Everyone in Broncos Country knows how much head coach Sean Payton loves releasing an initial "unofficial" depth chart during training camp. It's one of his absolute favorite annual mandates from the league.
All kidding aside, you know football season is right around the corner when Payton gets the chance to talk about his disdain for having to put out a depth chart this early, and how little it truly means in the grand scheme of things. But even if it's merely an initial and unofficial first depth chart, there are still some interesting details to pay closer attention to.
What can actually be learned from the release of the initlal depth chart coming out ot training camp. In this case, perhaps quite a bit. Let's break down every individual position group on the roster and look for interesting nuggets and takeaways.
Breaking down the Denver Broncos' first "unofficial" training camp depth chart
Quarterback
- Bo Nix (1st string)
- Jarrett Stidham (2nd string)
- Sam Ehlinger (3rd string)
There's nothing to see here...yet. There is seemingly an ongoing competition during camp right now between current backup Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger. The two have been rotating with the 2nd and 3rd teams throughout the course of camp, and it seems like there's a legitimate chance we could see Ehlinger win the job.
The big question here is whether or not the Broncos would actually keep three quarterbacks on the roster, or if they will try to stick with two like they did last season.
Running Back
- JK Dobbins (1st team); Adam Prentice (FB, 1st team)
- RJ Harvey (2nd team)
- Jaleel McLaughlin (3rd team)
- Tyler Badie (4th string)
- Jonah Coleman (5th string)
Don't be alarmed by Jonah Coleman being listed as the 5th running back on the depth chart at this point. Sean Payton does this every single year with every single rookie. There is a "seniority" element to the initial depth chart, and Coleman is a rookie, so he's at the bottom of the totem pole for now.
In reality, everyone knows that he's going to be the 3rd back on the roster, in all likelihood, even above guys like Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie, who are fighting for their roster lives right now.
Wide Receiver
1st unit:
- Courtland Sutton
- Jaylen Waddle
- Marvin Mims Jr.
2nd unit:
- Troy Franklin
- Pat Bryant
- Lil'Jordan Humphrey
3rd unit:
- Michael Bandy
- Hakeem Butler
4th unit:
- Dane Key
- Kyrese Rowan
5th unit:
- Cameron Ross
- Kolbe Katsis
- Kyre Duplessis
- Joseph Manjack
There are actually some rather notable things about this initial wide receiver depth chart, starting with Marvin Mims Jr. being among the 1st-team players on offense. Mims has been one of the big winners from early on in training camp, only seeing his progress halted by an injury that has kept him out of a couple of practices.
The reason his placement among the 1st unit offensively is notable is because Troy Franklin was second on the team in targets last year. It's understandable that Pat Bryant, a second-year player still earning his stripes, would be buried a bit, but Mims getting a boost over Franklin is extremely interesting.
The other intriguing note here is that Dane Key is listed one tier above the other UDFA wide receivers. That might be something to file away for the future.
Tight End
- Evan Engram (1st team)
- Adam Trautman (2nd team)
- Nate Adkins (3rd team)
- Lucas Krull (4th team)
- Justin Joly (4th team)
- Caleb Lohner (5th team)
- Dallen Bentley (5th team)
The biggest note with the tight end group is Evan Engram being listed as TE1 after finishing as the clear TE2 last year in terms of overall snaps. The Broncos are going to likely be making a much more concerted effort to involve Engram this season, and this is likely a reflection of that intent.
It's difficult to remember if Engram was listed atop the depth chart at this time a year ago as well, but considering Trautman started 12 games last year compared to 2 for Engram, that feels like a notable listing.
Offensive Line
1st unit:
- LT Garett Bolles
- LG Ben Powers
- C Luke Wattenberg
- RG Quinn Meinerz
- RT Mike McGlinchey
2nd unit:
- LT Matt Peart
- LG Calvin Throckmorton
- C Alex Forsyth
- RG Kage Casey
- RT Alex Palczewski
3rd unit:
- LT Frank Crum
- LG/RG Gavin Ortega
- C Michael Deiter
- RT Reid Holskey
- LT Blake Miller (only 4th unit OL)
There isn't much to see here, other than the fact that Matt Peart -- not Frank Crum -- is listed as the top backup to Garett Bolles at the left tackle position. Crum has been a valuable developmental player for the Broncos over the past couple of years, and caught a touchdown pass in the playoffs last season against Buffalo. He shouldn't be in danger of losing his roster spot, but that's an interesting one to take note of.
