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The NFL draft is now behind us and teams will now survey what they have before minicamps and training camp starts later this summer. That will lead into the preseason schedule.
The Denver Broncos are building a contender in the AFC and will have several interesting position battles to sift through when that time comes. This will be an early look into what to expect as this team builds its initial 53-man roster later this summer.
Call it an early preview. Looking at the team's full roster, including all of the undrafted players who were recently signed, here is a post-draft prediction of the team's 53-man roster for the 2025 season. There will be more of these to come as the offseason progresses, and we can check back and see how many of these predictions were accurate when the Broncos announce their final roster following their last preseason game.
Denver Broncos 53-man roster prediction
Quarterback (2): Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham
Cut: Sam Ehlinger
This seems pretty straightforward. The Broncos kept three quarterbacks last year, but that seems unlikely this year. Sam Ehlinger will be given a chance to win the backup job, but he'll have his work cut out for him there as the Broncos seem to like Jarrett Stidham in that role.
Running Back (4): R.J. Harvey, Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime, Blake Watson
Cut: Tyler Badie
R.J. Harvey will be the new featured back in this offense and we will have to keep tabs on how that impacts the usage of Jaleel McLaughlin. I still feel Blake Watson has some real talent and if the Broncos keep four running backs, he'll beat out Tyler Badie for the final spot.
Wide Receiver (6): Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, Trent Sherfield
Cuts: A.T. Perry, Michael Bandy, Jerjuan Newton, Courtney Jackson, Joaquin Davis
The first five are close to roster locks and free-agent signing Trent Sherfield will be kept for his special teams prowess, which was the main reason he was signed. A.T. Perry will have a chance to make some noise and shake this list up.
Tight End (3): Evan Engram, Lucas Krull, Nate Adkins
Cuts: Adam Trautman, Thomas Yassmin, Caleb Lohner
The Broncos finally have the top-flight receiving tight end in Evan Engram that will allow them to part with Adam Trautman, who has been largely ineffective during his tenure with the team. Much like last season, Nate Adkins will beat out Michael Burton for the team's fullback spot.
Caleb Lohner, the basketball player the Broncos drafted in the seventh round, is the true wild card on this year's roster. He could beat out Lucas Krull for a roster spot but at the very least, will likely be added to the practice squad if he doesn't make the squad.
Offensive Line (9): Garett Bolles, Mike McGlinchey, Luke Wattenberg, Ben Powers, Quinn Meinerz, Matt Peart, Alex Palczewski, Frank Crum, Clay Webb
Cuts: Calvin Throckmorton, Alex Forsyth, Nick Gargiulo, Will Sherman, Xavier Truss, Joe Michalski, Marques Cox
This group should be considered highly subject to change based on this list as former draft picks Alex Forsyth and Nick Gargiulo will get their chance to prove they belong. Forsyth has not been all that great in Denver.
Undrafted free agent Xavier Truss could easily win a job ahead of either Matt Peart or Alex Palczewski but the UDFA we'll go with for this list is the versatile Clay Webb out of Jacksonville State. He could fill in at guard or center for the team if needed.
Defensive Line (6): Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, John Franklin-Myers, Sai'vion Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike
Cuts: Jordan Jackson, Matt Henningsen, Jordan Miller, Kristian Williams, Christian Dowell
There are going to be some tough decisions to make within this group. The last spot here comes down to Eyioma Uwazurike or Jordan Jackson, and it could be a coin flip.
Inside Linebacker (5): Dre Greenlaw, Alex Singleton, Drew Sanders, Justin Strnad, Levelle Bailey
Cuts: K.J. Cloyd, Karene Reid, JB Brown
This could be the area that makes or breaks this defense as the unit seems strong everywhere else. The Broncos keep former undrafted player Levelle Bailey due to the significant injury history with many of these players.
Outside Linebacker (5): Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Jonah Elliss, Dondrea Tillman, Que Robinson
Cuts: Andrew Farmer, Johnny Walker Jr.
The Broncos should be able to generate a serious pass rush with this group this season. Fourth-round pick Que Robinson has a chance to quickly ascend the depth chart.
Cornerback (5): Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Jahdae Barron, Ja'Quan McMillian, Kris Abrams-Draine
Cuts: Damarri Mathis, Quinton Newsome, Joshua Pickett, Reese Taylor, Kendall Bohler, Jaden Robinson, Tanner McAlister
There is a good chance that the Broncos keep six players here so someone like Damarri Mathis or one of the undrafted guys could have a shot to make the back end of the roster in favor of Watson at running back or Bailey at linebacker.
Safety (5): Brandon Jones, Talanoa Hufanga, P.J. Locke, JL Skinner, Sam Franklin Jr.
Cuts: Devon Key, Keidron Smith, Delarrin Turner-Yell
The Broncos have two solid starters at safety. P.J. Locke and Sam Franklin both offer huge upside on special teams and JL Skinner has yet to scratch the surface of his potential.
The presence of Locke and Franklin will be what leads to the dismissal of Delarrin Turner-Yell.
Specialists (3)
Kicker: Wil Lutz
Punter: Jeremy Crawshaw
Long Snapper: Mitchell Fraboni
Jeremy Crawshaw, the team's sixth-round pick, beats out veteran Matt Haack.
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