The Denver Broncos have now set their initial 53-man roster. This obviously does not mean that the roster is going to look like this throughout the season. At the moment, the Broncos don't have a fullback or long-snapper on the roster.
With that said, the 2026 Broncos look how they look for now. In the coming days, the team will create a practice squad and also begin to prepare for the start of the regular season against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead.
As we typically do after games and major events during the NFL calendar, let's get into some winners and losers from the team's inital roster for the 2026 NFL Season.
Denver Broncos winners and losers after the initial 53-man roster is set
Winner: Dallen Bentley, TE
In an interesting twist, rookie tight end Dallen Bentley was the one who made the 53-man roster, not Justin Joly, who was taken two rounds prior. The one clear advantage that Bentley does have over Joly is the blocking, as Bentley does have the foundation and appears to be physical enough to function as a solid blocker.
The receiving upside with Bentley isn't as great as Joly's, but Denver is obviously valuing the blocking here. With that said, the tight end room is still a bit of a mess and honestly among the worst in the league, so overall, the room itself is a loser, but Bentley did essentially beat out Joly for a roster spot.
Loser: Justin Joly, TE
Speaking of Joly, he didn't make the Broncos roster and could end up being claimed by another team. The Broncos could be bracing for him not to return. It was a short stay for Joly, as he couldn't even get a nod for the bottom of the roster as a rookie with potential upside.
George Paton is concerned that Justin Joly and Red Murdock could be claimed off waivers.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevens) August 30, 2026
Said if they do get claimed, they'll give them a hug and wish them the best.
However, Joly does have enough youth and upside on his side that it would feel very unlikely if he didn't get claimed rather quickly, but the Broncos surely could have envisioned some big plays for him, but a shaky first offseason in the NFL lands him as one of our losers.
Winner: Sam Ehlinger, QB
Sam Ehlinger played his way onto the Brocnos 53-man roster. The Broncos are now carrying three quarterbacks, as he joins Jarrett Stidham and Bo Nix. Denver doesn't necessarily need to carry three QBs, but perhaps the team was scared that Ehlinger was going to get poached by another team...?
Ehlinger did have a stronger preseason than Stidham, but Stidham brings more experience, and it's clear that the Broncos weren't ready to roll with Ehlinger as the QB2. Still, though, he earned his way onto the roster, which is a huge credit to him.
Loser: Red Murdock, ILB
Maybe the most shocking roster cut of all, the Broncos let go of Mr. Irrelevant in Red Murdock after one offseason with the team. It did seem like Murdock was more than holding his own and was primed to slide into the inside linebacker room with virtually no issue.
Murdock did show off his forced fumble ability for the Broncos and did seem to make the most of his preseason snaps, but even on what could be the worst inside linebacker room in the NFL, Murdock didn't make the cut.
Winner: Bo Nix, QB
When you look at the Broncos wide receivers, and perhaps even running backs, it's clear that Nix is a huge winner here. The Broncos added Jaylen Waddle via trade and now really do have a legitimate, threatening room for once.
Courtland Sutton should settle into being a high-end WR2, and even second-year WR Pat Bryant had himself an offseason and is the full package at the position. At running back, the always-efficient J.K. Dobbins returns, but more help is coming with rookie RB Jonah Coleman, who also impressed this offseason.
And RJ Harvey brings that almost elite receiving upside at the position, giving Nix a wealth of options here as he approaches a major third year in the league.
Loser: The front office
The front office does emerge as a loser here, and while that may seem harsh given how loaded of a roster the Broncos have, this offseason felt a bit iffy at certain positions. We've obviously already mentioned both TE and ILB. They were the worst units on the team last year, the worst during the offseason, and are still the worst now.
How does the front office still fail to fix these rooms? Why are the processes they have in place not working? Sure, the Broncos could still have some more moves up their sleeve here in the coming days, but it's not at all a stretch to think that the Broncos have a bottom-5 unit at both positions, and that simply cannot happen when the team has major Super Bowl aspirations.
General Manager George Paton deserves a ton of credit for this wicked-talented roster he's assembled over the years, but the overall inability to find some sort of high-end play at ILB and TE continues to harm this football team.
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