4 Denver Broncos whose roster spots are in trouble after the Draft
The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books, and the Denver Broncos obviously still have plenty of work to do this offseason before any major roster decisions are made. But as we well know, some of those roster decisions are unofficially made in the Spring. The Broncos obviously have a new coaching staff in place from the previous regime, which means that these coaches are going to take part in bringing in players who fit their specific schemes.
That could mean, if we read into things, potentially bad news for a number of players on the Denver Broncos' roster right now. In fact, I think there are a handful of players who have been put on notice by the moves the team has made.
Let's take a look at the top four.
4 Denver Broncos players in danger of losing their roster spot after the Draft
1. Montrell Washington, WR
I think a lot of people wanted to look at the Marvin Mims acquisition as an immediate shot fired toward KJ Hamler, but I just don't see that being the case. More likely, I think the Marvin Mims selection directly affects 2022 fifth-round pick Montrell Washington, a player who had a lot of struggles in his rookie year.
Washington was a surprise selection last year in round five despite having some outstanding highlights throughout his college career at Samford and then even into the NFL during training camp and preseason play with the Denver Broncos. There was a period of time last year during training camp where it looked like Washington might end up being the most impactful rookie from the 2022 class.
Washington averaged 8.5 yards per return on 32 punt returns and had five total fumbles on the season. That's obviously a massive issue for a return specialist, but it would have been chalked up to rookie struggles if Washington had found a way to carve a role into the offense. Needless to say, that didn't happen. Washington caught just four passes for two yards as a rookie after showing in training camp that he was pretty dynamic as a downfield threat.
It was a true bummer that we didn't get to see that from him during the season, but now that Marvin Mims has been added to the roster through the NFL Draft, Washington's spot on the roster as the team's punt returner and backup receiver is clearly in question. Perhaps he will end up getting some time on the practice squad, or maybe after roster cuts we'll see him resurface with Nathaniel Hackett in New York.