Denver Broncos: 5 players who could be crushed by short preseason

1. Juwann Winfree, WR

The Denver Broncos’ competition at wide receiver this offseason should be fierce.

It’s now going to have to be decided mostly on the practice field.

Without in-game reps, it’s going to be tough for the Broncos to allow guys to effectively prove themselves. We should see some projection in early depth charts without maybe a lot of seniority being played because NFL teams are going to want to divide reps among the players they believe are going to be contributing come time for the regular season.

I highly doubt we’re going to see rookies like Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler have to climb from 8th or 9th on the depth chart at the start of training camp just because they are the new guys in town.

The Broncos have other young receivers who could certainly force their hand and earn roster spots, one of which is Juwann Winfree, a sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Although there’s nothing spectacular about his draft status, Winfree has a ton of intriguing tools at the receiver position and can play the slot as well as the outside.

The Broncos spent all of last season just developing him and helping him stay healthy as best they could after he struggled with injuries throughout his time at Colorado.

Winfree made some spectacular plays in the preseason last year as well as in training camp and wound up winning a roster spot.

This year, his roster spot is up in the air because of the team’s newfound depth at receiver.

His lack of regular season contributions last year necessitated 2020 offseason opportunities. Will he get enough reps in practice to justify a regular season roster spot again?

Considering the Broncos traded up to get him, even in the sixth round, it makes sense that Winfree could have some favor with the front office and coaching staff, but he is a guy who really needed on-field work to prove his place on the team.