Takeaways From Sean Payton's First Official Broncos Depth Chart

There are a couple of newsworthy takeaways from the Denver Broncos' first official depth chart.

The Denver Broncos are gearing up for the season opener vs. the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Amid preparations, the Broncos released their first official depth chart of the Sean Payton era. 

Let's examine, starting with the offense, and then I'll share my takeaways on the newsworthy revelations. 

Offense

Quarterback

Russell Wilson, Jarett Stidham

Running Back

Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, Jaleel McLaughlin

Fullback

Michael Burton

Wide Receiver X

Courtland Sutton, Brandon Johnson

Wide Receiver Z

Jerry Jeudy, Marvin Mims Jr.

Tight End

Adam Trautman, Greg Dulcich, Chris Manhertz, Nate Adkins

Left Tackle

Garett Bolles, Cam Fleming

Left Guard

Ben Powers, Quinn Bailey

Center

Lloyd Cushenberry III, Luke Wattenberg, Alex Forsyth

Right Guard

Quinn Meinerz, Quinn Bailey

Right Tackle

Mike McGlinchey, Cam Fleming

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Defense

Defensive End

Zach Allen, Elijah Garcia

Nose Tackle

D.J. Jones, Mike Purcell

Defensive End

Jonathan Harris, Matt Henningsen

Strongside Linebacker

Jonathon Cooper, Frank Clark

Weakside Linebacker

Randy Gregory, Nik Bonitto, Thomas Incoom

Inside Linebacker

Josey Jewell, Justin Strnad

Inside Linebacker

Alex Singleton, Drew Sanders

Left Cornerback

Patrick Surtain II, Ja'Quan McMillian, Fabian Moreau

Right Cornerback

Damarri Mathis, Riley Moss, Tremon Smith

Nickel Cornerback

Essang Bassey

Right Safety

Kareem Jackson or Caden Sterns, JL Skinner

Left Safety

Justin Simmons, Delarrin Turner-Yell

Special Teams

Placekicker/Kickoffs

Will Lutz

Punter

Riley Dixon

Long-Snapper

Mitchell Fraboni

Kick Returner

Marvin Mims Jr., Jaleel McLaughlin

Punt Returner

Marvin Mims Jr., Tremon Smith

Takeaways

There's not much to write home about on the offensive side, although it is interesting to see that the Broncos will rely on Bailey — a former tackle — to serve as the primary swing guard. Fleming serves as the swing tackle. 

Trautman maintained his supremacy atop the tight end depth chart, but when it all comes out in the wash, it'll be interesting to see whether he or Dulcich ends up with the most snaps this season. 

On defense, the most newsworthy revelation is that Cooper beat out the Pro Bowl veteran Clark for the starting rush linebacker job opposite of Gregory. That's a testament to how far Cooper seems to have come in his Year 3 development. He's impressed Payton and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. 

It seems that McMillian will be the first boundary cornerback onto the field in the event of an injury befalling Surtain or Mathis because even though Moss is listed as the primary backup on the right side, the rookie third-rounder missed training camp and the preseason, and exactly when he'll be fully healthy to play is up in the air. 

For some strange reason, the Broncos continue to insist on Jackson sharing his starting role with Sterns. Whatever. We'll know which safety truly takes precedent when the first-team unit takes the field on Sunday. 

On special teams, the Broncos are rolling the dice on the rookie Mims as the primary returner. I don't doubt his ability to return kicks or punts, but with how thin the Broncos are at wide receiver until Jeudy gets fully healthy, risking Mims to the predations of the return game is a bit of a gamble. 

I guess we know why Smith made the roster. He's the last cornerback on the depth chart and not the No. 1 returner. It's that $2.5 million guarantee he got from the Broncos this past spring. 

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