Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - BRONCOS SQUAD SHOW: 53-Man Roster Shockers & Snubs | Full Analysis & Reaction

Episode Date: September 1, 2026

The Denver Broncos 53-man roster is here and there is plenty to unpack. While we had an idea of what the Broncos roster would look like, there was some interesting decisions involving young players at... a number of different positions. Did Sean Payton and George Paton end up with the right 53 to support Bo Nix and company? Join Aniello Piro, Cody Roark, Sayre Bedinger and Nick Ferguson as they breakdown the Broncos roster after cut day. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! PrizePicks Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFL and use code LOCKEDONNFL and get $150 if you win your first $5 lineup! KALSHI For a limited time,Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10. Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. FanDuel College football Saturdays are already packed with reasons to get excited, and this season, FanDuel is giving fans even more ways to get in on every matchup. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COM FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 I'm Anilo Piro and the Denver Broncos roster is set, but not without a little bit of controversy. I'm Sarah Berenger. I've dissected every single detail of the Broncos roster and here's what I discovered. They're the Super Bowl champs. I'm Nick Ferguson and did the Broncos get a lot of their roster moves correct? We'll unpack it all on today's Blackdown Broncos squad show. Let's get into it, fellas. From the South stands, it's the Broncos Squad. Everything Denver Broncos every week.
Starting point is 00:00:35 Covering all the big hits and game-changing plays from the Mile High City, the way only the Locked-on Podcast Network can. Gear up and squad up. The Broncos Squad Show starts now. It is your Locked-on Broncos Squad show here on this Tuesday, September the first football season is rapidly, rapidly approaching. just under two weeks away from the start of the Denver Broncos football season. Looking forward to that one for sure.
Starting point is 00:01:09 Anilopiro, Sarah Betray, Nick Ferguson, hanging out with you guys here today, guys. And today's episode is brought to you by our friends over at Fanduel. College football Saturdays are already packed, and they give you a million reasons to get excited. In this season, Fandul is giving fans even more ways to get in on every matchup. Join all the action at Fanduel.com. More from our friends over at Fanduel here in just a little bit. but preseason over and done with and a little roster conversation on tap for today's program.
Starting point is 00:01:37 What's up, fellas? How we doing? Doing great, man. I think, you know what? Assembling the roster is similar to like the NFL trade deadline where you put all these ideas in your head of like what could happen. And then it's just the complete opposite of that, almost anticlimactic in many ways. But certainly feel like the Broncos, I don't, made a couple of controversial moves that we,
Starting point is 00:01:59 I know we have on the docket here for. tonight. And I guess I don't necessarily agree with every single one of them. But like I said, I mean, you look at this team top to bottom. And when you make difficult roster decisions, here's the more important thing to me than even saying, hey, the Broncos have a really deep team in 2026. They're healthy right now, which caused them to have to cut some certain guys, including one of the highest draft picks to be cut since Maurice Claret. I know Nick knows that name, but the highest pick to be cut since Maurice Claret during his or after his rookie can, camp, man, I think, look, this is a team that is ready to win it all.
Starting point is 00:02:37 And that is, that's basically the main takeaway that I had after looking it over and dissecting one through 53. Dang, Sarah, why do you have to go back and pull up Maurice Claret? Actually, it was Andrew Mason. I saw Andrew Mason posted that on Twitter. But it is kind of crazy to think about, like, you talk about a draft pick that was traded up for. We talked about it on a squad show, I believe, the possibility, even.
Starting point is 00:03:01 of Justin Jolie getting cut. And it was like, ah, no, they won't do that. He was, they traded up for him. It was a fifth round pick. Like, they'll see that investment through and shoot, here we are. Really quickly about Maurice Claret. When he went missing, I'm giving you air quotes here. I remember our GM, Ted Sunquist, called me.
Starting point is 00:03:23 And I'm thinking like, why are you calling me? I mean, you guys shouldn't know where he's at. But I was one of those players that developed a relationship with Maurice and they called me to figure out where he was. And here's something that's interesting about Maurice. And maybe you guys know this, maybe you don't. Maurice used to walk around with a gatorade water, squirt, one of those squirt bottles, right?
Starting point is 00:03:46 And you're thinking, you know, I'll ask you, what do you think was in a squirt bottle? Not gatorade. Yeah, I was going to say. Hey, dog was rocking with some great goose up in there. Right? Oh, geez. That's foul, bro.
Starting point is 00:04:02 Listen, he's the only thing I've ever seen walk around the nightclub, double-fisted with two great goose bottles. Wow. The only guy I've ever seen him. Yes, right? And when he would drink this, you would think that he would be like sloppy drunk. No, not at all. So obviously, once again, when Maurice went missing, they called me,
Starting point is 00:04:26 yeah, I was, I guess, preview to a lot of those things that were going on because he shared some of those things with me. But I hated to see him go. But I have to tell you this, where his life is right now, man, I love the way that God has impacted his life. So, yeah, that's my quick Maurice Claret story. That's fascinating. That was one of the coolest draft picks the Broncos made at the time.
Starting point is 00:04:55 Like, you know, he was basically, I think he was in the he's been running his freshman year at Ohio State. Yeah, he was. And was just dominating. And then shoot, I was, I was on his side, man. I thought he should have been allowed to get out of there early and go to the NFL. It's like, you know, imagine NIL with Maurice Corrette. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:05:13 You're erected. Different, dude. Yeah. And the reason we're talking about Maurice Claret is obviously because of the Broncos, probably the biggest surprise of the roster cut down day was parting ways with fifth round draft choice, Justin Jolie, at the tight end position. obviously there was some hope and anticipation maybe that he'd find his way through back to the practice squad.
Starting point is 00:05:35 Obviously, that is not the case as he finds himself now with the Miami Dolphins. And Jolie's a guy, you know, I wish he was here just because I know that was a guy that Cody was pretty high on coming out of college, right? And instead they go with the seventh round tight end that they're going to keep on the roster and Dallin Bentley, which is definitely something that's interesting to me. And look, we know that Jolie was like the definition of a raw prospect coming out of college. which I think is part of the reason why they wanted to bring him back on the practice squad. I know there were some stuff that went on during training camp as well.
