With Broncos training camp right around the corner, which players have to perform well in camp to make the roster?
The training camp part of the NFL offseason is almost here, and that does also mean the start of the regular season is coming as well. The Denver Broncos are trying to reach contender status after a very encouraging 2024 season.
But this does mean that things should get harder, and for the front office and coaching staff, the roster decisions as the cut-downs happen will get harder as well. This could force many players to be in a position to perform well or simply get cut.
These three players stick out as needing a strong training camp to survive.
Do these players have to perform well during training camp?
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB
With Audric Estime, JK Dobbins, and RJ Harvey all added to the mix after being signed by the Broncos, Jaleel McLaughlin's roster spot feels shaky at best, and this becomes especially true if the second-year Estime plays well during camp and if another running back like Tyler Badie emerges.
McLaughlin does have that change-of-pace nature, but he didn't make any sort of notable improvement from 2023 into 2024, so he could end up getting pushed of the roster given the other three viable players Denver has in this room.
Matt Henningsen, DE
Matt Henningsen is still hanging around, but it might not be for long. Henningsen has been a non-factor on the Denver Broncos, and with the team drafting Sai'vion Jones in the 2025 NFL Draft, Henningsen's roster spot may already be as good as gone. He was a 2022 NFL Draft pick and just hasn't done much at all in the NFL. He could be one of the first cuts made by the Broncos.
Damarri Mathis, CB
Damarri Mathis may have to prove himself in a very deep CB room that also features Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja'Quan McMillian, Jahdae Barron, and Kris Abrams-Draine. It's perhaps the deepest CB room in the NFL. As for Mathis, he is in the last year of his rookie deal and may actually be someone the Broncos look to flip for a late-round draft pick if they envision him not being on the roster when the regular season begins.