Rookie minicamps are in the books. OTAs (organized team activities) are almost all in the books. The final stage for the Denver Broncos, before the team breaks before training camp in July, is a mandatory minicamp this week (Tuesday through Thursday). At this point, final roster decisions certainly won't already be made. New head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton have assembled a pretty darn good roster with a chance to compete for a playoff spot in 2023.
Given the fact that information coming out of minicamp is somewhat hard to come by, how can we project the roster? Well, we've got to be reading the tea leaves, and we've got to do at least a little bit of projecting as well.
Let's take another early stab at predicting the Denver Broncos' 53-man roster (and depth chart) as we sit here in June with the offseason break on deck.
Denver Broncos post-minicamp 53-man roster predictions
Special teams: 3 (3/53)
- Elliott Fry, K
- Riley Dixon, P
- Mitchell Fraboni, LS
Although it seems like Riley Dixon and Mitchell Fraboni are safe for the time being, I would say it's fair to consider the Broncos' kicking situation very much in flux. After the release of Brandon McManus, the Broncos had a handful of players in for a tryout and Elliott Fry emerged victorious. Head coach Sean Payton made an allusion to a year in which the team had a kicking battle in training camp between two guys and they wound up signing someone off of another practice squad. At this point, it feels almost like the Broncos are waiting for other kickers to get cut before they have their regular season kicker on the roster, so we might not know who this team's kicker is until August or September.
Quarterbacks: 2 (5/53)
- Russell Wilson
- Jarrett Stidham
I am torn about the Broncos possibly keeping three quarterbacks, but if Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham enter the season fully healthy, there might not be any real reason to carry three on the active roster with one simply being an emergency candidate. Ben DiNucci and Jarrett Guarantano will do their best to stake a claim on one of the 53-man roster spots but as of right now, my gut feeling is that the Broncos will use that roster spot elsewhere and try to get one of those guys on the practice squad instead.
Denver Broncos 53-man roster predictions: Minicamp edition
Running back: 4 (9/53)
- Javonte Williams
- Samaje Perine
- Tyler Badie
- Michael Burton (FB)
As of right now, it looks like Javonte Williams has really made enough progress to be optimistic about his chances of potentially being on the opening day roster and in the lineup as opposed to starting the year on the PUP list or something like that. Williams appeared as a limited participant at OTAs just 33 weeks after suffering a major knee injury early last season against the Raiders.
That kind of recovery timeline is bordering on unprecedented. Williams will have some time after minicamp to continue training and working hard in his rehab to be ready for training camp.
Samaje Perine signed in Denver with the expectation that he would be taking on an expanded role from what he had in Cincinnati in recent years. Since his rookie season back in 2017, Perine has only eclipsed 100 touches one time as an NFL back. That happened last season with the Bengals. Even though he's not 25 years old anymore, there's still plenty of tread left on the tires with Perine, who has plenty of experience from his time at Oklahoma (OU's all-time leading rusher) carrying a heavy workload.
Tyler Badie appears to be one of the odds-on favorites to crack the roster right now at the running back position. The 2022 sixth-round pick out of Missouri joined Denver last year and made an immediate impression, taking his first NFL reception to the house and showcasing his explosive speed. The Broncos need a back like that who can pop off big gains and contribute in the passing game.
Michael Burton was signed in free agency to help the Broncos establish a physical identity on the ground as well as upgrade the special teams unit.
Denver Broncos 53-man roster predictions: Minicamp edition
Wide Receivers: 6 (15/53)
- Jerry Jeudy
- Courtland Sutton
- Tim Patrick
- Marvin Mims
- Marquez Callaway
- KJ Hamler
At this particular point in time, the wide receiver position is one of the hardest to project. I feel pretty solidified about the top four at this point in time, but the last two positions I think could be up for debate.
As of right now, I've got Marquez Callaway and KJ Hamler in those slots, and the reason for that is that those two guys are the next two beyond anyone else on the roster who have proven something at the NFL level. The Broncos have a number of intriguing young players like Brandon Johnson, Jalen Virgil, and Kendall Hinton. They have Montrell Washington and Lil'Jordan Humphrey. I could see any combination of those guys making the team.
All it takes is a big training camp from one of these guys -- or a handful of them -- to make it onto the roster. Remember, Sean Payton is a big believer that guys make the team based on meritocracy. He wants to keep the players playing the best, not necessarily caring about their draft status. As a case in point, there was an example years back when the Saints drafted a running back in the fourth round and signed Pierre Thomas as an undrafted free agent.
