Broncos 2026 Draft Picks at Risk of Being Cut This Weekend

The Denver Broncos' draft class didn't have it easy.

Cracking a roster as deep as Denver's is no mean feat, regardless of one's draft pedigree. Even cornerback Jahdae Barron — a 2025 first-round pick — has yet to earn a starting job, though his place on the roster is secure entering Year 2.

Not all of the Broncos' seven 2026 draft picks can say the same. In fact, most of them can't at the moment.

With the preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings coming up quickly on Friday night, followed by the NFL's deadline to trim rosters down to the final 53 players, the pressure is on for Denver's draft class to show out.

Let's take a look at the rookie draft picks who need a great performance in the finale to avoid the roster bubble.

Justin Joly | TE

Odds are, Joly is making the 53-man roster simply because the Broncos know he likely wouldn't survive the waiver wire. Has the rookie fifth-rounder been better than tight ends Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull?

In some ways, yes, but overall, not really. Joly is essentially learning a new position: NFL tight end. And it's a far cry from the 'big slot' position he mastered in college.

However, Joly has shown a willingness to attack his blocking responsibilities, despite his lack of technical proficiency, and his athleticism as a pass-catcher has been on full display. I believe he makes the 53-man roster at Krull's expense, but it's not a for-sure.

Joly needs a good Friday night performance to remove all doubt.

Miles Scott | S

Scott, a seventh-round pick, has been lost in the safety shuffle. He's yet to really stand out in a meaningful way, and that's not 100% a bad thing, as he's not been guilty of any obvious gaffes in the preseason games.

During training camp, though, Scott and his fellow depth safeties got exposed on deep passes regularly, which is one of the reasons the Broncos looked off the roster for some veteran depth, initially signing Taylor Rapp, only to release him a week later due to some personal issues he's dealing with off the field.

Outside of notching a pick-six or making some type of game-changing play against the Vikings, I'm not sure there's enough runway left for Scott to make up for his quiet rookie summer. Being relatively new to the safety position, it's clear that he's going to need more time to ripen on the vine, and the Broncos will likely be willing to give it to him by re-signing him to the practice squad after he's waived over the weekend.

With two safety spots open behind Devon Key, JL Skinner seems to have one on lockdown, with Tycen Anderson the likely leader for the other. If I'm Scott, I'm doing everything I can on Friday night to outshine Anderson.

Dallen Bentley | TE

Dallen Bentley and Adam Trautman — Denver Broncos tight end Adam Trautman (82) and tight end Dallen Bentley (89) during training camp at Broncos Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Like Joly, Bentley has been swimming this summer. 'D.B.' has often been asked to stay in and block in the handful of preseason snaps he's gotten, with only a few routes run thus far.

The seventh-rounder's upside is there, but Bentley is mostly a victim of the veteran depth of the Broncos' roster, the fact that he was one of two tight ends drafted this year, and the one with the lowest pedigree. I imagine the Broncos will want to keep him in the fold on the practice squad, where he could be in line for game-day elevations and perhaps even an active-roster promotion if injuries were to befall the depth chart.

Bentley is a Year-2 draft pick, in all likelihood. That's when the stars should align for him, so he's got to ensure he develops as much as possible between now and then.

Assuming he clears waivers, Bentley will get the year to continue developing. Such a prescription served Caleb Lohner well last year, from what head coach Sean Payton has said, though we're yet to see it in the flesh.

Red Murdock | LB

Like Joly, my gut tells me that Murdock is making this roster out of camp, even though he was the Broncos' final selection and literally the last player drafted this year. 'Mr. Irrelevant' started off quietly in camp, but about a week in, things seemed to slow down and click for him, and he's been able to build up a considerable head of steam.

The issue is that Karene Reid has one of the two open linebacker spots on lockdown, and the Broncos really like the young veteran Jordan Turner. In last week's game against the Green Bay Packers, the Broncos played Turner ahead of Murdock, relegating the rookie to the third-team unit alongside the undrafted Taurean York.

Murdock still led the team in tackles, though. In fact, he is currently the Broncos' preseason tackle leader, and if he delivers another solid performance in the finale, he's making this roster.

In a vacuum, the Broncos might go with Turner over Murdock. However, the team has to also be realistic in its expectations of the waiver wire. Murdock is more likely to get claimed on waivers than Turner is.

The reason is that Murdock has put a lot of good tape up this summer for NFL teams to see, and although he was the last player taken in the 2026 draft, he would have been a fourth- or fifth-round guy had he not been dealing with an injury. Teams that liked Murdock will have noticed how well he's played in the preseason and that he's obviously healthy, and are likely to, thus, put in a claim if he hits waivers.

I don't think Turner has that same pull, being one year removed from going undrafted and spending most of his rookie year on the Broncos' practice squad, though he was promoted late in the year and showed some good things on special teams. That's not enough, though, to create NFL demand on the waiver wire.

Let's not forget: Murdock is the FBS' all-time leader in forced fumbles. There were a lot of teams who liked him but worried about the chipped bone in his ankle. Now that he looks as good as new and is shining in the preseason, the Broncos are unlikely to sneak him through waivers.

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