Projecting the Broncos’ 53-player roster: Difficult decisions loom

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos coach Sean Payton noted Wednesday when asked about the debate over whether to keep two or three quarterbacks on the 53-player roster.

But that’s far from the only question.

“If there were, like, eight roster questions, it’s one of the eight as you’re looking at building your roster,” he said.

There may not be exactly eight, but there are a few that stand out as the preseason finale arrives and roster-deadline weekend approaches. It’s a different deadline than ever before, as it takes place with a rules tweak in place: the opportunity to keep up to two players on injured reserve with a designated-to-return tag without having to place them on the 53-player roster for one day.

With Frank Crum, Alex Forsyth, Caleb Lohner and Drew Sanders all spending the entirety of this week on the side field for players recovering from injuries, they could be in play for those potential spots.

1. WILL THE BRONCOS KEEP THREE QUARTERBACKS?

Most teams don’t. But most teams don’t have a third quarterback who had a chance to leave late last season, but then was convinced to stick around, as happened when Indianapolis came calling on Ehlinger as their quarterback room disintegrated down the stretch. Thus, if the Broncos release Ehlinger, even though he’s a vested veteran and not subject to waivers, he could opt for an opportunity elsewhere — especially if he puts some good work on film Friday night.

2. IS THERE ROOM FOR JALEEL McLAUGHLIN?

The fourth-year running back has been a paragon of work ethic since he joined the Broncos in 2023, known for his early arrivals and diligence. But right now, he’s RB No. 4. And even though he can flourish in a specific change-of-pace role, that would likely only be in the offing for the regular season if one of the top three runners is injured.

It may come down to McLaughlin and Tyler Badie for one spot. And that’s where the waiver wire comes into play. Payton acknowledged Wednesday that a player’s chances of passing through waivers unclaimed and going to the practice squad DOES play into decisions at the back end of the roster.

Badie has a career 5.5-yards-per-carry average — on just 20 attempts, a tiny sample size. McLaughlin has a career 4.8-yard average on 226 attempts — which comes out to a healthy one-season total. He’s never averaged fewer than 4.4 yards per attempt and last year was at 5.1 yards every time he toted the ball. Badie has a high drop rate in the passing game — one every 5.8 catchable passes. But McLaughlin has fumbled once in the preseason, and had a fumble in January that was wiped out by an offsides penalty, so there’s a concerning recent trend. Badie also has an extensive potential special-teams role.

But this decision — if the Broncos choose to keep four running backs — may come down to which player has a better chance of making it to the practice squad. McLaughlin has never been waived and a running back with that much work and a nearly five-yards-per-carry average would likely garner some interest. Badie has passed through waivers three times.

3. WILL THE BRONCOS CARRY SEVEN DEFENSIVE LINEMEN AGAIN?

Just as he did last year, Jordan Jackson has spent training camp withstanding a push from recent draft picks in the back end of the defensive-line room. He managed to stay even with the emergence of Enyi Uwazurike and the arrival of Sai’vion Jones last year, and with Tyler Onyedim arriving as the Broncos’ first draft pick, he’s found himself in a familiar spot. The planned use of him against the run in the divisional round last January — which didn’t come to fruition, making the Bills’ 183-yard ground output even more notable — reveals that there could be a specific role for the Air Force product if he sticks.

Also, has Jones made enough progress for the Broncos to stick with him? As a second-year player with only three games played last year and a new drafted arrival at his position group, there are no guarantees for him.

PROJECTING THE BRONCOS’ 53-PLAYER ROSTER:

OFFENSE (24)

QB (3): Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, Sam Ehlinger

If the Broncos released Ehlinger, would he be as inclined to return if other opportunities beckoned? Even though Ehlinger isn’t subject to waivers, Denver may not want to take that risk.

RB (4): J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jonah Coleman, Jaleel McLaughlin

As a vested veteran, fullback Adam Prentice could land on the practice squad to start the regular season, just as he did last year and Michael Burton did the year before.

OL (8): Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Alex Palczewski, Kage Casey, Frank Crum

Matt Peart and Calvin Throckmorton are vested veterans and could be ticketed for the practice squad to provide depth.

TE (4): Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins, Justin Joly

There may be room for just one rookie between Joly and Dallen Bentley.

WR (5): Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin

As with Peart, Prentice and Throckmorton, Lil’Jordan Humphrey isn’t subject to the waiver process and is a prime practice-squad candidate. Look for the practice squad to include at least one of the undrafted rookies: Cam Ross, Kolbe Katsis and Joseph Manjack.

DEFENSE (26)

DL (7): Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Enyi Uwazurike, Malcolm Roach, Jordan Jackson, Sai’vion Jones, Tyler Onyedim

Jackson continues to play well enough to stick around, although there could be some trade interest from around the league.


EDGE (5): Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Jonah Elliss, Dondrea Tillman, Que Robinson

This is the best top-to-bottom group of edge rushers in the NFL.

ILB (5): Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Jordan Turner, Red Murdock, Taurean York

Some of the toughest decisions on the roster will come here among Turner, Murdock, York and Karene Reid.

CB (5): Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian, Jahdae Barron, Kris Abrams-Draine

The only question here is if the Broncos decide to keep an extra young cornerback on the 53-player roster as CB6, or sweat out the waiver wire before bringing their corner depth onto the practice squad.

S (4): Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, JL Skinner

The release of Taylor Rapp may have settled this group. Seventh-rounder Miles Scott has had a relatively quiet summer to this point and could pass through waivers to the practice squad.

SPECIAL TEAMS (3)

SPECIALISTS: P Jeremy Crawshaw, LS Mitchell Fraboni, K Wil Lutz

No surprises here. Rookie Luke Basso was brought into Broncos camp in part to save Fraboni some repetitions. Even though Basso had a bad snap against Atlanta, don’t be surprised to see him eventually nab one of the NFL’s coveted 32 long-snapping spots. But as Fraboni’s experience showed, that can take time; Fraboni had two minicamp tryouts, a brief offseason stint in Houston and then a UFL season. It took Fraboni five offseason cycles before he found a spot in Denver.

RESERVE LISTS (3)

INJURED RESERVE/DESIGNATED TO RETURN (2): C Alex Forsyth, EDGE Drew Sanders

The only wrinkle here is this: Do the Broncos want to use two recallable injured-reserve spots right away? The team is allowed eight return designations in the regular season, gaining another two if it qualifies for the postseason.

PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM (1): OL Nick Gargiulo

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