Rookie Kage Casey is also listed as the backup right guard, likely another example of the seniority at the left guard position where Calvin Throckmorton is listed with the 2nd team.
Defensive Line
1st unit:
- Zach Allen
- DJ Jones (NT)
- Malcolm Roach
2nd unit:
- Eyioma Uwazurike
- Jordan Jackson
- Jordan Miller (NT)
3rd unit:
- Sai'vion Jones
- Tyler Onyedim
- Kristian Williams (NT)
There aren't any surprises here as the Broncos once again are going with seniority over anything else at this position group. The most notable thing about the defensive line depth chart is the inclusion of Malcolm Roach with the starting unit.
The Broncos lost John Franklin-Myers to the Titans in free agency, and it appears as though Roach has the first crack at the most snaps as they look to replace him.
Outside Linebacker
- Nik Bonitto (1st-team)
- Jonathon Cooper (1st-team)
- Jonah Elliss (2nd-team)
- Dondrea Tillman (2nd-team)
- Drew Sanders (3rd-team)
- Que Robinson (3rd-team)
- Johnny Walker (4th-team)
- Dasan McCullough (4th-team)
Here's another rather straightforward position group without any surprises. The Broncos basically have the same players listed in the same spots that they had a season ago. The top 5 players at this position all returned from last year's team, and we'll see what might happen with the likes of Drew Sanders and Johnny Walker Jr. who are both having strong camps at this point.
Inside Linebacker
- Alex Singleton (1st-team)
- Justin Strnad (1st-team)
- Levelle Bailey (2nd-team)
- Karene Reid (2nd-team)
- Jordan Turner (3rd-team)
- Red Murdock (3rd-team)
- Taurean York (4th-team)
Yet another example of the Broncos listing their true starters, but everyone else in competition getting organized by their seniority. And perhaps that gives us a little something to read into anyway.
Levelle Bailey and Karene Reid have been getting the majority of the backup reps at linebacker during camp, although with Jordan Turner recently making his way back from injury, he's also a factor in the depth discussion.
Both rookies Red Murdock and Taurean York have made their share of plays in camp, and the preseason will be huge in solidifying them as depth options both now and into the future.
Cornerback
- Pat Surtain II (1st-team)
- Riley Moss (1st-team)
- Ja'Quan McMilliam (SLOT, 1st-team)
- Kris Abrams-Draine (2nd-team)
- Jahdae Barron (2nd-team)
- Sean Fresch Jr. (3rd-team)
- Brent Austin (3rd-team)
- Reese Taylor (SLOT, 3rd team)
- Ricardo Hallman (4th-team)
The one notable player listing at the cornerback position on the Broncos' initial depth chart release was Jahdae Barron being listed with the 2nd-team defense as both the slot cornerback and outside cornerback.
Although Kris Abrams-Draine was listed behind Pat Surtain II, Barron was listed behind both Riley Moss and Ja'Quan McMillian.
Safety
- Talanoa Hufanga (1st-team)
- Brandon Jones (1st-team)
- JL Skinner (2nd-team)
- Devon Key (2nd-team)
- Tycen Anderson (3rd-team)
- Miles Scott (3rd-team)
- Jaden Robinson (4th-team)
There's nothing to see here with the safety position. With PJ Locke off to the Dallas Cowboys, JL Skinner has bumped up into the 2nd-team safety slot behind Talanoa Hufanga, while veteran Tycen Anderson has taken his place on the 3rd-team defense.
Specialists
- K: Wil Lutz
- P: Jeremy Crawshaw
- LS: Mitchell Fraboni | Luke Basso
- KR: Marvin Mims Jr. | Tyler Badie | RJ Harvey | Jaleel McLaughlin | Kolbe Katsis
- PR: Marvin Mims Jr. | Michael Bandy | Cameron Ross
Unfortunately, while Brandon Jones got the chance to practice kicking some field goals while Wil Lutz was at Drew Brees's Hall of Fame induction, he wasn't officially on the unofficial initial depth chart. Maybe someday.
The intriguing names here would be rookie long snapper Luke Basso, battling it out with Mitchell Fraboni, as well as return men Kolbe Katsis and Cameron Ross in the return game; Everyone will be interested to see how much value those young players can add, and what they might do to change Denver's roster equation early on.
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