Before the Broncos get to their first Monday Night Football game of the 2026 season against the Kansas City Chiefs, there’s still plenty to sort out, and Friday night’s preseason Week 2 matchup with the Green Bay Packers gives them another chance to sort through it all.
That’s also where a few Denver players have started to separate themselves. Some are obvious.
One might be easy to miss if you haven’t been watching closely. But all three have seen their momentum pick up in a big way entering this week.
Jonah Elliss is the loudest riser of the bunch. If anything, calling his stock “on the rise” undersells it. The edge rusher is making a real case as a weapon off the edge, and with his third season approaching, he looks ready for a breakout.
Against the Falcons in preseason Week 1, Elliss turned in several strong pass-rush snaps, but the one that stood out most came when he got a hand into the throwing lane, disrupted Cooper Rush’s follow-through, and helped force an interception by Riley Moss.
Riley Moss comes up with the INT 🔥
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/IrkoSwqisK
- NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2026
On paper, the play doesn’t jump off the screen as some dominant bull rush. It looks more like a brief win at the line.
But that’s the point: when Elliss is healthy, that kind of snap is part of what he does best. He’s built on effort and edge presence, sure, but the real skill is the way he converts speed to power and uses his length and strength to keep tackles off balance.
That matters because an edge rusher with speed has to do more than just turn the corner. If Elliss is first to get hands on, as he was there, he can force the blocker into survival mode.
That can lead to a pick like this one, or later on, a strip-sack. Either way, it feeds into the Broncos’ emphasis on creating takeaways in 2026.
Jonah Coleman has already made his own case, and the buzz around him is no longer just coming from outside the building. Sean Payton said after the game that Coleman was taken out quickly for a rookie in his first preseason action because the Broncos had already seen enough to know what they needed to know. Davis Webb has said the same thing in different words.
And it’s easy to understand why. Coleman checks a lot of boxes that matter for an NFL back: contact balance, ball security, pass protection, strong hands, yards after contact, patience, and vision. That’s a pretty complete list, and it explains why his draft slot as a fourth-round pick hasn’t done anything to cool the excitement around him.
In Denver, fit and opportunity matter more than where a player was picked. Coleman has clearly earned more of both.
Then there’s Cameron Ross, the rookie UDFA wideout who may be the sleeper in this group. He didn’t arrive with much fanfare or a big signing bonus, and the receiver room around him is crowded. But Ross has a path, and it starts with the return game.
He was the first man up as a kickoff returner in the preseason game against Atlanta while Marvin Mims Jr. is recovering. The Broncos also used Ross on punt returns, gave him three targets at receiver, and even got him a touch on a jet sweep. That one went for 28 yards, which was enough to make him the team’s leading rusher on just one carry.
His name has also started surfacing with top practice units, which is another sign he’s getting real attention.
Keeping six receivers on the 53-man roster would already be unusual. Keeping an undrafted rookie as the sixth receiver would be something else entirely. But Ross has put himself in the conversation, and that alone makes him worth watching when the Broncos line up against the Packers.
In Other News...
Broncos Just Addressed A Secondary Concern Fans Could See Coming
A secondary that had already been thinned by the departure of P.J. Locke got a little more support when Denver signed veteran safety Taylor Rapp, a move that fits both the roster math and what the Broncos have seen in preseason evaluations. Rapp brings starter experience from stops with the Rams and Bills, giving Denver another proven option as it sorts out the back end of the defense.
The timing matters because the Broncos have been looking for more reliable depth there, and Rapp arrives with a history that suggests he can handle a larger role if needed. His health is also part of the appeal after last seasons injury troubles, which makes this a straightforward addition on paper, even if the larger question in the secondary is still how the rest of the rotation settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Linebacker Battle Just Opened A Bigger Door For One Name
The Broncos linebacker room took another hit this week when they waived inside linebacker Levelle Bailey, a move that is expected to send the rookie to season-ending injured reserve after he suffered a broken leg in a preseason game. Bailey had worked his way onto Denvers 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie in 2024, a notable step for a young player who had earned his spot the hard way before the injury interrupted his momentum.
Sean Payton said it remains too early to know whether Bailey can return this season, leaving the door open but far from clear. For Denver, the move adds another layer to an already unsettled position group, and it creates a wider opening for a linebacker battle that now has to account for one more absence while the team keeps sorting out its depth. [Read more 🡒]
Riley Moss Is Suddenly At The Center Of A Big Broncos Debate
Riley Moss has turned into one of the more interesting developments in Broncos training camp, and not just because the second-year corner is showing clear growth. Denvers defensive staff has taken notice of the way Moss is sharpening his technique, cleaning up the penalty issues that can get a young defensive back in trouble while still playing with the kind of edge that made him such an intriguing piece in the first place. Defensive passing game coordinator Robert Livingston and defensive backs coach Doug Belk have both pointed to his progress as a reason the Broncos secondary could take another step.
For a defense that already expects to lean on its back end, Mosss rise adds another layer to the conversation about how high this unit can climb. The coaches like the ball skills, they like the discipline, and they like the way his game is trending at the right time, but the bigger question is what it all means once the real games start. If Moss keeps building on this camp, Denver may have a lot more to sort through in a secondary that suddenly looks capable of being one of the leagues best. [Read more 🡒]