Before the Denver Broncos kicked off training camp, we published a pre-camp 53-man roster prediction on July 25. We will publish an updated roster prediction following the team’s first preseason game on Monday.
Before we get to next week’s updated projection, here’s a quick look at the ten toughest cuts on our initial 53-man roster prediction for the Broncos.
1. RB Blake Watson. He was one of the top undrafted free agents available this spring and many consider Watson to be a sleeper, but he’s competing in a crowded RB room. Watson started camp on the non-football injury list and if he’s going to make the active roster, Denver will likely have to cut Samaje Perine. Given that Perine is the team’s best blocking and receiving back, Watson will face an uphill battle to make the team.
2. OL Nick Gargiulo. It’s never fun to cut a draft pick, but it was hard to find a spot for Gargiulo on the active roster before Quinn Bailey’s injury. Quinn Meinerz and Ben Powers are the locked-in starters at guard and centers Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth can both play as guards. With Bailey now set to miss the entire 2024 season, Gargiulo’s chances to make the squad have improved.
3. OT Matt Peart. Bailey’s injuries also help Peart’s chances, but Alex Palczewski and Frank Crum might be the early favorites to serve as the backup tackles this fall behind Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey.
4-7. A host of WRs. Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Josh Reynolds and Troy Franklin are presumably locks, and if he’s healthy, Tim Patrick might be as well. That’s five WRs and we don’t know how many Denver will carry on the active roster. A group of WRs including Devaughn Vele, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Jalen Virgil and Brandon Johnson could end up off the team due to the numbers.
8. OLB Thomas Incoom. This will definitely change on our next 53-man roster prediction. Our initial projection had Baron Browning, Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Jonah Elliss and Ronnie Perkins making the squad. After Incoom’s impressive training camp, he’ll jump Perkins in our update.
9. CB Tremon Smith. He is a talented special teams player, but seems to be buried on the cornerback depth chart. Pat Surtain, Ja’Quan McMillian, Riley Moss, Levi Wallace and Damarri Mathis appear to be near-locks and the team just used a fifth-round pick to select Kris Abrams-Draine. Unless the Broncos plan to carry seven CBs, Smith might be the odd man out.
10. DB JL Skinner. If Denver carries five safeties, Skinner should be safe. Crunched to make the numbers work, our initial projection had Brandon Jones, Caden Sterns, P.J. Locke and Delarrin Turner-Yell as the four safeties to make the 53-man roster. (Story update: After this post was scheduled, news broke that Denver is parting ways with Sterns.)
The Broncos are set to begin preseason this weekend and then wrap up training camp the following week. We will be tracking all of Denver’s camp and preseason developments on Broncos Wire.