Starting point is 00:06:06 But nonetheless, I mean, a guy that what they traded up for as well, like it's a fascinating decision to part ways with Jolie, who's just, you know, pretty much uncapped, especially when you look at the fact that they keep three quarterback, you know, a lot of special teams players making the roster as well. Like you would think there's a way maybe that the Broncos try to figure out a way to sneak Jolie on the roster, fellas. But that was not the case.
Starting point is 00:06:27 I was honestly shocked by it. And it made me go back and do some little, you know, amateur detective work, if you will. And I started digging up some tweets from training camp and looking up some stuff because I had been making mental notes of certain things throughout camp. And I posted this on my Twitter page, you know, talking about he had a fumble during seven on seven on seven. Red Murdoch forced a fumble on him and seven on seven. And he started a scuffle that, you know, remember escalated during practice to Bo
Starting point is 00:06:57 Nixon pulling Nick Benito off a pile and he got, you know, I think he had a pass play over the middle that he was just laid out by Tori and York and the defense just went nuts over it. And then he has a big catch, excuse me, down the middle of the field and gets called for OPI and the defense goes crazy. So I'm thinking like, you know, the Brian Windhorst, like now, now what is that all about, essentially, right? I know that's not what he said, but same vibe. And so I posted that on my Twitter page and I actually got a message back from
Starting point is 00:07:27 Justin himself because the implication that I was making was not a good locker room fit. And he posted, he sent me a picture of him with his teammates after he scored the big 88 yard touchdown against the Vikings in the preseason finale. And he said, I don't think it was about the locker room, basically, you know, just took ownership of not playing well enough during camp and in the preseason. And I thought it was a really mature response from him. Like, it would have been easy for him to be like, you know, F you, like, don't assume. anything about me in the locker room, but he took a nice, humble approach to it.
Starting point is 00:08:01 I took the tweet down and, you know, he's like, DB's going to be a beast for you guys. Like, I wish you nothing but the best. So I didn't write about that interaction. I sent it to you guys in the DM, but I figured I'd talk about it on here because Justin wanted to clear the air himself that it wasn't a locker room thing, at least from his vantage point. You know, here's what interesting about that Joey situation. I know it seems very shocking to a lot of people, but I'll say that I'm not as shocked.
Starting point is 00:08:32 I'm a little shocked, but not as shocked. Here's why. One reason I'm not as shocked is because some of the things that we were watching and hearing coming out of training camp, the fact that Jolie was somewhat struggling, picking up the system. And you got to think about it. It is really difficult for a rookie to come into an NFL kind of locker room
Starting point is 00:08:51 and setting and pick up a system, because when we look at Sean Payton's kind of play calling, it is very long. It is very robust, if you will. And for a young player, man, your head can be spinning. But my question is if you knew, and I have to go back to the pre-draft process, I mean, did the Broncos scouts actually talk to the coaches at NC State to see, well, how was Jolie coming along as far as grasping new concepts? because if you do that, you get an idea, okay, well, listen, this guy is a very talented player.
Starting point is 00:09:29 He's one of our flex guys. It may take him a little longer to kind of get ingratiated in the system. If that is the case, you save one of those practice squad places for him. I mean, like, they did the same thing with Caleb Loner, right, last season. So if you think a player has a little ability, you put him on the practice squad and give him time to work himself into form. So I look at the evaluation part, but also the coaching part. Could they have helped him in some way? Because we didn't really see Joe Lee in that many preseason games at all. So how can you get a feel for a guy if you don't put him in a
Starting point is 00:10:09 preseason game? And also, by the way, they kept Dallin Bentley. Right. So when they kept Bentley, here's the first thing I went back to. When they picked up both of those players in the draft, we knew which player was going to be for what. Bentley was more of a blocking tight end. Jolie was more of a flex open Evan Ingram type of guy. So that just told me that Broncos still have not figured out their tight end situation because you're trying to get a multitude of different guys and morph them into one guy, which is proven to be impossible.
Starting point is 00:10:44 Well, I know George Payton said at his press conference when he was addressing the roster that it wasn't just that Jolie was raw as a player. But I remember him saying something about he missed a good chunk of the offseason program, which I guess I don't remember that. So I had to, I didn't remember that he missed that chunk of time. So to your point, Nick, in terms of him being behind, maybe in catching up on the verbiage or the playbook or things like that, maybe that time off, you know, time away recovering contributed to that because I think there's some validity.
Starting point is 00:11:16 I mean, why is little Jordan Humphrey around? Because he knows the offense. Well, what does that even really mean? well, it means that he knows the offense like the back of his hand. And he's trustworthy to be able to execute what he's being asked to do for the most part, right? Maybe not to the highest level that, you know, all of us, you know, watching the games would like to see all the time. But I'm glad you. I'm glad you put it away, Sarah.
Starting point is 00:11:39 Yeah. I mean, that's true. Like, well, when you call up a wide receiver from the practice squad, I think it was Bo Nex's first game. It was the 2023 or 24 season. You call up a little Jordan from the practice squad. and he gets targets on the first drive. It's like, dude, this guy's on the practice squad, and he's getting targets on the first drive
Starting point is 00:11:56 or the first game of the year. That's weird. But I've grown to actually come around to Little Jordan. I like Little Jordan. But I will say, to your point, though, with Jolie, it's an expensive price to pay, a fifth round draft selection, plus a sixth because you trade it up to get him, right? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:12:14 It's an expensive price to pay to find out what work now needs to be done more so in advance of the draft with guys that we're considering, because I'm pretty sure Joe Lee was one of the guys who came to Denver for a pre-draft visit, or they talked to him at some point at his pro day, one of the two. So whatever base needed to be covered clearly wasn't, because I didn't think he was necessarily raw coming out.
