The Denver Broncos are still a long way off from announcing their first depth chart of 2026. Sean Payton usually waits until Week 1 of the regular season, and even then, it's an "unofficial" depth chart.
With the offseason training program officially in the books, though, I'm going to take a stab at projecting the Broncos' depth chart. On a Payton-coached team, rookies typically start off at the bottom of the depth chart, but some quickly rise, like Bo Nix in 2024.
This depth chart projection will be based on what we've seen and will factor in individual players' momentum instead of just burying every rookie at the bottom. With that said, let's dive in and see what's changed since our last projection in May.
Quarterback
Bo Nix
Jarrett Stidham
Sam Ehlinger
Ehlinger is making a strong push for the QB2 job, but for now, Stidham has maintained his spot there. QB2 is up for grabs this summer, though, so we'll be watching thisimportant camp battle closely.
Running Back
J.K. Dobbins
RJ Harvey
Jonah Coleman
Jaleel McLaughlin
Tyler Badie
Cody Schrader
Coleman is clearly the No. 3, despite being a rookie. When training camp rolls around, he'll likely start at the bottom, but will quickly work his way up to No. 3.
Fullback
Adam Prentice
Nate Adkins
Prentice is the only true fullback on the roster. Adkins is a tight end with a little H-back in him.
Wide Receiver 1
Courtland Sutton
Pat Bryant
Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Hakeem Butler
Dane Key
Joseph Manjack
The Broncos signed Butler, a UFL standout, the day before mandatory minicamp. The 6-foot-5, 242-pound wideout quickly made his presence felt.
Key and Manjack are undrafted rookies, and based on minicamp, I'm ranking Butler ahead of them. Butler is the reigning UFL Offensive Player of the Year and a former Arizona Cardinals fourth-round draft pick.
Wide Receiver 2
Jaylen Waddle
Denver Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle catches a pass during OTA practice at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. | Gabriel Christus/Denver Broncos
Jaylen Waddle
Troy Franklin
Marvin Mims Jr.
Michael Bandy
Kolbe Katsis
Cameron Ross
Waddle headlines this group, but Franklin looked very good in minicamp. Never sleep on Mims, but he's looking for a new contract, so we'll see how that impacts his play in training camp.
Tight End
Evan Engram
Adam Trautman
Nate Adkins
Lucas Krull
Caleb Lohner
Justin Joly
Dallen Bentley
Lohner missed OTAs and minicamp after deciding to undergo a clean-up procedure on his lower body. He's supposed to be good to go by training camp, which is why, based on his one year of experience with the Broncos, he's ahead of Joly.
Left Tackle
Garett Bolles
Frank Crum
Matt Peart
Kage Casey
I'm keeping Peart and Casey here, because Payton likes his backups on the offensive line to be based on one side. So Peart and Casey factor into left tackle and left guard, though both are viewed more as guards.
Left Guard
Ben Powers
Alex Palczewski
Kage Casey
Gavin Ortega
Powers was excused from minicamp with an undisclosed injury, which saw Palczewski and Casey get some extra reps. The Broncos fully expect to have Powers for training camp.
Center
Luke Wattenberg
Alex Forsyth
Michael Deiter
This group is unchanged from our last depth chart projection. Wattenberg is entering a big year, after being extended on a four-year, $48 million deal last fall. Forsyth is entering a contract year, meanwhile.
Right Guard
Quinn Meinerz
Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz (77) during mini camp at Broncos Park. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Quinn Meinerz
Nick Gargiulo
Calvin Throckmorton
This group changed only because Nash Jones was waived last week. Gargiuolo is still working back from his torn ACL, and did not do on-field drills during the offseason program. He'll be back at some point in training camp.
Right Tackle
Mike McGlinchey
Frank Crum
Tyler Miller
Reid Holskey
Crum is the swing tackle, but Miller is an interesting 6-foot-8 undrafted rookie. We'll see if he can put any pressure on Crum this summer. Holskey was just barely signed and is a right tackle-only player.
