Denver Broncos: 5 under-the-radar players to keep tabs on this summer

The Denver Broncos will open training camp in just about one month.

The team has already held mini-camps and begun to formulate an initial depth chart. Of course, there are a handful of players who will go into camp knowing that their spot on the roster is safe.

For others, those camp practices and the three games on the preseason slate will be huge. Their performance during that time frame will determine whether their playing career continues in Denver, resumes in another location, or ends altogether.

For the Broncos, there is a host of players in this situation, and some of them we have talked about and determined that they likely will be on the outside looking in when final roster cuts are made.

For fans preparing for training camp and preseason games, it’s often the stories that most people don’t talk about that are the best to get behind.

We all know that there will be a tense quarterback competition this summer. We know that Von Miller and Courtland Sutton will be back on the field and we know that Melvin Gordon will be looking over his shoulder at second-round pick Javonte Williams.

But what about the players that no one is really talking about? It takes great depth on the full roster for a team to make a Super Bowl run and with injuries the way they are in today’s league, having those guys is a necessity.

Here are five players that fans may want to keep a watchful eye on when camp opens in late July.

Austin Fort, Tight end

Undrafted out of Wyoming in 2019, Fort was really looking good that summer but a torn ACL in a preseason game ended his season. The following year, he reaggravated that knee injury as missed the season again.

This is likely the end of the line for Fort, at least in Denver, but there is some good news for him in the fact that a roster spot is completely attainable.

The Broncos have a stud at tight end in Noah Fant and a good-looking second-year guy in Albert Okwuegbunam but beyond that, it’s wide open.

Many would consider Eric Saubert to be the lead dog in the race for the No. 3 spot, but another factor that must be considered is that Okwuegbunam, recovering from a torn  ACL himself, may not be ready to go when the season kicks off.

The competition between Fort, Saubert, and undrafted rookie Shaun Beyer should be wide open, giving each player equal opportunity to claim a roster spot.

Fort was arguably fighting for a spot in 2019 and likely would have at least made the practice squad, so if his injury woes are fully behind him, he could display enough positive signs to make the team this year.