Sean Payton finally answered the kind of question he had mostly sidestepped all summer.
After Monday’s practice, with the Broncos’ roster cuts already behind them and the initial 53-man roster and practice squad in place, Payton was asked which young players might have breakout potential this season. This time, he gave three names: Eyioma Uwazurike, Pat Bryant and Sam Ehlinger.
“There have been a number of players," Payton said after Monday's practice. "Like who’s had really good camps?
We’ll start with a number of guys. ‘Enyi’ (DL Eyioma Uwazurike) has played really well, [WR] Pat [Bryant] has played really well.
I’m going to miss guys here... I think we start with the quarterback, and Sam [Ehlinger] really progressed.”
The Ehlinger mention stands out for one simple reason: the Broncos do not want to need him. If he’s playing meaningful regular-season snaps, something has gone badly wrong with Bo Nix - and maybe even Jarrett Stidham.
Still, Payton’s point was clear enough. Ehlinger made real progress over the summer, built momentum in camp, and earned his place on the 53-man roster.
“We had a chance to see some of these young players," Payton said. "There are some that are more ready to play than others."
The two names that matter most in the breakout conversation are Uwazurike and Bryant.
Uwazurike has been working at defensive end opposite Zach Allen, the role John Franklin-Myers filled over the last two seasons. He was the starter there in the preseason, and he put together a strong camp.
The only question now is how the snaps will actually be divided. Malcolm Roach has also been in the mix for that opening on the defensive line, so while Denver appears to be leaning toward Uwazurike, preseason usage only tells part of the story.
Bryant, though, was one of the loudest stories of Broncos camp. Payton has mentioned him before, and the rookie receiver kept stacking strong days until he clearly separated himself from the pack. The Broncos opened camp with a battle for the No. 3 receiver job behind Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle, and Bryant beat out Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims Jr., Lil'Jordan Humphrey and others.
His preseason numbers did not jump off the page, but that had more to do with how Denver handled him than any lack of belief. The Broncos barely played him, which says plenty about where they view him in the pecking order.
That still doesn’t mean Bryant will get the No. 3 role all to himself. Payton has long liked to move receivers around and mix the group beyond his top two. Even so, Bryant looks positioned to get the biggest share, especially because he can work at any of the three receiver spots, just like Sutton and Waddle.
Health is the biggest thing standing in the way. Bryant dealt with two concussions late last season, including one that sent him to the hospital, and a hamstring injury kept him out of most of Denver’s playoff action.
If he stays on the field, the opportunity is there. With new offensive coordinator Davis Webb calling plays, the Broncos have already shown some hints of how the ball might be distributed by Nix this season.
Sutton is expected to remain Nix’s security blanket. Waddle should get plenty of targets.
Evan Engram could have a larger role in Year 2.
But the offense will still be shaped by matchups, and Nix will go where the looks are best. Bryant has been winning those battles against Denver’s vaunted secondary all summer, and training camp showed a growing trust between him and Nix.
That bond already looks strong enough to matter once the games count. Payton’s comments on Monday weren’t just casual praise; they lined up with what the Broncos saw in camp and preseason. Uwazurike and Bryant both look like players with a real path to something bigger this season.
In Other News...
Broncos Bring Back A Familiar Name As Roster Churn Continues
Roster movement kept rolling in Denver as the Broncos filled out their practice squad with 17 players, a group that included a familiar face in fullback Adam Prentice. It is the kind of late-summer housekeeping that often goes unnoticed outside the building, but it matters for a team trying to keep depth in place while sorting through the final edges of the roster.
Prentices path back to Denver gives the move a little extra familiarity. He first joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent, later spent time with the New Orleans Saints, and then returned to Denver, where he appeared in all 17 games in 2025. For a club still cycling through personnel, keeping a player who already knows the system and the environment can be useful as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Just Put More Pressure On One Young Pass Rusher
The Broncos chose to keep seven defensive linemen on their 53-man roster, and that decision says plenty about how they view Saivion Jones. The 2025 third-round pick has not moved as quickly as some might have expected, but Denver still carried him through roster cuts, betting on the long-term upside that made him worth the investment in the first place.
Jones now joins a group that includes Eyioma Uwazurike, Tyler Onyedim and Jordan Jackson as the Broncos work to reshape the interior of the line after losing veteran John Franklin-Myers. He is likely to sit low on the depth chart for now, but the fact that he made the team gives Denver another chance to keep developing a young pass rusher it clearly does not want to give up on yet. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Kept A Fan Favorite Rookie In The Mix At Key Spot
After trimming to their initial 53-man roster, the Broncos made one more quiet move to keep a young defender in the fold by signing rookie inside linebacker Red Murdock to the practice squad. The seventh-round pick did enough during the offseason and preseason to stay on the teams radar, even if he did not crack the active roster on cutdown day.
Murdock now gets to keep developing within the same system rather than starting over somewhere else, and Denver gets a chance to keep evaluating a player who flashed enough to remain part of the conversation. With the roster settled and a few rookies already making their way onto the team, the practice squad spot gives the Broncos another look at a player they clearly were not ready to let go completely. [Read more 🡒]