With another week coming in the preseason, the Denver Broncos, along with the rest of the NFL, are one step closer to those brutal final roster cuts. It's surely never an easy task for front offices and coaching staffs to make these moves, but they have to happen.
In many instances, players who get cut end up signing with the team's practice squad, so it's not necessarily a full-blown release. Anyway, on Friday, the Broncos host the Green Bay Packers in the second preseason game of the 2026 NFL Offseason.
And, perhaps among other players, these three are clearly on the outside looking in.
3 Denver Broncos on the outside looking in as the preseason progresses
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB
Jaleel McLaughlin's roster spot felt shaky the second the team took Jonah Coleman in the 2026 NFL Draft. Coleman has really shined this offseason as well, and it carried over into the preseason game. In just four carries, Coleman showed contact balance, skill between the tackles, and burst. McLaughlin ended up fumbling, and while one fumble isn't the end of the world, those are the type of errors that simply can't happen for a player on the roster bubble.
While McLaughlin could simply end up back on the practice squad, which was the case for much of the 2025 season, he hasn't done much of anything to warrant any sort of roster safety. He's firmly on the outside heading into Week 2 of the preseason.
Drew Sanders, OLB
Drew Sanders simply hasn't been able to practice regularly for the Broncos, as the injuries keep getting in the way of his potential on the field. Sanders did have a sack in preseason Week 1, but he also didn't practice on Tuesday, so this is simply a player who isn't reliable in staying on the field, and not being able to do so is a near guarantee that a roster spot won't be there when roster cuts happen.
Yes, Sanders is athletic, talented, and could have the ability to be a true EDGE and even an off-ball linebacker, but he's not really stacked days at any point this offseason, and with the surplus at EDGE that the Broncos already have, Sanders' fit with the team feels unknown, at best.
Tycen Anderson
Tycen Anderson was signed this offseason to complete for one of the depth safety spots, but I am not sure we've really heard his name called much at all this offseason. He did seem to miss a big take in Week 1, though, which is less than ideal.
Tycen Anderson had a shot at the open field tackle, hanging onto the TE's one leg, but he missed. 16-yard gain on play-action.
— Mile High Huddle (@MileHighHuddle) August 15, 2026
Denver's safety room has a few locks in Brandon Jones, Talanoa Hufanga, and Devon Key. The team also used a late-round pick on Miles Scott in this year's draft, and could also look to continue keeping JL Skinner rostered as a quality special teams player.
With Anderson simply not making any noise this offseason, it feels like this is an example of 'empty calories' in the room. The Broncos could opt to roster Scott given he's a rookie and could have a higher ceiling, so Anderson's spot could be in jeopardy. In the Broncos first unofficial depth chart, both Anderson and Scott were listed as third-team safeties, and if that is actually where they belong, Denver may prefer to keep Scott and bank on his potential development.
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