With the Broncos heading toward a Week 1 trip to Kansas City, the team’s unofficial depth chart finally gave a little more clarity on how Sean Payton’s roster battles shook out. It’s not the kind of document Payton loves to lean on, but it still offered a useful snapshot of where things stand before Denver opens the regular season against the Chiefs.
At quarterback, there’s no mystery. Bo Nix is listed as the starter, Jarrett Stidham is the No. 2, and Sam Ehlinger is third, matching what Payton had already said publicly last week.
The running back picture is a little more interesting, even if the order itself isn’t shocking. Jaleel McLaughlin is ahead of J.K.
Badie, but the bigger question is who dresses on game day behind the top options. If Badie’s role on special teams is as important as Payton recently suggested, Coleman could end up inactive to start the year unless Denver goes with four running backs, which would be unusual.
At receiver, the Broncos’ unofficial chart doesn’t label the spots in a tidy way, and that’s part of the point. These wideouts are expected to move all over the formation anyway.
Troy Franklin appears to be the slot option, while Marvin Mims Jr. is still sitting atop the “Z” group, just as he did on the first unofficial chart before preseason Game 1. The Broncos may list them by position, but the way this group is expected to be used makes those labels pretty loose.
Tight end also caught attention. Evan Engram could wind up starting more often than expected after training camp suggested Denver was leaning on him heavily as an early-down blocker.
Up front, the chart gave a clearer look at the line. Alex Palczewski is listed as the backup left tackle behind Garett Bolles, who is coming off a first-team All-Pro season.
On the interior, rookie fourth-round pick Ben Powers successor - listed here as Casey - is clearly being viewed as the next man up, and the Broncos are treating him as a swing guard. He played plenty of right guard in the preseason, but the versatility to work on both sides stands out after spending his Boise State career at left tackle.
Palczewski, meanwhile, is in a useful reserve role where his ability to move around the line remains valuable.
The defensive front shows a few telling decisions, too. Sai’vion Jones is listed at nose tackle, which says more about Denver’s need to place him somewhere than it does about his true fit.
More notable is the way the end spots settled. As D.J.
Jones predicted, Jordan Roach appears to have won the John Franklin-Myers competition. Eyioma Uwazurike got the preseason starts there, so those two could still rotate, but Roach is now the starter on the depth chart.
That setup also helps explain why Sai’vion Jones is parked at nose tackle. At defensive end, Roach is now listed as a starter, while John Franklin-Myers is no longer in that spot.
Behind them, Robinson sits as the No. 2, which should mean plenty of snaps this season. It’s also notable that Eyioma Uwazurike is still in the mix after starting there in the preseason.
On the edge, Jonathon Cooper’s spot is affected by his stay on the commissioner’s exempt list to open the season, so Que Robinson is set to start opposite Nik Bonitto. Jonathon Cooper being unavailable also means Andrew Farmer II and Robinson should get a lot of rotation work.
Inside, the linebacker group is straightforward. Alex Singleton is the anchor and a likely team captain, with Justin Strnad again lining up alongside him. Drew Sanders is on the roster for a second straight year.
The secondary brings a few more small clues. Patrick Surtain II’s primary backup is listed as Kris Abrams-Draine, though it’s hard to imagine he would simply take over that role if Surtain missed time.
Riley Moss is back as the starting right corner for his third year, and if Surtain were sidelined, Moss would likely slide to the left side, as he did last season. Ja’Quan McMillian is back on his restricted free-agent tender with a raise, and Abrams-Draine sits behind him in the pecking order.
At safety, the Broncos don’t label the spots in the chart, but these are the strong safeties. Talanoa Hufanga leads the group as a second-team All-Pro, while JL Skinner looks positioned as the No. 3 safety in the same kind of role P.J.
Locke filled a year ago. That gives Skinner a real opportunity.
Special teams mostly looks familiar. Jeremy Crawshaw should be in line for a big second season at punter.
The kick return setup remains unchanged, with Marvin Mims Jr. leading the way and the same trio in the same order as last year. It wouldn’t be surprising if rookie receiver Kolbe Katsis is elevated once or twice to share kick-return duties with Mims.
The punt-return group is unchanged as well, and Mims remains the centerpiece there. He’s already a two-time All-Pro returner and one of the NFL’s best in that role.
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That is why Jamari Johnson has started to show up in the conversation as a possible first-round target down the line. The Oregon tight end already has the kind of size and receiving profile that can make evaluators dream on upside, and his college production keeps giving scouts more to work with. If Denver is still looking for a foundational fix at the position, Johnson is the sort of name worth keeping in the back of the notebook. [Read more 🡒]