7 Broncos players whose roster spots are on the line vs. 49ers

6. Jalen Virgil, wide receiver

Who says preseason offenses have to be vanilla? We saw Denver Broncos wide receiver Jalen Virgil getting involved in the offense in a couple of pretty creative and unique ways, which could be an indicator of his current roster standing.

We know Virgil can play special teams, and not just as a returner. He's got legit chops as a gunner. But what about offensively? His big-time speed and size combination give him more than a fighting chance, if you ask me. We saw Virgil take a handoff against the Cardinals, and we saw him as a lead-blocking H-back. He's been making a ton of waves in practices as well...

Quietly, it seems like Jalen Virgil has really started to ramp things up. He's seemingly carving out a crucial role in the offense as well as on special teams, and I think another solid performance against the 49ers could solidify his roster standing.

7. Lil'Jordan Humphrey, wide receiver

At this point in time, how many receivers are we going to see make the Denver Broncos 53-man roster? Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Marvin Mims are roster locks. Can the same be said for Brandon Johnson, who is currently nursing an injury but was previously taking Tim Patrick's reps after Patrick suffered an Achilles injury?

Let's look at the field...Marquez Callaway, Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Brandon Johnson, Jalen Virgil, Montrell Washington, Kendall Hinton, Michael Bandy, Taylor Grimes, Nick Williams, and JJ Koski.

To me, Humphrey stands out from the rest of these guys as a big-bodied receiver who might be able to "replace" some of what Tim Patrick was going to bring to the offense. Don't get too carried away or read too much into that statement, but Humphrey is 6-foot-4 and can provide blocking skills to the receiver position.

With three roster locks at receiver, there could be as many as four spots open. Humphrey has made a relatively strong case to take one and we could see him make a big push vs. the 49ers.