5 Broncos players who could lose their starting job to a rookie
The Denver Broncos made five selections in the 2023 NFL Draft before signing a whole host of undrafted players. Though the team didn't have a bunch of draft picks, it seemed to make calculated selections with each one.
Most of these rookies could see extensive playing time this coming season and could threaten the jobs of players currently listed as starters. In fact, of the five picks, four of them could have a decent chance to start at some point this year.
That is particularly the case with players drafted in the earlier rounds as those players are generally not taken to sit on the bench for any extended period of time.
Sixth-round pick JL Skinner, a promising safety, will likely not be a starter this season as that is a position where the Broncos have several solid options in front of him. But the other four players selected in the draft could eventually take over the starting spot from these players.
Broncos who could lose their starting job to a rookie: Tim Patrick
Tim Patrick missed all of last season with a torn ACL and will be having to not only recover from that, but become familiar with another new offense which is much different than the last time he was on the field when Vic Fangio was the head coach.
Patrick is a natural fit for the kind of receiver that Sean Payton likes to get the ball to, so he definitely has that going for him, but the team also traded up in the second round to select Oklahoma wide receiver Marvin Mims.
The Broncos may elect to work Mims in slowly and use him as a return man on special teams to begin with but he was selected with the No. 63 overall pick in the draft to be an offensive playmaker and Payton is going to want to start tapping into that as soon as he can, regardless of how long Patrick has been around.
Patrick has taken the long road to becoming the Broncos' No. 3 wide receiver after going undrafted coming out of college, but he is going to have to prove that he should still hold that job this summer.