Starting point is 00:12:40 The tight end position is hard to play in the NFL. Well, position isn't, but maybe more so at tight end. But he was a four-year guy. He played two years at Yukon. He played two years at end. NC State. There's a lot of stuff that he did really well in terms of being a route runner, in terms of being a perimeter blocker. So it's a different ballgame when you get to the NFL.
Starting point is 00:12:59 And he wasn't able to match the physical and what he's capable of doing in that regard to the mental and being able to play the game fast at the NFL level, not fast enough. Whereas Dallin Bentley, yes, he's known for his blocking abilities more so than Joey is. But Bentley also had a much better athletic profile coming out of the draft. I think he was a nine point something on the RAS scale, whereas Jolie didn't even do pre-draft workouts to get a RAS score. Like, so, I mean, maybe the more well-rounded player overall anyway ended up on the team. So how about this, though?
Starting point is 00:13:36 Let me throw something out of Nella really quickly. Who's to say that the Broncos philosophy with little Jordan Humphrey isn't to say that, well, he is big like a cow pits in Atlanta. So instead of wasting our time developing Joey when the team is in a win now mode, as crazy as that sound, they're trying to win right now. Why not think that maybe the Broncos would want to put the Jordan Humphrey in that flex tied-in role? Could that be a possibility? Yeah, I mean, why not?
Starting point is 00:14:13 Go ahead. I think so. No, I was going to say, like to your point too, Sarah, and I think it was your tweet. that I saw about LJ, like, he's obviously a Sean Peyton guy. And look, I think I think we all know who little Jordan Humphrey is. And, you know, sometimes there can be an issue with the drops. But it's a guy that knows the offense. I think obviously they put a tremendous stock into that,
Starting point is 00:14:32 tremendous amount of stock in that, rather. And he does the dirty things, right? Like he's a guy who's going to be really good as a pass blocker, you know, just on the outside, like doing the dirty work, right? And I think Sean Payton, this offense, like, really, really value that. And also, I think there's a possibility with little Jordan Humphrey that if, you know, something arise, whatever, you can elevate him. him, you know, to a higher role on game day.
Starting point is 00:14:50 I know he's on the roster, but you could also move him around here a little bit, too. And I think with Jolie, like, when it comes back to just the tight end position here for just a moment, fellas, like, and it kind of hits on what you're talking about a little bit as well, Nick. Like, I think they have a specific type of tight end that they like unless it's like a pure product as a receiving type of tight end. And I think the other part of it, too, is like, there may be okay with being maybe a little bit more one dimensional that position than maybe some of the fan base wants. Well, and I think there's opportunities to get those guys.
Starting point is 00:15:18 guys more involved. Like we saw in the preseason, Nate Adkins when he was out there, I think it was the Packers game. They're all kind of blending together to me now. But there was one game in the preseason where Nate Adkins had a 25 or 26 yard catch and run. And then he had another 10 plus yard play. We saw Evan Ingram obviously have the big play up the seam against the Atlanta Falcons on his really only opportunity in the passing game during the preseason. So I think there's, I think there's just more meat on the bone regardless. Like their involvement of the. the tight end has been so, I would, I would say inconsistent, but that would be putting it too nicely. Remember in the 2024 season on National Tight Ends Day where the Broncos just all of a
Starting point is 00:16:01 sudden got, you know, Adam Trotman had the insane one-handed catch and Nate Adkins had a touchdown. And it's like, oh, so when you guys want to include these players, they're capable of doing stuff. And you can. Adam Trotman against Washington had a really nice play after the catch. So I think you just generally speaking need to give these guys more opportunities. I mean, I don't think they're bad. I think they've, Adam Trowman has made some of the craziest catches dating back to Russell Wilson's last year in Denver. He made that crazy catch in the end zone, I believe, against Kansas City.
Starting point is 00:16:33 And so they've all made big plays. Nate Adkins has made one-handed catches. Evan Ingram has made crazy catches. I think it's just a matter of calling their number more consistently. And so maybe there is like as bad as we've talked. about the Broncos tight end position. Maybe there's more than meets the eye there. And now I'm intrigued because Caleb Loner was placed on IR with the designation to return.
Starting point is 00:16:58 So it's not like they're saying, hey, we're putting him on the shelf for a year. We're essentially stashing him on our team for another season to get him an opportunity to come back. He's going to be able to come back at some point in October, November. And what will the Broncos roster look like at that point to be able to do that? because Sean Paden had nice things to say about him as well. But this is why I don't feel as though the Broncos 53 is finalized at this point. Because you're putting guys on the Indy Reserves with a designation to return. For me, you're putting those guys in glass, right?
Starting point is 00:17:31 We're going to put them in glass. We're going to stick them over to the side and break in case of emergency. In case we don't need it, depending on the guys that they currently have on the roster, those guys start performing well. and we know the Broncos have a rough stretch right in the first six to seven games. If you get whatever you want out of those rosters, at some point those guys you designated to return, they may not return at all, right?
Starting point is 00:17:57 It's true. They may not. Yeah. Yeah, because you have one, a three-week window to, I think it's three weeks to bring them back officially to get them on the practice field. And so, yeah, you're right. I mean, it's if somebody at the tight end position gets hurt, you got a guy that can,
Starting point is 00:18:12 come in for you at any point this year and somebody that who has you know grown in his abilities so i i hate losing a player like jolly you want to see every draft pick become what george peyton's vision is which is hey we want to draft we want to develop we want to get to second contracts you believe that you know you believe that for the best for all these guys when they're rookies for sure as time goes along though you kind of start to sour on some of them but certainly during their rookie camp and preseason, you're not saying, well, let's cut bait with this guy. But cutting fifth round
Starting point is 00:18:45 picks is, I mean, that's tough. Like I said, the highest draft pick since Maurice Claret to get cut out of his rookie camp for the Broncos. And I think that speaks to a few things. I think it speaks to three specifically. Jolie's ability and his understanding of the offense,
Starting point is 00:19:01 obviously, like George Payton just said flat out, he's raw. So his abilities was number one reason. Number two, you're deep on the team. Overall, You got to find ways to keep seven defensive linemen and six wide receivers and four running backs. And three quarterbacks. And three quarterbacks. So, yeah, you chose.
