The Denver Broncos have been hard at work preparing for the 2021 season at training camp. How will the 53-man roster look for week 1 against the Giants?
The Denver Broncos are approaching their first preseason game of the 2021 season, and after the extremely difficult 2020 season, it’s safe to say fans are more excited for this particular preseason game than most. Everyone wants to see proof in a game setting that the team is improved.
There is no question that, in year one with George Paton calling the shots as general manager, the Denver Broncos look improved on paper. We have yet to see — fully, anyway — the improvements guys who were already on the roster have made.
A number of players have begun to break through at training camp. A number of players have been coming back strong from injury. The team’s depth is beginning to take form all over the roster and decisions will need to be made sooner rather than later.
How will the Denver Broncos’ roster look come week one against the New York Giants? What difficult decisions will need to be made?
We’re going to break it down ahead of the first preseason game, though these predictions are undoubtedly bound to change as these games are played.
Special Teams: 3 (3/53)
- Brandon McManus, K
- Sam Martin, P
- Jacob Bobenmoyer, LS
At this particular point in time, none of the specialists in Denver have any competition. The Broncos briefly brought in Max Duffy as competition for Sam Martin, but ultimately decided to let him go after his brief time with the team during OTAs.
Brandon McManus has clearly been working on his long-range game in training camp, attempting a lot of kicks in the high-50s, low 60s range.
Hopefully, these players will be good enough at their jobs to not grab any headlines throughout the season.
Quarterback: 2 (5/53)
- Drew Lock
- Teddy Bridgewater
It’s tough to cut Brett Rypien, but the Denver Broncos probably can’t afford to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster heading into the 2021 season given the depth elsewhere on the roster and the need for so many other guys to be used on game days.
Barring an injury in the preseason to either Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater, the team should be safe heading into the 2021 season with those two guys on the active roster and it’s probably also likely that Rypien will make it to the practice squad as plenty of teams across the league will probably be trying to do this exact same thing.
For the time being, it’s Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater. Which one will be the week one starter? As of right now, Drew Lock opened camp getting the first shot at reps as the incumbent, and so far Vic Fangio says there has been no separation. If that’s true, things are probably leaning in Lock’s direction at this point in time.
Running Backs: 3 (8/53)
- Melvin Gordon
- Javonte Williams
- Mike Boone
The Denver Broncos’ running back room is rather deep at the moment. Not only does the team have a rock-solid top three backs in the rotation, but Royce Freeman has been having a good camp by most accounts.
Freeman’s strong camp should get him a good opportunity elsewhere in the NFL, perhaps somewhere like with the Los Angeles Rams. The Denver Broncos have a preseason matchup against the Rams and there should almost undoubtedly be mutual interest between those two teams after Cam Akers suffered a season-ending injury.
Even if Freeman is traded, the Broncos have more depth at this position that can be stashed on the practice squad and there will undoubtedly be players that become available from other teams to stash there, too.
Damarea Crockett has made a number of notably explosive plays and LeVante Bellamy was a player the Broncos really liked in the 2020 UDFA crop. It would not be shocking of one of those two players had a huge preseason forcing the Broncos to keep them on the 53, ultimately.
Wide Receivers: 7 (15/53)
- Courtland Sutton
- Jerry Jeudy
- Tim Patrick
- KJ Hamler
- Trinity Benson
- Seth Williams
- Kendall Hinton
This position group has some significant question marks beyond and even including the top four guys.
Will Tim Patrick be on the trade block over the course of preseason action? The argument for trading him will probably never make more sense, at least in terms of getting maximum value.
Teams might be willing to pay up for Patrick at the trade deadline, but there are some desperate teams out there right now (looking at you, Saints) and that number should only increase.
The Broncos would have to be certain that the rest of their depth at receiver is going to work out and right now they should feel pretty confident.
One player that is notably missing from this list is Tyrie Cleveland, a promising 2020 seventh-round pick. Cleveland struggled early in camp with dropped passes and has been missing significant time with a backside injury.
