5 Broncos players on the roster bubble heading into preseason finale

3. Jalen Virgil, wide receiver/kick returner

If there’s one area the Broncos are being pretty discrete about in the preseason so far, it’s in the return game. They clearly don’t want to give too much away there as far as the roster is concerned. Throughout the course of the preseason, we’ve seen a number of different players back deep to return kickoffs for the Broncos under the new format, but not All-Pro return specialist Marvin Mims Jr.

The Broncos obviously know what Mims can do, so they’re getting other players opportunities to potentially win roster spots. We have seen the likes of Jalen Virgil, Tyler Badie, Blake Watson, and Tremon Smith back to return kicks for the Broncos, but Virgil wasn’t out there for the team’s lone return against the Packers.

Which absolutely raises an interesting question about his roster status. Are the Broncos trying to hide Virgil after he had a big return in the first week of the preseason? Are they going to try to sneak him onto the practice squad?

We should see increased work for Virgil in the final preseason game, especially as a return man. The Broncos have to be thinking he’s one of the top few options on the roster to return kicks after an explosive return against the Colts and an average of nearly 30 yards. Virgil could potentially help the field position battle in a big way, but would necessitate (likely) the team keeping seven receivers on the roster.

Again, the roster gymnastics are going to be tough to pull off.