Power Ranking the Broncos' Roster: Players 10-1

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, 30-21 here and 20-11 here.

This next group of Broncos are the team's cornerstone players now and going forward. This includes a mix of young players on rookie deals, as well as some higher-priced veterans that play at an incredibly high level.

You will not, however, find anyone in this range that has an expiring contract. These 10 guys should be part of the team for the next several seasons and are going to be part of the 'core' that GM John Elway builds the rest of the roster around.

These are the guys whose jerseys you buy. They are the players that get fans excited. Here are your Broncos ranked 1-10:

10: Ja'Wuan James, RT

Contract Status: Due $33M total from 2020-2022 (2022 is team option).

What an anticlimactic start to the season for the Broncos prized free-agent signing. James logged just 10 snaps in Week 1 before leaving the game with a knee injury. The good news, though, is he's close to returning and could be back for Week 8.

Right tackle has been a revolving door for this team since Orlando Franklin left way back in 2015. The Broncos finally had some solid play last year from Jared Veldheer, just to let him walk and break the bank for James. James is a very good NFL tackle, but he has yet to show that he is a tackle on a level to warrant $11 million per season.

Regardless, Ja'Wuan is a big piece of the Broncos plans for the near future. Fans are very anxious to get him back onto the field and see how he progresses under Mike Munchak's coaching. If James can stay healthy for an extended period of time, I can see him growing into one of the premier right tackles in the league. At least, that was the hope when Elway signed him.

9: Noah Fant, TE

Contract Status: Rookie contract through 2022, 5th-year option in 2023.

So far this season, Fant has played about exactly how you'd expect from a rookie tight end. As is the same with 90% of rookie TEs, he has had a bit of a slow time adjusting to the NFL.

Fant is being asked to do a lot more in-line blocking than he was required to do while playing at Iowa, and has looked suspect at times. These are the growing pains you expect to see in year one and it's best to get the 'iffy' play out of the way now so he can really take off in the coming seasons. There is no question though the talent is there with Fant.

This dude is an athletic freak that is going to cause a lot of issues for opposing defenses once he gets more comfortable in the league. You can clearly tell he's doing a lot of thinking on the field right now. Once he adjusts, the game should slow down and come to him more naturally.

There are, however, some major red flags that have been popping up. He has really struggled with tracking the ball, causing him to drop a number of passes that you'd expect him to reel in. At the end of the day, though, he's played just seven games in the NFL. Look for him to really start breaking out towards the tail end of his second year and throughout his third year, as that's typically what you expect to see with top-end tight end prospects coming into the NFL.

If Fant can come anywhere near what San Francisco has been able to get out of fellow former Hawkeye George Kittle, then the Broncos hit a home run with this pick. This is probably the ideal time to remind you that Kittle had just 515 receiving yards his rookie year before jumping to 1,377 in year two. But make no mistake, at this point I am cautiously optimistic on Noah Fant.

8: Kareem Jackson, DB

Contract Status: Due $14M in 2020, team option for $13M in 2021.

Jackson is a freaking baller. I almost want to rank him higher than No. 9 but there are just so many other young and talented players on this roster to justify it. If he keeps playing the way he's been, though, he's going inch his way up this list as the season progresses.

It's been a wild past several months with the outlook on Jackson. When he was originally signed in the offseason, the overwhelming majority of Broncos Country expected him to be the second cornerback behind Harris. That quickly changed as Vic Fangio has made it a point to play him at strong safety. And boy - has he looked good playing in that role.

If Denver is able to extend Justin Simmons at some point, it'll be nice to have this safety tandem for the next couple of seasons. The only negative with Jackson is his age and contract beyond this year. He's due a hefty $14M in 2020 and has a team option for $13M in 2021. His $14M cap hit in 2020 puts him in the top-5 salaries for both safeties and cornerbacks.

That's a rich price to pay for what will be a 32-year-old player but he's certainly earning it with his play so far this season. On that same note, if Elway is okay paying Kareem that kind of salary, why not just pay Chris Harris, Jr?

7: Justin Simmons, FS

Contract Status: UFA in 2020.

