The Broncos are getting closer to the kind of roster decisions that can turn a quiet preseason into a painful week for players on the bubble. With final cuts looming around the league, Denver still has work to do before Friday’s second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, and a few names already look like long shots.
Jaleel McLaughlin is one of them. His grip on a roster spot already looked shaky once Denver used a draft pick on Jonah Coleman, and Coleman has done nothing to slow that talk down.
He flashed in the preseason opener with four carries that showed off his contact balance, his work between the tackles, and his burst. McLaughlin, meanwhile, coughed up a fumble - not a season-ending mistake by itself, but exactly the kind of slip that hurts a player fighting to stay on the roster.
He could land back on the practice squad, which was the case for much of the 2025 season, but right now he does not look like a player who has done enough to feel safe.
Drew Sanders is in a different kind of bind. The talent is obvious, and he even logged a sack in preseason Week 1, but availability keeps getting in the way.
He missed practice on Tuesday, adding to a stretch that has kept him from practicing regularly. That alone makes the picture hard for him, because a player can’t carve out a role if he can’t stay on the field.
Sanders has the athleticism to play EDGE or off-ball linebacker, but he hasn’t stacked consistent days this offseason, and Denver already has a crowded edge group. At this point, his fit with the team feels uncertain.
Tycen Anderson is another player who has not made much of a case for himself. Signed this offseason to compete for a depth safety job, he has not really stood out, and one missed tackle in Week 1 only added to the concern.
Tycen Anderson had a shot at the open field tackle, hanging onto the TE's one leg, but he missed. 16-yard gain on play-action.
- Mile High Huddle (@MileHighHuddle) August 15, 2026
The safety room already has clear names near the top in Brandon Jones, Talanoa Hufanga, and Devon Key. Denver also added Miles Scott in the draft, and the team could choose to keep JL Skinner again as a valuable special teams piece.
Anderson and Scott were both listed as third-team safeties on the Broncos’ first unofficial depth chart, and if that’s the real pecking order, Scott may have the edge because he’s a rookie with more room to grow. For Anderson, the problem is simple: he has not done enough to stand out, and that leaves his spot in real danger.
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