Denver Broncos: Five big winners from 2021 OTAs

As long as the 2020 offseason felt, it’s pretty remarkable that we are now past the OTAs period of the 2021 offseason already. The Denver Broncos have a nice break before returning to the Mile High City for training camp in late July.

General manager George Paton is in his first year on the job, and up to this point, he’s done a tremendous job of assembling a talented crew of players to get back into contention in the AFC West.

Cuts are going to be difficult, which is both a blessing and a curse. You love to see depth on the roster and the Denver Broncos certainly have that in many areas, but you also hate to see good players subjected to the waiver wire.

One of the primary ways that you see good players get pushed to the waiver wire or trade block?

Guys who come out of seemingly nowhere to win roster spots.

Denver Broncos OTAs: Who were big winners?

In this post, we’re going to take a look through some of the players who were big winners from OTAs and who may have an edge for back-end roster spots heading into training camp.

The Broncos have plenty of work left to do and there will certainly be more players who put themselves on the map with their training camp and preseason performances, but having a strong couple of months at OTAs definitely doesn’t hurt.

Even with guys who don’t have to really “fight” for roster spots, who has had a strong start to the offseason?

Which players “won” OTAs?

1. Kendall Hinton, WR

Kendall Hinton will always be known as the COVID replacement quarterback for the Denver Broncos during the 2020 season when the entire room was basically suspended by the NFL for a week.

The Denver Broncos had to use Hinton, a former college quarterback at Wake Forest turned wide receiver, as a break-in-case-of-emergency option against one of the NFL’s best defenses — the New Orleans Saints — late in the 2020 season.

Hinton’s efforts were admirable, but if he’s going to make it in the NFL, it will be as a wide receiver.

As it turns out, he may have a pretty decent chance of doing just that.

Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio does not exactly hand out compliments or admonishments liberally, so for him to say what he said about Hinton being the standout player of OTAs up to this point is really noteworthy.

Everyone hoped that Hinton could have a heroic moment as the replacement QB last season as the Denver Broncos still had a fraction of hope for the playoffs, but he may be able to help in other ways.

As a slot receiver at Wake Forest, Hinton really showed that he has NFL-caliber stuff and that is what got him a job with the Denver Broncos last year in the first place. His teammate, Jerry Jeudy, sounded off on the reports and rumblings of Hinton having a good offseason thus far.

It seems clear that everyone is taking notice of Hinton’s improvements this offseason. The big question now will be — how do the Denver Broncos carve out a spot for him?

Again, with offseason breakouts come eventual surprise roster casualties. Hinton is going to have to use training camp and preseason play to take someone’s job, and he is well on his way to doing just that.

2. Mike Boone, RB

When George Paton came over from the Minnesota Vikings, it was interesting to look through their list of free agents and possible trade candidates and wonder which guys might follow him to the Denver Broncos.

In all of the predicting and forecasting, I don’t think anyone had Mike Boone as the top guy coming from Minnesota to Denver in the 2021 offseason.

Boone was signed to a two-year contract and he signed on before the Denver Broncos selected Javonte Williams in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but he figures to play a major role.

Although since Williams was drafted the media has tried to make it about the duo the Denver Broncos have at running back, Fangio has made it his personal business to include Mike Boone as well.

The Broncos will not necessarily feature Boone in the offense behind Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams, but there’s a decent chance that we’ll see Boone get at least 100 touches this season as well as a significant chunk of special teams snaps.

He’s got a little bit of everything at the running back position with speed, vision, burst, pass-catching ability, and toughness.

Not that you’re looking at the Denver Broncos’ next 1,000-yard back, but Bone has entrenched himself as a key piece of the team in a short amount of time.

3. Michael Ojemudia, CB

How do you respond to basically being demoted from starter to essentially CB5 on the roster?

You go out there and do what only you can do and control what only you can control.

The Denver Broncos are playing the long game with second-year cornerback Michael Ojemudia, and everyone will hopefully be better for it. With the injury history of both Ron Darby and Bryce Callahan, Ojemudia could get a shot to get back into the lineup sooner than later.

If everyone stays healthy, he’s going to have to make himself valuable in other ways and by playing other positions within the defense as well as on special teams.

When he was drafted, there was some talk about Ojemudia possibly cross-training as a safety. Could he be a potential long-term option behind Kareem Jackson?

Why not?

Ojemudia forced four fumbles last year and does a great job of reading the quarterback’s eyes. He has outstanding size and should do well as a dime linebacker, nickel defender, or whatever role the Denver Broncos put him in.

He showed at OTAs that he has made strides in his game.

It will be huge for Ojemudia to keep making improvements and keep proving his versatility to the coaching staff.

As we get closer to the 2021 season, his role will become more defined but the Broncos obviously know that, if need be, Ojemudia is capable of starting for them at outside corner.

4. Pat Surtain II, CB

It could just be the fact that he’s the team’s most recent first-round pick, but there was an undeniable aura around Pat Surtain II for those who were able to take in practices.

Even Surtain’s new Denver Broncos teammates.

When asked about Surtain, almost every one of the Denver Broncos players responded by talking about how surprisingly big this young player is, and there’s no doubt that Surtain is built more like a safety than he is a cornerback.

On the field, Surtain did not disappoint, impressing his teammates and coaches with his football IQ, adaptability, coachability, and physical prowess.

When people talked about Surtain as a “safe” pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, there was some implication that the Denver Broncos made a cowardly decision not to take a quarterback. Surtain is not just a safe pick compared to playing quarterback roulette — he’s about as close to a “sure thing” as you’re ever going to find in the NFL Draft.

Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell heaped some praise on the rookie at the conclusion of OTAs.

"Well he came in here with a great foundation. He comes from a great family, lineage with his father, excellent parents. Then he goes to Alabama and plays the whole time there, starts every game at a high level, against top players in practice. He’s been exposed to very good coaching in college. Then you come in here, and he’s a guy that’s very calm, reserved. I wouldn’t say reserved, but he’s respectful of others, and he’s just a very hard-working, serious player. So he has everything that can point to success, and not to mention he’s a heck of an athlete. He’s fitting in great with our guys, and he’ll work to get a strong role. Ed Donatell via Broncos PR"

What will that “strong role” be for the Broncos’ defense in 2021? Time will tell, but if everyone on Denver’s defense stays healthy, how do you keep this kind of talent off the field?

5. Jerry Jeudy, WR

Jerry Jeudy finished the 2020 season on a high note against the Las Vegas Raiders after a dismal game against the Los Angeles Chargers on the road, and he has picked up where he left off last year.

Jeudy was constantly open at Denver Broncos OTAs according to those who were able to watch practice.

Jeudy is a competitor, and is known far and wide for his ability to run routes. What makes Jeudy such a renowned route runner is his short-area quickness, explosiveness, speed, savvy, and footwork.

He takes pride in creating separation and there are very few defensive backs that can get their hands on him clean at the line. He knows how to win against any type of coverage, and that was obviously on display at Denver Broncos OTAs.

The Broncos knew they had a gem fall into their laps when Jeudy was on the board with the 15th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and they will undoubtedly be anticipating him to make a major leap in the 2021 season.

Denver Broncos: 53-man roster prediction at 2021 OTAs

The Denver Broncos will have some difficult decisions to make regarding the roster leading up to the 2021 season. Who makes the final 53?

Jeudy struggled with drops as a rookie, but if he cleans that up, the sky is truly the limit here. This guy’s always open, he’s great after the catch, and with that combination, the Denver Broncos’ offense should get a huge boost in 2021.