The Denver Broncos have an absolutely loaded roster heading into the 2022 season. We make early roster predictions after the 2022 NFL Draft.
There is a lot that could happen between now and September when NFL rosters are officially set, but with the overhaul we have seen in 2022, could the Denver Broncos‘ 53-man roster be closer than we think?
It’s a loaded roster, certainly the best the team has had in the post-Peyton Manning era. After the 2022 NFL Draft, 22 new rookies have joined the squad and there will be a lot of fascinating competitions at certain positions to watch in the coming months.
With the Draft complete and rookie minicamp set to begin on May 13, let’s try to make a way-too-early prediction of what the Denver Broncos’ roster could look like.
Denver Broncos roster predictions after 2022 NFL Draft
Quarterbacks (3, 3/53)
Russell Wilson
Josh Johnson
Brett Rypien
So begins the impossible journey of taking this insanely talented roster down from 90 players to just 53.
How will general manager George Paton and head coach Nathaniel Hackett do it?
Brutal decisions will have to be made. The Denver Broncos will undoubtedly be sending a variety of players away to other teams in trades for future NFL Draft capital. Don’t be surprised if the Broncos’ 2023 selection count — currently at five picks (two in the third, one in the fourth, fifth, and seventh) — doubles by the time final roster cuts are due.
The quarterback position could be just two players when all is said and done, but Brett Rypien has proven himself to be quite valuable to this team since coming aboard as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
You don’t want to mess with your quarterback room at the expense of one roster spot if you can help it. If the extra set of eyes Rypien brings are valuable to the most important position group on the team, then keep him around.
If you feel like you can get by with just Wilson and Johnson and perhaps sneak Rypien through to the practice squad, go ahead and give that a shot.
I feel like the Broncos will prioritize keeping Rypien unless they are absolutely slammed elsewhere on the roster.
Denver Broncos running backs (3, 6/53)
Javonte Williams
Melvin Gordon
Mike Boone
The running back position seems pretty cut and dry at this point.
Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon are back in 2022 as one of the NFL’s best tandems at the position.
Mike Boone remains a wild card at the position but an intriguing one with speed and special teams abilities.
The Broncos would have to cut Damarea Crockett and fascinating undrafted rookie Tyreik McAllister to keep just these three guys, but it seems likely that we’ll see the running back depth come off the practice squad.
Denver Broncos special teams (3, 9/53)
Brandon McManus
Sam Martin
Jacob Bobenmoyer
No surprises here, although there could be.
The Denver Broncos brought in punter Corliss Waitman this offseason to compete with Sam Martin, who had a rather good year for the Broncos in 2021.
In a very limited sample, Waitman would have led all punters in average yards per boot if he’d played the entire year.
How will his booming leg translate in the thin air at Mile High?
The punter job could be up for grabs with some of the cap savings available if Sam Martin is released. As of right now, I’m not predicting any changes but don’t be shocked if that one happens.
Denver Broncos wide receivers (6, 15/53)
Courtland Sutton
Tim Patrick
Jerry Jeudy
KJ Hamler
Tyrie Cleveland
Montrell Washington
Talk about a position group that is absolutely brutal to try and predict.
How do you make a roster projection without Kendall Hinton on it? Will Seth Williams establish himself this offseason in his second NFL season?
What about Travis Fulgham coming back on a reserve/futures deal? Can he recapture the magic we once saw from him as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles?
The top four at this position are set. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess as to what the Denver Broncos will actually end up doing.
Will they keep seven? Eight?
Tyrie Cleveland has been labeled a core special teams player by special teams coordinator Dwayne Stukes. I think his spot on this roster is up for grabs and Montrell Washington — a fifth-round rookie out of Samford — is going to have to earn his place as well.
The toughest player to not put on the list here was Kendall Hinton, whose position on the roster may be more solidified than meets the eye.
Denver Broncos tight ends (4, 19/53)
Albert Okwuegbunam
Greg Dulcich
Eric Tomlinson
Andrew Beck
Another position group that was a little tough to predict, how will the Denver Broncos sort out the depth chart at tight end?
The team recently re-signed Eric Saubert to a one-year deal, but that deal likely isn’t costing the team anything that they can’t ultimately get out of.
Still, Saubert’s presence on the roster now complicates things at the tight end position, where you have an intriguing situation with hybrid player Andrew Beck.
Beck was brought back by the Broncos early on in the 2022 offseason and clearly the team likes him for his versatility offensively as well as his ability to play special teams.
Eric Tomlinson was brought in through free agency to presumably Nathaniel Hackett’s new version of what Marcedes Lewis has brought to the table for his offenses both in Jacksonville and in Green Bay.
The Broncos drafted Greg Dulcich with the 80th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and they seem to love his potential in this offense as well.
If the Broncos’ final roster doesn’t include Saubert, it won’t be shocking, but Saubert was a dependable player for them last year who may have some untapped potential.
Denver Broncos offensive line (9, 28/53)
Garett Bolles
Dalton Risner
Lloyd Cushenberry
Quinn Meinerz
Calvin Anderson
Billy Turner
Tom Compton
Graham Glasgow
Luke Wattenberg
The Denver Broncos offensive line doesn’t feel like it’s “set” by any means.
Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz have the left tackle and right guard spots locked in, is my guess. Beyond that, are any starting jobs not up for grabs?
Dalton Risner is entering a contract year and the Denver Broncos’ level of commitment to him for the long-term appears to be, at the very least, hanging in the balance.
Lloyd Cushenberry isn’t going to be guaranteed anything heading into his third season with the team.
