The first week of Broncos camp has already pushed the 53-man picture in a few new directions, and the second week arrives with a roster that looks a little clearer in some spots and a lot messier in others.
At quarterback, nothing has changed. Denver still carries only two on the active roster, with Sam Ehlinger left off in this projection and headed to the practice squad.
Ehlinger did open Saturday’s practice with the second-team offense, but Sean Payton quickly shut down any attempt to read that as a real development. Stidham and Nix remain the two quarterbacks in this build.
The running back group stays trimmed down, too. The Broncos keep their top three backs and use the fourth spot on the fullback, with Prentice sticking around after doing well last year when called upon. Dobbins, Harvey, and Coleman make up the backfield on the roster, while McLaughlin and Badie are pushed to the practice squad as emergency options.
Wide receiver brings one of the more interesting calls. The projection keeps five, not six, even though Humphrey is a Payton favorite and Butler has been one of camp’s early standouts.
Both still have a path to the 53, but if they miss out, the practice squad is the fallback. Bandy is projected as the backup punt returner behind Mims.
Tight end also has some moving parts. Engram has come out hot in camp and could be in line for a resurgence with Davis Webb calling plays.
Trautman and Adkins fill the role of the Broncos’ only two blocking tight ends, while Joly is viewed as the future Engram replacement. The real wrinkle is the practice squad, where Lohner’s injury situation matters.
He has been dealing with an injury for almost two months and still hasn’t practiced in camp, which could lead Denver to keep him on injured reserve with Bentley on the practice squad. There’s no indication that move is happening yet, but Payton has gone that route before.
Up front, the tackle picture is nearly locked. Only three make the roster, and that seems settled for now. Tyler Miller could still work his way into the mix the way Crum did as a rookie, but right now the big, athletic, raw tackle looks more like a practice squad candidate.
The interior line is just as stable at the top. Powers remains locked in as the starter after his restructured deal, with Wattenberg at center and Meinerz holding down first-team All-Pro right guard.
The backups are Casey, Palczewski, and Forsyth, though the Broncos still don’t have a true interior reserve who can play all three spots. Gargiulo was on the roster in the last projection, but he’s still working back from last year’s injury and started camp on the PUP list.
The expectation is that he stays there into the season. Ortega is the name to watch as a possible surprise, with some buzz around his ability to back up both guard spots and center.
On defense, the pattern is the same: the top names at each position are already set. That’s especially true along the interior defensive line, where the top six are unchanged.
Jackson is the seventh man in this projection, which brings the real debate. The question is whether Denver keeps seven.
Henningsen is still in the mix, but Jackson appears to have the edge.
What happens with the practice squad could swing things. If Henningsen shows up in games and still doesn’t beat out Jackson, he could get claimed, which would open the door for Miller to return to the practice squad.
If he isn’t claimed, then Henningsen gets the spot over Miller. The only real roster changes would come if Denver moved on from Cooper or dealt another player, and both of those outcomes seem unlikely.
Johnny Walker and Drew Sanders are also part of the conversation, though Sanders is again missing time with an injury and that may be enough to hurt him.
Linebacker remains one of the shakier spots on the roster. Turner is on the NFI list, though he’s expected back soon, and that creates an opening for Murdock, York, or Levelle Bailey to make a move.
Still, Turner’s play late last year and his special teams value keep him ahead of that group for now. On the practice squad side, Murdock and York appear to have moved ahead of Bailey, and Bailey’s time in Denver could be running out.
Cornerback is only in play if Denver trades one away. Without that kind of move, the top five are set.
Taylor and Robinson have been mentioned as possible challengers, but the numbers don’t work in their favor and both land on the practice squad in this projection. There’s no real debate at the top, though Skinner has given up multiple big plays in practice, which opens the door for Scott.
Anderson makes the roster because of special teams, and that’s part of why Skinner still holds the edge over Scott for now. Even so, that battle is far from settled.
Special teams is straightforward in some spots and razor-thin in others. Lutz and Crawshaw are in, no questions asked.
At long snapper, Basso gets the nod over Mitchell Fraboni. Basso still being in Denver says plenty about how much the team values him and how close that competition is with the well-paid Fraboni.
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