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Denver Broncos: Players facing tough road to 53-man roster

By Sayre Bedinger

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 15: Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie #84 of the Denver Broncos drops a pass and injure his ankle while being defended by free safety Darian Thompson #27 of the New York Giants and B.J. Goodson #93 during the fourth quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 15, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Giants defeated the Broncos 23-10. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 15: Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie #84 of the Denver Broncos drops a pass and injure his ankle while being defended by free safety Darian Thompson #27 of the New York Giants and B.J. Goodson #93 during the fourth quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 15, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Giants defeated the Broncos 23-10. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /
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Isaiah McKenzie
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 15: Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie #84 of the Denver Broncos drops a pass and injure his ankle while being defended by free safety Darian Thompson #27 of the New York Giants and B.J. Goodson #93 during the fourth quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 15, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Giants defeated the Broncos 23-10. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

The Denver Broncos have a strong roster, and unfortunately, NFL teams are not allowed to keep 90 players. Here are some players facing the toughest odds…

For whatever reason, the NFL still limits teams to a 53-man roster despite the number of injuries that come up every single year. For the Denver Broncos, it’s going to once again be a tough task to eliminate nearly 40 of the players that are currently on the 90-man roster, with talent all over the place.

Though the Broncos are coming off of a tough 5-11 season, they’ve significantly improved the roster and added some competition that will make one of the coveted 53-man roster spots very tough for players to earn.

The competition has only just begun, so nobody has been eliminated from contention just yet. Here are a few players facing uphill battles heading into preseason play.

Isaiah McKenzie, WR/RS

The Denver Broncos have to be trying to find a way to keep McKenzie on the roster, but as is typically the case, it will come down to his ability to contribute not only on offense but on special teams.

When the team released the first depth chart of the 2018 season (as required by the league), McKenzie was the team’s top punt returner.

That is a position that was taken away from him last season and given to Jordan Taylor, who is currently on the PUP list with a hip injury.

McKenzie has to prove in game action that he isn’t going to drop punts — he had six fumbles last season and graded himself an ‘F’ for his performance — and also that he can consistently make plays when called upon in the offense.

The Broncos are likely to dress six receivers come gamedays in 2018, and everyone’s going to get their chance to make contributions.

McKenzie is an elite athlete with big-time speed, quickness, and playmaking ability. He’s currently behind Tim Patrick and River Cracraft on the depth chart.

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