Starting point is 00:19:19 Yeah. So there's a lot to unpack there. But I think also it's just a matter of this team being healthy, which to me is the most important takeaway from the 53 man roster is that when the Broncos take on Kansas City, we're not going to be saying, man, I wish they had blank. Unless it's, you know, Marvin, unless Marvin is like you said earlier, Nick, unless it's worse than anticipated. but you might have everybody available for that game. Yeah, I think the last thing I would said, after the break, we'll kind of talk about the practice squad
Starting point is 00:19:45 because there's definitely some interesting names on there as well. But like two guys in particular, Tyler Breday at running back, and we'll kind of have a larger running back conversation, obviously with the news that involves Julio McLaughlin, along with Tyson Anderson, right? Like these are guys that maybe we were a little, you know, what is their role going to be if there is one?
Starting point is 00:20:03 I think it also kind of speaks to the versatility of guys that can play special teams and just how much weight that kind of carries when it comes to, you know, making this roster and sticking around with this Denver Broncos organization. So we shall see, but definitely to kind of get the show started, the big shocker of the Broncos cutdown day was the option to move on from fifth round draft choice, Justin Jolie. Of course, they wanted it back on the practice squad. That was not the case. And one more thing on Jolie real quick.
Starting point is 00:20:30 The 88-yard touchdown perception obviously didn't do anything, right? And George Payton kind of said as much in his conference call. did on Sunday night where they had, you know, 50, 51, 52 of these spots generally made up going into that third preseason game. So I know Jolie was, you know, a star in that final preseason game with that touchdown, but obviously that did not do much to help his case. So let us all your thoughts in the comments section about Jolie, the tight end section, or tight end room, rather, excuse me, and away we go. Let's hit a break though. When we come back, let's talk about the practice squad, a few interesting names they get through there, one that I'm
Starting point is 00:21:05 very excited about and we'll talk about that when we come back right here on your locked on Broncos squad show back at just a moment folks. Today's episode of your lockdown Broncos squad show is brought to you by our friends over at Fandul. Collective all Saturdays are already packed up reasons to get excited. And this season, Fandul is giving fans even more ways to get in on every single matchup. Back your favorite team, build the same game parlay, you can bet team props or make your picks on the biggest games of the weekend.
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Starting point is 00:22:41 So be sure to check out our friends over at Fanduil, guys, and let them know that Lacton Broncos sent you out. All right, well, come back into your Lockdown Broncos squad show. Elo Piro, Sierra Beniger, and Nick Ferguson, hanging out with you guys here on this Tuesday, the September of the first. Fun conversation there on Justin Jolie and the decision, rather, to part ways with him, despite being a rookie fifth round draft selection. Let's go ahead and take a look here at the practice squad, though, fellas.
Starting point is 00:23:11 And I think the big name that at least I'm excited, like there's some obvious ones, right? But the fact that they were able to get Red Murdoch through to the practice squad is a huge win for me, among some other things as well. Well, like, when we got the news, they were, you know, planning to move on or wave, you know, Red Murdoch and then hope that it is to get through the practice squad. Like that was like, I was kind of holding my breath a little bit,
Starting point is 00:23:30 just because as we've talked about on this show, like, I'm a pretty big Red Murdoch guy. I think he's got a bright future in this league. And, you know, I think the one major critique on Red is just like the mental. processing of playing in the NFL and understanding the scheme, right? And I think once he figures that out, like this is a guy that is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the NFL, obviously, as a mystery of relevance. So first things first when it comes to the practice squad, fellas, excited to see that Red
Starting point is 00:23:56 Murdoch got through, which I did not think would necessarily be a certainty. And also very surprised that Tori and York, number one, got through. Number two, wasn't signed. And number three, still hasn't signed with anybody anywhere. So that was surprising to me, the highest paid undrafted free agent in Broncos history, not even on the practice squad. So I'm really excited about Red Murdoch coming back. Obviously, I think just like everybody else, let him continue to develop, let him continue
Starting point is 00:24:26 to marinate on the practice squad. I'm also really pumped about bringing Cody Schrader back. I think that was a good move to bring. And honestly, another slight surprise with Jalil McLaughlin, clearly being willing to take a practice squad role. which he did with the Cleveland Browns. He's on the Cleveland Browns practice squad as of right now. So Cody Schrader, I think outplayed pretty much everybody in the preseason and earned that spot.
Starting point is 00:24:51 But it's the fifth running back spot in Denver. So Gillil wasn't wanting to take that, which I understand. I think that's okay. But I think real quick on Jalil if I could. Sorry, I didn't cut you off. It's just I know I want to, we want to expand on that a little bit. I think it was time for Jalil to move on. Right.
Starting point is 00:25:08 Like I think like you'd been here. You've done that, right? Like, and again, like kind of what I hinted at going in before the break, I think a large reason as to why Tyler, but they made the roster over Jalilil is because Tyler has an essential role on special teams, right? And I think obviously Jalilil was some of the fumbling problems that have been there too. So that's just my one thing is like I understand like they wanted him back on the practice squad, but I don't hold any ill will towards Jalilil and I think he made the best decision for himself. And obviously, Shraders.
Starting point is 00:25:33 So just wanted to interject on that point too real quick, sir. No, I think that's fair. I think that's a good point. and I was surprised to hear during the preseason broadcast. Mike Cliss had said Tyler Badegh is the fourth running back on the team. And I was like, wait, he is. You know, I didn't, I guess I wasn't aware of that. But, you know, Tyler Badee, it makes sense.
