Broncos Pre-Camp 53-Man Roster Prediction

Training camp is still a few weeks off but here's an early stab at the Broncos' 53-man roster.

The Denver Broncos, despite looking into a few free agents, haven’t made any moves since signing seven college free agents following the NFL Draft. The Broncos' roster currently sits at the 90-man limit, but by the time the season starts, they will need to cut down to just 53 players. 

Today, I'm projecting what that 53-man roster will look like. A lot can (and will) change between now and then, especially with COVID-19 in the world and teams having been limited to virtual offseason programs.

It's worth noting that there is a new rule where teams can call up two practice squad players to the active roster for each regular-season game, but the next day those two squaders have to get sent back down. The practice squad also increased in number from 10 to 12 players.

Each position will list the depth chart in descending order of how I see it unfolding. Without further ado. 

Quarterbacks: 3 

Drew Lock

Jeff Driskel

Brett Rypien

Analysis: Obviously Lock is going to be the starter. There isn’t much competition for him, and every move the Broncos have made has been to give him weapons. Driskel is a smart quarterback that will compete with Rypien for the backup job. Right now, I see Driskel winning the job because of his experience, while Rypien gets another year of development as the No. 3 quarterback.

Running Back: 3

Melvin Gordon

Phillip Lindsay

Royce Freeman

PS: LeVante Bellamy

Analysis: It is more accurate to call Gordon the 1A back with Lindsay being the 1B. While the duo won’t see an even split of touches, it will be close enough. There isn’t a competition for the top-two spots, but there is for the No. 3 spot between Freeman, Bellamy, and Khalfani Muhammad. I have Freeman winning the third spot, with Bellamy winning the practice squad spot.

Wide Receiver: 6

Courtland Sutton

Jerry Jeudy

K.J. Hamler

Tim Patrick

DaeSeaon Hamilton

Tyrie Cleveland

PS: Kendall Hinton, Dionte Spencer

Analysis: This is the first position that may have some surprises. Obviously the top-three are pretty much set, but after them not so much. Drafting Jeudy and Hamler sent a message to Patrick and Hamilton, but I have them both making the roster. They have experience and some chemistry built up with Lock already. With the world being shut down for some time because of the coronavirus, that chemistry is a huge advantage to them. In the case of Hamilton, though, he will need to show up more on special teams to keep the spot.

The biggest surprise might be no Spencer, who is a solid returner, but that was all he really was. Cleveland has him beaten for the final spot because of what Cleveland can do as a returner, but also because he offers up more as a gunner and on offense as well than Spencer does. To provide some returner assurance, Spencer is sent to the practice squad along with the undrafted rookie Hinton, who could push for a roster spot with his skill-set. Hinton is a QB-to-WR convert with a lot of receiver upside.

Tight End: 3

Noah Fant

Nick Vannett

Albert Okwuegbunam

PS: Andrew Beck, Austin Fort

Analysis: With Pat Shurmur as the offensive coordinator, the Broncos' need for TEs it limited. Shurmur doesn’t use two-TE sets all that often. In 2019, his Giants ran plays in 12 personnel (2-TE) just 16.9% of their snaps, which was their second most-common grouping behind 11 personnel (72.9%). Fant is obviously the No. 1 guy. Denver brought in Vannett to be its blocking TE, but he will have some competition for that job. As for Okwuegbunam, he has a lot of development to do, but it's doubtful he will clear waivers for the practice squad. He can contribute about 5-10 snaps a game this season unless his development comes faster than expected for TEs.

Offensive Tackle: 4

Garett Bolles

Ja’Wuan James

Elijah Wilkinson

Quinn Bailey

PS: Hunter Watts

Analysis: Denver could bring in a veteran option to compete for a backup spot, or push Bolles, but until it does, the starters are Bolles and James. Wilkinson failed at tackle last year, but for some reason, the Broncos believe he can handle the position in 2020. The final spot came between Jake Rodgers and Bailey, but I've picked up some positive buzz about Bailey and let's face it, despite his ties to Mike Munchak, Rodgers was terrible last year. The undrafted rookie Watts has potential and is younger than Rodgers, which led to him getting the practice squad spot.

