Lil'Jordan Humphrey is giving Broncos a roster decision nobody saw coming

Putting together a perfect 53-man roster prediction is seemingly just as impossible as correctly predicting a perfect March Madness bracket for the NCAA basketball tournament. The Denver Broncos, especially under head coach Sean Payton, always have at least one interesting curveball on the final roster, and one veteran player is (somewhat shockingly) already creating a roster decision nobody saw coming.

That player is wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey, who has been one of the most unfairly scrutinized players on the Denver Broncos, including by yours truly. The Broncos have favored Humphrey almost to a fault since Payton became head coach in 2023, and his inclusion in the offense -- sometimes at the expense of others -- has created a bit of frustration and friction around his name.

But with the Broncos' receiver room looking as deep as ever in 2026, Humphrey was one of the last people anyone expected to show out at training camp. Yet that's exactly what's happening.

Typically, Sean Payton keeps five receivers on his 53-man roster. But with the way Humphrey has been performing early on in training camp, we might have to adjust our 53-man roster predictions to include a sixth.

Lil'Jordan Humphrey could force Broncos to keep 6 WRs heading into 2026

After dropping an absolutely perfect pass from Bo Nix that would have been a touchdown early in the Divisional Round win against Buffalo, Humphrey redeemed himself by getting behind the best pass defense in the NFL for a huge 29-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the first half.

The fact that Humphrey made that play after spending last offseason (and part of the regular season) as a member of the New York Giants is impressive. The Broncos let Humphrey go last offseason, but when injuries started to pile up at receiver, they were fortunate to be able to bring him back.

His size, deceptive speed, and understanding of the offense were all very valuable down the stretch for the Broncos last year, and he came up big in the playoffs.

In the early stages of 2026 training camp, it sounds as though Humphrey is actually getting some looks in practice, and he's been taking advantage of them.

With the team struggling last season with injuries at the receiver position, it might not be the worst idea to figure out a way to keep six receivers on the 53-man roster, leaving a spot for Humphrey. That doesn't mean the Broncos have to involve Humphrey in the offense at the expense of players like Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, or Marvin Mims, but when you talk about guys rounding out your 53-man roster, it doesn't get much better than this.

Yes, Humphrey has had bouts with dropped passes in the past, and the frustration around that has been justified. If Sean Payton feels like he's good enough to be taking snaps away from other young players, then he's got to find ways to come through consistently.

Looking at the whole body of work he's put together now with three seasons as a member of the Broncos, Humphrey has done a really solid job overall. He's logged 1,143 snaps for Sean Payton over 41 games, and has made some underrated clutch plays.

One of the biggest issues looming for the roster equation at wide receiver is special teams. Marvin Mims is obviously an elite return man, but nobody else in that group consistently plays special teams. That could certainly impact whether or not the team keeps six guys, but if Humphrey keeps stacking days at camp, he might be too valuable of a depth piece to cut.

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