The fourth-round pick ended up getting cut and Thomas made a name for himself for a while there as a really solid NFL back. I don't think Payton would hesitate to cut someone like Callaway or Hamler if guys like Virgil, Washington, Humphrey, or Johnson had a great camp.
With that being said, I'm playing it safe for now. I think with Callaway and Hamler, you have guys who bring two different skill sets to the table, and two guys that could play extended action offensively at a high level if need be.
Denver Broncos 53-man roster predictions: Minicamp Edition
Tight End: 4 (19/53)
- Greg Dulcich
- Adam Trautman
- Chris Manhertz
- Albert Okwuegbunam
The Denver Broncos appear to be in pretty good hands at the tight end position. Greg Dulcich is having another big offseason for the team and recently got some high praise from head coach Sean Payton, who talked about Dulcich possibly being his "joker" player in the offense, a term he gives to the player who might be his biggest mismatch piece in the passing game.
With Dulcich expected to take a huge leap in year two, the Broncos also fortified the depth at this position by going out and trading for former third-round pick Adam Trautman (Saints) during day three of the 2023 NFL Draft. The acquisition of Trautman gives the Broncos a dual-threat at the position, someone who can play in-line or flexed out.
Chris Manhertz has played over 100 career games and doesn't yet have 30 receptions. Yet he got a two-year deal from the Denver Broncos. Blocking is his specialty, and he's going to help the Broncos punish teams on the ground.
The question mark right now is Albert Okwuegbunam. Entering a contract year, can Okwuegbunam carve out a big enough role to justify a 53-man roster spot? We've seen some really good things from Albert O. when he's at his best, but it feels like last year was bordering on a wasted year. With his combination of size and speed, I still think the juice is worth the squeeze there.
Denver Broncos 53-man roster predictions: Minicamp Edition
Offensive Line: 8 (27/53)
- Garett Bolles (T)
- Ben Powers (G)
- Lloyd Cushenberry III (C)
- Quinn Meinerz (G)
- Mike McGlinchey (T)
- Cam Fleming (T/G)
- Luke Wattenberg (G/C)
- Alex Forsyth (C/G)
If you look over Sean Payton's history with the New Orleans Saints, he typically kept eight guys on the offensive line. There were some exceptions in there with the Saints keeping 9 or 10 guys at times, but for the most part, eight was the consistent number. The way the Broncos are currently constructed, eight feels just about right.
The starting five feel solidified. Garett Bolles is back from a season-ending injury last year and Payton has said he's been impressive this offseason. He's now going to be joined at the starting tackle position by Mike McGlinchey, a former first-round pick who will take over at the revolving door that has been the right tackle spot for Denver.
At the guard positions, Ben Powers and Quinn Meinerz form arguably one of the best guard duos in the league. Hopefully, the Broncos will be significantly improved on the interior offensive line because that's where so much of the pressure has come from in recent years.
Lloyd Cushenberry appears to be the starting center again this year barring a surprise training camp trade. That's certainly not impossible, but the team does appear to be putting faith in him with another coaching staff in place.
The backup linemen in this case include veteran Cam Fleming, who is one of the best and most reliable swing players in the league. He can play both tackle positions and he can play both guard positions as well.
Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth are recent day three draft picks who need to progress quickly to prove they are worth keeping around and that the Broncos can feel comfortable being one snap away from one of them playing.
Denver Broncos 53-man roster predictions: Minicamp Edition
Defensive line: 6 (33/53)
- Zach Allen
- Frank Clark
- DJ Jones
- Matt Henningsen
- Mike Purcell
- Eyioma Uwazurike
Call Frank Clark whatever you want as far as DE or EDGE, it doesn't really matter to me, nor does it make any difference on these roster predictions. I think Clark has played mostly with his hand in the dirt in the NFL but he can certainly play standing up as well. The fact is, he's going to be in the starting lineup somewhere and I think the Broncos will play plenty of hybrid fronts as they float between base defense.
In free agency, the team pursued Zach Allen after it was clear they were not going to come to any sort of agreement with Dre'Mont Jones to return to Denver. Allen is a really good piece for this defense and he's going to be relied upon heavily to create pressure from many different alignments.
DJ Jones is entering his second season in Denver and is one of the best run-stopping defensive linemen in the league. The same could be said of Mike Purcell when he's healthy. Those two will rotate at the nose tackle position with young players Matt Henningsen and Eyioma Uwazurike factoring in at the defensive end spots as well.