Starting point is 00:25:53 Like if the guy is calling off fake punts in the AFC championship game, he's probably got some roster clout. And he's at this point, one of the longest tenured players on the team. He's been around since the Nathaniel Hackett era back in 2022 was when he was originally brought on to the Broncos. So he's got some serious, you know, time with this organization and he's built up some trust. And look, at this point, now you're expecting a little bit of a bounce back from him because the Broncos now going to activate four running backs on game days to have bidet on the field. That's going to be interesting to see. But I was just to finish
Starting point is 00:26:27 off my practice squad thought, number one guy that I'm most excited about, Colby Katzis dominated as a returner in the preseason over 31 yards per kickoff return. I think it was over 15 or 16 yards per put return. And that was nice. That's field flipping level return skills. So Katz's to me was the number one guy that I was hoping would come back. You know, here's something that's interesting as we talk about these running backs. Cody Shredder, he had the best preseason of, I would say, most of the backs, right?
Starting point is 00:27:03 But we know a lot of those backs were already pre-detour. determined they were going to make the team. R.J. Harvey, regardless of his criticism by certain people on social media, he was going to make the team, right? J.K. Dobbins was going to make the team. Jonah Coleman was going to make the team. It was, well, is it going to be Jalil or it was going to be Tala Bade? And I'll say this. I don't think that Tyler Badee did enough in the preseason to solidify himself to say, well, he's earned this particular spot, right? And that may end up being the theme for part of this show moving forward as we look at other players or on the positions when we say, well, was it given to them or did they act earn it?
Starting point is 00:27:47 I don't think Talibati actually earned the spot because if you look at the numbers from a preseason standpoint, even it was Cody first based on what we saw in the Minnesota game. but then it was Jalil after that. And I know the idea is that, well, maybe Talibadegh gives you more on special teams than Jalil probably gives you. I'm going to push back on that just a little because we've seen both of those guys on special teams. Is it tough for guys who never play special teams, especially offensively, to know how to run down the field, put themselves in position and make tackles?
Starting point is 00:28:27 Absolutely. But I go back to this. There was nothing Taliban they did last year or even this preseason that made me go, you know what? He is the fourth guy who the Broncos have on the roster. Now, I don't get the chance to make the final decisions. I'm not into coaches locker room or in their meeting rooms, but I'm just going to say personally looking at it as a guy who cut his teeth in the league
Starting point is 00:28:54 for his first three years of his career on special teams, I don't see it. I really don't see it. I think that's what it comes down to, though, and I'm not trying to disagree with you, but that's, like, the only logical reason as to, because I thought Jalil McLaughlin had a better preseason at the time. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:29:11 And I think Jaliel McLaughlin, honestly, probably gives you more upside as a natural runner, you know, to be a reserve running back, whether it's on the practice squad or deep on the depth chart, you know, with the 53 man roster. So, like, I don't know if it's Darren Rizzy, right? Who's kind of in Sean Zier saying, like,
Starting point is 00:29:25 no, we need to keep a day. Like, I'm sure it's a combination of those things. And the fumbling issue as well, when it comes to Jalil 2. I mean, we, I was just one fumble and Nilo, one. But it sticks with you. It sticks with you a little bit. And George even talked about George Payton.
Starting point is 00:29:39 That is how that was probably the hardest decision for them make, right? Was do you keep a day or do you keep Jalil? So it's just like when I'm looking at it that way, I just think special teams ultimately like the one difference between the two. You know what, Nilo? I'm going to tell you this. That is a coaching justification, right? Because you can actually say that.
Starting point is 00:29:59 but to actually prove it, I mean, you think how many people are actually going to watch every rep of kickoff, pump, return, and see which guy is playing better than the other. But that is a way that you justify your decision because you said it coming in. I mean, going into that Minnesota game, the roster pretty much had been set, right? So if anyone had any outside thoughts about Jolie, the 88-yard touchdown pass wasn't changing anything. The Jalel McLaughlin touchdown pass from Sam Ellinger wasn't changing anything because the die had already been cast. Right. That's all I'm saying. That even speaks to the conversation we had about backup quarterback, right?
Starting point is 00:30:44 Like how early in this training camp in preseason period did they have their minds made up about certain positions? Like, I'm trying to think. Like I'm looking at their 53 man roster right now. Like which one of these guys may have swayed the coaching staff in the last week or two? Because it's pretty chalky, right? I think even with the rookies, and you kind of alluded to it as well. So they're like, this is probably one of, if not the hardest roster to make in the NFL, just given the depth they have in multiple positions.
Starting point is 00:31:08 I think Jonah Coleman and Tyler O'Neatham were probably the only two rookies that you can pen in on the roster because of their draft slot, especially with Coleman, when it comes to, you know, just his overall impact here in year one. And I think O'Donietam will play a little bit too. But like when I'm looking at this roster, like the fact that Justin Jolie being cut is the biggest surprise. I think obviously kind of just says something that there wasn't a lot of room for guys to necessarily impress, you know, the front office. And even if they did, like, where are you going to put it? Like, who, who are you taking off to put somebody else on, right? Yeah. They did the,
Starting point is 00:31:41 the whole thing from the dark night where the joker's like, we're having tryouts or whatever. And it was between Jolie and Dow and Bentley, you know, it's like there's, there's only one spot, right? So you got to fight to the death for that one spot. And it went to Bentley. But you're right. I mean, predetermination of this whole roster is littered. I mean, Tyson Anderson, what did we see from him in the preseason? I don't remember seeing anything from Tyson Anderson. Jordan Turner missed a lot of training camp. And this is a guy who was a free agent pickup last year, a tryout guy for the team
Starting point is 00:32:13 who made the team or made the practice squad, excuse me, and then got called up late in the season. He wasn't out there to really compete with Red Murdoch and Tori and York. And then he comes in in the last week or so. So to the point of kind of predetermination, I would say the only real spot up for grabs in that case has to be that fourth tight end spot. And possibly Sam Ellinger's spot, but again, he, I don't know if it was predetermined. I mean, it does seem that way. I'm not saying that it wasn't competition.
