Denver Broncos 6 roster sleepers on offense for 2023 season

No matter how obvious you think the 53-man roster projection might be in June, things are bound to change -- perhaps even dramatically -- between now and the end of July. Players will have the opportunity to step up and impress when the pads go on at training camp. There are no roster cut mandates after preseason games, so some of the top Denver Broncos roster sleepers might even have three full games to put themselves out there and make their case for a spot on the team.

Which players on the offensive side of the ball are being slept on the most right now? This isn't necessarily going to be a look at the longest of longshots to make the team in 2023, but certainly a look through every position group at players that are being slept on by most, if not everyone.

Let's make our picks for top Denver Broncos roster sleepers head into the final week of mandatory OTAs before the team breaks for the Summer.

Denver Broncos top 6 roster sleepers for 2023: Offense

1. Jarrett Guarantano, QB

Jarrett Guarantano wasn't the most recently added QB to the roster, so naturally I think right now he's being the most heavily slept on. I actually quite like the idea of the Denver Broncos going into the season with Russell Wilson, Jarrett Stidham, and Ben DiNucci as their top three quarterbacks, but a scenario does exist where Jarrett Guarantano goes out and plays well enough to earn the QB3 spot.

The Broncos' scouting department identified him as a player worth taking a shot on last year after he spent the 2022 preseason with Arizona where he played pretty well.

Guarantano was undrafted in 2022 out of Washington State although he spent the vast majority of his collegiate career with the Tennessee Volunteers program. Back in the 2016 recruiting cycle, Guarantano was considered one of the best dual-threat prospects in the country. He was a four-star prospect who committed to Tennessee along with a number of other recognizable names who have been with the Denver Broncos, or are still currently with the team.

2016 Tennessee Volunteers commits with Broncos ties

- QB Jarrett Guarantano
- WR Brandon Johnson
- WR Marquez Callaway
- EDGE Jonathan Kongbo

Sean Payton had some decent success with a Tennessee player from the class of 2015: Alvin Kamara, star running back for the Saints.

Guarantano, however, faces pretty long odds of making the Denver Broncos' roster. Especially when you consider the arrival of Ben DiNucci earlier this offseason. With that being said, there's very little we know about Guarantano in orange and blue. We know he's got physical traits. We know his talent has largely carried him this far because he only played nine games from 2020-21 before getting signed to multiple NFL rosters.

If he's that talented, we might be sleeping on him a little too much.

Denver Broncos roster sleeper: Tyler Badie, RB

The Denver Broncos have certainly been in the rumor mill quite a bit lately regarding the running back position. With the Minnesota Vikings releasing Dalvin Cook, it feels like just about every Denver Broncos fan campaigned for the team to sign the Pro Bowler and add him to the mix that already includes the likes of Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine. I can't say I disagree with the fans who want to see the Broncos add a player like Cook, especially as hard as point have been to come by in recent years.

With that said, do the Broncos perhaps have a player on their roster who could be the "change of pace" at running back the team needs already? Is there already a young player on this roster the new coaching staff has taken a liking to? The Broncos might already have a wild card at the running back position in Tyler Badie, a 2022 sixth-round pick out of Missouri who flashed in a big way when he got his opportunity late last year for Denver.

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein gave Badie a fourth-round grade coming out of Missouri, so undoubtedly he was viewed as a value for the Ravens last year. He ran a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash and flashed his speed with the Broncos last season. Here's what Zierlein had to say about Badie, and his assessment could prove to be exactly what the Broncos need at the position:

"Undersized, change-of-pace back with a big heart and pass-catching talent. Despite a lack of desired size, Badie took on a monster workload and produced at a high level. He played in a run scheme heavily tilted to outside zone and is at his best in space, although he's natural and confident in tight run lanes. He's a tough runner but lacks short-yardage leg drive, so his role as a pro could be fairly well-defined as a talented third-down back who can handle an occasional spike in carries if needed."

Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

Perhaps the Denver Broncos haven't been aggressive in adding players like Dalvin Cook, Zeke Elliott, and other available backs because they really believe in the development of Badie going into his second year. The rumor out of OTAs is that Badie has impressed.

Denver Broncos roster sleeper in 2023: Jalen Virgil, WR

It feels a little bit like cheating to call Jalen Virgil a roster sleeper after he made the team as an undrafted rookie in 2022. Virgil became a pretty core special teams player for the Denver Broncos in 2022, playing 111 special teams snaps among the nine games he appeared in.

