State of the Broncos: Breaking Down the 90-Man Roster Post-Draft

It's time to focus on what the Broncos have, now that the draft and free agency are in the books.

With the NFL draft in the books and free agency mostly over, the Denver Broncos will now focus on offseason workouts and figuring out who, among the 90 players under contract, will eventually become part of the 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad.

There will likely be moves made in the months leading up to training camp, which will most likely involve younger players who are released after another player is added, but might include a veteran being released after June 1.

But while a lot can change between now and the start of training camp, now is a good time to look at where the roster stands and what moves the Broncos might make, depending on how players progress in the coming months, then in training camp and the preseason.

Let's look at each position group and see where things stand.

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Quarterback

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Russell Wilson, Josh Johnson, Brett Rypien, Eric Barriere (rookie tryout invitation)

There's no question that Wilson will be the starter, but it remains to be seen who will back him up. One might think Johnson is locked in as the backup, but that's not guaranteed.

The Broncos gave Johnson a $100K signing bonus, but that doesn't commit them to the veteran. The team could opt to go with Rypien as the backup.

Or the Broncos might surprise us and go with Barriere over Rypien, should the former impress during his upcoming tryout. They might even keep four quarterbacks through training camp.

In summary, the only thing Broncos fans need wonder here is who becomes the backup to Wilson and, if it's Johnson, whether Rypien or Barriere is on the active roster or the practice squad.

Running Back

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Javonte Williams, Melvin Gordon, Mike Boone, Damarea Crockett, Tyriek McCallister

It appeared that Williams was going to be the featured back, until Gordon decided to re-sign with the Broncos. Even so, Williams may enter training camp as the top option, though Gordon will likely get his share of touches.

The question to be answered is who rounds out the depth chart? Boone has the most experience of the other three, but he has no guaranteed money left. The Broncos could save $1.25M in cap space by cutting him.

But that depends on what Crockett and McCallister do this coming offseason. Boone's value is on special teams, so for either back to have a chance to push Boone off the roster, it likely depends on what they do on special teams.

Wide Receiver

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Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Kendall Hinton, Tyrie Cleveland, Montrell Washington, Travis Fulgham, Trey Quinn, Seth Williams, Brandon Johnson, Kaden Davis, Jalen Virgil

It's hard to see the Broncos keeping more than six receivers once final roster cuts are made. Given that four of the receivers (Sutton, Patrick, Jeudy, Hamler) are near locks to make the final roster, that leaves a lot of players competing for two spots.

Hinton has NFL experience and the Broncos used a fifth-round pick on Washington. Both have experience in the return game, which could give both the edge regarding those final two spots.

This is the position in which you may see certain players waived during the offseason should others with upcoming tryouts impress the coaching staff. For those receivers on the bubble, they'll have to impress if they want to make it to training camp.

Tight End

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Albert Okwuegbunam, Eric Tomlinson, Eric Saubert, Andrew Beck, Greg Dulcich, Shaun Beyer, Rodney Williams, Dylan Parham

Okwuegbunam improved in his second year and likely will lead the depth chart entering the offseason. After using a third-round pick on Dulcich, he likely has the second spot on the depth chart locked up.

Beck got a $200K signing bonus and Tomlinson got a $400K signing bonus in their one-year deals, respectively, but Beck arguably brings more to special teams. Saubert, who re-signed after the draft, could face an uphill battle to make the team, but if he impresses, the Broncos could move on from one of the other two blocking tight ends.

Beyer was an undrafted rookie whom George Paton reportedly liked, but he'll have to impress this offseason. Perhaps he surprises us, but he looks more like a practice squad candidate at this time.

Offensive Tackle

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Garett Bolles, Calvin Anderson, Billy Turner, Tom Compton, Quinn Bailey, Drew Himmelman, Casey Tucker, Sebastian Gutierrez

The Broncos didn't draft an offensive tackle this year, so they'll be looking at three experienced players to compete for the right tackle job.

Anderson got $2.5M fully guaranteed while Turner got $2.4M fully guaranteed. Both are likely locks to make the roster, barring a trade. Compton got a little more than $1M fully guaranteed, but that alone may not be enough to ensure his roster spot.

Among the others, Bailey was solid in his lone start this past season. He and the others might be considered practice squad candidates, but one of them could push Compton out of the picture with an impressive offseason.

Interior O-Line

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Dalton Risner, Lloyd Cushenberry, Graham Glasgow, Quinn Meinerz, Netane Muti, Luke Wattenberg, Zack Johnson, Michael Niese

At first glance, it would appear that Risner, Cushenberry, and Glasgow will be the starters. However, neither Risner nor Cushenberry have any guaranteed salary left.

