Which Denver Broncos players’ jobs are in danger now that the 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone? We look at five players now possibly on the bubble.
The 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone and the Denver Broncos have added a whopping 22 rookies to the 90-man offseason roster.
With a nine-player draft class and 13 undrafted free agents, some of the veteran players on the current roster could be on notice.
Whether it’s through trades or surprise cuts, we could see some bigger names let go by the Broncos in the 2022 offseason to make way for the young players coming in.
Which players could be on the bubble after the 2022 NFL Draft? Let’s take a look at five, in particular.
Denver Broncos players on the bubble after the 2022 NFL Draft
1. Seth Williams, WR
One player I’m really excited to see and hear more from in the 2022 offseason is wide receiver Seth Williams.
The 2021 sixth-round pick out of Auburn only got a couple of opportunities in his rookie season, but he certainly made a big splash with one of them.
During the 2022 NFL Draft, the Broncos drafted Montrell Washington in the fifth round, a player they are obviously very excited about as a return specialist.
Given Washington’s ability to contribute as a returner as well as Tyrie Cleveland being dubbed a core special teams player by special teams coordinator Dwayne Stukes, could the high upside of Williams head to a different NFL city in a few months?
Obviously, you’d love to see him force the team’s hand and keep him on the roster. If he finds a way to make it, it obviously means he had a great camp and preseason. But we also saw last year with the ascent of Trinity Benson that the Broncos are not afraid to parlay a strong offseason into a trade as well.
With Washington coming aboard, Williams is a potential cut or trade candidate if he doesn’t make plays consistently.
Denver Broncos with jobs on the line post-Draft
2. Andrew Beck, TE/FB
A lot of Andrew Beck’s roster fit in Denver depends on whether or not the team wants to utilize a traditional fullback this season.
I feel like we’re going to see way more 12 personnel and 11 personnel this season than we are the traditional fullback, but Beck can also play tight end and special teams.
The issue is, the Broncos may have preferences elsewhere and money talks.
Beck was given just a $200,000 guarantee when he re-signed with the team this offseason. As much as some of the coaches and scouts on the team might love Beck, the Broncos also just gave an undrafted free agent a guarantee of $150,000.
I think a lot of people underrate Eric Tomlinson’s arrival. He was given $1.4 million in guarantees to sign with the Broncos this offseason.
We don’t know the extent of Eric Saubert’s deal yet, but Saubert can do many of the same things Beck can do and he’s probably a better tight end.
Then, the Broncos utilized the 80th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on Greg Dulcich, further muddying the waters at this position group for guys like Beck on the back end.
Given he only got $200,000 in guarantees, we’re really going to need to see Beck make an impact as a traditional in-line tight end in order to make the final roster, otherwise I think we could see a tight end room of Albert Okwuegbunam, Greg Dulcich, Eric Tomlinson, and Eric Saubert.
Broncos player no. 3: Lloyd Cushenberry, C
It’s nearly impossible to know right now what the Denver Broncos are thinking along the offensive line for the 2022 season.
As Billy Turner recovers from an injury, Calvin Anderson has been taking the top reps at right tackle during OTAs.
On the interior offensive line, there are question marks right now at left guard and center.
Although the Broncos drafted him in the third round as recently as 2020, I think former LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry III could be a player on the bubble for this team.
Cushenberry has shown improvement in his first two seasons, but is he a good fit for the outside zone offensive scheme?
If it’s determined that he’s a better fit elsewhere, the Broncos have alternatives.
Namely, Graham Glasgow is expected to compete at the center position this offseason. The Broncos also drafted (traded up for) Washington center Luke Wattenberg who has the ability to play any position on the line.
I don’t know that the right way to look at this is that the Broncos are actively looking to replace Cushenberry but he and Dalton Risner might not be guaranteed their starting jobs and if that’s the case, the Broncos might want to be exploring some trades for those guys.
The Broncos are deep on the offensive line but lack clarity in the starting lineup right now.
Broncos player no. 4: Mike Purcell, DL
A healthy Mike Purcell could still be a very effective piece on the Denver Broncos’ defensive line.
The issue is, Purcell’s availability over the past couple of seasons has been rather sparse, and his impact when on the field has not matched up to the 2019 production that earned him a new contract in the first place.
The Denver Broncos drafted a pair of defensive linemen in 2022 and also have 2021 draft pick Marquiss Spencer who could take a step forward in 2022.
You would love to see the Broncos keep as many of the players that they have drafted recently as possible, but obviously, if Purcell is able to show the kind of impact we saw from him a couple of seasons ago, you aren’t letting that go in all likelihood.
It would be great to see Purcell healthy and able to contribute in 2022 but should the Broncos go a different direction?
Should DJ Jones be playing more snaps as the nose tackle with young players like Eyioma Uwazurike, McTelvin Agim, and even Matt Henningsen getting the lion’s share of snaps at the other defensive end position opposite Dre’Mont Jones?
The Broncos could save over $2 million by cutting Purcell at some point this offseason but that will obviously depend completely on whether or not he can prove himself worthy of a spot in the rotation of Ejiro Evero’s defense.
Purcell is primarily a two-down, run-stuffing defensive lineman. It was clear the Broncos missed him when he was out last year but like I mentioned — his impact on the field was not as substantial as we saw in 2019 either.
Broncos player no. 5: Malik Reed, EDGE
One player that is clearly in a murky situation after the 2022 NFL Draft is Malik Reed.
The Denver Broncos used their top pick in the Draft on Oklahoma’s Nik Bonitto, who figures to be part of the rotation immediately.
Beyond Bonitto, it’s safe to say that 2021 seventh-round pick Jonathon Cooper is not going anywhere, especially after the huge potential he showed in his rookie season.
The Broncos also moved 2021 third-round pick Baron Browning to the edge this offseason, and even if you just considered those three players, things wouldn’t be looking great for Reed.
Outside of just those guys, the Broncos have some intriguing young players like Aaron Patrick and Andre Mintze, two guys the team was really high on a season ago.
It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see someone like Reed traded this offseason as the Broncos could save over $2.4 million by sending him to another team or cutting him.
I think cutting Reed is off the table as every team is looking for strong edge play and Reed can give you that at a very reasonable price.
Even with the recent injury history of Bradley Chubb and the fact that Randy Gregory is working his way back from a shoulder procedure, I think Reed is definitely on blast with the way things have transpired in the 2022 offseason.
Broncos 53-man roster predictions following 2022 NFL Draft
The Denver Broncos have an absolutely loaded roster heading into the 2022 season. We make early roster predictions after the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Broncos are going to want to get Bonitto, Cooper, and Browning on the field and there just aren’t enough snaps to go around.