Broncos 53-man roster prediction: Will Zach Wilson be part of a 3-QB room? (2024)

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton underlined the word “win” on his daily practice sheet last week, a reminder to impress upon his team how they should approach Sunday’s preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

“I just think it’s something we’re training to do each week,” he said. “… The mindset of winning anything we do.”

Still, Payton acknowledged the most important purpose of preseason games. They serve as key inflection points during a summer of evaluation. For all the reps and opportunities training camp provides, the stakes are elevated in games against real opponents. It’s why Sunday’s 34-30 victory gave Payton and his staff plenty to consider as they piece together their 53-man roster.

The Broncos must have that roster in place in early September, but we will take another shot at projecting it now.

Quarterback (3)

Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, Zach Wilson

This is a change from my roster projection at the start of camp, when I had Wilson missing the cut. Early in camp, Payton made clear that keeping all three QBs on the roster was “a possibility.” It could be becoming more realistic given Wilson’s growth over the past couple of weeks. That culminated with a strong performance in the second half of Sunday’s preseason opener against the Colts, when Wilson completed 10 of 13 passes for 117 yards and guided the Broncos into the red zone on three of his five drives (two touchdowns; end of game).

It’s easy to question the end game with Wilson. He is playing in the final year of his rookie deal. Nix was drafted to be the franchise’s future at the position. So what’s the vision for Wilson beyond this season? That ultimately doesn’t matter as it pertains to the roster Payton is trying to build now. Last season, 66 quarterbacks started at least one game in the NFL. The Broncos haven’t had one quarterback start every game in a season since Case Keenum in 2018, and they’ve had three quarterbacks start a game in three of the past seven seasons. There is merit to a deep QB room, a fact that works in Wilson’s favor as much as his recent growth in Denver’s system does.

Running back (3)

Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estimé

An unheralded player who has made a strong push for a spot in this room is Tyler Badie. The third-year back out of Missouri scored a touchdown on his first NFL touch in Week 18 of the 2022 season — a screen from Russell Wilson he turned into a 24-yard score — and then spent all of last season on Denver’s practice squad.

He’s made the most of his opportunities in this camp, including an 11-yard touchdown run in the preseason opener. The Broncos could move on from veteran Samaje Perine, a move that would save them $3 million against the salary cap. That would leave Badie and undrafted rookie Blake Watson to battle for the fourth spot — if there is one. Ultimately, it’s hard to see four running backs on the roster if Denver keeps three QBs, but the depth at the position has nonetheless been encouraging.

Tyler Badie turns the corner for the @Broncos TD!

📺: #DENvsIND on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/3HwUnP4eYQ

— NFL (@NFL) August 11, 2024

Fullback (1)

Michael Burton

Burton is Mr. Dirty Work, a glue guy in the run game and a constant presence on Denver’s special teams units. There was a reason Payton made Burton an early addition during his first offseason in 2023, and then re-signed him in March.

Wide receiver (6)

Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, DeVaughn Vele, Tim Patrick

I had Vele, the seventh-round pick out of Utah, making the team when I made my initial projection before the start of camp. Now, his name can be written in pen. He’ll be on the roster and has a chance to contribute early thanks to the consistency and downfield contested-catch ability he has displayed throughout camp.

The real question is whether the Broncos keep six receivers and if Patrick can continue to show progress as he returns from back-to-back season-ending injuries. Making a catch on Denver’s opening possession Sunday — even if he was immediately flagged for a taunting penalty — was an encouraging first step. Given that Franklin, the fourth-round pick, may need some more time to develop, keeping an extra receiver at this spot seems likely.

A wild-card: Could Jalen Virgil’s potential in the return game (43-yard return Sunday) give him a shot to crack the roster?

Tight end (4)

Greg Dulcich, Lucas Krull, Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins

If the Broncos do keep three quarterbacks, this position is a candidate to feel the crunch. That could leave Adkins on the razor’s edge. The second-year player out of South Carolina, though, has had a consistent camp, showing growth as a receiver and demonstrating a versatility as a fullback that could give Denver insurance against an injury to Burton.

“Whatever the assignment is, he’s one of those guys that when you grade the practice, he ends up in the 90s, always,” Payton said recently of Adkins. “He’s very smart, he’s very dependable, and I would say he’s really good relative to blocking and blocking in space, and that’s why it carries over in the kicking game.”

