It’s natural for NFL teams to prioritize drafted players over undrafted free agent signings. Drafted players obviously took draft capital to acquire and they also cost more to sign than a UDFA.
Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton, though, is no respecter of draft status. The coach will give a fair opportunity to everyone on the team, whether it’s a tryout player, undrafted free agent, draft pick or free agent signee.
The Broncos had more than 20 rookies trying out at rookie minicamp last weekend, plus five veteran tryout players. Payton did not want to overlook any of them.
“Historically — and we talk about this all of the time as coaches — for me, my biggest fear is that somebody that is out here for three days ends up somewhere else [and is] playing well,” Payton said on May 13. “We are really trying to look at everyone. Not just the draft picks, but the guys that are here for three days [on a tryout basis].”
Before practice, Payton showed rookie minicamp players clips of wide receiver Adam Thielen and running back Kyrie Robinson, who had to get tryouts for their first opportunities in the NFL.
“[O]ur league has had a number of those players,” Payton said. “Chris Banjo, who had a long career as a special teams player for me and most recently in Arizona, he went a year without an opportunity then got a tryout.”
Talent can come anywhere and any school. How they arrive in Denver doesn’t matter. How they perform on the field does.
“We are really trying to look at every one of these guys, evaluate them properly with an open mind, knowing that history would tell us there are players that get overlooked and it’s not a science,” Payton said.
The Broncos signed two XFL tryout players after rookie minicamp and the team’s undrafted free agent additions will all have opportunities to make the 53-man roster this summer.
“[W]e’re rooting for every one of these guys to do well,” Payton said. “All the support staff, everything that goes into this, we’re wanting to see these guys have a chance to make it.”