I think when you look at this defensive line group, it's pretty clear that the Broncos have a solid mix of veterans and young players with a chance to really be an improved unit in 2023. The big question mark right now is whether we'll see Frank Clark playing defensive end with someone flanking him as an EDGE or if we'll see someone like Henningsen/Uwazurike at DE with Clark playing EDGE.
Denver Broncos 53-man roster predictions: Minicamp Edition
Linebackers: 4 (37/53)
- Josey Jewell
- Alex Singleton
- Drew Sanders
- Jonas Griffith
With the team re-signing Alex Singleton in 2023 free agency as well as bringing back Jonas Griffith and drafting Drew Sanders, I think the Broncos have gone from having a huge question mark at the off-ball linebacker position in 2022 to having one of the best depth charts in the league at that position.
Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton work so well together, and they are a proven commodity at the position. They are leaders on this defense and absolute tackling machines. There are major "bash brother" vibes between those two guys.
Jonas Griffith was supposed to be the big breakout player on last year's roster but injuries cost him a chance to go out and earn that distinction. He was originally acquired to be great on special teams and I think he will be exactly that in 2023.
Drew Sanders is also a very good special teams player and someone the Broncos have to feel pretty good about for the future at the position beyond 2023. Sanders was a special teams ace for Alabama while waiting for his turn in their lineup, which never really came. He transferred to Arkansas and instantly became an All-American.
Given the contributions coming from some of the edge players and defensive backs on special teams, I don't know that the Broncos really have to keep any additional guys here for special teams.
Denver Broncos 53-man roster predictions: Minicamp edition
Edge Rushers: 5 (42/53)
- Randy Gregory
- Baron Browning
- Jonathon Cooper
- Nik Bonitto
- Aaron Patrick
Again, you can include Frank Clark in this group if you want. I think the Broncos obviously signed Clark in response to the fact that Baron Browning required arthroscopic surgery on his knee to repair a partially torn meniscus this offseason. That injury could land Browning on the PUP and if it does, perhaps the Broncos aren't exactly done adding off the edge this offseason.
There will be huge expectations heaped on Randy Gregory yet again this year. Gregory was a big-money free agent pickup in 2022 when the Broncos could have gone after Von Miller or Chandler Jones. They decided on Gregory, and he struggled with injuries as many feared he would when he was signed. Now, entering his second year with Denver, Gregory is healthy and ready to contribute.
How long will it last?
With major question marks regarding Browning and Gregory, Jonathon Cooper's role is slated to expand significantly as of right now. The Broncos can rely on Cooper to play hard every time he's out there, and I think he's got the ability to be a potential breakout player in 2023. He's joined in the "backup" category by 2022 second-round pick Nik Bonitto, who needs to force his way onto the field, if even just as a situational rusher.
Bonitto has first-round traits in terms of his bend, explosiveness, and pass rush repertoire, but day two-three ability to solidify the edge on every down. If Bonitto can get stronger and set the edge consistently, he could be a breakout player.
Aaron Patrick is a freaky athlete with size, speed, and special teams abilities. He got hurt last year after slipping on the sideline against the Chargers. Hopefully, he will be back and better than ever this offseason. Patrick not only showed well on special teams last year, but also had some of the better pass rush reps of any edge player in the preseason.
Denver Broncos 53-man roster predictions: Minicamp edition
Cornerbacks: 6 (48/53)
- Pat Surtain II
- Damarri Mathis
- Riley Moss
- K'Waun Williams
- Tremon Smith
- Ja'Quan McMillian
Safeties: 5 (53/53)
- Justin Simmons
- Kareem Jackson
- Caden Sterns
- PJ Locke
- JL Skinner
The Denver Broncos' defensive backfield has star power, intruguing young players, and some grizzled veterans. I don't know that there is a more exciting position group on the team than Christian Parker's defensive backs.
The Broncos have consistent, proven commodities with Pat Surtain II, Justin Simmons, K'Waun Williams, and Kareem Jackson. There are some wild cards outside of those guys, however.
Can Caden Sterns stay healthy? Will Damarri Mathis improve in year two? Will Riley Moss start as a rookie?
The question marks here come near the bottom of the depth chart at each position. The spots going to Ja'Quan McMillian and JL Skinner here, I feel pretty good about. McMillian really showed well late last season when given an opportunity, and I think he has a place in this lineup post-K'Waun Williams.
JL Skinner brings unique size and aggressiveness to the safety position and is tailor-made to be a top-flight special teams guy from Day 1. I think those guys round out a really talented defensive backfield nicely.