3 intriguing position battles for Broncos in 2024 offseason

The Denver Broncos have reloaded the roster in the 2024 offseason and are set for some fascinating competitions all throughout training camp and the preseason. There are some obvious position battles that will bear monitoring like the quarterback position, which will obviously be the most discussed and debated topic for the remainder of the offseason. Everyone is eager to find out how quickly the Broncos will throw rookie Bo Nix into the starting lineup, and all of the team's QBs are already splitting up reps.

But what might be some underrated position battles on this roster?

Let's look at a handful of position battles that might not be getting a lot of attention across this roster right now.

3 intriguing position battles for Broncos in 2024

1. Inside linebacker

The Denver Broncos have one of their off-ball linebacker spots solidified for the 2024 season, but the injury to Drew Sanders has made the other starting spot a lot less clear. The favorite at this point has to be free agent pickup Cody Barton, who has started in the NFL and racked up over 250 total tackles the last two seasons.

He will have competition from Jonas Griffith, an athletic marvel for the Broncos who was in line to break out in the 2022 season prior to injuries piling up. Griffith is back on a one-year deal and could end up being a factor again this year. This could also be the right timing for former fifth-round pick Justin Strnad to step into a bigger role after playing primarily special teams over his first four NFL seasons.

2. Kickoff returner

Even with Marvin Mims Jr. having an expanded role in the offense, the new NFL kickoff rules could end up keeping him involved in that particular phase of the game. Even if Mims is involved in kickoff returns this season, every team is going to need a couple of guys who can be effective back there, so the kickoff return spot is going to be worth watching all offseason.

Who do the Broncos have back there fielding kicks? Who are they going to prioritize in an area of the game Sean Payton expects to have a substantial impact this year? One player everyone should be watching is Jalen Virgil, a 2022 undrafted gem who was an outstanding kickoff returner at Appalachian State. These new rules could also boost the value of Tremon Smith, who had a kickoff return touchdown in 2021 with the Texans and had 886 kickoff return yards in his rookie year.

3. Tight End

Let's give a little love to the tight end competition this offseason, even though the conversation has already started ramping up regarding third-year player Lucas Krull.

Krull is an athletic and physical specimen, and someone the Broncos believe strongly in. He could give this team the consistent, dynamic weapon in the passing game they've been missing as Greg Dulcich has struggled to stay healthy.

The Broncos brought back Adam Trautman this offseason and he'll get playing time, but how will the snaps be divided here? How often are we going to see each of these three guys working with the top offense? This will be a position group worth monitoring all offseason.