Projecting Broncos' 53-Man Roster Post-Draft

The 2026 NFL draft has come and gone, and the Denver Broncos walked out with a solid class, despite not having a first-or second-round pick. This is a team that, even with its draft class, is returning the majority of its roster from last year and has many players set to make it again.

Projecting the Broncos' 53-man roster coming out of the draft, 47 spots are pretty much set, leaving six up for grabs. So, let’s take a look at how the roster could shape up.

Quarterbacks (2)

Bo Nix | Jarrett Stidham

There are two questions about the quarterback room that could bring about a change here. The first is whether the Broncos decide to keep three quarterbacks instead of two, and the other is whether Sam Ehlinger shows enough growth to make the coaches comfortable with trading Stidham, who has reportedly drawn significant interest.

Running Backs (3)

J.K. Dobbins | RJ Harvey | Jonah Coleman

Only three running backs make the roster, with the others competing for a practice squad spot. Coleman replaces Tyler Badie as the third back.

Denver could look at keeping a fourth back, but no one on the roster sticks out. Coleman replaced Badie so that Jaleel McLaughlin would make more sense, but he would have to stand out to earn it, considering the roster math at other positions, as you'll see.

Fullback (1)

Adam Prentice

Prentice proved to be a capable weapon for the Broncos last year, even in limited usage. He also contributes to the special teams. So, three positions in, and those 47 spots are pretty much set.

Wide Receiver (6)

Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, and Marvin Mims Jr — Denver Broncos wide receivers Troy Franklin (11), Courtland Sutton (14) and Marvin Mims Jr. (19) celebrate a touchdown. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

We get to one of the jobs up for grabs with the sixth receiver spot, where Lil’Jordan Humphrey is likely the favorite, if the Broncos even keep six receivers. The reason I have Katsis making it (an undrafted rookie) is that he's Darren Rizzi’s guy as a returner, and the Broncos need to find another kickoff returner to pair with Mims. The rest of the receiver room is set, barring Denver trading one of them away.

Michael Bandy also plays into this as a potential returner, but he has been more of a punt returner. Katsis is a threat as a kick returner, which is why I gave him the edge over Bandy here. I also wanted to get at least one undrafted free agent onto the roster, because that's how it's shaken out in Denver in 21 of the past 22 seasons.

Tight End (4)

Adam Trautman | Evan Engram | Justin Joly | Nate Adkins

The fourth tight end spot is another one of the six up for grabs, with seventh-round rookie Dallen Bentley and Lucas Krull also factoring into the battle for the spot. Right now, it may lean towards Adkins due to his blocking ability, as he was the best blocker on the roster last year when healthy, and he has some solid versatility.

Bentley has the frame to be a blocker but needs to develop, so if the Broncos can get him there, he would be in a position to take Adkins's spot, and the rookie also adds a lot more as a receiver.

Joly replaces Krull and is an upgrade. Krull is now competing for a spot on the practice squad. He just isn’t a blocker and was the second-worst tight end last year behind Engram before he got hurt.

Offensive Line (9)

Nick Gargiulo created some momentum before getting hurt last preseason, but the numbers went against him here. If the Broncos try him at center, too, then maybe there is a chance he can take Forsyth’s spot as the backup interior player.

Casey, as a fourth-round pick, is set to make the roster unless he's a disaster as a backup on the left side, pushing Matt Peart off the roster.

Palczewski sticks around as a versatile backup piece and the sixth offensive lineman. Crum has shown strong development as a swing tackle, and there seems to be a lot of belief in his becoming a starting tackle. All nine spots seem pretty much set, though, as it seems unlikely Gargiulo can push Forsyth off the roster.

Interior Defensive Line (6)

Eyioma Uwazurike, Sai'vion Jones, and Malcolm Roach. — Denver Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike (96), defensive end Sai'vion Jones (95) and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach (97) reacts after a fumble recovery. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

There isn’t much competition here for who makes it; the only question is whether the Broncos would try to keep a seventh player on the line, but the math just doesn't support in this projection.

The Broncos had seven interior defenders for much of last season, but they have a bit more versatility and more known quantities this year, giving them options even with six players.

Outside Linebackers (4)

Nik Bonitto | Jonathon Cooper | Dondrea Tillman | Que Robinson

Only four edges this year, though the Broncos can still turn to other players I have making it to give them more options. One of them is Sai’vion Jones if the Broncos want to be a bit bigger upfront.

There aren’t any surprises here, and given the numbers, they may not be able to fit a fifth player like Drew Sanders.

Linebacker (5)

Alex Singleton | Justin Strnad | Jonah Elliss | Karene Reid | Red Murdock

Singelton and Strnad are the obvious starters, and Elliss is set to make it, even with his move from outside linebacker. Elliss can still help on the edge, which is another reason why only four outside 'backers making it is fine. Reid has been Denver's developmental cover guy and has grown into a key special teams player.

The last spot is up for grabs, with Levelle Bailey, Jordan Turner, and even the undrafted Taurean York all being similar players for that downhill, stack linebacker role. Any one of them could make it, but this was the hardest one to nail down, and I ultimately went with Murdock over Turner because of Murdock's insane ability to force fumbles.

Cornerback (5)

Patrick Surtain II | Riley Moss | Ja’Quan McMillian | Jahdae Barron | Kris Abrams-Draine

I still expect the Broncos to trade one of Moss or McMillian before the start of the season, likely at the time they're cutting down to the 53-man roster, but trades are hard to predict, and they very well could decide to keep them both and play for compensatory picks in the 2027 offseason and let them walk. Without a trade, the corner room is easy to project.

If the Broncos do trade one, then the other corner would depend on who gets traded. If it's McMillian, Reese Taylor would be set to make the 53-man roster. However, if Moss is moved, Jaden Robinson would be poised to take that step up onto the roster.

Safety (5)

Talanoa Hufanga | Brandon Jones | Devon Key | Tycen Anderson | JL Skinner

With Key rising to the third safety spot, the third-phase ace will likely see less time on special teams, which has been the constant with the Broncos over the past few years. Their third safety just doesn’t play much special teams, but their fourth and fifth safeties do.

The Broncos signed Anderson in free agency (their only outside signing), a special teams ace in his own right, and Skinner has become a high-quality third-phase player.

Specialists (3)

Kicker: Wil Lutz | Punter: Jeremy Crawshaw | Long Snapper: Mitchell Fraboni

Lutz and Crawshaw have no competition for the job and are still good at what they do. The Broncos did bring in a long snapper as an undrafted free agent to compete, but it is Fraboni’s job to lose.

The Takeaway

Again, there are six spots up for grabs, and they mostly depend on whether the Broncos decide to keep an extra player. Is that sixth receiver more important than a fourth running back or a third quarterback? Time will tell, but there are also some positions where the battle is ongoing.

The fourth tight end, fifth linebacker, and fifth safety could all have open battles for the spots. However, there aren’t a lot of openings, which is why it's hard to see an undrafted free agent, or even the seventh-round draft picks, make the roster this year.

The Broncos are betting on what they had last year, with a few key additions to help them take that next step toward making and winning a Super Bowl.

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