Cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian was ostensibly a starter for the Denver Broncos in 2025, but he is only listed as starting three games. For most NFL teams, the slot corner or CB3 is listed as a starter. McMillian played 742 defensive snaps in 2025, or 66 percent of the snaps on defense. That was down from 2024 when he played 75 of the defensive snaps. Yet, because he was not listed with the starters (or on the field for the opening defensive snap), he has only started 16 games in his NFL career, despite being an integral part of the Broncos defense for the past three seasons.
The two Broncos who started the most games last season and also went undrafted out of college were Alex Singleton and Alex Palczewski. Singleton started sixteen games, while Palczewski started ten. Singleton played 1029 defensive snaps, and Palczewski played 665 offensive snaps. There were plenty of other undrafted contributors to the 2025 Broncos. These players contributed another 35 starts for the Broncos last season:
Nate Adkins - 6
Lucas Krull - 3
P.J. Locke - 3
Ja'Quan McMillian - 3
Adam Prentice - 3
Trent Sherfield - 3
Frank Crum - 2
Lil'Jordan Humphrey - 2
Malcolm Roach - 2
Jaleel McLaughlin - 1
Undrafted players will be crucial to Denver Broncos success in 2026
The Broncos had 54 starts in 2025 from undrafted players with Singleton and Palczewski accounting for almost half of that (26). The Bucs had only 11 while the Rams had 95. pic.twitter.com/xHuinuD8re
— Joe Mahoney (@ndjomo76) August 26, 2026
The 54 starts made by undrafted players for the Broncos in 2025 were one of the highest values in the NFL. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, and Cincinnati Bengals all had fewer than 19 games started by an undrafted player.
Season | Broncos UDFA starts |
|---|---|
2025 | 54 |
2024 | 60 |
2023 | 65 |
2022 | 85 |
2021 | 69 |
2020 | 114 |
2019 | 116 |
2018 | 94 |
2017 | 92 |
2016 | 61 |
The 54 for the Broncos was the lowest over the past decade (see above). A quick glance shows a negative correlation between UDFA starts and wins. In the Broncos three winning seasons during the past ten, they had 61, 60 and 54. They averaged 91 in the other seven seasons. The 2019 Broncos got 82 from a combination of Chris Harris Jr, Phillip Lindsay, Todd Davis, Alexander Johnson, Ronald Leary and Elijah Wilkinson. The Broncos went 7-9 in 2019. The 2020 Broncos went 5-11.
Only one of the Bronco 2025 UDFAs made the roster out of TC (Karene Reid) last szn. Reid was active for 10 games and played 3 defensive snaps. https://t.co/mq5C0CMTir
— Joe Mahoney (@ndjomo76) August 27, 2026
It doesn't look like any of the 2026 UDFAs will make the 53 out of camp based on the first 2 preseason games. pic.twitter.com/QeCrAlp59s
While there is not much expectation for the 2025 or 2026 undrafted Broncos signees to contribute to the 2026 Broncos, McMillian, Palczewski, and Frank Crum (maybe) will all be significant contributors in 2026. Karene Reid might be ready to take over for the slowing Singleton (but don't hold your breath). Crum was the 6th offensive lineman for much of last season. It remains to be seen how often Davis Webb will use six offensive linemen; however, Crum could be treated like a massive tight end given his elite athleticism and size. This was on display in the divisional victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Another contributor who went undrafted but didn't start a single game for the Broncos last season is Dondrea Tillman. He played 417 defensive snaps and contributed 41 tackles, 12 pressures, 4.0 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 3 tackles for loss. Devon Key should also be mentioned. He was undrafted and made first-team All-Pro as a special teamer last season. He played 73 defensive snaps, but 388 special team snaps. His 26 special team tackles set a franchise record last season.
In general, it is rare for an undrafted player to reach the pinnacle of their position in the NFL, but it has happened before.
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