Denver’s veteran players reported to training camp Tuesday, and the first of 12 open practices is Friday.
The roster will be sliced and diced and analyzed in all sorts of ways between now and the cutdown from 90 players to 53 on Aug. 29.
Today, a look at five Broncos who could find themselves on the roster bubble over the next month.
WR Brandon Johnson
Denver’s got a well-established numbers crunch at wide receiver. Four spots are all but secure (Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and Marvin Mims Jr.) barring a trade and there are several players vying for maybe two other spots. Johnson showed as a rookie that he’s got a skill set that aligns with what coach Sean Payton likes. He’s smart and tough and can do a little bit of everything. He could play in the slot or on the perimeter. Payton talks often about finding the “right” 53 players. Johnson will be in the mix, though earning a spot at receiver won’t be easy.
DL Jonathan Harris
The veteran defensive lineman moved up a rung Monday when second-year man Eyioma Uwazurike was suspended for at least a year for betting on NFL games in 2022. Harris started last season on the practice squad but still ended up playing in eight games and starting four. Given Uwazurike’s suspension and Mike Purcell starting camp on the non-football injury list, Harris figures to get a ton of work over the coming weeks. Will the Broncos add to the room? Is there a surprise among the young players? If Denver takes five and adds nobody, one of Harris, Purcell and Tyler Lancaster likely ends up getting squeezed.
CB Ja’Quan McMillian
The second-year cornerback out of East Carolina could find himself fighting for a roster spot or a starting spot. He’s not real big at 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds, but McMillian is feisty and played well in his lone start last year in Week 18 against the Chargers. Damarri Mathis is the frontrunner for the job opposite Pat Surtain II, but McMillian has a chance to show he can be the next man in there or in the slot for K’Waun Willams. Third-round pick Riley Moss is a likely roster lock — Denver traded up to get him — so the competition will also include the likes of Tremon Smith, Essang Bassey, Faion Hicks and college free agent Art Green.
RB Jaleel McLaughlin
If Javonte Williams gets through training camp healthy and in line to play, he’ll likely pair with Samaje Perine as the Broncos’ top running back duo. Who’s No. 3? Is it free agent addition Tony Jones, Jr.? Late 2022 addition Tyler Badie? Or perhaps McLaughlin, the college free agent from Youngstown State. Some of that will be based on special teams capability and who catches the ball best out of the backfield. McLaughlin and Badie are similarly smaller backs, but show the kind of burst that you can dream on. Denver could try to get one or both onto its practice squad, but if Payton thinks there’s a big-play threat to be had, a spot on the 53 is certainly possible.
C Luke Wattenberg
The Broncos took Wattenberg in the fifth round in 2022 and the rookie had his hands full when he got thrown into action amid a rash of injuries up front. A couple of rough patches doesn’t close the book on the former University of Washington standout, but he’s going to have plenty of competition in training camp after Denver drafted Alex Forsyth in the seventh round and signed veteran Kyle Fuller in free agency. The depth chart on the interior offensive line after the top trio of Ben Powers, Lloyd Cushenberry and Quinn Meinerz looks wide open, so Wattenberg will get chances, but he certainly won’t be the only one.
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