The Denver Broncos are in the midst of their first week of training camp, starting the process before any team in the league. Here, we will attempt to predict the team’s 53-man roster.
It’s not easy to predict how this team is going to look. The Broncos are obviously looking to go in a different direction after back-to-back losing seasons and the franchise is one that expects nothing short of the best.
But what is new head coach Vic Fangio looking for on either side of the ball? How does John Elway envision the team looking and which players fit best in Rich Scangarello’s offense?
Many of the players on this list are obvious choices, but nailing down all 53 is a bit of a shot in the dark at this point. Also, keep in mind that some of the players that are listed as cuts on this list will have the chance to be on the team’s 10-man practice squad.
So, let’s begin.
Quarterback (3)
Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, Kevin Hogan
Cut: Brett Rypien
The difficulty in drafting a young quarterback who is not ready to take the field but one you see a part of the team’s future is that you have to carry a third quarterback to make sure there is sufficient depth behind the starter, should he go down.
The Broncos clearly hope that Lock is the future, but as of this very moment, he’s probably not even ready to be the No. 2 guy. Hogan has some playing experience and a guy like Fangio would likely feel more comfortable turning to him than the rookie should Flacco go down.
Rypien would be a certain practice squad guy as he may fit into the team’s long-term plans as well.
Running back (3)
Phillip Lindsay, Royce Freeman, Devontae Booker
Cuts: Devontae Jackson, Khalfani Muhammad, David Williams
Pretty cut and dry here with no surprises. The Broncos will ride the trio they did last season with Lindsay and Freeman getting most of the work.
Williams, a seventh-round pick by the team last year, was recently re-signed. The team released offensive lineman Nathan Jacobson in a corresponding move.
Wide receiver (5)
Emmanuel Sanders, Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton, Tim Patrick, Juwann Winfree
Cuts: River Cracraft, Jamarius Way, Steven Dunbar Jr., Fred Brown, Kelvin McKnight, Trinity Benson, Brendan Langley
Sanders, Sutton and Hamilton are all locks and Patrick showed enough last season to get another opportunity with the team. Sixth-round pick Winfree wins the final spot at wide receiver in this prediction but the team will keep at least one, and maybe two, wide receivers from the list of cuts on the practice squad.
Fullback (1)
Andy Janovich
Cut: George Aston
The Broncos are going to use the fullback this season much more than most teams. Scangarello, a disciple of San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, will want to get the ball to his fullback.
49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk has 63 receptions across the last two seasons.
On many passing downs, the fullback will be the primary target, meaning Janovich should see a big uptick in targets this season.
I have a really tough time cutting Aston. He is an absolute animal and should have a place on the team. I very nearly put both fullbacks on the 53-man roster. But teams just don’t do that, right?
Tight end (3)
Noah Fant, Jeff Heuerman, Troy Fumagalli
Cuts: Jake Butt, Austin Fort, Bug Howard
It’s tough to decipher which players will make the team and which won’t at tight end, outside of Fant and Heuerman.
Fumagalli and Butt are both coming off injuries and undrafted rookie Fort has an outside shot of cracking the roster. It has to be the end of the line for Butt though. He’s a talented player but has just faced too many injuries.
Offensive line (9)
Garett Bolles, Ronald Leary, Connor McGovern, Dalton Risner, Ja’Wuan James, Elijah Wilkinson, Sam Jones, Don Barclay, Chaz Green
Cuts: Jake Rodgers, Austin Schlottmann, Jake Brendel, John Leglue, Quinn Bailey, Ryan Crozier
Because the team keeps only three tight ends, it elects to load up heavy on the offensive line, keeping nine of the players currently on the roster.
Defensive line (6)
Derek Wolfe, Shelby Harris, Adam Gotsis, Dre’Mont Jones, Zach Kerr, Billy Winn
Cuts: DeMarcus Walker, Ahmad Gooden, Mike Purcell, DeShawn Williams, Deyon Sizer
It may surprise some to see Walker on the list of cuts, but it shouldn’t. He’s been a tremendous disappointment, regardless of who is at fault for that. Fangio isn’t going to be concerned with why he hasn’t performed and in the end, the Broncos will elect to keep Winn over him.
Linebacker (9)
Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Todd Davis, Josey Jewell, Justin Hollins, Joe Dineen, Joe Jones, Dekoda Watson, Jeff Holland
Cuts: Aaron Wallace, Keishawn Bierria, Alexander Johnson, Malik Reed, Josh Watson
Fangio’s specialty is linebackers and he will be paying extra special attention to this group. It also seems like the toughest group of players to evaluate.
Miller, Chubb, Jewell and Davis are pretty much locks but because Davis is already hurt, there’s no way the team should cut Dineen. It would be no surprise to see the undrafted rookie eventually wrestle the job away from Davis.
Holland and Hollins provide the team with two good speed rushers and Jones is the ace on special teams. Watson’s veteran experience will win him a spot on the roster over the likes of Bierria, Reed and Johnson, all solid prospects.
Cornerback (6)
Chris Harris, Kareem Jackson, Bryce Callahan, Isaac Yiadom, De’Vante Bausby, Alijah Holder
Cuts: Horace Richardson, Linden Stephens, Trey Johnson
It may seem like this roster includes more defensive players than teams usually keep, and that’s because it does.
Fangio is going to try to win games with an overwhelming defense and an offense that does just enough to give that defense enough points to protect the lead.
Harris, Jackson and Callahan will be the team’s top three corners with Yiadom and former Alliance of American Football player Bausby helping to round out the group.
Holder, an undrafted free agent out of Stanford, will prove to be too good to dismiss.
Safety (5)
Justin Simmons, Will Parks, Su’a Cravens, Jamal Carter, Dymonte Thomas
Cuts: Trey Marshall, Shamarko Thomas
This is another talented group with the wild card being Cravens. I have to believe that Fangio and his group are going to get the most out of the talented player who is certainly at the end of his professional rope.
Thomas earns another year on the team. Carter, so long as he can stay healthy, is a tremendous prospect as well. He missed all of last season due to injury but is as talented as any player in this group.
Specialists (3)
Brandon McManus, Colby Wadman, Casey Kreiter
Cut: Taylor Bertolet
No surprises here. The only player facing any competition behind them is McManus, who should easily dispatch of Bertolet in the kicking competition if there even is one. Bertolet could be nothing more than the proverbial “camp leg.”
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