The Broncos are set to bring fullback Adam Prentice and long snapper Mitch Fraboni up from the practice squad for Monday’s 2026 opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to beat reporter Chris Tomasson.
Prentice’s path back to the 53-man roster has already become familiar in Denver. He first arrived as a 2021 undrafted free agent and spent a brief stretch with the Broncos before moving on to New Orleans, where he spent four seasons and overlapped with head coach Sean Payton. He then reunited with Payton before last season and suited up for all 17 games, finishing with 10 carries for 44 yards, including six first-down runs, plus six catches for 53 receiving yards.
The Broncos had already hinted at this kind of move. Prentice and Fraboni were both cut during Denver’s final roster trim last month, then brought back to the practice squad with the expectation that they’d return to the active roster.
“In regards to Prentice and Fraboni, I just talked about it. It just gives us flexibility,” general manager George Paton said upon forming the 2026 outfit.
“The expanded practice squad allows that. You can elevate.
There are certain things you can do with your roster. It’s just part of it, the roster management.”
Fraboni’s role is straightforward. He’ll be the lone active long snapper in Kansas City and handle his usual duties.
Prentice’s job is a little more specific, but no less important. He’s expected to serve as the primary blocker for Broncos running backs J.K.
Dobbins and RJ Harvey, especially in short-yardage and goal-to-go situations. Denver featured him heavily in that role during the preseason, and he should see most of the early-down work if the Broncos try to lean on the run to keep Patrick Mahomes and company on the sideline.
“I’m not as familiar with him as some of the other guys have been. Guys that were there even after," Payton said in August 2025.
"We’ll continue to pay real close attention to the tight end wire and also the fullback. We had a few of those guys in to work out.
We’ve always kind of had an ‘F’. I think quietly [TE] Nate [Adkins] was one of those players that I don’t know got a lot of attention, and yet there was a lot of respect around the league and in the locker room for the way he did a number of things."
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Bo Nix Sounds Like A QB Who Knows What Denver Needs Next
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There is a practical layer to all of that, of course, because performance now shapes everything that comes next. Nix acknowledged that future contract talk is tied directly to what he does on the field, which adds another level of pressure to a season already carrying plenty of expectation. Around the division, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy also offered their own reads on health, chemistry and readiness, underscoring just how many moving parts will be in play once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]