Denver Broncos: 3 most surprising players to make the final roster

The Denver Broncos have solidified their initial 53-man roster. Which players were the most surprising inclusions on the initial list?

The Denver Broncos have set their initial 53-man roster, which could change a bit between Tuesday and Wednesday after players that were cut around the league clear waivers. We know for a fact that the roster is going to change at least a little bit with the procedural moves of Mike Boone and Michael Ojemudia heading to short-term IR on Wednesday.

Those two moves could pave the way for recently released veterans Cam Fleming and Shamar Stephen to be re-added to the roster, or the Denver Broncos could look for contributors at other positions. Namely, they are going to be bringing in “at least three” wide receivers, according to general manager George Paton.

For the time being, we have a 53-man roster to react to, and players who made the team that were either on the fringe or in at least one case seemingly had no chance at all.

Which players were the most surprising inclusions on the 53-man roster, at least for now?

Let’s look at the top three.

Denver Broncos 3 most surprising 53-man roster inclusions

1. Andre Mintze, EDGE

On most of my final 53-man roster predictions, I had the Denver Broncos going with just four players off the edge. That was obviously with the thought that they would keep up to seven wide receivers and obviously, for the time being, they’re only going with five.

The decision to go heavy on defense with this initial roster paves the way for George Paton and Vic Fangio to keep a guy like Mintze, who showed his toughness, physicality, and ability to pick things up quickly according to the Denver Broncos head coach.

Mintze is a freak athletically who came out of Vanderbilt with rather unimpressive numbers compared to other prospects off the edge, but some outstanding tape.

His explosiveness, strength, and speed off the edge will obviously be huge helps to the Denver Broncos defensively, but he’ll also be expected to contribute immediately on special teams.

After he was signed by the Denver Broncos, Mintze put out a vlog on his YouTube page where he stated that Shaq Barrett was an inspiration to him and a big selling point from the Denver Broncos as a variety of teams pursued him. He saw what Barrett did this past season in Tampa Bay en route to a Super Bowl win and a big contract, and envisioned himself in that same type of scenario.

Barrett, signed as an undrafted player by the Broncos back in 2014, didn’t even make the team’s initial roster, so Mintze is already one step ahead in the process.

This is an extension of the Denver Broncos’ awesome and almost-annual tradition of an undrafted player defeating the odds to make the final roster.

2. Jonathan Harris, DL

Among all of the 53-man roster predictions out there, I didn’t see or read or hear many that included Jonathan Harris.

Harris was basically an afterthought and I personally didn’t see any way the Denver Broncos would go with any group of six players on the defensive line that didn’t include free agent acquisition Shamar Stephen, but many — including myself — have obviously been proven wrong.

The Broncos had waived Harris in 2020 with a non-football injury designation, but he obviously got the chance to come back and compete in the 2021 offseason and made the most of that opportunity.

The Denver Broncos defensive line group was not going to be an easy one to crack, but Harris found a way.

Listed by the Broncos at 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, many Broncos fans are going to need to go back through the preseason tape to see what Harris brings to the table to find out what he’s all about.

He was initially an undrafted free agent of the Chicago Bears in 2019 out of Lindenwood, and now he’s going to get a great shot to contribute for one of the best defenses in the NFL.

3. Kary Vincent Jr., CB

Putting together 53-man roster predictions, there was definitely a chance that Denver Broncos rookie seventh-round pick Kary Vincent Jr. could make the squad.

It’s always preferable to go with a guy you just drafted when there’s competition at the position, but we’ve seen players like Nate Hairston have big weeks of practice, we’ve seen Saivion Smith make a big play on special teams, and while we’ve seen flashes from Kary Vincent Jr., you couldn’t help but wonder if the Broncos might try to sneak him onto the practice squad.

His flashes in coverage were good enough that they obviously didn’t feel like they could sneak him through, so the speedster out of LSU is getting a shot to be CB5 to open the season.

That could change if the team brings back Nate Hairston, who could push Vincent down to CB6, but only time will tell.

With the injury to Michael Ojemudia, Vincent is going to have a chance to contribute early on and his speed is certainly intriguing. He made at least one big play in each of the Broncos’ three preseason games in coverage, and he could have a future in the nickel for the Broncos with Bryce Callahan in the final year of his contract.

Denver Broncos: 4 trades the team should make at roster cuts

The Denver Broncos have to get their roster down to 53 players, but they should still be focusing on ways to improve the team and trades could help.

Of the team’s three seventh-round picks, the Denver Broncos were surprisingly able to keep two as well as one of their undrafted players. On such a competitive roster, that is certainly no small feat.