The Denver Broncos finished their preseason in style, rolling past the Minnesota Vikings 34-6, and that finale may have done the most to shape the roster picture before cutdown day.
Now comes the hard part: trimming from the 90-man offseason group to the final 53, then sorting out a 16-man practice squad, with a possible 17th spot if the Broncos use an international player exemption. The deadline to get to 53 is Sunday at 2 pm MDT, and the first wave of cuts should start Saturday.
Even with the usual pain that comes with roster trimming, this looks like one of the easier cutdowns Denver has had in the last 10 years, with roughly 45 players already locked in. The tougher work may be filling out the practice squad.
At quarterback, nothing changes. The Broncos would be taking a risk by moving on from Ehlinger, but he has wanted to stay in Denver and has passed on other opportunities to do it, including multiple times last year. Still, there’s no real reason to carry three quarterbacks to open the season if the starter and backup are healthy.
The backfield projection leans on a three-man group, with a three-player practice squad behind it. Cody Schrader made the strongest case of the depth backs, piling up 100-plus yards from scrimmage against Minnesota.
Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie also land on the practice squad, with Badie remaining a Sean Payton favorite and McLaughlin having flashed enough to stay in the mix. Payton has typically kept four backs on the opening roster, but this year the projection goes with a three-and-three split.
At fullback, Prentice is the lone option who can handle that job, and the plan appears to include a meaningful role for him, with Davis Webb seeming to have something in mind for more than 10-15 snaps. Even with the Broncos’ other backfield pieces, he still gets the nod.
Wide receiver has settled in nicely at the top. Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin and Kolbe Katsis make the roster, while Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Michael Bandy are on the practice squad.
Denver has not shown much interest in moving one of the top five, and that group appears set. Mims did suffer a foot injury in the finale, though Sean Payton said he’ll "be fine," and Katsis gets in because of his return ability.
Tight end brings a couple of changes. Adam Trautman, Evan Engram, Nate Adkins and Justin Joly make the cut, while Lucas Krull misses out after a rough preseason.
Lohner has been dealing with an injury that points toward injured reserve, though he could still affect the roster or practice squad picture. Even though some view Adkins as a possible fullback answer, Denver already tried that and backed away from the idea during the 2024 season.
Up front, the offensive line projection includes Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Alex Palczewski, Kage Casey and Alex Forsyth, with Calvin Throckmorton and Gavin Oretega on the practice squad and Nick Gargiulo on the PUP list. The tackle battle came down to Peart and Crum, and Peart wins out after a stronger preseason and more versatility.
Crum’s poor preseason and reports that he could miss multiple weeks push him to short-term IR, which also opens the door for Miller to return to the practice squad. Throckmorton had earned a spot at one point, but the Mims injury changed the numbers.
On the defensive line, Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Eyioma Uwazurike, Malcolm Roach, Jordan Jackson, Tyler Onyedim and Sai’vion Jones stay put.
Jordan Miller returns to the practice squad, though Denver could still look outside the organization for help there. Kristian Williams has also struggled through the preseason, so the Broncos may decide it’s time to search elsewhere.
Edge rusher gets one notable wrinkle. Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson and Dondrea Tillman are on the roster, with Ron Stone Jr. on the practice squad, but Jonathon Cooper is set to start the season on the NFL’s commissioner-exempt list because of ongoing legal issues.
It functions like a suspension without technically being one. Denver should be able to survive that absence, especially with Elliss, Tillman and Robinson all showing well in games and in practice.
At linebacker, Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Karene Reid and Red Murdock make the cut, with Murdock edging Turner for the fourth and final spot. Turner dealt with an injury but did return on Friday night. Keeping all five linebackers remains a possibility.
The secondary projection goes with Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian, Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine at corner, with Sean Fresch Jr. and Brent Austin on the practice squad and Reese Taylor on injured reserve. Denver usually keeps 10 defensive backs, and a five-and-five split between corners and safeties makes the most sense here, especially with the safety group looking shaky. Moss and McMillian are both in the last year of their deals, so the Broncos keep extra developmental help around.
At safety, Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, JL Skinner and Miles Scott all make it. Denver already released Taylor Rapp because of personal issues, though a reunion could still happen later. That leaves the Broncos thin at the spot, which is why they carry five safeties and use the rookie seventh-rounder Scott over Tycen Anderson.
The specialists are straightforward: Wil Lutz at kicker, Jeremy Crawshaw at punter and Mitchell Fraboni at long snapper. Fraboni has held off undrafted rookie Luke Basso, though Basso is still being kept in camp to help split snaps, a sign that Fraboni is staying put.
In Other News...
Broncos Just Made Final Cuts A Lot Tougher Than Expected
The Broncos closed the preseason with a 34-6 rout of the Vikings, and the lopsided finish only sharpened the pressure on the front office as the roster deadline approaches. What had looked like a fairly straightforward trimming exercise suddenly has a few more names in the mix, thanks to backup performances that stood out when the stakes were highest for fringe players trying to survive the final round of cuts.
Sam Ehlinger and Cody Schrader both turned in notable outings that will make the conversation a lot more interesting over the next few days, while Marvin Mims Jr. left with a foot bruise but is expected to recover. Not everyone helped his case, either, as Barron struggled and could be staring at a tougher path than he seemed to have going into the finale, which is exactly the kind of late twist that can turn a routine cutdown into a real debate. [Read more 🡒]
Marvin Mims Jr. Just Put A Broncos Decision Back In Play
Marvin Mims Jr.s preseason debut for the Broncos was over almost as soon as it began against the Vikings, and the quick exit put an immediate spotlight back on his role in Denver. Mims was escorted to the sideline and then to the locker room after suffering a foot injury at the end of the first drive, a frustrating turn for a player whose speed and return ability have been part of the conversation around his place on the roster.
The timing matters because Mims has been viewed as one of the players who could shape Denvers decision-making at returner, and any injury concern naturally spills over into bigger questions about availability and contract talks. The Broncos do have other options if Mims is limited, which gives the team some insurance, but it also leaves a key special teams discussion hanging while the injury picture sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Kolbe Katsis Just Made The Broncos' Easiest Cut A Real Problem
Sean Payton reached for a little pop-culture theater before the preseason game, borrowing an analogy from The Voice to push his players into the spotlight. For a Broncos roster still taking shape, that kind of message fit the moment. Denver has long been willing to keep undrafted free agents around if they earn it, and wide receiver Kolbe Katsis has done exactly what an uphill roster candidate needs to do by standing out when the games started counting for evaluation.
Katsis made his case in the preseason, and the loudest part of it came in the return game, where his work on kickoff and punt returns gave the Broncos something useful to think about at two spots at once. Wide receiver depth is always part of the calculation, but so is the return specialist job, and Katsis has put enough on tape to make what looked like an easy cut a little less simple. Denver still has to sort out the final roster, but his performance has created a real conversation where there may not have been one before. [Read more 🡒]