Underrated Broncos' special teams contributor could shockingly be on thin ice

The Denver Broncos top-end roster talent is well-documented, and it's all that most of us talk about half the time. However, late in the season, what wins games is complementary football and depth. Fortunately, not only did the Broncos begin to play complete games in 2025, but the team's depth was and is rivaled by few, if any.

Denver has made some solid moves this offseason, but hardly any external additions. Retaining many of their own players and being calculated with big-time additions like Jaylen Waddle clearly shows that this team wanted to be aggressive, but not overly aggressive.

Well, there has been some shuffling in the secondary, specifically at safety. PJ Locke III signed with the Dallas Cowboys, and the Broncos also added Tycen Anderson in free agency and used a late-round pick on Miles Scott, a safety from Illinois. Suddenly, this underrated depth safety and key special teams contributor might now be on thin ice.

Denver Broncos JL Skinner might now firmly be on the roster bubble

JL Skinner was a sixth-round pick back in the 2023 NFL Draft, so he's entering his final season on his rookie deal. Not being able to breakout on defense, Skinner has turned into quite the special teams player. He played in 312 special teams snaps in 2024, and 322 in 2025.

However, Anderson, who signed from the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this offseason, played in 345 special teams snaps in 2024, and 382 in 2025. Furthermore, the team's Scott selection in the seventh round might not be nothing.

Scott can play both safety spots and does have special teams value. He was also a team captain in college and brings a ton of experience. Suddenly, Skinner might see his role with the Broncos totally disappear.

Denver will likely keep five safeties on the roster for 2026, as they have typically done, so when you run the numbers, it might be impossible for Skinner to slot in anywhere, as the team also has backup safety and All-Pro special teamer, Devon Key.

As of now, it would not be a shock if the safety room looked like this for 2026:

Talanoa Hufanga
Brandon Jones
Devon Key
Tycen Anderson
Miles Scott

While it may not seem like a major deal that the Broncos could replace two depth safeties, it's still significant to take note of. Skinner has made a ton of strong special teams plays, and special teams isn't nothing.

Sure, the Broncos could end up keeping Skinner over Anderson, but there is very clearly going to be a bottom-of-roster competition for those final couple of spots. These are the types of battles that can end up paying off a lot more than you think.

The Broncos will absolutely need to rely on many backups if they hope to make a Super Bowl run, so this potential roster shuffling is absolutely worh taking note of.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow