Denver Broncos: Early training camp 53-man roster prediction

Denver Broncos early training camp 53-man roster prediction.

Denver Broncos 2020 training camp is officially underway with plenty of players already finding ways to stand out among the nearly-80 player crowd.

Among those standouts, of course, are rookie wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler, who have both dazzled with their incredible speed, quickness, footwork, and big-play ability.

The NFL roster carousel is going to be fascinating in 2020.

When the NFL and NFLPA struck a new collective bargaining agreement earlier in 2020 (remember that?), the biggest immediate roster changes were an increase from 10 to 12 practice squad players (a figure that would increase to 14 in 2022) as well as the opportunity for teams to have 48 players on the gameday roster instead of just 46.

There was also a new change added to roster rules where players could be brought up off the practice squad a couple of times during the season without being made subject to waivers.

There is also now a possibility of promoting players from the practice squad up to 90 minutes before a game instead of the day before.

With COVID-19 affecting the sports world so substantially, the NFL amended its new roster rules for the 2020 season to give teams even more flexibility, and perhaps some of these rules will be adopted going forward.

Notably, practice squads will now be up to 16 players, and four of those players can be protected each week by every team. Not only are practice squads going up by six players total, but NFL teams have the option of having six players on the practice squad who would normally not qualify because they are vested veterans.

Not that it would ever happen, but the NFL rules would allow for a player like Von Miller, for instance, to be on a practice squad this year. Again, Von Miller would never make it through to be signed to the practice squad, but the point is that up to six vested veterans can now be on the practice squad.

Even more notable than the practice squad rules? There is no limit to the number of players that can be brought up off of injured reserve after three weeks.

From my understanding of the roster rules, there does not appear to be any sort of rule stating that teams will not have to cut at least 17 players from their roster or make 17 roster moves to get down to 53 from their current 80 (or less). That means that anyone the Broncos want to put on the practice squad, they will first have to subject to waivers.

After they have been subjected to waivers the first time, the Broncos can re-sign up to 16 guys to the practice squad, and each week they can protect four of those players from signing with other teams.

With all of that said, roster building could be different in 2020 than it has been in the past.

Even though we are in the early stages of Broncos training camp this year, how might the 53-man roster look initially to open the season?

It could be quite a bit different than this time even just a month ago based on what has gone on in the early portion of camp.

Quarterback/Special Teams

Quarterback: 2 (2/53)

• Drew Lock
• Jeff Driskel
• Brett Rypien (cut)

There is no doubt that the Broncos’ top two quarterbacks are solidified at this point in time with Drew Lock and Jeff Driskel taking the first and second-team reps exclusively.

Second-year player Brett Rypien is in camp competing as the third quarterback, and he could wind up as a practice squad candidate, but with NFL rules allowing players of any level of experience to be on the practice squad, this is an area of the team I think the Broncos can clearly upgrade behind Drew Lock.

That’s not necessarily easy to do at this time of year, but having a third quarterback is going to be essential in case anyone is either injured or has to go on the COVID/reserve list.

I recently proposed the idea of throwing something at the Miami Dolphins to see how much they want to hang onto Josh Rosen. I also am one of the (potentially few) people that would be in favor of signing Colin Kaepernick, who has history with plenty of the Broncos’ coaches.

Special Teams: 3 (5/53)

• Brandon McManus (K)
• Sam Martin (P)
• Wes Farnsworth (LS)
• Jacob Bobenmoyer (cut)

There won’t be many theatrics here, even with the long snapper position yet to be decided. There has not really been any word from the Broncos’ coaching staff about how this competition is going.

I chose Farnsworth over the local UNC product Bobenmoyer because of his superior athletic testing numbers. Farnsworth’s athleticism could give him an edge on coverage units.

Ultimately, as long as the guy they pick doesn’t snap the ball over anyone’s head, they’re going to be just fine.

Running Back

(4, 9/53)

• Phillip Lindsay
• Melvin Gordon
• Royce Freeman
• Andrew Beck (FB/TE)
• LeVante Bellamy (cut)
• Jeremy Cox (cut)

There should not be any surprises here barring an other-worldly camp from LeVante Bellamy.

He did have a really nice run on day three, and he offers explosive speed which is something Royce Freeman doesn’t exactly have.

With that said, the trio of Lindsay, Gordon, and Freeman is one of the best in the entire NFL and the Broncos probably won’t mess with it this year. Bellamy should be a strong practice squad candidate, though.

Jeremy Cox, a super-athlete with speed, power, and explosiveness, is one player who is really crushed by not having preseason games.

