The preseason is in the books. The work to get from a 90-man camp roster to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon has already begun.
More answers will arrive over the coming days to questions big and small.
Will Denver carry wide receiver Jerry Jeudy until he’s ready to return from a hamstring injury that could hold him out the first couple weeks of the regular season? Do the Broncos feel good about a host of defensive backs — K’Waun Williams (ankle), P.J. Locke (foot/ankle) and Riley Moss (core) — being available for the opener vs. Las Vegas? Are a pair of veteran defensive linemen in Mike Purcell (knee) and D.J. Jones ready to roll right from the start?
Head coach Sean Payton on Saturday night downplayed the number of injury related decisions to make.
“We’ve gone through — (general manager George Paton) and I, a handful of scouts and coaches — a ton of different scenarios from a personnel standpoint and we’ll continue to,” Payton said.
In outlining his roster-building approach, Payton said they don’t set out to fill six wide receiver spots, nine offensive line spots, so on and so forth.
“We look at the qualified players to make a roster,” Payton said last week. “You might say, ‘Hey, there are 48 total (qualified) players, and we need to find player 49, 50, 51, 52, 53.’”
In the afterglow of a 41-0 win against Los Angeles, even just a preseason win, Payton thought more highly of his team’s overall depth than even a week or two ago.
“You don’t want to lose a player when you had control over it and then have him have success somewhere else,” Payton said. “To credit the players, a lot of guys will make this challenging with their efforts tonight, during the week, really, and the past couple of weeks.”
Indeed, this exercise got muddier in some spots after Saturday’s preseason finale.
Then Sunday, the Broncos released offensive lineman Isaiah Prince and waived wide receivers Kendall Hinton — he was on this projection originally — J.J. Koski and Nick Williams, plus defensive back Delonte Hood. So, Denver heads to Monday with 85 players and 32 moves to make.
Keep in mind, this roster will last exactly one day. A player could be moved to injured reserve. Payton on Saturday mentioned the Broncos’ spot near the front of the line on waiver claims (fifth), too, and they could be active in trying to fortify “hot spot” positions where depth lacks.
OFFENSE (24)
Quarterback (2): Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham
Analysis: Ben DiNucci did some nice things in the preseason, but the bet here is he makes it to the Broncos’ practice squad and Denver uses the roster spot elsewhere. Stidham played his best football of the preseason in the Broncos’ finale Saturday.
Running back (4): Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, Jaleel McLaughlin and Michael Burton (FB).
Analysis: McLaughlin started camp as a longshot undrafted player and now looks like a good bet to make the cut. He has speed and quickness Denver’s other backs don’t have and which its offense lacks overall. The veteran Burton could allow the Broncos to go light at tight end because of his versatility. At worst, he gives the offense options and will play a heavy dose of special teams. Tony Jones Jr. or Dwayne Washington could take another position player’s spot if special teams coaches Ben Kotwica and Mike Westhoff want one of them for core four duties.
Wide receiver (6): Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Brandon Johnson, Marvin Mims Jr., Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Marquez Callaway
Analysis: Callaway seems a natural fit with his speed and given Denver’s injuries, but he just did not make much of an impact during camp. With Hinton a surprise Sunday cut, maybe he still gets the nod along with Humphrey. The big question: How long will Jeudy be out? And could his hamstring injury necessitate four weeks on injured reserve? If so, perhaps the Broncos look to swing a trade or add a veteran free agent. One consideration is to take just five, but not if Jeudy counts in that number and is going to miss a couple of games.
Tight end (3): Adam Trautman, Chris Manhertz, Greg Dulcich
Analysis: Albert Okwuegbunam had a strong showing late in camp and a dazzling preseason finale. He’s improved as a blocker, though the bar was not high to begin with. But his role features too much crossover with Dulcich, who’s healthy heading into Year 2. Okwuegbunam didn’t have suitors at last year’s trade deadline. Might he this week? In the meantime, the Broncos could go light, survey the waiver wire for options and stash Nate Adkins on the practice squad for depth and special teams help. The caveat: If Manhertz’s status for the first couple of weeks is in doubt — he’s missed the better part of the past two weeks — the equation could change.
Offensive line (9): Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Lloyd Cushenberry, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Cam Fleming, Kyle Fuller, Alex Palczewski, Alex Forsyth
Analysis: Let’s say Denver takes nine and goes with two reserve tackles (swing tackle and sixth man Fleming and undrafted rookie Palczewski) and two interior players in Fuller and Forsyth. Fuller’s the No. 2 center. The ninth spot could be between Forsyth and Quinn Bailey.
DEFENSE (26)
Defensive line (6): Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Jonathan Harris, Mike Purcell, Matt Henningsen, Elijah Garcia
Analysis: This is contingent on Purcell being ready to go after not playing at all in the preseason and not starting practice until this past week. Marcus Dixon’s DL has been maybe the surprise position group of camp for its production, but they need Purcell and Jones to be healthy in order to be good against the run. Garcia has made a strong run during training camp. Denver should have practice squad options between rookie P.J. Mustipher and veteran Tyler Lancaster.
Outside linebacker (5): Randy Gregory, Frank Clark, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, Aaron Patrick
Analysis: These top four are locked in — though Payton insists there’s plenty of competition for playing time — and Patrick gets the nod now that he’s healthy because of his special teams ability. Cooper’s had a great camp. Keep an eye on the undrafted rookie pair of Marcus Haynes and Thomas Incoom, each practice squad locks. They’ve got raw ability and developmental potential.
Inside linebacker (4): Josey Jewell, Alex Singleton, Drew Sanders, Justin Strnad.
Analysis: Pretty straightforward. The top three are set and Strnad is a special teams regular. His biggest risk is the Broncos find somebody they like better on the waiver wire. Sanders’ role — and ability to handle a big set of special teams snaps — will be intriguing early in the season. He’s played better and better in each of the preseason games.
Cornerbacks (6): Pat Surtain II, Damarri Mathis, K’Waun Williams, JaQuan McMillian, Essang Bassey, Riley Moss
Analysis: Somehow, some way Bassey should make this team. The most likely route is that one of Moss (core), Williams (ankle) or safety P.J. Locke (ankle) makes the roster for a day and then goes on short-term injured reserve to get fully healthy. Bassey can play slot, safety or outside in a pinch despite being undersized. He had an interception in each preseason game and can handle special teams work.
Safeties (5): Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson, Caden Sterns, P.J. Locke, Delarrin Turner-Yell
Analysis: The secondary is maybe Denver’s deepest group, so they might go heavy at the expense of a tight end spot or an o-line spot. The Broncos are short on depth overall and look short on special teams players, so Turner-Yell and sixth-round pick JL Skinner could both make it to try to cover those deficiencies. If Denver thinks all of its defensive backs will be healthy for Week 1, Skinner could end up getting waived with the hope they can get the sixth-round pick back onto the practice squad. He’s got intriguing length and ability, but everybody else in the conversation (aside from the rehabbing Moss) has actually played in the NFL. If Moss (or someone else) goes on short-term IR, Skinner could be the beneficiary.
SPECIALISTS (3)
PK Brett Maher, LS Mitchell Fraboni, P Riley Dixon
Dixon’s come on strong as the preseason progressed and Fraboni held off competition to get at least the first regular-season crack at the long-snapping job. Maher makes the roster to start, but no doubt the Broncos will be watching closely to see who ends up on the waiver wire.
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