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.
Running back (3, 5/53)
Melvin Gordon, Javonte Williams, Mike Boone
At some point in the 2021 offseason, it would not be surprising if the Denver Broncos tried to find a new home for former third-round pick Royce Freeman.
Freeman entered the NFL in 2018 and was dominant throughout his rookie training camp and preseason, flashing some big-play ability between the tackles. He carried that momentum over into the early portion of the 2018 regular season along with fellow 2018 star rookie Phillip Lindsay, and it appeared as though the Broncos had the running back spot locked up for the foreseeable future.
Unfortunately, an ankle injury in Freeman’s rookie season really derailed his progress, and the Broncos could not recapture the magic we saw early on from both of those guys at the same time.
Freeman touched the ball a career-low 47 times a season ago and appears destined to be traded or released at some point.
Melvin Gordon, rookie Javonte Williams, and free agent pickup Mike Boone will be the Broncos’ top three backs. It would be a similarly wise move for the Broncos to keep a back on the practice squad again, maybe two.
Last year, it was undrafted rookie LeVante Bellamy as well as another of Drew Lock’s Missouri teammates Damarea Crockett at the back end of the roster at the position, and it would not be shocking to see one or both back on the practice squad again in 2021.
Wide Receivers (7, 12/53)
Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, KJ Hamler, Tyrie Cleveland, Diontae Spencer, Seth Williams
The wild card here would be Seth Williams and the seventh receiver position on the roster.
Williams was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, so he’s not going to be exempt from the roster Turk if the Broncos have depth elsewhere they prefer.
With that being said, the team has stated how much it likes Williams for his special teams work and blocking, so put the two and two together here.
With Cleveland, Spencer, and Williams all expected to be key players on special teams combined with Pat Shurmur liking to use those three-receiver sets, don’t be shocked to see the Denver Broncos keep more receivers than is typically the norm.
The top four spots here are not up for debate, and the Broncos have to keep whatever guy they feel is the long-term replacement for Tim Patrick, who could be gone via free agency in 2022.
The most likely candidate to “replace” Patrick seems to be Tyrie Cleveland, a 2020 draft pick out of Florida. Williams will certainly contend for that as well, but he’ll have some stiff competition from fellow 2021 classmate Warren Jackson.
Tight End (3, 15/53)
Noah Fant, Albert Okwuegbunam, Andrew Beck
The tight end position for the Denver Broncos is going to be a fascinating one to watch as the 2021 offseason progresses.
Everyone knows that Albert Okwuegbunam will be the TE2 to Noah Fant, who is emerging as one of the top young tight ends in the game.
The question here is, how comfortable are the Denver Broncos with their depth here?
Fant dealt with some injuries in 2020 and Okwuegbunam is obviously coming off of a season-ending knee injury. Andrew Beck was not the team’s TE3 last season, and it’s probably fair to say he wasn’t even the TE4.
The Broncos used Fant and Okwuegbunam (when he was healthy) as well as Nick Vannett and Troy Fumagalli over Beck.
Beck is listed as a FB/TE by the official team roster, and his versatility on special teams is also key to making the team again in 2021.
His current competition is free agent acquisition Eric Saubert who signed for the veteran minimum on a one-year deal, rookie free agent Shaun Beyer, and 2019 undrafted gem Austin Fort.
I still think there’s a chance the Broncos will bring in someone like Zach Ertz here if the price is right, but there are other tight ends that could potentially be of interest.
Offensive Line (9, 24/53)
Garett Bolles, Dalton Risner, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Graham Glasgow, Bobby Massie, Quinn Meinerz, Netane Muti, Cameron Fleming, Calvin Anderson
Besides the possibility of the team liking Austin Schlottmann, Patrick Morris, or Quinn Bailey more than meets the eye, I think this group is a pretty straightforward one with a couple of undrafted free agents or a couple of players in general also being added to the practice squad for necessary depth.
Garett Bolles’ emergence in the 2020 season was as big of a development for the Denver Broncos last year as anything.
The Ja’Wuan James era in Denver finally reached its conclusion after he played just 63 snaps in 2019 and opted out in 2020. James tore his Achilles working out away from the team facility and was a post-June 1 release.
To replace James, the Broncos were pretty fortunate the free agent tackle market was still rather robust, and they were able to sign both Bobby Massie and Cameron Fleming. At worst, those guys are league average at their positions and neither guy is old.
I think with the injury history in recent years for Massie, the Broncos will gladly keep both on the roster into the regular season at their current price, especially if they feel like Fleming can provide guard flexibility.
The team really likes Calvin Anderson as well, and Vic Fangio has commented about Quinn Bailey specifically, too.
If the Broncos like the work they see from Anderson and/or Bailey this offseason, they could still unload one of Massie or Fleming if they don’t like the depth for the price.
Between Dalton Risner, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Graham Glasgow, Quinn Meinerz, and Netane Muti, there is some good youth and depth on the interior line.
Defensive Line (6, 30/53)
Shelby Harris, Dre’Mont Jones, Mike Purcell, McTelvin Agim, DeShawn Williams, Shamar Stephen
Right now, the defensive line group is probably the most solidified on the team.
The Denver Broncos re-signed Shelby Harris in the offseason to a three-year, $27 million deal and he will obviously be the leader of this group in 2021.
Mike Purcell is coming back from injury, but the Broncos added some insurance in the form of Shamar Stephen, someone GM George Paton knows well from their time together with the Minnesota Vikings.
Dre’Mont Jones has emerged as one of the top young players on the team and is ready for an expanded role in 2021.
McTelvin Agim got some playing time as a rookie but the expectations will be higher for the former top-100 pick in 2021 to contribute.
