5 Broncos players on the roster bubble heading into preseason finale

The Denver Broncos already have just one preseason game left to play in 2024 before they get ready for their Week 1 regular season opener in Seattle, and just one preseason game left on the slate means big roster decisions are looming.

As different competitions around the roster have started to unfold, we're gaining clarity as to which players may or may not be in the team's plans for 2024. But which Broncos players are truly on the roster "bubble" heading into Sunday's game against the Cardinals? Which players could just as easily be on the final 53 as they could the waiver wire?

Let's take a look at six Broncos players (and maybe some bonus names) who are clearly on the roster bubble heading into the final week of the preseason.

1. Jarrett Stidham/Zach Wilson, Quarterback

When you talk about the "roster bubble", you have to consider the potential of the team keeping just two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster overall. The Broncos have Bo Nix about to be anointed the QB1 of the Mile High City, and there are reasons to believe they might be willing to keep both Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.

First of all, and most importantly, the team likes both of those guys. And neither of them is breaking the bank. The Broncos could save a pretty significant chunk of cap space -- $6 million -- by trading Stidham, but cutting him outright doesn't feel like a viable option right now. Nor does cutting Zach Wilson, another player the team likes.

If the Broncos get blown away with a trade offer for Stidham -- a 4th-round pick or better -- I would be more inclined to believe they'd keep just Bo Nix and Zach Wilson on the 53-man roster. But Stidham has been great for team chemistry and I'm not sure the Broncos want to mess with that right now. It would force them to have to do roster gymnastics elsewhere, but it looks like this team really does like all three quarterbacks and wants to see their development through.

2. Tyler Badie, running back

It's going to be interesting to see what the Denver Broncos ultimately decide to do at the running back position after the preseason.

It feels more likely than not that Sean Payton will stick with what he’s traditionally done, which is keep four total backs on the roster including a fullback. That would leave out former Ravens 6th-round pick Tyler Badie, who has made seemingly one big play after another every opportunity he’s gotten since coming to Denver.

Badie has touchdowns in consecutive games for the Broncos to open up the preseason, one on a toss play to the left in the tight red zone and another on a screen from Zach Wilson against the Packers on Sunday night. He also had a big run taken away by a holding penalty earlier in that game against Green Bay.

When Badie is out there on the field, big plays seem to happen. The Broncos had him out there for the second-half kickoff return but he never got an opportunity to try and take one back. Badie has big-time speed and quickness, but we’re seeing his vision really come into play as he fights for a roster spot.

He’s a true “roster bubble” type of player because you feel like the team could go either way here. They could stick with what is expected, keeping Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Audric Estimé, or Badie could play so well against the Cardinals that the Broncos have no choice but to hoard a fourth running back on the roster.

And we’ve been seeing him get work on special teams, so that might not be out of the question.

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.

4. Eyioma Uwazurike, defensive line

A little over a year ago, defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike was suspended for an entire year by the NFL for betting on games. The punishment certainly fit the crime with Uwazurike betting on multiple games he played in, but there were aspects of the punishment that the Broncos obviously didn’t agree with.

Namely, they didn’t think it was in the best interest of Uwazurike to completely ban him from the team for a full year. How are they supposed to help him as a human being get back on the right track when they can’t contact him?

Either way, Uwazurike was reinstated by the league a couple of weeks ago and the Broncos, who could have easily justified releasing him in July 2023, welcomed him back with open arms. And Uwazurike has looked good out there. The Broncos already fortified their defensive line with the additions of Malcolm Roach and John Franklin-Myers earlier in the offseason, but getting Uwazurike back in the mix feels like another bonus.

As he continues to work his way back into game shape, the Broncos might have a little something here in the 2022 fourth-round pick, who was a projected starter last year before his unexpected suspension. 

He played 16 snaps against the Packers in his 2024 preseason debut and he was looking pretty fresh out there, knifing through the line on multiple occasions. Because he missed most of the offseason program, you have to think there’s at least a chance he doesn’t make the final 53. But the Broncos hung onto him this long for a reason.

5. Dondrea Tillman, EDGE

One of the Broncos’ most interesting pickups of the 2024 offseason has been former UFL defensive star Dondrea Tillman. Tillman was outstanding the last few years off the edge for the Birmingham Stallions and signed a deal with the Broncos this offseason. Surprisingly, the Broncos signed Tillman to a three-year contract.

Typically, when teams take flyers on guys like this from other professional leagues, you might see them sign one or two-year deals, but the Broncos made a more substantial investment in Tillman.

The contractual investment sort of leads me to believe that the Broncos want to keep Tillman on the 53, and he’s made an impression both off the edge and on special teams early in the preseason. Tillman came up with a strip-sack in the Broncos’ preseason opener against the Colts and had a nice tackle for loss against the Packers. 

Tillman has gotten looks from other NFL teams through the last handful of years such as the Ravens and Steelers, but the timing might finally be right for him to make an impact for the Denver Broncos. 

The reason he’s on the roster bubble is because the Broncos already have a very solidified top four off the edge. Jonathon Cooper, Baron Browning, Nik Bonitto, and stud rookie Jonah Elliss are all going to be factoring in the rotation, so a player like Tillman is going to have to make his presence felt in the final preseason game on special teams and off the edge.