Do the Broncos feel like they have some better options elsewhere on the roster? It sounds like Graham Glasgow could compete for the center position in camp after ending last year on injured reserve.
The Broncos signed veteran Billy Turner to presumably start at right tackle, but if Calvin Anderson can do a good enough job there, Turner might be your starting left guard.
Tom Compton has also started at both right tackle and left guard and will be valuable veteran depth at both spots.
Rookie Luke Wattenberg could compete for the starting center position as well but his traits and size indicate he could very well be in line for a guard or even tackle role as well.
Denver Broncos defensive line (6, 34/53)
Dre’Mont Jones
DJ Jones
McTelvin Agim
DeShawn Williams
Eyioma Uwazurike
Matt Henningsen
This was another very difficult group to project.
I’m on the fence about whether or not to predict Mike Purcell will be on the final roster when all is said and done.
On the one hand, yes — Purcell is one of the only “traditional” nose tackles on the team. On the other hand, he hasn’t been available consistently the last couple of seasons and there might be better opportunities to upgrade the defensive line in free agency with the cap space available if the Broncos would so choose to do that.
As of right now, the group I’m liking is a fairly young one.
There are some veterans here in this group with Dre’Mont Jones, DJ Jones, and even DeShawn Williams to an extent.
I think this kind of group gives you two guys who can play the true “nose tackle” role in Jones and Uwazurike, but everyone among this group has positional versatility and plenty of upside.
One of the tougher omissions was second-year player Marquiss Spencer, who I expect to show signs of progression in the 2022 offseason.
Denver Broncos edge rushers (6, 40/53)
Bradley Chubb
Randy Gregory
Jonathon Cooper
Nik Bonitto
Baron Browning
Aaron Patrick
There will be some shockers here, undoubtedly.
First of all, let’s discuss the absence of Malik Reed from this group. In addition to not having Mike Purcell on this roster projection, I think not having Reed on here is probably the biggest bombshell of all.
The Denver Broncos didn’t overly prioritize Reed as a restricted free agent. He was given a first right of refusal deal and I think ultimately, the lack of interest he received as essentially a free agent is telling.
I do think, however, at his current price teams will come calling about a trade.
The Broncos can’t move on from any of Bonitto, Cooper, or Browning at this position. If Browning is making the full-time move to edge, how does Reed fit in?
Aaron Patrick is another player who has been dubbed one of the team’s core special teams players, and although Reed is projected to fill the “starting” role while Randy Gregory recovers from surgery, I think that’s all to keep his value as high as possible in the public eye for an eventual trade.
The Broncos are bordering on too deep here. Not only do you miss out on Reed in this scenario, but talented young players like Andre Mintze and Christopher Allen also didn’t make the cut despite keeping six guys.
Denver Broncos safeties (5, 45/53)
Justin Simmons
Kareem Jackson
Caden Sterns
Delarrin Turner-Yell
JR Reed
I think the top three at this position group are set, but this area of the defense is where the numbers game gets really fascinating.
Beyond Caden Sterns, you have a handful of guys that will again be very tough to let go of.
The Broncos obviously liked Jamar Johnson in last year’s draft, but they have another fifth-round safety in Oklahoma’s Delarrin Turner-Yell now on the roster.
Will Johnson have made enough progress to push someone like free agent acquisition JR Reed off the roster?
I don’t know if the signing of JR Reed is receiving as much attention as it should.
It also isn’t easy to let go of PJ Locke, who has obviously been part of this organization for a few years now and has played a ton of special teams over the last two years.
As the Broncos transition to playing much more nickel and dime, we could see them allocate roster spots much differently at linebacker and safety.
Denver Broncos linebackers (3, 48/53)
Josey Jewell
Alex Singleton
Jonas Griffith
Keep in mind, you’ve also got Baron Browning who can play the off-ball linebacker position here.
Is this position group overrated in importance in today’s NFL? Maybe. You need to have linebackers that can play the run effectively as the Broncos found out the hard way last year.
However, if you can’t cover, you’re toast.
I think we’ll start to see more and more teams keeping some of their linebacker depth on the practice squad if possible but the Broncos cycled through so many at this position group last year, it’s hard to see that happening.
I think with these three players capable of starting plus Browning adding a fourth option, the Broncos could allocate 10 roster spots to the defensive backfield as is their likely preference.
Denver Broncos cornerbacks (5, 53/53)
Pat Surtain II
Ronald Darby
K’Waun Williams
Michael Ojemudia
Damarri Mathis
Another absolutely brutal position group to attempt to whittle down to just five players.
How do you keep only five cornerbacks out of the group the Broncos already have on the roster?
Obviously, we don’t have to worry about the top three spots as of right now. Surtain, Darby, and Williams will be the team’s projected starters heading into the season and you have to have key depth behind them.
Ojemudia is going to be an intriguing one to monitor as the offseason progresses since he was a starter as a rookie in 2020 and then injured for most of the 2021 season.
Rookie Damarri Mathis is coming in having played primarily outside corner for the majority of his time at Pitt but he has the potential to transition inside to the nickel as well.
Ideally, I think you’d like to see six cornerbacks kept on the final roster so where would the Broncos budget elsewhere?
You can try to keep some of your primary depth on the practice squad as well, and the Broncos did try that last year but ended up having Mac McCain and Essang Bassey poached by other teams.
Bassey, as fate would have it, is actually back in Denver in 2022.
With so many corners on the roster right now, it’s hard to determine how many the Broncos will ultimately keep but seventh-round pick Faion Hicks is someone that you could ideally stash and protect on the practice squad.
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Perhaps undrafted rookie Ja’Quan McMillian will also show he has potential as an eventual contributor as well.