4 Broncos With the Most to Lose in Preseason Finale vs. Rams
During the last couple of weeks of preseason and training camp, figuring out the tail end of the roster becomes increasingly difficult as position battles to fill the last few spots come to a close. Injuries have mounted for the Denver Broncos, especially at wide receiver, with Jerry Jeudy going down with a hamstring injury, making it even more difficult to finalize the roster math.
Fortunately, finding the details on how this roster is shaping up should become more clear when the Broncos take on the Los Angeles Rams in their final preseason game on Saturday.
Which players have the most to lose? Let's dive in.
Marquez Callaway | WR
Despite all of the injuries to the wide receiver room, Callaway has the most to lose when it comes to the depth of the unit. It’s going to be interesting to watch how everything plays out on Saturday, but Callaway has a lot of stiff competition from several players below him on the depth chart.
Brandon Johnson is returning from his ankle injury suffered a couple of weeks ago, and before he went down, he was the first receiver to take the field after Tim Patrick's torn Achilles at the opening of training camp. Other players like Jalen Virgil (who is now on injured reserve with a torn meniscus), Kendall Hinton, and Taylor Grimes have seen some run with the first-team offense.
These receivers also appear to have a better rapport with Russell Wilson than Callaway. When you add special teams versatility into the equation, Callaway offers a lot as a gunner on the return coverage units but doesn’t offer any upside as a returner, opening up a potential spot on the roster for Montrell Washington.
The Broncos have also been in close contact with KJ Hamler, who was waived after being diagnosed with pericarditis (heart condition) early in training camp. Hamler is close to his window of return, so that makes this situation with Callaway all the more complicated.
Even though Callaway is a veteran in the Sean Payton system, he needs to have a big game to stave off the heavy competition for his roster spot.
Tyler Badie | RB
Through no fault of his own, Badie is teetering on the edge of the roster due to an unfortunate injury and the outstanding performance of Jaleel McLaughlin throughout training camp. Badie, who has explosive play potential as a runner and receiver, hasn’t gotten enough opportunities to showcase his abilities.
With that said, the one position group that is arguably the most difficult to project across the NFL when evaluating the final roster is running back. Part of the reason for that is the roster math of keeping a fullback as a lead blocker or using a tight end in those kinds of situations.
The Broncos have an ongoing competition between Michael Burton and Nate Adkins to see if either of those guys has enough versatility to be a fullback as well as a key special teams player, making the roster math even more difficult. Adkins is also deeply involved in the tight end competition, making him a very valuable piece to the puzzle.
With three guys firmly ahead of him on the roster already, Badie needs to show enough play-making ability both out of the backfield and on special teams to be able to dethrone either Burton or Adkins to keep his roster spot as the fourth-string running back, or he will be forced to the practice squad should he make it through waivers.
Tyler Lancaster | DL
After long-time starting nose tackle Mike Purcell was placed on the Non-Football Injury list due to recovering from off-season surgery, Lancaster was presented with a huge opportunity to land on an NFL roster as an undrafted rookie. Lancaster started for the Broncos' defense in each of the first two preseason games, showing mixed results going against first-team opposition.
Lancaster was tossed around frequently, showing that his lack of technical refinement and play strength at the point of attack was an issue that needed to be addressed. With Purcell recently passing his physical and restructuring his contract to allow him to keep his roster spot, Lancaster is now faced with competing for a practice squad spot with fellow undrafted free agent P.J. Mustipher.
When given opportunities late in games, Mustipher has shown better awareness, gap integrity, and play strength than Lancaster while offering more upside as a developmental player as well. Mustipher also has shown that he is capable of getting after the quarterback in camp, something Lancaster hasn’t been able to do in his time on the field.
While neither Mustipher nor Lancaster are projected to make the opening day roster, there is a practice squad position open for the taking. Mustipher appears to be the leader in that race based on preseason performances.
Tremon Smith | CB
When Smith was signed back in March, the Broncos were projecting him to be at the top of the depth chart when it came to punt and kick returns, as well as being in the mix to fill the void as a backup slot cornerback behind K’Waun Williams.
The Broncos have been looking for a punt and kick returner for years, struggling to land on a quality option since Trindon Holliday gashed opponents back in the early 2010s. Montrell Washington struggled last year not only catching punts but making quality decisions on when to let the ball bounce or to fair catch the football.
Smith has yet to see an opportunity on punt return and has been outplayed by cornerback Essang Bassey in the slot, with Bassey reeling in a pair of interceptions during the first two preseason games while Smith has been absolutely shredded in coverage.
With rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims, Jr. and the aforementioned Washington ahead of him on the depth chart in the return game and Bassey showing his ball-hawking ability, Smith needs a major bounce-back performance to be considered for a roster spot at this point.
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