Broncos’ WR Battle is Running Deep Beyond the Top Six

While focus has been on the Denver Broncos' top six receivers, their bottom five are also shining.

Jul 23, 2025; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Joaquin Davis (80) during Denver Broncos Training Camp. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The focus of the Denver Broncos' wide receiver competition has been on their top six players, but everyone in the room has been standing out. Given the performance of the bottom-of-the-depth-chart receivers, Broncos head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton may face some difficult decisions. 

Those unheralded receivers showing out at Broncos camp include Jerjuan Newton, Kyrese Rowan, Michael Bandy, Courtney Jackson, and Joaquin Davis. It's unlikely the Broncos carry seven receivers, and the top six are cemented in, but the way these five players are performing may force a seventh guy. 

Jackson may have the best shot as a returner option to pair with Marvin Mims Jr., due to the new kickoff return rules. Teams will want that second returner, and Jackson is experienced and has had some good moments in camp. 

However, Davis has been consistently making splashes on offense and showing off versatility to make an impact in multiple ways. He's tall and lanky, with speed and a good vertical, which has made him difficult to cover for some of the Broncos' depth cornerbacks.

Rowan has made some splash plays, but he has also gotten a talking to from Payton for mistakes. After a bad drop and another after a lackluster route, Payton was quick to jump in and coach up the young receiver. Initially a tryout player, Rowan showed enough to get signed after the Broncos' rookie minicamp in May. 

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Despite being with the Broncos for a while, the lone non-rookie in the group, Bandy, went unmentioned and unnoticed in camp until a recent practice. He made some nice plays, and Payton talked up his ability to play from the slot. 

"Bandy can play inside. He could play all the spots, but his best spot is inside," Payton said on Friday. "So it’s really trying to take the strengths of these players."

The final receiver is Newton, who, by multiple accounts, has had two of the best catches in camp. He has been willing to go all out to secure the catch, and that can go a long way, but the consistency between those plays hasn’t been there.

With how they have all started camp, they are pushing for difficult decisions to be made. There is a chance they could push one of the top six off the roster, but that seems extremely unlikely. Why? Well, those top six receivers are also standing out and showing improvements in their game. 

The best bet for one of these five receivers to make the roster is to show enough to force Payton and Paton to keep seven receivers, or risk losing them through waivers before they can land on the practice squad. However, there's still a long row left to hoe until then. 

The Takeaway

The Broncos are only a little over a week into camp, and throughout the years, there have been countless players who started hot and positioned themselves to make the roster, only to fall flat and be cut. As the saying goes, it isn’t how you start, but how you finish. 

There are still all three preseason games to come, some joint practices, and multiple other practices before the Broncos have to cut down to the 53-man roster. These five receivers could continue as they are, forcing tough decisions, or they risk losing their spot if they don’t maintain their performance.

It's a good start, but they still need to finish.