Starting point is 00:32:46 I'm saying that I don't think there was really like, I think there would have had to have been something dramatic to change what they were, already planning on doing. It would have had to have been, man, like, that was really bad. Or, wow, like, you know, Justin Jolie just dominate. But they didn't give him a lot of opportunities. We talked about that. We didn't see him getting targets. We didn't see him out there running a ton of routes or making a ton of blocks.
Starting point is 00:33:08 Like, so I don't know. It's, it's choosing seniority. I'm okay with it for the most part. But not if Jolie goes to the dolphins like Greg Dulcich did and, you know, plays really well. Yes. Well, that's, uh, you know, that's Sean's worth. nightmare, right? Like he cut, who was it in Newer, uh, Ninkovich, right? And obviously we see what happens with him and he goes on a, you know, one thing that Sean goes on and on and on about and it's
Starting point is 00:33:34 actually a good bridge here for our next segment is the right 53, right? Like there's always going to be a couple of players every now and again that get away, right? And that you shucks, right? Wish we would have kept them all that kind of stuff, right? But the question is, and you kind of hit on it as well, Sarah, like this is a win now championship type of window. This Broncos roster, believe it or not, this rosters in the NFL as well. So the question that we'll try to answer here back on the other side is, did the Broncos get it right when it comes to landing the best 53 players to help push them towards a Super Bowl? All that more when we come back right here on your Lockdown Bronco Squatcho.
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Starting point is 00:36:01 All right, we'll come all back into the program. And I'm here here with your Lockhart, Edgar, Nick Ferguson, hanging out here on your lockdown Bronco Squad show. If you're watching live on YouTube, we appreciate you guys. Do us a favor. Hit that like button, smash that subscribe button. It really, really helps us out here on the channel. And, you know, the offseason portion of the show is just about dumb.
Starting point is 00:36:18 We're getting towards, you know, that main core steak dinners come out, right? We got 17 football games and hopefully a few more, you know, for the next few months here or so. So we appreciate you guys rocking with us. that you'll continue to rock with us to have the course of the regular season and beyond. But to kind of pick up where we left off, I'll just throw it out to you, Sarah, and then to you, Nick, did the Broncos get it right when it comes to the overall construction of this 53-man roster? I think they did.
Starting point is 00:36:44 I mean, obviously the goal is to win a Super Bowl right now. It's not to develop a tight end for the future. Like, there's certain questions that can be answered later, and there's certain things with a roster that you just understand, there's no such thing as a perfect roster in the NFL, although the Rams are doing a pretty good job of living out my childhood Madden franchise mode in real life. But all that to say, I mean, even the Rams have weaknesses.
Starting point is 00:37:12 The Rams have roster holes. The Rams have spots that they're thinking they probably have the same debates at locked on Rams of like certain backups or certain starting positions that are weaker than others. And so I think for the Broncos, if they got it wrong, it goes back to off-seas. in process at two positions, tight end and linebacker. That's the only way that I would say for the guys they had on the 90 man or the 91 men with the international exceptions, I don't think they got it wrong.
Starting point is 00:37:39 I think in terms of going back to the offseason, resigning Singleton, resigning Sternad, bringing back Adam Troutman, all the retention. I think you could argue. I mean, I don't know. I don't know if they got it right in that regard. Should they have upgraded the talent department at linebacker? should they have upgraded at tight end instead of just staying in-house. Those are the questions that I have, but I think out of the guys they had on the team competing through the offseason, I think they got it right.
Starting point is 00:38:07 I'm going to say this. To answer the question, we don't know. It's a huge question. It's a huge question. Here's why. Here's why. And the reason why is that we won't find out until 2027 in February. that's when we actually know whether it's the Broncos or any other team, just like Sarah said.
Starting point is 00:38:31 He mentioned the Rams. The Rams added Miles Garrett and they added Aaron Donald. And everyone was like, hey, they are the Super Bowl favorites. We don't know that. We have no idea because here's the one thing that would derail any team being healthy. We saw it firsthand, Anilo, up close and personal. When we sat there and we watch the game against the Patriots, we watched the basketball, We watched a backup quarterback try to win the game for the Denver Broncos, and we all know if Boat played in that game, their chances to advance to play Seattle would have been so much better.
Starting point is 00:39:07 So we have to wait and see because when you start to go through the physical rigors of the season, guys are going to go down. See, Broncos were lucky last year. They didn't sustain a lot of impact injuries that could have derailed their season, right? So the idea is what happens when someone who's a marquee player on either side of the ball goes down? Can that next guy who's behind him step up and not miss a beat? If you're telling me that is the case and you truly believe that, then hell, sign me up for it. But I know better than that because I know it's a long season. Guys get banged up.
Starting point is 00:39:45 You look at the first seven, eight games. Those are physical games. And we're talking about teams in NFC West, with exception. of the Arizona Cardinals. Every other team, they're going to be a test for the Denver Broncos. You survive where you are healthy in February. That's when we can say, you know what? They ran it back, even though that's what Sean Payton didn't want to say,
Starting point is 00:40:08 but they ran it back. They did it their way. They got rid of Justin Jolie, and they still was able to win a Super Bowl. That's the only time that any team can say, you know what? We won the draft. We won the offseason.
Starting point is 00:40:22 Hey, we won the idea of putting your roster together because if you're one of the two teams and you got your head down at the end of the Super Bowl, guess what? You didn't win the offseason and you didn't win putting your 53 together. Well, can I just say I didn't feel like the Broncos had the best luck last year in the injury department. I mean, obviously the untimely injury to Bo Nix was detrimental to their chances, as you just mentioned. and Jopin's injury completely ruined their running game. They had offensive line issues. They had to play Alex Paltesky who was never played the left side of his life, starting at left guard for the team.
