One of the most interesting questions to think about every single year heading into training camps around the league is: Which undrafted free agents could make the team? Everybody loves a good underdog story, but there are few better in the league at finding the best players after the draft than the Denver Broncos and head coach Sean Payton.
The Broncos have a rich tradition and history of undrafted free agents finding a home in the Mile High City and becoming household names. Legendary players like Rod Smith and Chris Harris Jr stand out on that list, but even current players like Ja'Quan McMillian are examples of how consistent the Broncos have been over the last 30 or so years.
Sean Payton has also been outstanding at finding undrafted free agents, the most famous of which was Tony Romo when he was an assistant with the Cowboys, but he had a lot of success with the Saints as well.
So who will be keeping the UDFA tradition alive for the Broncos in 2026? There is one candidate more obvious than the rest: Linebacker Taurean York.
Taurean York is the top Broncos undrafted free agent to watch entering training camp
Although it feels like roster spots are going to be very hard to come by for the Broncos this year, there's always room for a breakthrough player or two. The Broncos have proven that they will make room if they have to.
Linebacker Taurean York is the team's prized undrafted free agent in 2026, and one of the most intriguing young players to watch heading into camp.
York was a three-year starter at Texas A&M and was a two-time captain before the age of 21. He racked up 229 total tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and 7 passes broken up over the course of his career with the Aggies. He fell out of the NFL Draft because of his lack of size. He's only 5-foot-11, 226 pounds, with 30-inch arms.
That lack of size puts him in the 1st percentile at the linebacker position in terms of height, so historically speaking, it's just difficult for guys like that to overcome their size. But York proved that he could do it at the highest level at Texas A&M, so perhaps he can do it in the NFL as well.
The Broncos gave him the biggest contract guarantee in franchise history for an undrafted free agent this offseason ($325,000 in total guarantees). That type of guarantee would financially value him in the range of a relatively high 6th-round draft pick.
The Broncos clearly had a draftable grade on York coming out of Texas A&M, but they didn't have enough picks to use to get him. They made a substantial financial offer to fend off other teams, and they have a great opportunity at the linebacker position this offseason.
After cutting Dre Greenlaw, the Broncos brought back Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad to be their starting linebackers this season. But behind those guys, the team doesn't have anything in the way of proven depth to speak of. This training camp will be a great opportunity for York to prove himself trustworthy to the coaching staff in multiple ways.
First, if he can impress special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, he can almost guarantee himself a roster spot. But second, if he can impress Vance Joseph with his ability to communicate the defense and put himself in the right place at the right time, he's going to get himself on the field right away as a rookie.
The Broncos not only need depth at linebacker, but they also need developmental options at the position. York, although he lacks ideal size, brings both. Getting York in the 5th-6th round of the 2026 NFL Draft would have felt like a great move by the team. Getting him after the draft feels like highway robbery, and the Broncos might have their next big steal staring them right in the face.
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