Left Defensive End
Zach Allen
Jordan Jackson
Matt Henningsen
Henningsen played better than Jackson, but he's still got to translate that into training camp. For now, Henningsen brings up the rear but I fully expect him to leapfrog Jackson.
Nose Tackle
D.J. Jones
Malcolm Roach
Kristian Williams
Can Williams find a way to stand out in a deep D-line room? I have my doubts based on what we've seen thus far.
Right Defensive End
Tyler Onyedim.
Denver Broncos rookie defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim runs a drill at rookie minicamp | Ben Swanson / Denver Broncos
Eyioma Uwazurike
Sai’vion Jones
Tyler Onyedim
Jones was excused for portions of minicamp, but I'm still keeping him in the No. 2 spot for seniority's sake. Onyedim looked very good in minicamp, so Jones is going to have his work cut out for him in training camp.
Strongside Linebacker
Jonathon Cooper
Jonah Elliss
Drew Sanders
Dasan McCollough
Cooper was excused from minicamp due to his legal troubles. Elliss looked good, and Sanders earned some praise from Payton. McCollough is still facing an uphill battle.
Inside Linebacker
Alex Singleton
Jordan Turner
Karene Reid
Red Murdock
This spot remains unchanged. It's going to be a hot camp battle.
Inside Linebacker
Justin Strnad
Levelle Bailey
Red Murdock
Taurean York
Elliss is still starring on the outside, so he's no longer a factor in the depth chart supremacy, though he'll take some snaps in certain packages at inside linebacker. Murdock will get snaps at both spots.
Weakside Linebacker
Nik Bonitto
Dondrea Tillman
Que Robinson
Johnny Walker
This spot remains unchanged, although Tillman has to be worried a little, based on how good Robinson was in minicamp.
Left Cornerback
Patrick Surtain II
Jahdae Barron
Reese Taylor
Blake Cotton
The Broncos waived Paul Manning, but signed Cotton recently. He's 6-foot-2, so don't sleep on Cotton.
Nickel Cornerback
Ja’Quan McMillian
Jahdae Barron
Ahmari Harvey
Sean Fresch Jr.
Harvey has a long row to hoe if he's going to steal some shine away from McMillian and Barron. No easy task. Fresch was signed when the UFL season ended, but his best path to the roster is through the return game.
Right Cornerback
Riley Moss
Kris Abrams-Draine
Jaden Robinson
Brent Austin
Barron isn't listed here, but he's basically the primary backup to all three cornerback spots. Keep an eye on Robinson and Austin, though. Robinson is a young incumbent whose career has mostly been spent on Denver's practice squad, while Austin is an undrafted rookie looking to break into the NFL.
Free Safety
Brandon Jones
Denver Broncos 2025-2026 safety Brandon Jones (22) during mini camp at Broncos Park. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Brandon Jones
Devon Key
Tycen Anderson
Miles Scott
This spot remains unchanged. It'll be interesting to see if Scott can move up the depth chart this summer.
Strong Safety
Talanoa Hufanga
JL Skinner
Tycen Anderson
Parker Robinson
The Broncos have a great safety competition brewing. They have a handful of guys competing for one roster spot. Skinner and Anderson will be throwing down, but don't sleep on the undrafted rookie, Robinson, or Scott, both of whom will get reps at both safety spots.
Kicker
Wil Lutz
Lutz remains the only kicker on the roster.
Punter
Jeremy Crawshaw
The same holds true for the punter.
Long-Snapper
Mitchell Fraboni
Luke Basso
Basso is an undrafted rookie and he's survived this far, which means Fraboni will have to sing for his supper in training camp.
Kick Returner
Marvin Mims Jr.
Jaleel McLaughlin
Tyler Badie
Kolbe Katsis
Sean Fresch Jr.
It will be fun to see whether Fresch can push this competition.
Punt Returner
Marvin Mims Jr.
Riley Moss
Michael Bandy
Kolbe Katsis
Sean Fresch Jr.
Mims is the All-Pro. But the Broncos are looking for fail-safe options for the future.
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