that carried Manning. The Broncos went 15-4 despite middling quarterback play: Manning and Brock Osweiler combined to throw 21 touchdown passes, 24 interceptions and post a 76.2 passer rating.

That’s an unconventional way to win a Super Bowl, as Manning threw for just 141 yards Sunday, but it could offer hope to the 49ers, who aren’t guaranteed to have an elite quarterback in the near future.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

They do, however, have All-Pro inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman and several promising defensive players they’ve drafted in recent years, a group that includes defensive tackle Arik Armstead, outside linebacker Aaron Lynch, cornerback Jimmie Ward and safeties Eric Reid and Jaquiski Tartt. (The 49ers have used their past three first-round picks on defensive players; the Broncos have used their first pick in the past five drafts on defensive players.)

Now, the 49ers desperately could use an elite pass rusher (someone like Ware) and a clear No. 1 cornerback (someone like Talib). And, as it happens, they have the third-most salary-cap space in the NFL, which could be used to cross some of those needs off their offseason shopping list.

Last month, CEO Jed York noted that the 49ers, who also have 12 draft picks, wouldn’t “spend money to spend money,” but he said Baalke also had the green light to empty the salary-cap account.

“We’re willing to spend what it takes to get everything right to get back to a championship culture,” York said. “... Trent and his staff know that if they need to spend the entire (salary-cap) room, they can do it. If they need to roll it over, they can do it and we will do what it takes to get back to a championship level.”

Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch

Building a champion

Here’s how Denver’s 22 Super Bowl starters were acquired.

OFFENSE

QB Peyton Manning (free agent, 2012)

RB C.J. Anderson (undrafted, 2013)

WR Demaryius Thomas (first round, 2010)

WR Emmanuel Sanders (free agent, 2014)

TE Owen Daniels (free agent, 2015)

TE Vernon Davis (trade, 2015)

LT Ryan Harris (free agent, 2015)

LG Evan Mathis (free agent, 2015)

C Matt Paradis (sixth round, 2014)

RG Louis Vasquez (free agent, 2013)

RT Michael Schofield (third round, 2014)

DEFENSE

DE Derek Wolfe (second round, 2012)

NT Sylvester Williams (first round, 2013)

DE Malik Jackson (fifth round, 2012)

OLB Von Miller (first round, 2011)

ILB Brandon Marshall (free agent, 2013)

ILB Danny Trevathan (sixth round, 2012)

OLB DeMarcus Ware (free agent, 2014)

CB Aqib Talib (free agent, 2014)

CB Chris Harris (undrafted, 2011)

S T.J. Ward (free agent, 2014)

S Darian Stewart (free agent, 2015)