Broncos Practice Observations: Receiver Competition Resolving
Englewood, Colo. — The Denver Broncos are one preseason game away from the regular season and with that comes roster intrigue. Which players will be the starters and which will round out the depth are the two big questions on everyone’s mind.
The competition at wide receiver and tight end is definitely taking shape. The last preseason game vs. the Minnesota Vikings will likely solidify things, but observing Thursday's practice hinted at what that decision will be.
It's a foregone conclusion that Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and KJ Hamler will make the roster. The last three wideout spots are up in the air. Rookie Montrell Washington has secured a spot due to his return capabilities, but he may end up as the fourth receiver on the depth chart.
Washington was playing with the Broncos' first-team offense in the early portion of practice. His dynamic playmaking ability will give the coaches several options when he is in the game, both as a pass-catcher and as a ball-carrier in gadget plays.
Who will make the squad after Washington? Kendall Hinton has the inside track, and with his experience, he's the most likely fifth receiver. It would be astounding to see him get cut when the final 53-man roster is set.
The final spot is Brandon Johnson’s to lose. The team has given him every opportunity to take the spot, and he has delivered. In practice, he had some reps with the first team and ran with the twos frequently.
Judging Johnson as a receiver alone, he is the sixth guy. The only issue could come from special teams concerns.
Johnson has practiced with the third-phase unit and had some snaps in the last preseason game, but his role is not solidified. In the end, it would be a mild surprise to see Tyrie Cleveland, Seth Williams, or any other roster bubble players surpass him.
Finally, we have the tight ends. This group doesn’t quite have the intrigue as the wide receivers, but there is some uncertainty.
When the Broncos released the first depth chart, Eric Saubert's place on that chart was, well, out of place. It was not representative of how he had practiced, and his place was solidified in Thursday’s practice if it wasn’t already.
Saubert ran with the starters and split out wide to add a wrinkle to the offense. He has worked hard to be an all-around tight end, which shows in practice.
In two tight end sets, Saubert split out wide nearly every time. The coaches see him as a weapon in different formations, and it would be flabbergasting if he didn’t make the team. He will be a surprising weapon on offense after a couple of unremarkable seasons.
Andrew Beck was another in the tight end/fullback/H-back category that appears to have the inside track on a roster spot. The team ran some two-back sets with him at fullback, and he ran pass patterns from that position.
With rookie third-rounder Greg Dulcich still working back from his lingering hamstring injury, the Broncos might opt to carry four tight ends and Beck as the fullback/H-back. The way the Broncos utilized Saubert and Beck will require a full roster at the tight end position group.
When the real games start, the Broncos will have plenty of passing weapons for Russell Wilson to play with. It's going to be fun to watch how new head coach Nathaniel Hackett dials up plays for all of them.
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