5 Broncos still on thin ice after surviving trade deadline

4. Rotational defensive linemen

One position group, in general, that appears to be on thin ice right now is the defensive line. Namely, anyone not named DJ Jones or Zach Allen on the defensive line.

The Broncos' defensive line was getting demolished early in the season, but they have made a pretty miraculous adjustment as of late, and we're seeing much better production out of guys like Jones and Allen. You could lump Mike Purcell into that mix as well, but Purcell is really just a part-time player for the Denver Broncos whereas Jonathan Harris is a full-time player, playing nearly 60 percent of the snaps so far this season.

And Harris has been a liability at times for the Denver defense. While you love the story of a former undrafted player fighting, scraping, and clawing his way from the practice squad up to a starting job, you also can't deny the results, right? Guys like Matt Henningsen and even Elijah Garcia have been rotating at times on the defensive line with Purcell and Harris, but that crew might need to be on stand-by after the trade deadline, where the Broncos could give a shot to rookie Keondre Coburn.

Coburn was recently acquired by the Kansas City Chiefs off of waivers, and the Broncos could see if he works as a nose tackle option while giving DJ Jones more opportunities as a defensive end opposite Zach Allen. You also can't help but wonder if we'll see practice squad players like Jordan Jackson or PJ Mustipher at any point.