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Denver Broncos: 5 long-shots who probably won’t make the team in 2021

By Graham Tiedtke

The Denver Broncos defense poses for a photo after a fumble recovery in the third quarter of a Week 13 NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. The Denver Broncos won 24-10 and the Cincinnati Bengals fell to 5-7 on the season with the loss.Denver Broncos Vs Cincinnati Bengals 12 02 2018
The Denver Broncos defense poses for a photo after a fumble recovery in the third quarter of a Week 13 NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. The Denver Broncos won 24-10 and the Cincinnati Bengals fell to 5-7 on the season with the loss.Denver Broncos Vs Cincinnati Bengals 12 02 2018 /
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Aug 21, 2020; Englewood, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back Royce Freeman (28) runs a drill ahead of running back LeVante Bellamy (32) and running back Phillip Lindsay (30) during training camp at the UCHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 21, 2020; Englewood, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back Royce Freeman (28) runs a drill ahead of running back LeVante Bellamy (32) and running back Phillip Lindsay (30) during training camp at the UCHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

The Denver Broncos addressed plenty of needs through the 2021 NFL Draft, as well as free agency. They made the chances of some players making the 53-man roster increasingly difficult.

That is a good thing for the team overall, but it is unfortunate for some players. Some players will face odds that appear to be stacked against them.

There will be surprises that make the team, there will be surprises that don’t make the team. Then there are some obvious ones. Who has odds stacked against them in their fight to make the 2021 Denver Broncos?

Let’s start at the running back position.

RBs LeVante Bellamy & Damarea Crockett

The Broncos let 2018 undrafted local free agent hero Phillip Lindsay go in free agency this offseason, paving the way for Melvin Gordon to be the bell-cow running back for them in 2021. Well, until they drafted Javonte Williams in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and even moved up to do so.

My projected running backs on the 2021 squad are Gordon, Williams, and free agent pickup Mike Boone. You can also make a case for Royce Freeman, but the additions of Williams and Boone, as well as the presence of Gordon, make things complicated for the 2018 Draft pick.

Bellamy was active in five games for the Broncos in 2020, carrying the football just four times for 11 yards.

Crockett, just 23-years old, was an undrafted free agent in 2019 and picked up by the Houston Texans. Since then, he has spent time with the then-Oakland Raiders, and Green Bay Packers before signing with the Broncos in 2020.

Crockett has not registered any NFL stats.

It would not surprise me if either Bellamy or Crockett end up on the Denver Broncos’ practice squad. With the size of practice squads moving from 10 to 12, I would not count out both of those running backs making it and staying in Denver, even if not on the active 53-man roster.

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