Starting point is 00:41:04 And you had to deal with a ton of wide receiver injuries throughout the season. I mean, how many games did Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin and others miss throughout the course of a season where you had Michael Bandy out there and Lil Jordan Humphrey catching tubs in the divisional round game against the bills? and you had to deal with Pat Sartan missing time. You had to deal with other guys missing time. I mean, so I know that they had maybe better luck than maybe some other teams who had loaded up the injured reserve. But I think for the Broncos, it's been a three-year sample now
Starting point is 00:41:33 of guys really not dealing with the, what is it, soft tissue injuries, which they take pride in. Sean Payton makes a point to talk about every offseason that they don't struggle with the soft tissue. So if they can get even luckier in the, you know, freak injury department. I would say they're, I would say they're going to be winning most games by eight plus points because
Starting point is 00:41:57 there's so much deeper than other teams. And the offense is so much more explosive from what we saw in the preseason. I know it's just the preseason. So got to give that caveat there. But obviously, I think this team is much, much more set up with Jalen Waddle and the development of other guys to be able to, I don't know,
Starting point is 00:42:18 the last, if there are those types of injuries, to be able to be the last one standing. Well, here's something really quickly, Sarah. I'm glad you brought up the point of Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin. Usually when those two guys go out, who's the guy that typically steps up? Marvin, that's right. And right now, he has somewhat of a bruise foot injury that is considered to be not severe, but he hasn't been in practice for the past two days. So that's the only thing that threatens this team.
Starting point is 00:42:49 It is injuries. And if something happened, knocking on wood to Jalen Wado, that destroys a lot of this whole opportunities. And oh, by the way, a guy that most people don't think that is going to be healthy for 17, 18 plus games and J.K. Dobbins.
Starting point is 00:43:05 So that is going to be their saving grace. And if you are a member of Broncos country and you want to pray to the football guys for something, you pray for that. because if they are healthy, there's no one that's going to beat them. I don't think so. Yeah. That's, I would say, like, that's why I think, I think they do have the right 53,
Starting point is 00:43:26 just because the last year's 53 is so similar. And I think it proves what that 53 man roster is when they're healthy, right? Like, I have more questions about their health than I do, like, if someone that they have on the practice squad or someone they cut, right? Like, can Talano Hufong remain healthy? Or like, Bo Nix is going to be fine, right? But, like, what does the offensive line look like throughout the course of the season? Marvin Mims, Jalen Waddle, right?
Starting point is 00:43:45 Like all of these kind of key difference makers for this team. Pat Sertan, who missed a chunk of time last year as well, linebacker. I feel like we've gone on and on and on about what happens if one of Sternard or Singleton goes down, right? Like those are the concerns to me more so than like just cutting Justin Jolie like cripple the Broncos at the tight end position for years to come, right? So I think obviously just because there wasn't a whole lot of movement fellows when it comes to the 53 man roster that I can consider and say pretty confidently they did get the right 53 because of what we saw last season.
Starting point is 00:44:18 And they've kept even more like when your roster is so good that you are putting the long snapper on the practice squad and manipulating the roster rules to that's how good your team is. Teams don't often do that type of stuff or Prentice is going to start on offense and he's on the practice squad. So you have two guys who will be in your starting lineup or, you know, for bony, long snapper, call him a starter. or whatever. He's the only long snapper that's going to play other than I know they got Basso as well. There's two long snappers on the practice squad.
Starting point is 00:44:50 That's how good your freaking team is. And I'm looking at the practice squad right now. And I'm looking at the guys who contributed last year to this team who were actually called up or who were in the lineup at times. Michael Bandy, Calvin Throckmorton, Lucas Krull, Adam Prentice. Obviously, you have Froboni, who's your long snapper, not Johnny Walker, but, you know, You know, you have other guys that like these guys are going to play. The practice squad players play for this team. So it's their experienced guys as well.
Starting point is 00:45:21 Bandi caught a touchdown in the maybe the most explosive offensive game they had all year against Green Bay. I mean, Bandi was a key player for them at times last year. So Prentice going to be a chain mover. He's going to be a guy who converts in the in the red zone in the tight red. So I think they're set up really well. I do. I'm very excited about it. I think everybody in Broncos.
Starting point is 00:45:43 country should be excited about it because you're able to do what Nick said. Can you weather the storm? We know Bo Knicks is not part of that equation. Anything else is pretty much on the table. You need bandy to step up. Great. You need backup long snapper. Great. We got one of those. Do you need somebody off the practice squad to come and play special teams? Hey, we got a couple of those guys as well. And by the way, you got Taylor Rap on speed dial ready to come be part of this team whenever they ask him or whenever he's ready. So you've got all these different pieces of the puzzle ready to go. I think the health question depends solely on Boe-Nix. If Bo-Nix is healthy the whole year, to me, it's the Super Bowl. And I have a different definition of Super Bowl or bust than apparently other people do,
Starting point is 00:46:30 but I don't think it's like Super Bowl or blow things up. I think the expectation is if you win the Super Bowl this year or the year was a failure, right? That's what I see it. I think you're right when you call it that way because in my time plan for Mike Shanion, that was kind of the idea. I mean, that's why the standard was the standard because it was a Super Bowl of bus. And the idea is that if you didn't win the Super Bowl, it wasn't a successful season because that's where you set the expectations. And the one thing that's interesting about this, as a former player,
Starting point is 00:47:05 I look at the roster manipulation that takes place now. in comparison to what it was when I play, it's entirely different. Because, I mean, there was only five guys on the practice squad. And the practice squad guy, and I was one of them, you did everything.
Starting point is 00:47:23 When I said you did everything, when you went home, you didn't have time for anything else. All you wanted to do is sleep. Now, due to COVID, now you can put 16 guys on it. And it's interesting that the Broncos now have Adam Prentice on a practice squad,
Starting point is 00:47:38 two long snappers on a practice squad. So what that essentially allowed the Broncos to do to add guys to the active roster who probably wouldn't have made this roster to begin with, but they too at some point maybe a week from now, maybe two weeks from now, they're going to have to still make some strong decisions as far as who you keeping on. Because think about the mind, I almost said something else, the mind juggle that goes into,
Starting point is 00:48:07 man, I had to watch myself. There you go, good job. that goes into every single week looking at the roster trying to figure out who's up, who's down, and then trying to make sure those players don't get poached by another team because now you put them on the practice squad. It just baffles my mind how this roster was put together and how George Payton and his staff, they're going to try to have to navigate that every game. Could you imagine that every week you're trying to do that?
