Denver Broncos: An undrafted player can still make team due to depth issues

The Denver Broncos have a rich history of undrafted players making the team and going on to be stars, but things will be trickier in 2020.

The year 2020 has been a major drag with a worldwide pandemic changing things on nearly a daily basis. The NFL has not been immune from these changes as recently, the NFLPA has motioned to cancel the entire preseason.

That’s just a start and it is possible that more drastic measures will eventually be taken.

As Sayre Bedinger wrote, without a preseason, so many successful undrafted free agent stories from the past likely would have never come to fruition. That is absolutely correct.

Without those preseason games, the players further down the roster never get on the field. They are players that many organizations will assume to not be as talented as established veterans and players who were drafted, but as guys like Shaq Barrett, Phillip Lindsay and Chris Harris have proven, that couldn’t be any more inaccurate.

But hope is not all lost for some of the undrafted players on the roster of the Broncos. Though teams may shorten their training camp rosters if the preseason is scrapped, at least a couple of the players the Broncos signed as undrafted free agents could still get their shot due to a lack of depth at certain positions.

This would be the case at cornerback and safety, meaning that Essang Bassey and Douglas Coleman III still have a solid shot to make this year’s team.

The Broncos are light at safety behind starters Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson. Trey Marshall is basically a lock to be the team’s No. 3 safety, but P.J. Locke and Kahani Smith are guys that Coleman, who was second in the country with eight interceptions last season, could beat out if the team decides to keep four safeties.

There is plenty of uncertainty at corner as well. Behind presumed starters A.J. Bouye and Bryce Callahan, the Broncos have third-round pick Michael Ojemudia, De’Vante Bausby and Isaac Yiadom. It’s possible that the terrific ball skills possessed by Bassey could earn him a spot on the team.

While many fans may rejoice over the fact that there may be no preseason games played at all this summer, players looking to continue their playing careers are sure to be disappointed.

Still, some roster spots can be had in Denver, it may just be more difficult than ever for one of those spots to be claimed.