In the time he’s been gone, Trinity Benson and Seth Williams have really stepped up. Kendall Hinton has already been singled out as an offseason standout.
Cleveland could be practice squad bound unless some other team decides to snatch him up off of waivers. He still has time to reclaim his spot among the top six or seven receivers, too.
Tight End: 4 (19/53)
- Noah Fant
- Albert Okwuegbunam
- Eric Saubert
- Andrew Beck
Up to this point, it’s been difficult to pinpoint even three tight ends to crack the Denver Broncos’ final roster, but it seems the team is pretty high on both Eric Saubert and Andrew Beck based on the number of reps those guys have been getting with the top offense.
Beck has been an interesting potential roster casualty to look at this offseason based on his oddly diminished usage in 2020 compared to 2019. It looks as though Beck has re-emerged as a depth piece and we know what he brings on special teams. He could be a particular favorite of Teddy Bridgewater.
Saubert was a project at one point of Denver Broncos tight end coach Wade Harmon when the two were together in Atlanta. That connection has proven to be quite fruitful for Saubert, who seems to be splitting some of the TE2 reps with Albert Okwuegbunam as he eases back from injury.
Preseason play will be critical for rookie Shaun Beyer and the unfortunately oft-injured Austin Fort, who could be vying for one practice squad spot.
Offensive Line: 9 (28/53)
- Garett Bolles
- Dalton Risner
- Lloyd Cushenberry
- Graham Glasgow
- Bobby Massie
- Calvin Anderson
- Netane Muti
- Quinn Meinerz
- Brett Jones
The offensive line unit for the Denver Broncos is really taking shape.
It seems clear right now that the team will keep nine linemen, especially with the track record of Brett Jones and the timing of his addition to the team.
Quinn Meinerz came to Denver as a self-taught center and may be more of a project there than originally anticipated despite his elite athletic talents.
Netane Muti has really taken a step forward this offseason and could be a starter at some point this season, but almost certainly by 2022.
Calvin Anderson and Bobby Massie have been splitting the top reps at right tackle as the team seeks a long-term solution at that position. Preseason games will be critical there, but it seems that both of those players have clearly surpassed veteran Cameron Fleming, who will likely be a roster cut before the season barring an injury to one of those guys.
Quinn Bailey is another option there Vic Fangio has discussed.
One of the big stories of camp so far is how entrenched Lloyd Cushenberry III has been at his center position in year two. There has not even been a battle for that job as Cushenberry has dominated 1st-team reps.
Defensive Line: 6 (34/53)
- Shelby Harris
- Dre’Mont Jones
- Mike Purcell
- McTelvin Agim
- DeShawn Williams
- Shamar Stephen
There might be one or two players on this list that are in danger of losing their roster spot to rookie Marquiss Spencer, who has undoubtedly flashed throughout training camp.
Despite Spencer’s flashes, he has always seemed an ideal practice squad developmental type of player.
McTelvin Agim has had a breakout training camp, which is fabulous news for the Denver Broncos as a whole. Dre’Mont Jones appears poised to take another step into stardom, Shelby Harris is already established, and Mike Purcell is back as one of the better run defenders in the league.
Shamar Stephen provides some nice veteran depth, but both he and DeShawn Williams will definitely need to be watching their backs for Spencer.
As of right now, though, this group seems to be the favored top six of the coaching staff and preseason games could determine the sixth spot if someone plays their way onto the roster.
Outside Linebackers: 4 (38/53)
- Von Miller
- Bradley Chubb
- Malik Reed
- Jonathon Cooper
The Denver Broncos’ top three off the edge is solidified. Put it in Sharpie.
Von Miller.
Bradley Chubb.
Malik Reed.
Those guys will be the top three off the edge and they will dominate the majority of snaps for the team at the position.
As for the rest of the depth off the edge? The big question right now is whether the team keeps four or five guys, and who are the other one or two guys making the team?
Jonathon Cooper has been as advertised coming off of his offseason heart procedures. He flashes brilliant effort and intensity as well as explosiveness and strength off the edge.
