5 Players Who Might Not Be on the Broncos' Roster by Week 1

The Denver Broncos feel very confident in their mostly returning roster. And they should.

After all, the Broncos won 14 games last season and the AFC West crown for the first time in a decade. They clinched the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC and defeated the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the Broncos were one Bo Nix injury away from a Super Bowl berth. Sean Payton and company have good reason to bring back the 17 free agents they have thus far.

The Broncos hold seven draft picks, even though they'll be without a first or a third-round pick due to the Jaylen Waddle trade. After the draft, the Broncos could be more of a mind to use the cap space they've been holding onto on free agents because outside signings won't risk offsetting the two compensatory picks they expect to get next year.

For these reasons and more, there are a few Broncos who might not be on the roster come Week 1 of the regular season. Let's break down who and why.

Jaleel McLaughlin | RB

First of all, I like McLaughlin. Down the stretch, he helped the Broncos stave off the worst of what could have been following J.K. Dobbins's season-ending injury, helping RJ Harvey to carry the load.

People don't realize that McLaughlin averaged 5.0 yards per carry last season, even though Payton hardly dressed him until after the Dobbins injury. Following the season, McLaughlin became a restricted free agent and the Broncos opted not to tender him.

However, the Broncos did re-sign him to a one-year deal basically at the league minimum. It promises him nothing except the opportunity to compete in training camp.

Now, the coaches like McLaughlin for his first-in, last-out work ethic, but they're also striving to upgrade each and every position, and last year's injury woes only reinforced that. McLaughlin and his running back brethren will be competing with some new blood that arrives via the draft, in all likelihood, and he could find himself on the outside looking in, depending on how that shakes out.

Tyler Badie is in the same boat as McLaughlin, by the way. They'll both be eyeing the draft with great scrutiny next month.

Matt Henningsen | DL

Like McLaughlin, Henningsen was just re-signed to a cheap one-year deal. He missed all of last season with an injury, and if the Broncos hadn't lost John Franklin-Myers in free agency, I'm not sure Henningsen would have been re-signed.

If the Broncos are able to add reinforcements to the defensive line through the draft, Henningsen might be one of the first to go when the roster cuts roll around.

Drew Sanders | LB

I hope this doesn't happen because I want Sanders to succeed. He's had some terrible injury luck, but he's also running out of runway with the Broncos.

Entering a contract year, the Broncos might be inclined to give him the first bite at the apple for the No. 3 linebacker spot, after releasing Dre Greenlaw, but I worry that even a minor injury in training camp might be all it takes to trigger a decision by the team to move on.

That would be a less-than-ideal outcome, considering Sanders was a 2023 third-round pick. But the Broncos haven't been able to keep him on the field.

On the other hand, if Sanders gets a little luck on the health front, this might be the summer he finally signals what the Broncos have been hoping to see since his rookie year. My fingers are crossed for him.

Matt Peart | OL

Peart recently restructured his contract to hopefully stick around, but after he got hurt last year, Alex Palczewski emerged as the Broncos' top depth piece. Adding to the pressure is the return of Nick Gargiulo, who missed all of last season with a knee injury.

If Gargiulo picks up where he left off, Peart might have a hard time sticking around. However, there is one ace up Peart's sleeve and that's his ability to play left tackle and serve as Garett Bolles's backup.

If the Broncos draft a tackle — they've been meeting with many — it won't portened well for Peart's outlook.

Caleb Lohner | TE

Lohner was the Broncos' seventh-round pick last year. He was very inexperienced, and that was evident right out of the gate as a pro. But the Broncos love his combination of 6-foot-7 size and his basketball athleticism.

If Lohner shows that he put his red-shirt rookie year to good use by doubling down on learning and mastering blocking technique, this could be a non-issue, because we know how much Payton is rooting for him. But the Broncos' tight end room was one of the worst last year and if Lohner doesn't show vast improvement in his second training camp, he might not have a spot reserved on the even the practice squad.

Lohner could become a tremendous red-zone weapon. But he's got to learn the tricks of the tight end trade.

The Takeaway

There are roughly 35 other players who will be gone come Week 1. The Broncos' 90-man offseason roster will be whittled down to the final 53, with 16 spots saved on the practice squad.

These names were selected due to a combination of their circumstances, experience, and draft pedigree. I'm sure Broncos Country will be rooting for each of them to succeed, though, and I will be, too.

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