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Power Ranking the Broncos' Roster: Players 20-11

Join us as we power-rank the Broncos' current roster, based on how important in both the short- and long-term each player is to the team.

In our fourth installment, we continue to power-rank the most important Denver Broncos, taking a look at the players that came in ranked 20-11. If you missed them, you can check out 50-41 here, 40-31 here and 30-21 here

This next group of Broncos includes players that are either key contributors already in the 2019 season, players that have great contract situations that will keep them here for the near future, or a combination of the two. 

You'll also find a player or two in this section that may be playing their final season with the team, despite being a high-level contributor.

Here are your Broncos power-ranked 11-20.

20: Brandon McManus, K

Contract Status: Due $4,250,00 in 2020, UFA in 2021.

It's always difficult to pin a kicker's value relative to everyone else on the team. For the large part of his career in Denver, McManus was fairly automatic on converting his field-goal attempts. In recent seasons, however, he hasn't been quite as sharp, and has really struggled from 50-plus yards.

McManus will be due just over $4 million next season, which will put him at No. 5 overall in the league for kicker cap hits. There have been some that have floated the idea of moving on from McManus to save money, but I just don't see that making sense. 

You take a look around the league and see so many teams struggling to find reliable kickers, so why let a good one like McManus go? If anything, they should look to extend him to bring that cap hit down.

19: DaeSean Hamilton, WR

Contract Status: Rookie contract through 2021, UFA in 2022.

Hamilton hasn't exactly had the impact so far this season you would have hoped to see. After seeing Tim Patrick placed on IR, many thought it would be an opportunity for Hamilton to take a big step forward. 

Some of the lack of production can be attributed to this offensive system, which doesn't typically provide a lot of looks for the third wide receiver. In addition, Hamilton regularly finds himself as the guy 'doing the dirty work' on offense, according to Vic Fangio, and even though he's not showing up in the box score, he's making a positive impact on games.

Hamilton is under a cheap rookie contract through 2021 so expect to see him be a big part of this offense moving forward, which is largely why he's ranked this high even with little to no production so far this season. With Emmanuel Sanders gone, there will be a ton of pressure on Hamilton to produce going forward.

18: Connor McGovern, C

Contract Status: UFA in 2020

Remember when everyone was freaking out about the Broncos letting Matt Paradis walk? Well, so far this season, McGovern has played significantly better — and it's not even close. Outside of one bad snap in the Week 6 win over the Titans, McGovern has looked like an above-average center.

McGovern is definitely a strong candidate for a mid-season contract extension. It would be nice to have him, Dalton Risner, and Ja'Wuan James locked in for the next several seasons learning under offensive line coach Mike Munchak. If nothing is done, McGovern is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the upcoming offseason.

17: Emmanuel Sanders, WR

Contract Status: UFA in 2020 (Traded).

Note: These rankings were compiled the day of the Sanders trade, too late to remove and three installments in. 

16: Dre'Mont Jones, DL

Contract Status: Rookie contract through 2022, UFA in 2023.

The Broncos may have found themselves a player here. Jones has looked very promising so far this season, carving out a nice rotational role within the defensive line. He did not log any snaps in Week 1, and just 9 total in Week 2, but has been averaging around 25 (about 1/3 of the total) defensive snaps since.

Given all of the UFAs set for 2020 free agency along the Broncos' defensive line, I would not at all be shocked if Jones finds himself as a day-one starter next season. He will, however, have to compete with DeMarcus Walker, who has also flashed the potential the Broncos saw in him when they drafted him. It's going to be fun watching Jones progress throughout the season under Bill Kollar's coaching.

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15: Malik Reed, OLB

Contract Status: Cheap contract through 2021, RFA in 2022.

Reed could very well be the next Shaq Barrett for this team. How the heck do the Broncos always find a way to sign these hidden gem pass rushers? I can tell you I'm definitely not complaining. 

Reed stepped in immediately for injured Bradley Chubb and picked up right where he left off. This guy was supposed to just be a rotational pass rusher, but so far this season he has produced game grades that would indicate he's an above-average starter on most teams.

The best part of having Malik on the roster? He's due basically the league minimum for the next two seasons, and to put a cherry on top, the Broncos have his restricted rights in 2022 so they can retain him an additional year for a modest cost. 

With Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Malik Reed, and Justin Hollins under contract for the next several years, the Broncos will not be needing to add any edge rushers to the team for quite a while.

14: Andy Janovich, FB

Contract Status: Just signed 3-year extension, UFA in 2023.

Gotta love Jano. Would love to have 22 Janos.

Well, the Broncos brass happens to agree, having recently extended Janovich for another 3 seasons. The run game is significantly better when Jano is on the field. He is also a special teams stud and captain. 

He's a great locker room presence for the younger guys on the team too. Get used to seeing Andy Janovich in the orange in blue for the near future. I love this extension.

13: Bryce Callahan, CB

Contract Status: $8.33M due in 2020 and 2021, UFA in 2022.

Yes, I have Callahan, a guy that's played exactly zero snaps in 2019 ranked as the 13th-most important Bronco. Why? The team absolutely needs him beyond the 2019 season. If Chris Harris walks, who is this team's best corner? Can't be Isaac Yiadom, can't be De'Vante Bausby, can't be Davontae Harris. Duke Dawson? C'mon now. So who?

In comes Bryce Callahan. Callahan knows this Fangio defense. He also was playing extremely well in the system last year with the Bears. He will eventually get healthy and he will be a major contributor to this team. 

It's certainly frustrating to watch a new free agent signing sit on the sideline for close to the first half of the season now, but they are just being safe about his long-term health because they understand how vital he is to the short term improvement of this team.

All of that said, if Callahan continues to miss games, or even find himself on IR, his ranking here is going to continue to drop each week.

12: Royce Freeman, RB

Contract Status: Rookie contract through 2021, UFA in 2022.

Royce has looked strong so far in the 2019 season. He and Lindsay have really started to look like the RB duo we had all hoped they would be. That duo is going to be around for the next couple of seasons at least, so you hope it can only get better the more playing time they get.

Royce has shown flashes of his receiving ability this year, which is going to be nice to keep opposing defense off balance. If you remember last season, Royce made little-to-no impact in the receiving game out of the backfield, logging just 14 receptions on 20 targets for the entire season. 

In the current season, Royce eclipsed that same reception total of 14 through just four weeks! He's actually on pace to get more than 50 receptions on the year. This has added an entirely new dynamic to the Broncos' rushing attack. Defenses can no longer predict play calls like they were last year, purely based on which RB was in the game.

11: Chris Harris, Jr., CB

Contract Status: UFA in 2020

Chris Harris, Jr. may very well be the most important player on this Broncos team right now. Not having him on the team would be catastrophic to the secondary. So why is he ranked just outside of the top-10?

It's simple.

There is a very significant chance Harris is playing his last season in Denver. GM John Elway tried to work on an extension for Harris during the offseason, but ultimately just landed on a pay raise for this season. If the plan was to keep Harris beyond 2019, you would have to imagine a new deal would have been made by now.

That's not to say it's a guarantee Harris walks in 2020 free agency. It's possible his market isn't nearly as rich as he thinks it will be as a 30-year-old corner who has had some recent injuries (even if he's a freak in his rehab). 

Like Sanders, Harris will be someone to keep an eye on as the trade deadline nears. Elway says no team has made a recent offer but you never know when a team might tender one the Broncos can't refuse. 

So there are your 11-20-ranked Denver Broncos. Please chime in with your thoughts in the comment section below and look out for the next part of the series unveiling the top-10.

Follow Trevor on Twitter @TrevorJudge and @MileHighHuddle.