Denver Broncos: 4 projected starters who could be on the bench in Week 1

The Denver Broncos made a great effort this offseason to add depth in key spots, leading to what should be a competitive training camp.

For some established veterans such as Von Miller and Justin Simmons, training camp is going to be a time to get loose and ready for the season and in Miller’s case, potentially knock off some rust from missing all of last season. However, those two guys have secure starting jobs.

For other players, they will be listed as starters when the first depth chart in camp is produced, but that may not be how things look when the season opens.

These are players where the Broncos have added some competition through free agency or the draft that can push these guys to either be better or to take their jobs. Football, like all sports, begins as a competition within a team to put the best guys out on the field or court.

That will be no different this year as general manager George Paton has given third-year head coach Vic Fangio some nice pieces to work with. Fangio and his staff will now need to determine which players give them the best chance to win.

The following players may be considered starters as of right now, but they are not going to be just handed that job this summer. They will have to earn it, fending off another hungry player eager to eat into their snaps in the process.

Melvin Gordon

Gordon is the team’s starting running back and it’s likely that he will enter the season opener against the New York Giants in that role. But how long will he hold onto that job, with a young, powerful runner behind him who the Broncos traded up to draft?

Javonte Williams is going to push Gordon all season for playing time and it’s likely that he could eat into his snaps more and more as each week passes during the season. But what if he shows himself to be a player the Broncos just can’t keep off the field right away?

It’s likely that Fangio will opt for the veteran presence of Gordon to give his starting quarterback some experience in the backfield, but it’s also possible that Williams comes in and shows himself to be a much better player from the outset, relegating the fading Gordon to backup status.