Denver Broncos: 53-man roster prediction at 2021 OTAs

For the time being, the Denver Broncos have a loaded 90-man roster just like the rest of the 31 other NFL teams, but a day is coming soon enough where this 90-man roster will have to be whittled down to just 53 players. Thanks to some rules that were put into place in 2020 because of the pandemic, it’s possible that expanded 16-player practice squads will remain for the 2021 season, meaning a majority of the 90-man roster could remain even after a huge wave of cuts.

The Denver Broncos have not yet reached the mandatory attendance portion of offseason activities, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a crack at what the final 53-man roster will look like a little bit early on.

Quarterback (2, 2/53)

Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater

This is sure to be contested, but if both Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater are healthy going into the season, the Denver Broncos should try to get Brett Rypien to the practice squad and just protect him on a weekly basis.

Rypien was the team’s primary backup a season ago, which speaks volumes not only to the work Rypien put in but to how bad Jeff Driskel was.

If COVID protocols were the same in the 2021 season as they were in 2020, it would be a hilariously bad choice to try and roll with just two quarterbacks. For the 2021 season, however, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them go with just two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster heading into the season.

The third quarterback is a healthy scratch on gamedays anyway, so if the Broncos can get Rypien to the practice squad, this is a way to make sure you get other guys on the roster that can help you during games.