DeShawn Williams is a fun story of resilience as a guy that has been cut more times than he probably cares to recount. He earned himself a full-time role with the Broncos last year and had 37 tackles, six QB hits, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and three batted passes.
I think rookie seventh-round pick Marquiss Spencer is getting slightly overlooked here, but starting off on the practice squad seems to be ideal for him in year one.
Edge (4, 34/53)
Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Malik Reed, Derrek Tuszka
The intrigue off the edge for the Denver Broncos comes after the top three guys.
Von Miller is back in 2021 and will have the highest 2021 salary cap hit of any player on the team. The former Super Bowl 50 MVP is in the final year of the big-money contract he signed with the Denver Broncos and hopefully he will prove himself worthy of one more long-term contract to be a Bronco for life.
The Broncos picked up the fifth-year contract option on Bradley Chubb’s rookie deal, keeping him under contract through the end of the 2022 season. George Paton has called Chubb a core piece of the team moving forward.
Malik Reed has emerged as one of the team’s most consistent defenders and despite what can be expected to be a slightly reduced role in 2021 due to Miller and Chubb being healthy, Reed will still have plenty of playing time as the first guy in off the sideline.
The question after those guys is — who is the next man up?
Derrek Tuszka was a seventh-round pick in the 2020 Draft who certainly has somewhat of an early edge, but that spot could just as easily be taken by 2021 seventh-round pick Jonathon Cooper or 2021 undrafted free agent Andre Mintze.
The Broncos also signed a guy named Pita Taumoepenu who should not be counted out at this point.
Last year, we didn’t have preseason games to see the pass rushers go to work against offensive linemen in live game reps. That will change in 2021 with three preseason games on the slate and a chance for these young pass rushers to make their roster case.
Linebacker (5, 39/53)
Alexander Johnson, Josey Jewell, Justin Strnad, Baron Browning, Natrez Patrick
Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell return as starters in the 2021 season, both players in contract years and with plenty to prove in their third year in Vic Fangio’s system.
Justin Strnad was expected to be a key contributor for the Denver Broncos in 2020 as a nickel linebacker but he suffered a bad wrist injury in training camp that caused him to miss the entire season.
That injury came after he suffered a biceps injury at Wake Forest, so there are some clear health concerns with the talented Strnad.
Baron Browning was drafted in the third round and has huge potential, but he’s going to need some seasoning, to be certain. He’s an elite athlete who should get a shot on special teams and hopefully in certain packages as a pass rusher.
It might be somewhat surprising to see the name Natrez Patrick included here, but the Denver Broncos acquired him off of waivers back in January from the Los Angeles Rams.
With off-ball linebacker and pass rusher versatility as well as plenty of NFL special teams action, Patrick could very well take Josh Watson’s place on the roster.
Cornerback (6, 45/53)
Kyle Fuller, Ronald Darby, Patrick Surtain II, Bryce Callahan, Michael Ojemudia, Essang Bassey
Who will win spots for the Denver Broncos at the cornerback position?
Just like the wide receiver position, it’s safe to say that the top four spots here are set in stone. There have been some speculation pieces in the offseason about Bryce Callahan being a cap casualty, but the Denver Broncos have no need to free up cap space as they currently have the second-most cap space in the league.
Plus, Callahan was arguably the team’s best defensive player last season in the 10 games he played.
Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby came on in free agency and will be starters for Vic Fangio, and there’s no question that 2021 first-round pick Pat Surtain II is going to play a lot as well.
Given his starting experience in the 2020 season as a rookie, it makes sense that Michael Ojemudia would once again be a piece the team decides to develop and have as a spot starter as needed.
Essang Bassey is coming off of injury so his spot is certainly up for grabs. Seventh-round rookie Kary Vincent Jr. will make his case as will Parnell Motley, who came onto the roster late in the 2020 season and wound up getting some significant playing time down the stretch.
Nate Hairston, Duke Dawson, and Mac McCain will also make this position group a very tough one to make cuts.
Safety (5, 50/53)
Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson, PJ Locke, Caden Sterns, Jamar Johnson
The Denver Broncos desperately needed to add depth at the safety position in the 2021 offseason, and they did just that when they drafted both Caden Sterns and Jamar Johnson in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Kareem Jackson initially had his 2021 contract option declined by the Broncos, but the team managed to bring him back at a substantially discounted rate.
Jackson makes up the second half of the best safety duo in the NFL with Justin Simmons, who got a big-time contract extension from the Broncos this offseason making him the highest-paid safety in the league based on average annual pay.
The wild card here is whether the Broncos keep five safeties or an extra corner, and if they keep five safeties, who will stick between PJ Locke and Trey Marshall?
Chris Cooper will also make his case, but nobody played more special teams for the Broncos in 2020 than PJ Locke at 378 snaps. Preseason play at the safety position will be critical for Locke sticking on the roster with his pal and fellow Texas alum Caden Sterns.
Specialists (3, 53/53)
Brandon McManus, Max Duffy, Jacob Bobenmoyer
The big news here would be Max Duffy getting the nod for the Denver Broncos over 2020 free agent pickup Sam Martin.
Duffy was the top-ranked punter in the 2021 NFL Draft by Dane Brugler of The Athletic, and he was the 2019 Ray Guy Award winner at Kentucky as the nation’s top punter.
Martin was solid in his first year in Denver, but it’s hard to argue the cost-effective move if a guy can give you comparable or even better play.
Denver Broncos: Second year players with bigger roles in 2021
The Denver Broncos had a big and successful 2020 NFL Draft class, but some players were essentially redshirted in 2020. Who will have bigger roles?
Duffy is a former Australian-rules player who’s got some intriguing athleticism to him, as well.