Tyrie Cleveland
Another fringe player is seventh-round draft pick Tyrie Cleveland, another guy who will have to leapfrog several guys at the wide receiver position.
Not satisfied with taking a wide receiver in the first two rounds of the draft, the Broncos took another in the final round by grabbing Cleveland, who spent his college days at Florida. He never posted big numbers at the school, but the potential is there.
At 6-foot-2, Cleveland could be a nice developmental piece that could turn into something down the road. But as a rookie, he faces many of the same issues mentioned when talking about Winfree. There may just be too many names in front of him.
Cleveland’s best bet this year is to make as many spectacular plays in camp and preseason games as possible and hope that a guy like Hamilton or Patrick falters. More realistically, he’s a practice squad guy who could get a chance later in the year due to an injury or something of the sort.
Those chances are increased in a reduced preseason. Not only would Cleveland be behind six or maybe even seven guys on the depth chart, he simply would not be able to get in enough reps to be able to make a big enough impression.
In theory, at least.
Brett Rypien
The Broncos have their obvious No.1 quarterback in Drew Lock and went out and signed Jeff Driskel as a free agent to be the backup. But should we be sold on Driskel? There’s nothing to suggest that we should be, outside of the team signing him as a free agent.
Brett Rypien was signed as an undrafted free agent last season and played in three preseason games for the team. He completed 61 percent of his throws for 207 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He was cut before the season started but re-signed to the practice squad, where he spent the rest of the season.
Rypien can compete with Driskel in every category except experience. Driskel has made eight career starts for two different teams and will certainly have an advantage over Rypien in that department.
Will the Broncos keep three quarterbacks on the roster? It’s possible, but certainly doesn’t seem likely.
Rypien will need to make the most of each chance he gets this summer and look to somehow upend Driskel. The Broncos could stash him on the practice squad again, but they also might choose to just cut ties with him.
Rypien would need a four-game preseason to prove that he still belongs, even if that were just as a member of the practice squad. A shortened preseason really hampers his chances.
A shortened preseason may be a relief to fans, but it would be disappointing for many players.
Many players need these games for all of the reasons listed here. These games help keep player’s dreams alive and they help coaching staffs evaluate their rosters. There will be many ramifications if the league does decide to eliminate some games.