Broncos roster projection 2.0: Who is going to make the final 53?

Roster battles for the Denver Broncos have really started to take shape over the last couple of weeks, and even though there are two preseason games left to be played, we may have a decent idea right now of which players could end up making the 53-man roster.

Even if it feels like we're gaining clarity right now, there is no guarantee of anything at this point. We know most of the core players on this roster for the Broncos and the depth chart could take some time to sort out, but there are a handful of scenarios that still feel possible as far as assembling this final 53-man roster.

Here are our latest roster projections after the team's preseason win over the Colts.

Broncos 53-man roster prediction after win vs. Colts

Specialists: 3 (3/53)

• Wil Lutz, kicker
• Riley Dixon, punter
• Mitchell Fraboni, long snapper

It's going to be interesting to see what the Broncos do here after the first preseason game. They only punted twice against the Colts but it was Riley Dixon who got both of those reps. We'll see if Trenton Gill gets any punting reps against the Packers but special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica said both Gill and Dixon were kicking the ball well in practice. Dixon has the edge in experience.

Quarterbacks: 3 (6/53)

• Bo Nix
• Jarrett Stidham
• Zach Wilson

This could be a situation to monitor if Zach Wilson continues to have a good preseason. If the Broncos are going to leave Bo Nix as the starting quarterback, then it doesn't make a ton of sense to keep three quarterbacks. You could make it make sense, but it's not essential and could open up a roster spot elsewhere.

Jarrett Stidham could be auditioning for other teams. I would say it's more likely for Wilson to be on the Broncos in 2025 than Stidham. The Broncos might be able to trade Stidham and save $6 million before the start of the season, but I'm not 100 percent ready to put that in my roster predictions.

Running backs: 3 (9/53)

• Javonte Williams
• Jaleel McLaughlin
• Audric Estimé

This is one position group where I could see the Broncos keeping an additional player if they end up going with just two quarterbacks. Either Tyler Badie or Samaje Perine would have to be considered the favorites unless Blake Watson can clean up some fumbling issues he has had in both training camp as well as the preseason game against the Colts, where two balls hit the ground on his watch.

Cutting Samaje Perine would result in $3 million in cap savings and because of his veteran status, he wouldn't hit waivers. It might be harder for the Broncos to trade him in that instance but they will undoubtedly try if he isn't part of their 2024 plans.

The other big name getting cut here would be fullback Michael Burton, and I have had an inkling for quite some time now that Nate Adkins is poised to take over Burton's role both offensively and on special teams.

Wide receivers: 7 (16/53)

• Courtland Sutton
• Tim Patrick
• Josh Reynolds
• Marvin Mims
• Troy Franklin
• Devaughn Vele
• Jalen Virgil

It might feel like a bit of overkill to keep seven receivers but it's hard to sort out this position group without doing that.

Barring something surprising, I don't see any of Sutton, Patrick, Reynolds, or Mims going anywhere. The Broncos had a 2nd-round grade on Troy Franklin and they traded up to get him, so cutting him and trying to sneak him onto the practice squad would be roster malpractice, even though it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Devaughn Vele might be having too good of a camp to be cut at this point and I think he might have taken over Lil'Jordan Humphrey's gameday role (though I think Humphrey will be back on the practice squad).

Keeping Jalen Virgil is a simple special teams decision and he offers a lot of offensive upside as well. Virgil averaged nearly 30 yards per kickoff return in the preseason opener, and if you figure the ball gets kicked to the 5-yard line on average this year, having Virgil averaging 30 yards per return could set you up with an average starting field position of the 35-yard line. He is the Broncos' best kickoff returner besides Marvin Mims, but if Mims isn't going to be as involved in the offense as expected, the Broncos might only keep six players here.

Tight Ends: 4 (20/53)

• Adam Trautman
• Greg Dulcich
• Lucas Krull
• Nate Adkins

We'll see what happens with Nate Adkins as the preseason rolls along, but I do believe that the top three players here are going to be on the team. Lucas Krull suffered a toe injury against the Colts that isn't expected to be serious, but perhaps he will land on IR for a handful of weeks and open up another roster spot.

Offensive Line: 8 (28/53)

• Garett Bolles
• Ben Powers
• Quinn Meinerz
• Mike McGlinchey
• Luke Wattenberg
• Alex Forsyth
• Alex Palczewski
• Demontrey Jacobs

Both guys competing for the center job -- Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth -- should make the final roster here. Alex Palczewski gives the Broncos a guard/tackle option and Demontrey Jacobs may be ascending into a swing tackle role for the team as well. The big question here right now is whether or not Calvin Throckmorton's spot on this roster is guaranteed. I don't know that I would go that far at this stage.

Defensive line: 6 (34/53)

• Zach Allen
• John Franklin-Myers
• DJ Jones
• Malcolm Roach
• Angelo Blackson
• Eyioma Uwazurike

You could see the Broncos keep just five defensive linemen on the roster depending on what other positions get priority, but it seems like the team is really excited to have Eyioma Uwazurike back. We could see him in action for the first time against the Packers this week.

The top four players at this position group are set in stone and I'm not sure Angelo Blackson is for sure going to make it over Jordan Jackson, who played well against the Colts.

Edge rushers: 5 (39/53)

• Baron Browning
• Jonathon Cooper
• Nik Bonitto
• Jonah Elliss
• Thomas Incoom

The top four edge players are set for the Denver Broncos and the question right now is -- if the Broncos keep five edge rushers, who is that fifth guy? Right now, I would say the odds are in Thomas Incoom's favor as we've seen him stand out at training camp as a pass rusher and in the preseason opener, he really stood out as a special teams player.

The biggest competition right now is coming from former UFL star Dondrea Tillman and former practice squad player Durrell Nchami.

Linebacker: 4 (43/53)

• Alex Singleton
• Cody Barton
• Jonas Griffith
• Justin Strnad

If there's one position on the roster right now that I would say the Broncos need to start looking at potential outside free agents, it would be the linebacker spot. Alex Singleton and Cody Barton started the preseason opener against the Colts, and Jonas Griffith might get a shot to start against the Packers. But do the Broncos have proper depth here? Do they need to keep shopping around for a potential starter?

Cornerback: 6 (49/53)

• Pat Surtain II
• Riley Moss
• Ja'Quan McMillian
• Damarri Mathis
• Kris Abrams-Draine
• Tremon Smith

A hamstring injury for Levi Wallace could potentially land him on temporary IR but if he comes back before the end of the preseason, it sort of complicates things a little bit more. The Broncos have liked Wallace and what he has brought to the table at camp, but there is a youth movement happening all over the roster right now. It looks like Riley Moss is in line to start at the CB2 spot with Ja'Quan McMillian in the slot.

The Broncos have also gotten great early returns from rookie Kris Abrams-Draine, who was tremendous in the preseason opener against the Colts.

People may scoff at the idea of Tremon Smith over Levi Wallace, but Smith is one of the best special teams players in the NFL.

Safety: 4 (53/53)

• Brandon Jones
• PJ Locke
• JL Skinner
• Devon Key

As underwhelming as this unit looks on paper, Broncos head coach Sean Payton insists that the team likes the young players they have at safety.

Both JL Skinner and Devon Key have gotten work with the starting defense in the offseason as Brandon Jones has dealt with injuries. Justin Simmons is taking his tour of the NFC South right now and appears to be moved on. The team's decision to cut Caden Sterns has left this position as another where you wonder if the Broncos will look to the outside for help.