As is typically the case, preseason games will be absolutely crucial for determining which guys round out the depth at this position.
Undrafted rookie Andre Mintze is someone to keep a close eye on with his physical and athletic traits. He could go out there and absolutely crush backup offensive linemen in preseason play.
The same could be true of Derrek Tuszka, who is the only other holdover off the edge for the Denver Broncos. Tuszka was an outstanding pass rusher at North Dakota State who is routinely the first guy on the field at practice for the Broncos. Still, he’s got to start making more noise than just that at camp and in the games.
Inside Linebackers: 4 (42/53)
- Alexander Johnson
- Josey Jewell
- Justin Strnad
- Josh Watson
There is a new breeze blowing at Denver Broncos headquarters these days.
Vic Fangio talked about it early in the offseason, but you can expect plenty of the dime defensive package from the Denver Broncos in 2021 as they attempt to put the clamps on some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Because of their intention to use a lot of the nickel and dime package, we could see a very low number of inside linebackers actually kept on the 53-man roster.
You’ll notice that rookie third-round pick Baron Browning is notably missing off of this list. Right now, he’s on the PUP, and it doesn’t seem like he will be coming off anytime soon.
If that’s the case, we could see him “stashed” on the PUP into the regular season where the Broncos could bring him in as a reinforcement later on.
Justin Strnad seems to be taking on an expanded role after missing his rookie season with a wrist injury. Josh Watson is getting some competition from guys like rookie free agent Curtis Robinson and now newcomer Barrington Wade, but the depth here for Denver is being significantly tested with Josey Jewell nursing an injury.
The team could ultimately still keep five guys here and that would require some shuffling elsewhere, but defensive backs are getting priority.
Cornerbacks: 6 (48/53)
- Ronald Darby
- Kyle Fuller
- Bryce Callahan
- Pat Surtain II
- Michael Ojemudia
- Rojesterman Farris
The Denver Broncos’ cornerback room is ridiculously deep, at least at the top.
The team’s starters in 2020 — Bryce Callahan and Michael Ojemudia — are now third and fifth respectively in the pecking order.
The additions of Ronald Darby, Kyle Fuller, and Pat Surtain II have given the Broncos arguably the best and most talented cornerback group in the entire league.
With that being said, who is making the team beyond the top five guys? That will be fascinating to watch.
The Broncos have Essang Bassey and Duke Dawson on the PUP right now, and both could be on those lists into the regular season. It’s tough to know at this point. If Bassey comes off, he seems like a very strong candidate to make the 53-man roster with his ascent to playing time as an undrafted rookie in 2020.
For the time being, players like Rojesterman Farris, Saivion Smith, rookie Kary Vincent Jr., Parnell Motley, and Mac McCain are battling it out for another roster spot.
Farris has been making some plays, notching interceptions in his first two practices with the team.
He’s got a shot to make it if he can carry that ball production over into preseason games.
Safety: 5 (53/53)
- Justin Simmons
- Kareem Jackson
- PJ Locke
- Caden Sterns
- Jamar Johnson
After bringing in Tedric Thompson for a shot in camp, the team decided to move on from the former Colorado product.
Caden Sterns has been having an outstanding training camp according to Vic Fangio and the team also obviously likes fellow fifth-round pick Jamar Johnson despite him missing precious time to open camp on the COVID list.
Ultimately, his draft status and potential should win out, but the Broncos also realize that PJ Locke is a player worth developing and he was the team’s top special teams contributor in 2020 in terms of total snaps in that phase.
The big omission from this list would be Trey Marshall, who seems to have been replaced as a long-term option by both Locke and Sterns.
Denver Broncos: 10 major takeaways early in training camp
The Denver Broncos are now a week into 2021 training camp. What are the major takeaways so far and what is on the horizon?
The Broncos should feel extremely confident in their depth in the secondary, and you never know what options will emerge during roster cuts if they are not satisfied after preseason play.