Denver Broncos top 5 roster questions early in training camp

The Denver Broncos are into their second week of training camp, and we have questions regarding the roster with the preseason looming.

The Denver Broncos have officially been back on the field practicing for a week, and unfortunately, we’ve experienced the highs and lows of training camp.

Tim Patrick is done for the season with a knee injury. The same is true for running back Damarea Crockett.

The excitement of the pads coming on and the team having championship aspirations certainly took its first major blow with that news on Tuesday.

We’ve seen players start to break out at training camp but there are plenty of questions lingering with this roster.

Let’s take a look at some of the questions that may have popped up over the last week as the team continues on with Day 7 of camp on Wednesday.

Denver Broncos roster question no. 1: Is Brett Rypien QB2?

After the Denver Broncos signed veteran Josh Johnson to be part of the quarterback room in 2022, I think just about everyone assumed that he would be the clear option for QB2.

And that could very well be the case.

However, Brett Rypien may have something to say about it.

Rypien’s name has been consistently popping up when training camp updates are being delivered by reporters on Twitter.

Not only that, but he keeps showing up in the highlight reel as well.

It’s great to see Rypien making progress, even if he’s currently working with the third-team offense.

We’ll have to see if the Broncos are truly giving Rypien a chance at winning the QB2 job over Johnson and whether they plan on keeping three quarterbacks at all.

For now, it seems like Rypien is certainly making a lot of plays at training camp and the discussion could at least be had about which QB is worth keeping around as Russell Wilson’s backup.

Denver Broncos roster question no. 2: Is the WR depth good enough?

The Denver Broncos’ wide receiver room has gone from an overflowing abundance of players to a significant question mark in a matter of a week.

Tim Patrick is out for the season.

Tyrie Cleveland had an injury at OTAs and is once again missing time at training camp with no timetable for a return.

KJ Hamler was activated off the PUP but the Broncos won’t press him too much before the start of the regular season.

As of right now, what can the Denver Broncos truly count on going into the 2022 regular season?

Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and who else?

Obviously, everybody is hopeful for Hamler to be back to full strength this season.

Behind even those three guys, and without Tim Patrick, the questions really start to pop up.

Is Kendall Hinton still someone we need to be keeping close tabs on, even without hearing much of anything from him so far in training camp?

Is former sixth-round pick Seth Williams going to be able to prove himself worthy of a bigger role with Tim Patrick down?

Can rookie Montrell Washington play a significant regular season role for the offense if need be?

The Broncos have plenty of young guys on the roster but at this point, that’s all they are — young guys who are unproven.

General manager George Paton needs to consider what happened with this unit last season when Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler both went down with injuries. He was left signing street free agents like David Moore and John Brown.

Now, you’re already halfway to the same issue with Patrick down for the year.

Denver Broncos roster question no. 3: More OT reinforcements needed?

Let me just throw this question out there, and then we’ll explain why it’s being asked:

Should the Broncos throw something at the Chicago Bears for offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, who is apparently on the trade block?

The Broncos went out in 2022 free agency and added players like Billy Turner and Tom Compton, veterans who have experience at both tackle and guard and can provide the team with some peace of mind on the offensive line if not starting options.

Unfortunately, Compton landed on the PUP because of a back injury and Turner has yet to even practice with the team.

The coaching staff is undoubtedly comfortable inserting either guy when healthy, but what is the tackle depth right now on this roster?

Garett Bolles, Calvin Anderson, and who else?

Quinn Bailey?

Cameron Fleming was brought in for added depth and he is certainly an option for the team moving forward, and perhaps Nathaniel Hackett and Justin Outten are also comfortable with Ben Braden’s ability to play tackle if need be.

With that being said, given the injuries to both Turner and Compton, I would be looking at a pick swap to get Teven Jenkins in Denver and see what he can do, if anything.

Sure, injuries have been an issue for him but perhaps a fresh start and getting with this roster and coaching staff could help turn around Jenkins’ career. He was once touted as a first-round type of prospect who landed with Chicago in the second round.

Things haven’t worked out for him there but if the price is right, that’s an avenue I think George Paton should explore.

Denver Broncos roster question no. 4: Repeat of 2021 issue at LB?

I’ll continue to highlight this because it’s one of the most fascinating aspects of the roster construction currently.

The Denver Broncos seem to be de-emphasizing the importance of the off-ball linebacker position and perhaps for Ejiro Evero’s defense, that’s okay.

Jonas Griffith has shown up in a big way given the opportunity to start next to Josey Jewell, and it sounds like there’s not even a contest from Alex Singleton or Justin Strnad at this point for that spot.

Behind Griffith and Jewell, however, the depth is scarce.

The aforementioned Singleton and Strnad — are those guys you really want to rely on in case of injury?

Remember, last season, the Denver Broncos had to deal with season-ending injuries to both Josey Jewell and Alexander Johnson last year and they made one roster move after another to try and supplement the depth at the linebacker position.

Just a few, off the top of my head:

• Poaching Micah Kiser
• Signing Avery Williamson to the practice squad (multiple times)
• Trade for Jonas Griffith
• Trade for Kenny Young

The Broncos were all over the place trying to add linebacker help last season and they had to get reactionary in the wake of injuries.

Why not be proactive in 2022?

The team had Joe Schobert for a visit but that hasn’t materialized into anything at this point.

We’ll see what happens as camp continues to progress, but it looks like the Broncos are going to take their chances with the top four guys they currently have in place.

Denver Broncos roster question no. 5: The DL better than anticipated?

One of the position groups on this roster that looked like at least a bit of a question mark heading into training camp was the defensive line.

The Broncos brought in DJ Jones this offseason in free agency and Dre’Mont Jones is expected to be one of the best players on this defensive roster, but who else do they have?

As training camp continues to progress, it seems like we may have been underrating the kind of impact DeShawn Williams is capable of making with this unit.

Williams re-signed this offseason to a rather modest deal but his return to the roster along with a healthy Mike Purcell?

The Broncos might have a little something going there.

There are other young players like Jonathan Harris, former third-round pick McTelvin Agim, and former seventh-round pick Marquiss Spencer adding even more intrigue to this position group.

Now that the pads have come on, we might finally start to see and hear more updates on how the defensive line is looking as a whole, but the Broncos might have a pretty solidified top four or five guys with intrigue at the bottom of the depth chart.

Not to mention, you also have young 2022 draft picks Eyioma Uwazurike (fourth round) and Matt Henningsen (sixth round) making some early impressions as well.

Denver Broncos 5 options at wide receiver with Tim Patrick out for 2022

Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick is out for the 2022 season. If the team chooses to look outside the roster for an upgrade, who are possibilities?

Is the defensive line deeper than originally anticipated? It might just be.