As the Broncos reach the final week of the preseason, they face some of the more difficult roster decisions in recent memory. It’s a testament to the reconstruction project of the last four years helmed by general manager George Paton that so many agonizing choices loom. But the Broncos will likely have to watch as players with whom they part get chances elsewhere.
“I think there’re going to be a number of tough decisions, but I’d rather be in that position than the position we were in two years ago at this time,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said Saturday night.
“I think that the talent level has gradually gotten better. These guys, they’re all competing, and we say this to them, and it’s serious: We’re rooting for all of them. We’re rooting for their best, and because I think there’s going to be some players that end up on other teams’ rosters playing. That’s part of the deal.”
But in Denver, success or failure will be about this roster. Here’s a guess as to how it shakes out:
BRONCOS OFFENSE (24)
QUARTERBACKS (3): Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, Sam Ehlinger
The only question here is whether to release Ehlinger, who is in his fifth season and thus has accrued enough service time to not be subject to waivers. So, the Broncos could easily sign him to the practice squad with the assurance of giving him elevations. However, there would be a salary-cap impact if they did that and then brought him back on the practice squad, since $300,000 of his salary is guaranteed (per OvertheCap). This may come down to whether they think some dead money is a fair price to pay for keeping a player they don’t want to risk exposing to the waiver wire.
RUNNING BACKS (4): J.K Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jaleel McLaughlin, Blake Watson
The last spot could come down to Watson or Tyler Badie. The call here went to Watson based on the chances of slipping Badie through waivers to the practice squad. Since 2016, 4.93 percent of running backs waived at the roster deadline have been claimed by other teams off waivers (17 of 345); this ranks 12th among 17 position groups. Only four of those 17 were three years removed from their draft class, as Badie is; the rest were younger (including six rookies).
Furthermore, no running back since 2016 had been waived more than twice at previous roster deadlines and been subsequently claimed at a future deadline; Badie has passed through at three roster deadlines. Should Badie pass through to the practice squad, he may well be RB3 for all intents and purposes.
Why no Michael Burton? It’s not because of the hamstring injury; rather, it’s procedural. The Broncos released him last year, then signed him to the practice squad, elevated him three times and he played all17 games after returning to the 53-player roster. His contract isn’t guaranteed, so the Broncos can do the same thing this time around, too. Because he’s a vested veteran, he’s not subject to the waiver-wire process, where he would have to go to whichever team claimed him.
WIDE RECEIVERS (6): Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin, Trent Sherfield, Pat Bryant
The question here revolves around whether the Broncos go light on game days at another position to make sure all six players are in uniform. Sherfield is a core-four special teamer and has enjoyed an excellent camp, and the exploits of Bryant and Franklin are well-documented.
TIGHT ENDS (3): Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, Caden Prieskorn
Nate Adkins’ ankle injury could allow the Broncos to put him on injured reserve with the designation to return; per the NFL’s new bylaws passed this spring, teams can place two players on recallable IR at the deadline without counting them against the 53-player limit. Prieskorn is making a strong push and could snag the last spot despite his fourth-quarter fumble Saturday, but Lucas Krull might also sneak in through the back door; he’s not giving up his role easily and keeps working his way open in practice. Denver could also decide not to expose seventh-round rookie Caleb Lohner to waivers, in a similar vein to Frank Crum last year but his preseason work shows that he has much work ahead of him.
OFFENSIVE LINE (8): LT Garett Bolles, LG Ben Powers, C Luke Wattenberg, RG Quinn Meinerz, RT Mike McGlinchey, OT Matt Peart, OT Alex Palczewski, C Alex Forsyth
The Broncos can likely put together their depth from the practice squad, especially after losing Nick Gargiulo for the season. Denver didn’t expose tackle Frank Crum to waivers last year, but this time around, Crum is a year removed from his draft class and the chances are better of slipping him through.
YouTube video
BRONCOS DEFENSE (26)
DEFENSIVE LINE (7): Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, John Franklin-Myers, Malcolm Roach, Sai’Vion Jones, Enyi Uwazurike, Jordan Jackson
Here’s a spot where the Broncos could go unusually heavy. Jackson had a stellar day during the joint practice against the San Francisco 49ers and Uwazurike has generated consistent pressure throughout camp. It’s typical to keep six players in a 3-4 alignment on the defensive line, but barring a trade, the situation could demand seven stay.
EDGE RUSHER (5): Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Jonah Elliss, Dondrea Tillman, Que Robinson
No surprises here. Andrew Farmer has flashed throughout the spring and summer. However, he’s passed through waivers twice at previous deadline. With a glut of young, promising edges on the active roster — and Johnny Walker Jr. expected back for next season — this just looks like a spot where there’s a surplus.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS (5): Dre Greenlaw, Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Levelle Bailey, Jordan Turner
Drew Sanders’ injury allows the Broncos to place him on recallable injured reserve, which gives the Broncos some flexibility — and perhaps is what ends up allowing them to go heavy on the defensive line, as noted earlier. Jordan Turner and Karene Reid could be names to monitor to snag spots at the back end of the roster; Turner was splendid Saturday and might be playing his way off of slipping through waivers.
CORNERBACKS (5): Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian, Jahdae Barron, Kris Abrams-Draine
The Broncos might have the best No. 4 and No. 5 cornerbacks in the NFL in Barron and Abrams-Draine. This group is stacked top to bottom. The team should not find itself in the same spot of bother as it was last December against Cleveland when Moss missed the first of three games.
SAFETIES (4): Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Sam Franklin, JL Skinner
P.J. Locke might be the odd man out here despite his experience, as special-teams use could end up determining the final spots and others are simply bigger factors in that phase at this point of their careers. If he loses out, Devon Key, Delarrin Turner-Yell or Keidron Smith could be the beneficiary, but ultimately, the choice was for five inside linebackers after Turner cranked it up Saturday. Locke could be a candidate for a restructure to keep him around, but there is also a high potential that he ends up as this year’s Tim Patrick veteran casualty, even though a backup of his quality and experience would be a nice security blanket.
BRONCOS SPECIALISTS (3)
P Jeremy Crawshaw, FS Mitchell Fraboni, K Wil Lutz
There’s no competition for any of the three here. Crawshaw’s fifth punt of preseason games finally saw him launch the type of rocket he’s made routine on the practice field; unfortunately for the Broncos, coverage didn’t arrive in time when it hit inside the 10-yard line after it hung in the air for 4.91 seconds, so it bounced into the end zone for a touchback. But with more punts like that around the field, Crawshaw will be fine.
YouTube video