The Denver Broncos took it to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 of the preseason, beating the NFC South squad in blowout fashion. From the kickoff, Denver dominated this game, and it really wasn't a surprise to watch it play out.
Something to watch out for in the coming weeks, though, is how this roster shakes out. There are a ton of players whose spots are locked up and could not be more secure, but others are absolutely fighting for a spot on the inital 53-man roster.
Let's get into a fresh Broncos roster prediction following preseason Week 1.
Updated Denver Broncos roster prediction following preseason victory in Week 1
Quarterback: 2 (2/53)
-Bo Nix
-Jarrett Stidham
Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham should be your main Broncos quarterbacks this year. Stidham played quite well in his limited preseason action and is now entering his fourth year in the offense. He's not the best backup in the league, but he's a stable presence and surely is not going anywhere.
Running Back: 4 (6/53)
-J.K. Dobbins
-Jonah Coleman
-RJ Harvey
-Adam Prentice
I really struggle to see how Adam Prentice doesn't make the roster. He played well on Friday and was the Broncos fullback all of last year. Prentice's value as a blocker is obvious, as he'll join the trio of other Broncos runners who are surely locks as well.
Wide Receiver: 5 (11/53)
-Jaylen Waddle
-Courtland Sutton
-Pat Bryant
-Marvin Mims Jr
-Lil'Jordan Humphrey
-Projection: Troy Franklin traded to the Washington Commanders
The Broncos may opt to keep Lil'Jordan Humphrey over Troy Franklin, as Humphrey is someone who brings blocking upside, and with the emergence of Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims Jr this offseason, Franklin, whose ceiling is not the highest, could be the odd man out if the Broncos don't feel the need to keep six wide receivers.
Tight End: 4 (15/23)
-Evan Engram
-Adam Trautman
-Justin Joly
-Dallen Bentley
I like both the Broncos rookie tight ends to crack the roster. Sure, this means that Nate Adkins, Lucas Krull, and Caleb Lohner may not be in the picture, but if the Bronocs keep Prentice as the fullback, I am not sure Adkins has a defined role for this team. Lohner can't seem to get on the field, and Krull has never really done anything of note in his Broncos tenure.
Offensive Line: 9 (24/53)
-Garett Bolles
-Ben Powers
-Luke Wattenberg
-Quinn Meinerz
-Mike McGlinchey
-Alex Palczewski
-Kage Casey
-Frank Crum
-Alex Forsyth
The Broncos offensive line is the best in the league, and even their primary backups like Kage Casey and Alex Palczewski have multi-position flexibility, which is great for the team's depth. When you look at the other players battling it out for roster spots here, it's not hard to see these four backups making the roster.
Defensive Line: 6 (30/53)
-Zach Allen
-DJ Jones
-Eyioma Uwazurike
-Malcolm Roach
-Tyler Onyedim
-Sai'vion Jones
There should not be any surprises along the defensive line. The main difference here is obviously not having John Franklin-Myers in the mix, but both Eyioma Uwazurike and Malcolm Roach figure to be the primary players filling his role in. The two younger guys in Tyler Onyedim and Sai'vion Jones are both developmental players but have some potential. Denver doesn't need to do anything special here - this defensive line is among the best in the league.
EDGE Rushers: 5 (35/53)
-Nik Bonitto
-Jonathon Cooper
-Que Robinson
-Jonah Elliss
-Dondrea Tillman
With how good the defense has been, there should not be much of a change with the EDGE players, either. It should honestly be the same group we are used to seeing, and that is a good thing, as the primary rotational guys in Que Robinson and Jonah Elliss have both made some noise this offseason and surely would be starters on other teams.
Denver can really lean into their depth off the EDGE in 2026. This is as good as you'll see any NFL team get at this position.
Inside Linebackers: 5 (40/53)
-Alex Singleton
-Justin Strnad
-Red Murdock
-Taurean York
-Karene Reid
Levelle Bailey unfortunately suffered a broken leg in the Broncos preseason victory, so that does, unfortunately, give us a clearer picture here. It's never good to see a player go down like this, but it does also offer up a more obvious path for the team to take. Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad are locks, and I'd even go as far as to say that Red Murdock is a lock. Taurean York just recently turned 21 years old and was a team captain in college, so his development is surely worth banking on.
And Karene Reid has seemingly hung around for a little bit now. With two rookies in the room. I could see the Broncos opting to keep five inside linebackers with there being some obvious development needing to happen.
Cornerbacks: 5 (45/53)
-Patrick Surtain II
-Riley Moss
-Ja'Quan McMillian
-Jahdae Barron
-Kris Abrams-Draine
Nothing much to talk about here, honestly - Denver's cornerback room is excellent and should not see any notable change. Even with Riley Moss and Ja'Quan McMillian both in the final year of their respective deals, the Broncos don't have to make any sort of roster move here.
This unit was outstanding in 2025 and should again enjoy the same fate for 2026.
Safeties: 5 (50/53)
-Talanoa Hufanga
-Brandon Jones
-Devon Key
-Miles Scott
-Taylor Rapp
This is where things could get a bit frisky. The Broncos did have veteranTaylor Rapp in for a workout, which should tell us that the coaches aren't really huge on the depth safety play this offseason. Rapp has 72 regular season starts under his belt and could be a very logical backup option for the Broncos if they decide to sign him.
And working him out this late in the offseason tells me there is interest. The Broncos bring him on in our predictions, and also end up with another new face in rookie Miles Scott, also joining Devon Key as the three backups here.
This would be the end for JL Skinner, though, and Tycen Anderson would also fail to crack the roster as well if these predictions held.
Specialists: 3 (53/53)
-Wil Lutz
-Jeremy Crawshaw
-Mitchell Fraboni
No surprises here - the Broncos other long-snapper, Luke Basso, who was brought in as some competition, has not done too well thus far, so that experiment could be over soon. This was the group for 2025, and all three have done their jobs well, so there should not be any change for 2026.
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