Simmons' play this year has reassured Broncos fans that his 2018 season, which many viewed as a bit of a step back for him, was more of a product of the system and (lack of) players that were around him. So far through seven games this year, Simmons has looked the part of an above-average free safety with the upside to grow into being an elite player.

At this point in the season, Simmons is on track to set career highs in nearly all major statistical categories for his position. Already in 2019, he has met his career average interception number (2), and has set a new career-best for pass deflections (6) and we aren't even at the halfway mark yet.

All signs point to Simmons being part of the main core of this team going forward. However, he does join fellow 2016 draftee Will Parks as an upcoming unrestricted free agent in the spring. You have to expect he will have significant priority over Parks if the team chooses to re-sign just one of these safeties.

Simmons is about as perfect of a midseason extension candidate as you're going to find. Hopefully, Elway locks him up long term soon so we won't have to stress about losing him in the 2020 offseason.

6: Drew Lock, QB

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

This ranking may be a bit high for Lock when you consider there is a possibility he doesn't even suit up at all in 2019. But let me remind you that Patrick Mahomes played just one game his rookie year before taking off in year two. Obviously, this isn't the same situation, but Lock's value to the team is without question more of a long-term play than someone the Denver brass expected to immediately step in and fix their quarterback woes in year one.

I can guarantee you, though, that this ranking of No. 6 is going to change throughout the season. The earliest Lock is eligible to be added back to the active roster is Week 9 against the Cleveland Browns. But will it be an automatic decision for the Broncos to reactivate him? I'm not so sure. Based on the feedback we have gotten from coaches to this point, it doesn't sound as if they are in any hurry to move Lock back onto the gameday roster.

If/when the Broncos find themselves with say…seven or eight losses (effectively ending their playoff hopes), it's possible we may see him suit up. But how many games will we actually see?

The Broncos record come Week 9 is going to be a key deciding factor as to what Denver does with Drew. Joe Flacco may not be playing lights out, but he's not playing terribly. I know there are many fans that want to see if inserting Drew Lock into the offense will be the shot of adrenaline this team needs to start putting up more points, but patience is key.

Needless to say, the results of the next 2-3 weeks will be important in determining the plans for Drew Lock in 2019. And regardless of the outcome, having Lock on the roster drastically affects how Denver will approach the 2020 offseason.

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5: Von Miller, OLB

Contract Status: Club options for $25,625,000 in 2020, $22,225,000 in 2021, UFA in 2022.

Wait…Von Miller isn't No. 1? Are you crazy?! Nope! Well…I don’t think so at least. Let me be clear: Von Miller is still the best player on the Broncos roster today. But let me remind you, this list is not just about who is important to the team now, but also going forward.

There have been a lot of rumors floated around about the possibility of trading Von Miller. Don't look too much into those. For one, doing so would create massive dead cap hits of $14.125M in 2019 & $11.85M in 2020. In addition, you aren't going to get anywhere near the level of return you'd think.

If you want to use what the Raiders got back for Khalil Mack as a benchmark, you need to understand you're not comparing apples to apples. Even if you are able to get a first round pick back for Von, are you going to be able to replace his production with that pick? Doubtful.

Von is sticking around and I, along with the rest of Broncos Country (hopefully), would like to see Miller retire a Bronco. He will unquestionably go down as one of the best players to ever play for this franchise and you'll never ever ever ever ever be able to take away his dominant, all-time super bowl MVP performance that brought a third World Championship to Denver.

4: Phillip Lindsay, RB

Contract Status: Due just $665,000 in 2020, RFA in 2021.

How unbelievable is Lindsay? It still blows my mind that all 32 NFL franchises passed on this guy during the 2018 draft. I know we say all the time that Chris Harris, Jr. was the best undrafted signing of all time — but I'm here to tell you that Lindsay could challenge him for that title when it's all said and done.

Could you just imagine for a second what the Broncos record would have looked like last year if not for Lindsay? At times it felt like he was the only person who could move the ball on offense. He is an absolute electric player that is going to stress out defensive coordinators as long as he's suiting up on gameday.

The best part about Lindsay's status with the team has to be his contract situation. Being an undrafted free agent, he's not exactly breaking the bank for Denver. He's making essentially the league minimum this year and next before becoming a restricted free agent in 2021 — and you'd have to assume that 2021 tender is going to be a guaranteed first- or second-rounder.

Even beyond 2021, it's easy to imagine Lindsay signing a relatively team-friendly deal to stay home in Denver. Although I almost feel bad because they are paying him so little for how much production he is turning out. Consider Lindsay a major part of this Broncos team going forward.

3: Bradley Chubb, OLB

Contract Status: Due $7.4M in 2020, $8.7M in 2021, 5th-year option for 2022.

I originally had Chubb as No. 1 on this list prior to tearing his ACL and being placed on IR. That injury bumped him down a bit but not as much as you'd expect because this guy is a serious player. The timing of this injury is extremely unfortunate as Bradley was proving to really be building on what was already a very impressive rookie campaign.

There are many that thought he would even eclipse Von this season in production. It's extremely unfortunate this injury occurred, but there are a couple of silver linings in wake of this injury. First off, the Broncos are now able to evaluate their depth options behind him on the roster, such as Malik Reed and Justin Hollins — and so far they have looked very promising.

Second, remember when Von Miller tore his ACL in 2013? He went on to post 14 sacks the following season and then went on to be Super Bowl MVP in 2015. So a torn ACL may be concerning, but it's not going to ruin Chubb's career by any means. Denver will have Chubb under his rookie contract for 2020 and 2021, before making a decision on his fifth-year option for 2022.

Given the progression he has had since coming into the league, his chances of getting a second contract from the Broncos in the next few years seems very promising. Here's to wishing him a successful and speedy recovery.

2: Dalton Risner, OG

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

I almost toyed with putting Risner at No. 1 in wake of the Chubb injury noted above. To this day, I cannot believe this guy snuck into the second round of the draft. He has exceeded any and all expectations so far this season playing at left guard.

Not to overreact from less than half of a season, but I would not be at all surprised to see Dalton get a number of pro bowl nods throughout his career. The cherry on top with Risner is he is also a hometown guy. He loves the state of Colorado, and strikes me as someone who could potentially take less money in the future to stay in Denver on his second contract when the time comes.

It may be wild to think that a guard can be this important to a team, but if you have really paid attention to Dalton Risner this year, you can understand why I have him at No. 2. As if his play on the field hasn't been exceptional enough, he has already shown he is a great leader in the locker room and just an incredible human being that loves to give back to his hometown community. The Broncos really hit a home run with Dalton.

1: Courtland Sutton, WR

Contract Status: Due $4M total from 2020-2021, UFA in 2022.

And the drumroll, please……. The most important player for the Broncos now and going forward is…none other than Courtland Sutton! Wait? Sutton? Didn't that guy have only like 42 catches for 704 yards last year? Yes, he did, but guess what?

He's already about to eclipse those numbers and we haven't even hit the halfway mark in the season! So far this year, he has taken a massive leap forward and has shown he is capable of being the No. 1 receiver on the team. Did you know that Courtland is ranked in the top-10 in receiving yards? In the entire league!

He's not only playing like a WR1 on this team — he's playing like one of the best receivers in the NFL. What's even more astonishing is he has the fewest targets of anyone else ranked in that same top-10. How wild is it that in the last two years the Broncos have hit such massive home runs with their second-round picks?

Unfortunately, Denver will not get five total years on Sutton's rookie contract like they would a first-rounder, but they will only owe him around $2M/yr for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The best part about this leap forward with Sutton is he is still nowhere near his ceiling. Coming into the league, he only ran a very small handful of routes coming out of SMU.

We have already started to see him expand his route tree this season and one would assume he will keep developing in this area in the coming years. This year's production from him is both incredibly exciting and promising going forward.

So there are your top-10 power-ranked Denver Broncos, which rounds out our complete top-50 list. Going forward, we will re-evaluate this list throughout the season and make adjustments to player rankings based on a number of factors.

It will be interesting to see how this list shakes up between now and the end of Week 17. You can find the complete list of the top 50 below. Please chime in the comment section below with your thoughts!

Follow Trevor on Twitter @TrevorJudge and @MileHighHuddle.