It will become clear why I put Andrew Beck in this category in a couple of pages, but Beck is one of the most versatile players on the team in the mold of Rhett Ellison who has played for Pat Shurmur. Beck can play fullback, tight end, H-back, and special teams.

Wide Receivers

(6, 15/53)

• Courtland Sutton
• Jerry Jeudy
• KJ Hamler
• Tim Patrick
• DaeSean Hamilton
• Diontae Spencer
• Tyrie Cleveland (cut)
• Fred Brown (cut)
• Trinity Benson (cut)
• Juwann Winfree (cut)
• Kendall Hinton (cut)

This position group is one of the toughest ones to figure out at this point.

The top three are solidified, and I think the Broncos are likely to keep at least three more guys. Tim Patrick has opened camp as the WR2 opposite Courtland Sutton, so even if Jerry Jeudy replaces him in that regard, he seems to be a safe bet to make the team, something I was not sure about earlier in the offseason.

Behind those four players, the Broncos have a variety of guys who would make sense for at least one reason or another.

Diontae Spencer was very good as a return specialist last season, but I think he needs to show more on offense if he’s going to beat out a guy like Tyrie Cleveland for a roster spot.

Cleveland was known in the 2020 NFL Draft class as one of the best all-around special teams guys, and it pains me to not have him on the final roster projection, even with time to spare.

DaeSean Hamilton has had a solid start to camp, but he’s going to have to fend off “Downtown” Fred Brown who played a more substantial role on special teams a season ago.

A real wild card here? Trinity Benson, who has a penchant for making big plays and legit 4.4 speed. Benson was a return specialist in college in addition to being a star wide receiver.

Juwann Winfree has been nursing a hamstring injury since the start of camp, so he has ground to make up if he’s going to beat someone out for a roster spot.

Tight Ends

(4, 19/53)

• Noah Fant
• Nick Vannett
• Jake Butt
• Albert Okwuegbunam
• Troy Fumagalli (cut)
• Austin Fort (IR candidate)

This projection is a lot about finding a spot on the roster for Jake Butt. It isn’t impossible.

The Broncos’ tight end position is pretty loaded (and mostly healthy) this season. For the first time since the 2018 offseason, Butt is fully healthy (at least, as ‘fully’ as he can be) and showing well in camp.

Noah Fant, Nick Vannett, and Albert Okwuegbunam don’t have to worry about their roster spots at this point. Butt and Fumagalli will have to have a good enough camp that the Broncos are willing to keep a fifth tight end on the active roster if you include Andrew Beck among them, and they would.

Both Fumagalli and Butt have practice squad eligibility as well, and with Austin Fort projected to miss 4-8 weeks, he’s a clear IR candidate at this point (and should go to the practice squad after that).

Everyone in that Broncos locker room is rooting for Butt to make the team. The Broncos have invested three years of patience into Butt. There’s no question it would be a great story if he made the team, but he has to prove he can be an asset on the field.

If Butt is healthy come time for roster cuts, I think he will be the toughest player to cut among the fringe roster guys.

Offensive Line

(9, 28/53)

• Garett Bolles (LT)
• Dalton Risner (LG)
• Graham Glasgow (RG)
• Elijah Wilkinson (RT)
• Lloyd Cushenberry (C)
• Austin Schlottmann (C/G)
• Demar Dotson (RT)
• Netane Muti (G)
• Patrick Morris (C/G)
• Calvin Anderson (T; cut)
• Quinn Bailey (T; cut)
• Jake Rodgers (T; cut)
• Tyler Jones (T; cut)
• Hunter Watts (T; cut)

The offensive line is a position group where the Broncos have some question marks in the depth department, but they have young players they like.

Four of the team’s starting five seem set at this point with Garett Bolles, Dalton Risner, Graham Glasgow, and Elijah Wilkinson in the lineup. With that said, things can change here in a hurry.

Demar Dotson was a veteran addition the team brought in to presumably push Elijah Wilkinson at right tackle. He could wind up as the opening day starter, but with just a $400,000 guarantee, his spot on the roster is not necessarily even guaranteed.

The center position is a three-way battle between Austin Schlottmann, Patrick Morris, and rookie Lloyd Cushenberry. Cushenberry is considered the favorite, but through three days of camp, Schlottmann has had two days of reps with the starters, Morris taking the other.

The Broncos aren’t handing anything to Cushenberry, but it would still be surprising if he was not the opening day starting center.

Rookie Netane Muti is healthy, a rarity for him, and if he stays healthy the Broncos probably won’t be able to try and sneak him onto the practice squad. The gameday roster rules allow an extra lineman to be active, so I think the Broncos will keep nine guys here. The practice squad rules could make things interesting if the Broncos were to try and sneak some guys among their 16 there, and protect one or two of them among their four allowances.

Defensive Line

(6, 34/53)

• Jurrell Casey
• Shelby Harris
• Mike Purcell
• Dre’Mont Jones
• McTelvin Agim
• DeMarcus Walker
• Christian Covington (cut)
• DeShawn Williams (cut)

The Broncos could wind up going into the regular season with all eight of these guys still on the roster in some capacity.

It wouldn’t be surprising if they were to bring Christian Covington and DeShawn Williams back onto the practice squad after cuts, but the spot that’s up for grabs here is DeMarcus Walker’s.

The former second-round pick hasn’t exactly had it easy since coming into the NFL in 2017, and after a four-sack campaign in his first year under Vic Fangio, I think he gets the edge in the roster battle with Covington.

The top five spots here are not in question at all at this point. The Broncos could wind up keeping seven defensive linemen to open the season if they think Covington is more ready for regular-season action than McTelvin Agim, or they could potentially trade Walker.

Edge Rushers

(4, 38/53)

• Von Miller
• Bradley Chubb
• Jeremiah Attaochu
• Malik Reed
• Justin Hollins (cut)
• Derrek Tuszka (cut)
• Malik Carney (cut)

If there are four available positions here for the Broncos, training camp is extremely important for a number of guys.

I think the Broncos have two spots for four guys, which is going to make this a tough position group to evaluate without really daily updates.

Jeremiah Attaochu was the best backup at the end of the 2019 season, actually starting opposite Von Miller and passing up both Justin Hollins and Malik Reed after signing off the street following Bradley Chubb’s injury.

Reed looked good as an undrafted player and definitely took his lumps along the way, but ultimately showed off the versatility that made him such an intriguing UDFA gem.

Justin Hollins has the most impressive athletic traits here with his speed and strength, and his versatility could make him tough to part with. There’s no doubt a team like the Rams with Brandon Staley — their defensive coordinator and former Broncos OLBs coach — would scoop him up on the waiver wire.

Derrek Tuszka was a high-upside seventh-rounder who is going to take some time to develop on the practice squad, but I love his upside.

Malik Carney was on the practice squad last year, but he has a much tougher path with the guys ahead of him currently.

Linebacker

(5, 43/53)

• Todd Davis
• Alexander Johnson
• Josey Jewell
• Justin Strnad
• Josh Watson
• Joe Jones (cut)

Even after being demoted in favor of Alexander Johnson, Josey Jewell carved out a prominent role on the Broncos’ special teams unit, and he looks poised to be a special teams ace going into his third NFL season.

That development, along with the addition of Justin Strnad and the Broncos’ internal love for Josh Watson, could mean the end for a really good guy — Joe Jones.

Jones hasn’t been able to really break into the Broncos’ defensive rotation with multiple coordinators, and having a special teams-only linebacker is perhaps a luxury the team can no longer afford.

Even if it’s not in Denver, Jones will be on a 53-man roster somewhere.

Defensive Backs

(10, 53/53)

• Justin Simmons (S)
• Kareem Jackson (S)
• AJ Bouye (CB)
• Bryce Callahan (CB)
• Michael Ojemudia (CB)
• De’Vante Bausby (CB)
• Duke Dawson (CB)
• Davontae Harris (CB)
• Trey Marshall (S)
• Isaac Yiadom (CB)
• Douglas Coleman III (cut)
• Alijah Holder (cut)
• Essang Bassey (cut)
• PJ Locke (cut)

The Broncos should be scouring free agency, the trade block, and the waiver wire for defensive backfield help.

Not only are the Broncos facing an uncertain situation at the cornerback position with four guys competing for one CB3 spot, but their safety depth is mostly untested and a massive dropoff after both Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson.

For my money, De’Vante Bausby should be the CB3 to open the season, but the Broncos can’t quit Isaac Yiadom just yet. Davontae Harris also started some last year, and he has a chance to earn a prominent role again if he can have a good camp.

Third-round rookie Michael Ojemudia is another CB3 candidate, but the Broncos could also choose to bring him along slowly with the other guys they have available.

The team traded for Duke Dawson last year, and Dawson has really good nickel skills.

Trey Marshall is the only backup safety with any real in-game experience to speak of. Without preseason play, it’s hard to know how well Alijah Holder has come along since his transition to safety from cornerback, and both PJ Locke and Douglas Coleman III are practice squad types at this point.

Essang Bassey should be a practice squad candidate unless he can emerge in the cornerback battle.

I think the Broncos will keep 10 defensive backs ultimately, but they should be going after a player like Logan Ryan in free agency, a cornerback/safety hybrid kind of guy who could be the ideal backup for Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons and perhaps even one of the top five guys to play in the nickel defense for 2020.