When the Broncos landed Jalen Virgil last offseason out of Appalachian State, he was pretty unanimously considered to be one of the team's top UDFA pickups. Of course, he delivered with a ton of big plays in the preseason and the Broncos couldn't keep him off the roster, especially after Tim Patrick's season-ending injury.

Now, we enter the 2023 season with renewed expectations at the receiver position. The team's top playmakers are back, including Tim Patrick, and the Broncos used their top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the wide receiver position when they drafted Marvin Mims out of Oklahoma. After the Mims pick and the signing of Marquez Callaway in free agency, where does a player like Jalen Virgil fit in?

Well, he fits in where he forces his way in, in my opinion. The Broncos may have their top five spots set at the receiver position with the additions of Mims and Callaway. Depending on what this staff thinks of KJ Hamler, the top six positions might be set. But don't be shocked if Jalen Virgil lights it up again in training camp and preseason play, forcing his way onto the roster some way somehow.

Just like Tyler Badie's first NFL reception went for a touchdown, Jalen Virgil made a huge impression with his first NFL reception as well.

It was this kind of explosive play from Virgil that had the entire Denver Broncos fan base wondering why it took until halfway through the season to see the guy actually get some playing time. Unfortunately, that touchdown catch from Virgil would only end up being one of two receptions he had on the entire season.

Virgil has the size and speed to make it long-term in the NFL. He's got legit sub-4.4 speed and you see that on display pretty much every time he touches the ball. Considering he's got a team-friendly contract, multiple yeas left on his deal, and plays special teams, any progression from Virgil in year two could necessitate a roster spot moving forward.

Denver Broncos 2023 roster sleeper: Tommy Hudson, TE

The Denver Broncos have done a lot to make changes at the tight end position over the last couple of years. They drafted Greg Dulcich in 2022, who now appears poised to be one of the top breakout players on the roster. They added Chris Manhertz as a primary blocking specialist in the 2023 offseason. They also traded for Adam Trautman during the 2023 NFL Draft.

With Albert Okwuegbunam also on the roster, it could be difficult for any sleeper at the tight end position to really carve out a role or even make the team in the first place. But if you can block? Well, you might just have a place on this roster.

The Denver Broncos are going to be running the ball a lot in 2023. Presumably, at least. Sean Payton wants to develop a physical identity in the trenches and a player like Tommy Hudson -- whose specialty is blocking -- could help give them exactly that.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton made a comment a couple of weeks ago that, regarding tryout players at minicamp, he and his staff don't want to have guys in the building, let them get away to another team, and then hear about their success with another team. Hudson tried out for the Broncos at their initial rookie minicamp and wasn't signed.

Not until a couple of weeks later.

Perhaps he showed enough that this coaching staff and scouting department determined there's more than meets the eye. Considering he has prior NFL experience, a player like Hudson could make himself very hard to cut.

Denver Broncos 2023 roster sleeper: Isaiah Prince, OT

At one point this offseason, it felt like the Denver Broncos might go into the 2023 regular season with Garett Bolles, Mike McGlinchey, and virtually no one else at the offensive tackle position. Thankfully, the team signed veteran Cameron Fleming to come in and shore up the depth, getting some much-needed experience and insurance.

But before the Cam Fleming signing, the plan was seemingly for the Denver Broncos to trot out reserve/futures contract player Isaiah Prince as the top backup offensive tackle. That was certainly not a plan that inspired a ton of confidence among the fan base, but now that the pressure is "off" a bit, I think we can look at the addition of Isaiah Prince a little more optimistically.

Prince was a sixth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins out of Ohio State back in 2019. He appeared in 19 games over the course of his first three years in the NFL, including starting six games between his time with the Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals. With nearly 36-inch arms, Prince has some tremendous physical traits and tools worth developing, and now offensive line coach Zach Strief will have the chance to wake people up on this particular sleeper.

The Denver Broncos need to find some diamonds in the rough on the offensive line. The investment simply hasn't been there when you look at this team in the NFL Draft at the tackle position. The Broncos have virtually been immune to doing so. Hitting on a younger player like Prince as a reserve/futures player would be a really big win for the Broncos, especially after losing their swing tackle -- Calvin Anderson -- to the New England Patriots this offseason.