Denver Broncos: What are Juwann Winfree’s chances of making the team?
The Denver Broncos placed a significant focus on upgrading the wide receiving corps this offseason, so how does that impact the guys who were already there?
The Broncos made sure to surround Drew Lock with some nice new weapons in the draft, selecting Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler in the first two rounds of the draft. With Courtland Sutton in the fold, the team appears to have one of the best young receiving corps in all of football.
But of course, three guys won’t be enough, no matter how good they are.
The best teams in the league not only have depth, but quality depth. Who exactly is the depth at wide receiver on this team?
Right now, both Tim Patrick and DaeSean Hamilton sit at the No. 4 and 5 wide receivers on the roster. But how many wide receivers will the Broncos keep?
Behind the names mentioned, the team also has Diontae Spencer, a player who could likely be kept around due to his ability to return kicks and punts. That leaves guys like Winfree with little or no room to find a spot on the team. The selection of Jeudy pushed them all down the depth chart and the selection of Hamler may have pushed them off entirely.
Other wide receivers on the roster include Fred Brown, Trinity Benson, Kelvin McKnight, Zimari Manning, Kendall Hinton and seventh-round selection Tyrie Cleveland.
Winfree spent last season in the team’s system and though the offense will change with the addition of Pat Shurmur, he has more familiarity with the organization and what it is looking for than many of those names.
In five preseason games with the team last year, Winfree caught seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown came against the Atlanta Falcons in the annual Hall of Fame Game and proved to be the game-winner.
The Broncos selected Winfree in the sixth round of last year’s draft, likely over drafting him because he could have easily gone undrafted. But that was a sign that the team really liked what the former Colorado Buffaloes wideout brought to the table.
Winfree can be a big slot guy or play on the outside. He is a tough. gritty wide receiver not afraid to go over the middle. He is also a terrific blocker.
He didn’t get to show his ability beyond the preseason last year and he might get to do it even less in 2020 with the influx of talent at the position. He will need to dig deep to prove he belongs on the roster.
Most of it depends on how many receivers the Broncos keep on the roster. Do they go with six or maybe even seven?
You know that Sutton, Jeudy and Hamler are on the team. Either Patrick or Hamilton will almost for sure be retained and it’s a good possibility that they both will.
Spencer’s spot will be key as he is a return man but Hamler is more than capable of returning kicks as well. Would the Broncos put their high draft pick in that position, however?
It’s likely that a final spot on the roster could come down to Winfree or Cleveland. Both are late-round picks with a ton of upside, but it’s hard to imagine that they both make the team. At least one of them will be relegated to the practice squad.
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If I had to pick between those guys, give me Winfree. But that is based solely on what we have to work with right now and obviously, there is much to be decided between now and then.