Offensive Guard: 3

Dalton Risner

Graham Glasgow

Netane Muti

PS: Austin Schlottmann, Calvin Anderson

Analysis: Nothing surprising about the starters, and if Muti is healthy, he is easily the backup. He was a second-round talent that fell due to his extensive medical history. Only three guards were kept because of the versatility of Wilkinson, Bailey, and the backup center. Schlottmann has shown enough promise to keep him around on the practice squad, and there seems to be love for Anderson and his potential which lands him on the practice squad.

Center: 2

Lloyd Cushenberry

Patrick Morris

Analysis: Morris was going to compete for the starting job at center, prior to the Broncos drafting Cushenberry. Since Cushenberry was acquired, Morris has been relegated to the backup job.

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Defensive Line: 6

Jurrell Casey

Shelby Harris

Mike Purcell

Dre’Mont Jones

McTelvin Agim

Christian Covington

PS: Jonathan Harris

Analysis: Typically you see seven or eight DL kept, but here I only have six. Denver uses a variety of looks to help keep them all fresh and you don’t want to clog up the playing time for the young guys. Purcell is the nose tackle, but the Broncos are in sub-package more often than not, so he isn’t considered a starter. For the sixth spot, there were a few ways I could’ve gone, but the experience ex-Cowboy Covington has and what he has shown as a depth interior rusher landed him the job. That means former second-rounder DeMarcus Walker is on his way out and that seems to be the case after the events from last year that saw him get hurt, and then kept in the dog house. Vic Fangio likes J. Harris enough to keep him around on the practice squad. 

Edge: 5

Von Miller

Bradley Chubb

Jeremiah Attaochu

Malik Reed

Derrek Tuszka

Analysis: Miller and Chubb are obvious as they are two of the first 10 players to make the roster cut-down for obvious reasons. Attaochu makes it after what he showed last year. I went back and forth on Reed, but he showed enough last year to still be looking at the roster right now. However, Reed will have to step up or he will fall to the side similarly to Jeff Holland. As for Tuszka, he can offer up some major help on special teams, which is what you look for this low on the depth chart.

Off-Ball Linebacker: 5

S-Alexander Johnson

S-Todd Davis

B-Justin Strnad

B-Josey Jewell

B-Justin Hollins

PS: Josh Watson

Analysis: Davis and Johnson are the top-two LBs for the Broncos, and the sub-packages (more like primary package anymore) can help cover up for what issues they have. Strnad offers up potential as a cover specialist and contributes on special teams. Jewell replaced Joe Jones last year as the special teams leader, which keeps him on the roster. As for Hollins, Denver wants him to pick up the off-ball stuff while giving them additional depth on the edge. His play on special teams will also be beneficial for the Broncos. For the remaining LBs, Watson is a solid guy that can be solid depth and a special teams contributor.

Cornerback: 4

A.J. Bouye

Michael Ojemuda

De'Vante Bausby

Isaac Yiadom

PS: Davante Harris

Analysis: This list is strictly boundary corners and Bouye was brought in to be the No. 1. Ojemudia is going to compete for the other starting job opposite Bouye, and if he doesn’t step up, there might be a corner addition in free agency. The depth is concerning with Bausby showing some potential, before getting hurt. Yiadom got benched for under-performing, which he will have to correct. I went back and forth between Yiadom and Harris on the No. 4 spot, and the deciding factor was Harris getting benched for Yiadom, who was already benched for the season. Denver felt Harris was performing worse than Yiadom. The fact of a third-round pick invested in Yiadom also played a factor in the decision.

Nickel Corner: 2

Bryce Callahan

Essang Bassey

Analysis: If Callahan is healthy, he will be the No. 3 corner and will start as the nickel, something he does very well when healthy. Denver doesn’t have many options to back him up, which gives the undrafted rookie Bassey a pathway to make the roster. 

Safety: 4

Justin Simmons

Kareem Jackson

Trey Marshall

Duke Dawson

PS: Douglas Coleman

Analysis: Nothing shocking here. To put it simply, there just are not many options for the backup spots. It is Marshall’s job to lose. Dawson played in the nickel a bit last year, but also compete to fill the Will Parks role in the defense. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Coleman push for it with his skill-set, but I have him just falling short at this time.

Special Teams: 3

K: Brandon McManus

P: Sam Martin

LS: Jacob Bobenmoyer

Analysis: For kicker and punter, the is no competition for the starters and it is their jobs. For the long snapper position, I literally drew a name from a hat and Wes Farnsworth wasn’t the pick. Long snapper is anyone’s guess at this time. Either guy could win it. 

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.