The two, though, could be put on the trading block if players such as Meinerz and Wattenberg impress to the point that the Broncos want to start them.

Muti's status is up in the air given he may not be a good fit for the blocking scheme. However, he will get his chance to prove otherwise.

This position, more than any other, could be where the Broncos consider trade offers. Because Risner and Cushenberry would have to go through waivers, there could be teams interested if they want to ensure they get the player in question.

Interior Defenders

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Dre'Mont Jones, D.J. Jones, Mike Purcell, McTelvin Agim, DeShawn Williams, Jonathan Harris, Marquiss Spencer, Matt Henningsen, Eyioma Uwazurike, Jonathan Kongbo

Here, we see one veteran who could be released if others emerge during the offseason. The Broncos could save $3.5M in cap space by cutting Purcell after June 1.

Another player to watch is Agim, who has seldom seen the field in the past two seasons. He'll get his chance to impress a new coaching staff, but some fans may see 2022 as Agim's "make or break" season, given he is a former third-round pick.

Williams got a $200K signing bonus, but that won't ensure he makes the roster. If others leave a bigger impression than Williams, the Broncos could still let him go.

Edge Rushers

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Randy Gregory, Bradley Chubb, Malik Reed, Jonathon Cooper, Andre Mintze, Aaron Patrick, Nik Bonitto, Christopher Allen

Gregory and Chubb will most likely be the starters, with Chubb out to prove himself after a disappointing 2021 season. At this point, Chubb isn't going to re-set the market should he prove worthy of an extension. However, a deal similar to Gregory's could be in his future if he has a strong 2022 season.

While some might wonder if Chubb gets traded, I'm not convinced that happens. Most likely, he stays for 2022, with the question being whether or not the Broncos opt to keep him in 2023.

The bigger question may be Reed, who got the right of first refusal tender. Though Reed has signed the tender, his $2.433M salary isn't guaranteed. The Broncos could still move on if others impress.

Given that Bonito is expected to be a major contributor in 2022, and that Cooper made an impression in 2021, it may be Reed who is under the most pressure to prove himself. All it would take is one more edge rusher to impress in training camp and the Broncos may decide that Reed is no longer worth keeping.

Off-Ball Linebacker

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Baron Browning, Josey Jewell, Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Jonas Griffith, Barrington Wade, Kadofi Wright, Kana'i Mauga

There's a lot of talk that Browning will get moved to edge rusher, but I'm not buying that it will be an outright move. I can see Browning being used in the pass rush more often, but I'm not convinced Ejiro Evero will make him a pure edge rusher. I expect Browning to still be put into run defense and coverage on plenty of downs.

In fact, there's talk that Evero won't roll out two off-ball linebackers on every down. That means you may not see somebody like Jewell or Singleton out there every snap.

This begs the question about how many linebackers will be kept on the active roster. Jewell has his entire $3.75M salary for 2022 guaranteed, so he should be a lock. Singleton, though, only got his $150K signing bonus guaranteed, so he's not assured of a roster spot.

Cornerbacks

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Patrick Surtain II, Ronald Darby, K'Waun Williams, Michael Ojemudia, Falon Hicks, Essang Bassey, Bless Austin, Donnie Lewis Jr., Damarri Mathis, Ja'Quan McMillian, Cortez Davis

Surtain, Darby, and Williams should be settled as the top three cornerbacks on the roster. That leaves the remaining spots up for grabs.

Broncos fans will likely expect to see something out of Ojemudia, given his status as a former third-round pick. After missing much of 2021 with injuries, Ojemudia will be out to prove himself.

Mathis may be a safe bet to make the roster, too, given that the Broncos took him in the fourth round. The others are likely fighting it out for the final spots and may have to impress on special teams to make the final cut.

Safety

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Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson, Caden Sterns, Jamar Johnson, Delarrin Turner-Yell, P.J. Locke, J.R. Reed

It's interesting to look at the safeties on the roster, because there could be at least one cut somewhere that people may not expect.

Johnson was a fifth-round pick in 2021, but that doesn't guarantee him anything. The same is true with Turner-Yell, even if he was taken in the fifth round this year. Reed was signed as a free agent, but got no guaranteed money.

Some might wonder if Jackson is let go, but the $2M he'll receive is fully guaranteed, so a trade is the only way to safely get out of the deal. However, Jackson might not see as many snaps if he makes the final roster, particularly if Sterns builds upon a quality rookie season.

Specialists

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Brandon McManus (K), Sam Martin (P), Corliss Waitman (P), Jacob Bobenmoyer (LS)

McManus and Bobenmoyer appear to be safe bets to make the roster. Martin has been mentioned as a possible cut, given his $2.25M base salary, but Waitman will have to prove he's the better option.

We'll learn more about how the roster takes shape as offseason activities get underway.

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