After navigating through the process that is the NFL Draft and then signing several undrafted free agents, the Denver Broncos have their 90-man roster ahead of the upcoming 2023 season.
The Broncos have missed the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons, the longest drought since the team made the playoffs for the first time in 1977. Sean Payton has been entrusted to take the team back to glory and he has hands on how this team will look in doing that.
We know that he is one of the great offensive minds of the last two decades in the league. We have seen him bring in several players that he had from his time with the New Orleans Saints. We can assume that he is going to run a very run-heavy offense this season.
But what else do we know? There are a lot of questions as well as intrigue surrounding this team right now but following the draft, here are a few other observations that can be made based on the team's roster.
Team has plenty of confidence in Javonte Williams
Most draft analysts and many fans within Broncos Country thought sure that the team would take a running back in the draft due to the concerns over the recovery of starter Javonte Williams.
The front office apparently does not share those concerns.
The Broncos did not draft a running back and the only one that was added in free agency is career backup Samaje Perine. That is a huge vote of confidence in the favor of Williams who will be coming off a torn ACL and LCL after playing in just four games last season.
You would have to think that if there was any question about his availability for this season and ability to play at 100 percent, the team would have added more in the way of a backup plan.
We should expect that Williams will come out of the gate hot in 2023, ready to line up and take the ball in Week 1. If he's not, then this decision will be quite questionable.
Late-round picks have a great chance to make the team
The Broncos only had three picks in the draft but after selecting Marvin Mims, Drew Sanders and Riley Moss with their first three choices, they had to wait until the sixth round to make another selection.
Sixth-round pick JL Skinner had a higher draft grade from just about everyone and he could bring a physical edge to the secondary and one with good ball skills.
George Paton likes to draft safeties and he has done so every year since he's been the team's general manager. But Skinner has a legitimate chance to make the team as a backup safety.
Alex Forsyth, a center out of Oregon who was taken with the third-to-last pick of the draft, also has a great chance to make the team. The Broncos have Lloyd Cushenberry at center but no one would tell you that he has been impressive. Behind him will be second-year player Luke Wattenberg.
Forsyth will not be your average seventh-round pick. He made 27 starts for the Ducks in college and could easily push for playing time this season.
A backup tackle is going to need to step up
The Broncos also chose not to address the offensive tackle position in the draft. The team did sign Mike McGlinchey to a massive deal as a free agent and in a perfect world, he and Garett Bolles will start every game this coming season and become great bookend tackles for years to come.
But how likely is that?
Injuries happen every game in the NFL and Bolles missed much of last season with a broken leg. The Broncos are going to have to identify a rotational swing tackle who can fill in if one of those players goes down. It is a tad surprising that a player like Cam Fleming was not brought back for that reason.
Behind Bolles and McGlinchey, the other tackles on the roster look like this:
Isaiah Prince
Quinn Bailey
Christian DeLauro
Hunter Thedford
Casey Tucker
Alex Palczewski
Demontrey Jacobs
No one in that group has ever seen much playing time in the NFL and both Palczewski and Jacobs are undrafted free agents. The Broncos will need one of these guys to step up this season as it's likely the team will need them on the field at some point.
I would look for Prince to be the guy to emerge from that group. A former sixth-round pick out of Ohio State, Prince has made six starts in the league.
The trade for Adam Trautman could be a sneaky-good move
Adam Trautman was not a player on the radar of many people when he was in college as he played at Dayton, which competes in the FCS subdivision. But when Payton was with the Saints, he thought enough of him to make him a third-round pick in 2020.
He didn't necessarily "blow up" in New Orleans but he put up moderate numbers and is now back with Payton after the Broncos made a trade during the draft to acquire him from New Orleans.
The Broncos have Greg Dulcich back and signed Chris Manhertz to be the blocking tight end. The team didn't trade for Trautman to have him sit on the bench so he could have a decent role in the offense this season, one that could push Albert Okwuegbunam off the roster.
Russell Wilson was always dependent on his tight ends in Seattle and he could really enjoy the presence of Trautman who could have his full potential unlocked by Payton, who only had him for two seasons in New Orleans.
Look for Trautman to be a player the Broncos utilize in a big way this season.
The defensive line competition is wide open
The Broncos still have D.J. Jones on the roster and the team added Zach Allen in free agency. After that, the way the team divides snaps among its defensive linemen is going to be interesting.
Will second-year players Eyioma Uwazurike or Matt Henningsen step up and assume a starting role? Veterans Mike Purcell and Jonathan Harris are also in line to be that guy but in terms of proven NFL production, the Broncos don't have much there.
This will be a spot where a player can step up and make a name for themselves as the only two guys who are considered starters are Jones and Allen.
This will be an interesting situation to follow through training camp as there is a real opportunity within this position group. The Broncos did not add a defensive lineman in the draft so this is another spot where the front office and coaching staff felt that what it had on the roster was sufficient.