Denver Broncos 53-man roster prediction after preseason opener

Defensive line: 5 (34/53)

Zach Allen
DJ Jones
Jonathan Harris
Matt Henningsen
Mike Purcell

This looks to be one of the weakest areas of the roster right now. The Broncos may not have the type of quality depth required going into a regular season at defensive line. As of the time of this writing, Mike Purcell is on the Non-Football Injury list, but part of the reason he's on that list and not the PUP is (we assume) because he should be able to come back relatively soon.

DJ Jones had to leave the preseason game vs. Arizona due to a concussion. Zach Allen is the only other player with real experience on the defensive line.

Matt Henningsen played a solid game against the Cardinals and the Broncos seem to have a decent amount of faith in Jonathan Harris, who is penciled in as the starter on the current depth chart, but this position group can't afford to lose literally anyone else. I would be shocked if the Broncos were not in the market for help here, whether via trade or waivers. They have the 5th spot in the waiver claim order, which sounds good on paper, but in reality, most truly good players that hit waivers aren't making it past the top two or three teams.

But you never know.

The point is, the Broncos may need more talent or experience on the defensive line to have a strong unit for the coming season. It will take more games like we saw from Elijah Garcia (with two sacks) against Arizona to really even pencil in unknown players at this position group.