Now that the 2022 NFL Draft is complete, we can take a step back and look at the entire roster of the Denver Broncos.
General manager George Paton made some moves within the draft but the team still ended up with nine new players on the roster, plus a host of undrafted free agents.
This is how the Broncos will go into training camp later this summer, though we could see some tweaks to the roster here and there.
With the new rookies on the team, there are some players who may have to put in a little extra effort later this year to prove they still belong in Denver. In other cases, players will be happy at the results of this draft because the picks didn’t bring in any major competition for their spots.
Here are the players that should be happy (winners) and others who may not be so happy (losers) with these draft results.
Broncos Winners: Right tackles
It was expected that we would see a possible three-headed competition this summer to see who will be the Broncos’ starting right tackle between Billy Turner, Tom Compton and Calvin Anderson. It was also thought that the Broncos would draft a right tackle, at least for a look into the future.
The Broncos chose not to do that and will instead role with the trio of Turner, Compton and Anderson.
One of those guys should be able to hold things down this season but the big problem here is that all three of them will be in the final year of their contracts with the Broncos. In other words, all three could be gone next year similar to last year’s starter, Bobby Massie.
The Broncos need long-term consistency at this position, particularly with such a precious asset in Russell Wilson at quarterback. Paton should not take the approach of signing whichever aging veteran, that most other teams don’t want, happens to be sitting on the free-agent market.
Broncos Loser: Lloyd Cushenberry, Center
There was no guarantee that third-year player Lloyd Cushenberry was going to be the Broncos’ starting center this season, but when the team selected Luke Wattenberg out of Washington in the sixth round, his future became even cloudier.
Cushenberry has been average at best since being selected by the Broncos in the third round of the 2020 draft. There are many ways they can go in 2022, including putting either Graham Glasgow or Quinn Meinerz at center.
But now Wattenberg is in the mix and there are those that believe he can compete for the starting job.
Cushenberry’s future in Denver seems far from bright and he is a player that Paton could even look to move at some point before the season starts.
If he ends up winning the starting job, he will have earned it because the Broncos would not have given themselves all of these options at the position if he was clearly the guy at that spot.
There is sure to be a competition between multiple players.
Broncos Winners: Alex Singleton and Jonas Griffith
These two guys should be jumping for joy because even though they are both basically backup-level guys or depth players, one of them or both of them could see significant playing time in 2022.
Josey Jewell will likely start at one of the inside linebacker spots and it remains to be seen what the team intends to do with Baron Browning in his second year.
But there is just not enough depth at this position, even if many believe the traditional inside linebacker position is becoming outdated from a personnel perspective.
You still need a guy who has sideline-to-sideline range and can make plays in the passing game. If you are not already seeing Travis Kelce burn Alex Singleton when the Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs this year, you will soon enough.
The Broncos passed on the chance to grab Nakobe Dean in the draft, a selection that would have made a world of sense but Paton will instead go with the duo of Singleton and Griffith unless someone like Justin Strnad or Barrington Wade steps up.
There is also the idea of re-signing either Kenny Young or Alexander Johnson is there but as of right now, Singleton and Griffith look to only be competing with each other for playing time in 2022.
Broncos Loser: Michael Ojemudia, Cornerback
The Broncos seem to have their top three cornerbacks in Patrick Surtain, Ronald Darby and K’Waun Williams but beyond that, spots are going to be open.
That means that there are no guarantees for 2020 third-round pick, Michael Ojemudia, who missed almost all of last season. He will need to work his way back into the rotation and that won’t be any easier with the Broncos adding two cornerbacks in the draft.
Fourth-round pick Damarri Mathis has a huge upside and could easily come in and steal snaps from Ojemudia and then seventh-round pick, Faion Hicks, will get the chance to work his way in after likely beginning his career on special teams.
Ojemudia had his ups and downs as a rookie but missing a large portion of the 2021 season has left him an uphill climb to get back into good standing with the team at one of the most important positions on the field.
Like fellow third-round pick, Cushenberry, Ojemudia could find himself looking for work with another organization if both of these draft picks hit for the Broncos.
Broncos Winners: Backup QBs Josh Johnson and Brett Rypien
There were not a ton of great options at quarterback in this draft, so it’s not entirely shocking that the Broncos chose to avoid the position (though they did sign Eric Barriere out of Eastern Washington as an undrafted free agent).
But, both Josh Johnson and Brett Rypien are mighty happy about that.
It gives the two of them a chance to have a legitimate training camp battle to see who will get the honor of being Wilson’s backup in his first year with the Broncos.
Quarterbacks were highly devalued in this draft as only one (Kenny Pickett) went in the first round and others such as Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder and Matt Corral) fell into the later rounds while Nevada’s Carson Strong wasn’t even drafted.
The Broncos are obviously confident in the guy they have starting and it seems they are at least reasonably confident in the two options they have behind him.
Broncos Losers: Mike Purcell and McTelvin Agim
Both Mike Purcell and McTelvin Agim were going into the 2022 season as questionable in terms of where they fit in the team’s future plans but those waters will only get murkier with the selections of Eyioma Uwazurike and Matt Henningsen.
Both Uwazurike and Henningsen seem to fit the mold of the type of defensive lineman that Ejiro Evero wants on his defense while both Purcell and Agim may not.
Purcell was always a Vic Fangio guy but he saw his snap counts take a hit last season as the Broncos began to use guys like DeShawn Williams and Shamar Stephen more than him.
Agim, another 2020 third-round pick, has yet to show much of anything since coming to the Broncos and will be facing a make-or-break training camp this year.
The Broncos will certainly want to get the big and exciting Uwazurike on the field as much as possible and Henningsen, chosen in the sixth round, will have an outside chance to steal some snaps too.
Both Purcell and Agim are going to have to fight to prove they still belong on this roster.