Offensive line (8)

Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Alex Forsyth, Matt Peart, Alex Palczewski

One concern that has originated in camp for me is the depth on the offensive line. Quinn Bailey’s season-ending injury hurts. Payton said the veteran was clearly the team’s top reserve lineman in camp, and he was set to play a significant role as the “jumbo” tight end in the Broncos’ six-linemen packages. His absence gives Palczewski, who has worked at tackle and guard, a real shot at making the initial 53-man roster for the second straight year. It would not be a surprise, though, if the Broncos go searching for another player at this spot as rosters are cut down and veterans hit the market.

Defensive line (6)

Zach Allen, John Franklin-Myers, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, Angelo Blackson, Matt Henningsen

The first five players in this group are an easy call. Franklin-Myers, Roach and Blackson were all brought in this offseason to provide more reliable depth around Allen and Jones. Their collective presence has been felt throughout camp. The defensive line — even without Franklin-Myers and Allen — was stout against the run in Sunday’s win, limiting the Colts to only 2.8 yards per carry.

The last spot, though, is a difficult call. Henningsen, who recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s victory, is a smart third-year player with experience in Vance Joseph’s defense. But he’ll have to hold off Eyioma Uwazurike, a fellow member of the 2022 NFL Draft class who returned from a year-long suspension earlier this month and is trending toward being able to play in Sunday’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. Uwazurike, at 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds, would inject unique size into the room. Still, he needs to make an on-field impression before he’s given a roster spot.

Outside linebacker (5)

Jonathon Cooper, Baron Browning, Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss, Thomas Incoom

The battle at the back end of this group has been one of the more intriguing ones in camp. Incoom, the second-year player who made Denver’s roster as an undrafted rookie last season, has been a consistent presence who has shown growth setting the edge in the run game. But Dondrea Tillman, who forced a fumble Sunday, and undrafted rookie Jaylon Allen have also been in the mix. The same goes for Durell Nchami, who saw 22 snaps for the Broncos against the Colts.

Jonah Elliss with the pressure, Keidron Smith with the INT. 😤

📺: NFLN pic.twitter.com/FNhQ3mJ0DQ

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 11, 2024

Inside linebacker (4)

Alex Singleton, Cody Barton, Jonas Griffith, Levelle Bailey

The groin injury that has kept Justin Strnad on the sideline the past week comes as Bailey, the undrafted rookie out of Fresno State, continues to make the most of his opportunities. He picked off a pass during a red-zone period in camp last week and made two tackles among his 18 defensive snaps Sunday. Strnad, the lone member of John Elway’s final draft class (2020) still on the roster, has developed into one of the team’s most reliable special teams contributors. It’s why he was re-signed to a one-year deal, and it’s why he could still be on the roster. But Bailey has been hard to ignore, resembling in camp an undrafted rookie Payton once let get away in New Orleans: Todd Davis.

Cornerback (6)

Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Damarri Mathis, Ja’Quan McMillian, Kris Abrams-Draine, Tremon Smith

Levi Wallace had a strong start to camp, including an interception of Bo Nix during the first padded practice. But he hasn’t practiced in two weeks due to a hamstring injury. That has given Mathis more snaps (he started opposite Moss in Sunday’s game), and the 2022 fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh has made progress in his second offseason in Joseph’s defense. Smith is likely to make the team due to his vast role on special teams, so this could come down to whether Wallace can return in time to challenge for the final outside spot.

Safety (4)

Brandon Jones, P.J. Locke, Devon Key, JL Skinner

Key entered the NFL in 2021 as an undrafted rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs, but this is his first opportunity to crack an opening 53-man roster. With Jones still nursing a hamstring injury, it was Key who got the start next to Locke in Indianapolis.

“I think he’s been putting together some good days,” Payton said of Key last week.

Still, it’s easy to envision safety as a position the Broncos target on the open market in the coming weeks. There simply is not a lot of in-game experience in this group behind Jones, who is still battling injury, and Locke, who became a starter for the first time last season.

Specialists (3)

Wil Lutz (kicker), Riley Dixon (punter), Mitchell Fraboni (long snapper)

It was Dixon, not Trenton Gill, who handled both punts for the Broncos on Sunday. He averaged 44 net yards on those punts and landed both inside the 20-yard line. It’s possible Gill, signed this offseason after he was cut by the Bears, will get a chance to punt in Sunday’s game against the Packers, but to this point Dixon has been more consistent in camp and appears to have an edge in the race.

(Photo of Zach Wilson: Marc Lebryk / USA Today)

Nick Kosmider is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Denver Broncos. He previously covered the Denver Nuggets for The Athletic after spending five years at the Denver Post, where he covered the city’s professional sports scene. His other stops include The Arizona Republic and MLB.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickKosmider