There is officially just one more game left in the 2025 NFL preseason, which means teams have merely days to decide how they're going to cut down from 90 players on their rosters to 53. The Denver Broncos have one of the deepest rosters in the NFL, which means tough decisions are coming.
Especially for draft picks who may have entered the offseason program on the roster bubble.
There are a number of players on both sides of the ball who could end up being cut or traded in the coming days, and we're going to explore that in this 53-man roster prediction. Let's try and predict how GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton will assemble this crew for the 2025 season.
Broncos say goodbye to recent draft picks in 53-man roster prediction
Special teams: 3 (3/53)
- K Wil Lutz
- P Jeremy Crawshaw
- LS Mitchell Fraboni
The specialists are set for the Denver Broncos. None of the three guys on this list have any competition right now, so the Broncos have already solidified this group for new special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi. There will not likely be any surprises here unless the Broncos are blown away by how bad Jeremy Crawshaw has looked in his rookie offseason (unlikely).
Quarterback: 2 (5/53)
- Bo Nix
- Jarrett Stidham
This is another position group with zero surprises. Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham were the laughing stock of the league at this time a year ago, and now we're talking about having possibly a future top-5 starter in Nix and one of the best backups in the league in Stidham. Funny how things can change, isn't it?
The Broncos have Sam Ehlinger as another asset to this quarterback room, and he should be able to sneak onto the practice squad as the team's 3rd quarterback.
Running back: 4 (9/53)
- JK Dobbins
- RJ Harvey
- Tyler Badie
- Jaleel McLaughlin
The Broncos have some tough decisions to make at running back, starting with the decision of whether or not to cut 2024 5th-round pick Audric Estimé. He's the first of a number of recent draft picks on the chopping block in this roster projection, and after the second preseason game, it's clear that he's already got one foot out the door.
Estimé was the 6th back up for the Broncos after Blake Watson, and as of right now, the best guess might be that the team will try to get Watson to the practice squad and be okay with saying goodbye to Estimé. Hopefully, they can trade him to a team that needs a running back and get something in return.
Wide receiver: 6 (15/53)
- Courtland Sutton
- Marvin Mims
- Troy Franklin
- Devaughn Vele
- Pat Bryant
- Trent Sherfield
This is one area where we could see a surprise, though I wouldn't be betting on it. Devaughn Vele was mysteriously held out of the second preseason game, which has given many fans reason to wonder what's going on. It's possible that Vele was held out because of injury issues he's been dealing with, as he did practice all week including in the joint practice against the Cardinals.
It's possible Vele could be on the trade block, but maybe more likely his snaps are being monitored. These six guys seem to be locks for the final roster.
Tight End: 3 (18/53)
- Evan Engram
- Adam Trautman
- Caleb Lohner
In this projection, the Broncos keep the extremely raw Caleb Lohner and cut Lucas Krull, while putting Nate Adkins on IR temporarily. Fullback Michael Burton will also potentially land on IR with a hamstring injury that recently caused the Broncos to have to sign Adam Prentice.
With Prentice aboard, the Broncos can get him the playbook and acclimate him quickly while initially shuffling him up off the practice squad at the start of the season. We could see the Broncos pursue upgrades to the depth here via trade.
Offensive Line: 9 (27/53)
- Garett Bolles
- Ben Powers
- Luke Wattenberg
- Quinn Meinerz
- Mike McGlinchey
- Alex Palczewski
- Frank Crum
- Alex Forsyth
- Matt Peart
The biggest wrench thrown into the offensive line projection was the devastating season-ending injury to offensive guard Nick Gargiulo, a late draft pick in the stellar class of 2024. Gargiulo was in line to make the team and was having a really strong preseason prior to his injury.
The Broncos might instead keep veteran Calvin Throckmorton, but the team has invested a decent amount in its youth as well, and Throckmorton could be a veteran practice squad candidate. The team needs to make sure it protects the young players it really believes in, which would include guys like Frank Crum and Alex Palczewski.
Defensive Line: 6 (33/53)
- Zach Allen
- DJ Jones
- John Franklin-Myers
- Malcolm Roach
- Jordan Jackson
- Sai'vion Jones
We've already said goodbye to a former Broncos fifth-round pick, and this defensive line projection includes the team saying goodbye to a former fourth-round pick. Eyioma Uwazurike was sort of stashed on the roster last year by the Broncos, but that developmental aspect has been effectively replaced with 3rd-round rookie Sai'vion Jones.
The Broncos got contributions from each of the top four guys on this unit last season, and messing with that potential for continuity doesn't seem like the right call. It might come down to the team deciding which player offers more long-term potential between Jackson and Uwazurike.
Edge Rusher: 5 (38/53)
- Nik Bonitto
- Jonathon Cooper
- Jonah Elliss
- Dondrea Tillman
- Que Robinson
This is one of the few positions on the roster that appears to be completely set in stone. The Broncos have enviable top-end talent as well as depth off the edge. For a team that led the league in sacks last year, it's scary to think about how much better this unit can be in 2025 with progression from all the different players they have.
Not to mention, the addition of fourth-round rookie Que Robinson, who has potential to contribute significantly on special teams as well as in the pass rush rotation.
Linebacker: 4 (42/53)
- Dre Greenlaw
- Alex Singleton
- Justin Strnad
- Levelle Bailey
Another Broncos draft pick that could interestingly be on the chopping block is linebacker Drew Sanders. I don't think the Broncos will cut Sanders here, but rather place him on temporary IR. Sanders is in somewhat of a similar boat as Greg Dulcich was in last year with this team, at least that's what it feels like.
It's cliché, but the best ability in the NFL is availability in many cases. Sanders has been mostly unavailable entering his third season, which is a clear and obvious problem.
This is the group of four I would roll with if I were in charge, and then I would put Karene Reid and Jordan Turner on the practice squad to shuffle up as-needed.
Cornerback: 5 (47/53)
- Pat Surtain II
- Riley Moss
- Ja'Quan McMillian
- Jahdae Barron
- Kris Abrams-Draine
Another Denver Broncos draft pick on the chopping block is former fourth-round pick Damarri Mathis. Mathis has not been good the last couple of years and is set to count nearly $4 million against the cap this season. If there's a team out there that wants Mathis and doesn't believe he would sneak through waivers, maybe the Broncos can get something for him.
If not, this would appear to be the end of the line for Mathis in the overall roster numbers game. The Broncos have the best and deepest cornerback group in the NFL right now.
Safety: 5 (52/53)
- Talanoa Hufanga
- Brandon Jones
- PJ Locke
- Devon Key
- JL Skinner
The Broncos' safety position got an obvious jolt from the addition of Talanoa Hufanga, who joins Brandon Jones to become arguably the top safety duo in the NFL. It's going to be a blast to see those two guys working together for an extended period of time.
The depth at this position is also strong as PJ Locke has started a lot of games for this team, the staff really likes Devon Key, and JL Skinner is really starting to come into his own entering year three, especially on special teams. Yet another draft pick is a casualty here, however, with former fifth-round pick Delarrin Turner-Yell being cut after missing all of last year with a knee injury.
On this projection, we've left an open spot, which the Broncos could fill with FB Adam Prentice, or perhaps look into depth upgrades at tight end or linebacker.