The Denver Broncos have assembled their initial 53-man roster for the 2023 season, and at this point, it looks like they have the version of the roster they are going to roll with against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 of the 2023 season. The team has obviously spent a ton of time and money making roster moves through free agency, trades, and the NFL Draft, but did they get it right?
There's no doubt that the Denver Broncos look better on paper this year than they did last year, but I don't know that they got every roster decision right.
Which moves were the right ones, and which could prove to be mistakes? Let's take a look.
3 roster decisions Broncos got right, 2 they will regret
The Broncos got it wrong...not doing enough on the defensive line
Are we underestimating the top end of the Denver Broncos' depth chart on the defensive line? Maybe. The Broncos have Zach Allen and DJ Jones atop their depth chart on the defensive line, and those guys are followed by the likes of Mike Purcell, Jonathan Harris, Matt Henningsen, and Elijah Garcia.
Looking at the defensive line depth going into the regular season, you can't help but wonder if the Broncos are just one injury to Allen or Jones away from total disaster. I think they need more of a veteran presence here, but perhaps that is too much to ask.
Broncos got it right...with their undrafted free agents
The Broncos set a franchise record with four undrafted free agent rookies making the 2023 53-man roster, which is absolutely awesome. Running back Jaleel McLaughlin, offensive tackle Alex Palczewski, tight end Nate Adkins, and outside linebacker Thomas Incoom made the initial 53-man roster, and their emergence came at a great time, because the Broncos' 2023 NFL Draft class only included 5 players.
Now, are these guys going to be leading the Broncos in any statistical categories anytime soon? Not likely. Are they going to play substantial snaps in 2023? Probably not. That's not the point. The point is, the Broncos identified talented players outside of the NFL Draft and the scouting department deserves a ton of credit. Not only that, but the coaching staff deserves a ton of credit for putting these guys in positions to succeed.
You always love to see undrafted players make it but to have four guys on one roster? That's an incredible achievement.
We'll see these guys out there making plays in 2023 and everyone in Broncos country is specifically excited to see Jaleel McLaughlin make plays when he's sprinkled in. The UDFA to watch for, however, could very well end up being Nate Adkins. He should have a significant role on special teams immediately.
The Broncos got it right...loading up in the secondary
In today's NFL, you really can't load up with too many defensive backs. Although, the 2023 Denver Broncos are pushing the limits.
At the cornerback position, the Broncos will open the 2023 season with Pat Surtain II, Damarri Mathis, Essang Bassey, Tremon Smith, Riley Moss, Fabian Moreau, and Ja'Quan McMillian. At safety, they kept Justin Simmons, Caden Sterns, Kareem Jackson, JL Skinner, and Delarrin Turner-Yell. On injured reserve, this team also has K'Waun Williams and PJ Locke coming back in hopefully a handful of weeks.
The 53-man roster includes a whopping 12 defensive backs, 14 including the contributors on short-term IR, and most teams are keeping 10 or 11. But in today's NFL, having depth in the defensive backfield is so crucial. The Broncos understand that and they have a very talented secondary from top to bottom.
The Broncos got it wrong...at the wide receiver position
I have been playing this broken record for a long time now, but the Denver Broncos simply have not done enough at the wide receiver position, even after using their top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the position, investing in Marvin Mims.
The Broncos' initial 53-man roster includes four wide receivers. One of those receivers is Courtland Sutton. Another is Jerry Jeudy, recovering from a hamstring injury and possibly not available for Week 1. Another is Brandon Johnson, who just came back from an ankle injury and is almost completely unproven at this point. The last one is the rookie Mims.
I just think the Broncos have completely mismanaged this position group. They perhaps bought way too much in the return of Tim Patrick. They definitely bought too much into Sean Payton's "guys" like Marquez Callaway (who was cut and is now on the Raiders' practice squad) and Lil'Jordan Humphrey, who wasn't good enough to make the 53-man roster.
The Broncos also had to let go of KJ Hamler due to a heart condition this offseason, and Jalen Virgil suffered a season-ending knee injury. Now, the team lacks depth and really even much of a rotation at a key position. Hopefully they can run the ball well.
The Broncos got it right...on the offensive line
The Denver Broncos' offensive line will likely prove early on in the season to be somewhat of a work in progress. We might not see this unit experience an overnight change from the unit that gave up 63 sacks from a year ago, but I think they will be much better as the season goes along.
The Broncos kept a total of 10 offensive linemen on the main roster, one of which was just placed on temporary IR (rookie Alex Palczewski). The Broncos' offensive line is not perfect, but I think they have a very good starting five with Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Quinn Meinerz, and Mike McGlinchey. They have one of the better swing tackles in the game in Cameron Fleming. They have a developmental tackle in Alex Palczewski who has potential. They have young guys to buy into on the interior in Alex Forsyth and Luke Wattenberg. Quinn Bailey continues to prove himself to be relatively uncuttable.
I think the Broncos got it right with the offensive line, a good mix of veterans and young players, strong depth and they bucked somewhat of a historical trend for Sean Payton. Payton typically has kept only eight offensive linemen on his rosters, but this team has 10 (9 currently active) and they really like each of these guys.
The Broncos invested heavily in the offensive line this offseason, and what's great here is we didn't see them cut any recent draft picks on the line (Wattenberg, Forsyth), they found a gem among the UDFA heap (Palczewski), they landed impact starters in free agency (McGlinchey, Powers), and the arrow seems to be pointing up.