Starting point is 00:48:37 So some of these guys, once again, who are currently on this roster, they're not going to be on this roster in February. It's going to be interesting to see which of those guys on the practice squad, for lack of a better way of putting it, allow themselves to be poached. Like, that's, that's a discussion that I've been having with so many people.
Starting point is 00:48:56 I was telling you guys before we started recording the show, it's like, well, why would you keep Lil Jordan Humphrey on the roster, like, and not protect, you know, because you're not subjecting a guy on the practice squad to waivers.
Starting point is 00:49:09 Like some of these guys have, they've all already passed through waivers. Every other team has had a chance to pluck them away from the Broncos. So it's not like, it's not like they're on a constant state of being on the waiver wire where, hey, the Raiders are going to claim Red Murdoch today because he's, you know, because they all of a sudden decide they want him. They would have to go to Red Murdoch's agent and say, we're going to offer Red a 53 man roster spot, at which point he would go to the Broncos and say,
Starting point is 00:49:39 hey, the Raiders are going to offer me a 53-man spot. I think I'm going to take it unless you guys are willing to offer me one. That's how that works. Or like Sam Ellinger last year, he didn't get poached off the practice squad. He gets approached by the Colts. And they say,
Starting point is 00:49:54 hey, we want to have you come to our quarterback room. We're desperate for help. And he says, no, I'd rather be on the Broncos practice squad. And that's how that happens. You say no or you say,
Starting point is 00:50:05 yes, you don't just get drafted by another team because you're on the Broncos practice squad. And you can still protect players on the practice squad as well. So I think it's just important to note that like, that's not how it works. Like if little Jordan was on the practice squad for the Broncos, it would be because he chose to be there and not because, well, he's forced to be on the practice squad and some team can come pluck him away whenever they want. That's not how it works. So you, you manipulate the roster rules, which are stupid, by doing the,
Starting point is 00:50:35 these sorts of things like putting Prentice on the practice squad and you'll get three free games out of him or the long snapper. You'll get three free games out of the long snapper. It's the Broncos making sure that they have the ability to keep young players that they like, Savion Jones being one of them, to stash on the roster while utilizing guys who could be called up off the practice squad who are willing to say, hey, I'll take one for the team. I'll be on the practice squad and take less money, but I'll play on Sundays. And this guy is not going to be.
Starting point is 00:51:04 He's going to be dressed and sweat. That sounds like what they did in Cleveland with Dylan Gabriel who played Massru and the final preseasoned game, but somehow ended up on IR with the back injury. Who knows? Just think about it. Who knows? It sounds, I know it sounds crazy. But believe it or not, you know, teams actually do that.
Starting point is 00:51:29 Sayer, you can come up with a mysterious injury and I can say, you know what? That ankle is bothering you, right? Sarah, you're like, no, no, my ankle is good. You're like, no, no, no, that ankle's bothering you, right? You sure it's not bothering you? And then eventually you start to catch on to what's being said, oh, oh, yeah, that, oh, oh, the ankle was bothering me. You know what?
Starting point is 00:51:50 Believe it or not, I know it's hard to believe. I wouldn't have believed in myself. But yes, things like that happen because you have to find ways to retain talent so they don't get outside of your doors. Let's hit our final break when we come back. We'll kind of just continue along with this, right? Some other interesting position groups here with the Denver Broncos and ultimately just trying to make sense of how they came to their conclusions
Starting point is 00:52:15 when it comes to the 53-man roster, all that more. When we come back right here on your Lockedon Broncos squad show. All right, final segment here on your Lockdown Broncos squad show. Appreciate you guys for rocking with us. One position group, we've mentioned it a couple of times, and I think part of the reason we don't have to do like a super deep dive into it is because it's not surprising, but keeping three quarterbacks, right? And we talked about how Stidham being backup quarterback was merely a formality at this point more than anything.
Starting point is 00:52:50 And so ultimately the Broncos decision to keep Sam Ellinger on the active roster, I think is maybe where the conversation could lie just because we've seen him float back and forth on the practice squad as well. But ultimately, when you boil it down, it fell as like there's nothing surprising to me about how the Broncos went about their business with keeping the three QBs. And I don't mind it, honestly. I mean, like we've been talking about throughout the course of this, offseason. Every discussion about the Broncos roster seems to boil down to champagne problems, right? Oh, man, we kept a third quarterback instead of a fifth tight end. Like, I mean, I'm fine. Sam Ellinger played so well in the preseason finale, but I think it's worth keeping that guy around. And he might be
Starting point is 00:53:32 the backup in 2027. So you invest now in somebody who can be part of your team from now on. I don't think it's written in the stars that, you know, Jared Stiddam's going to be back next year. year. So why wouldn't Sam come back again this year and maybe be the QB2 in 2027? I think that's very realistic possibility. And at that point, he'll have had two, three years in the offense. So I just think ultimately it's one of those things that's like, ah, would you like to have one extra spot? Sure. Could he give it to you at some point throughout the course of the season? Absolutely. So I just think that you still have that flexibility. It did cost you Justin Jolie, which, you know, It's something that we'll have to monitor his career.
Starting point is 00:54:14 But at the same time, it's like, all right, well, there's going to be fifth round tight ends every year. Well, I'll say this as it pertains to the backup quarterback position, which we were told there was no quarterback battle to begin with. To let you know, this was already predetermined. But I'll say this was a case of champagne taste with beer results when it pertains to one of those quarterbacks. And you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out which one of the ones. I'm talking about because Sam Alligator came out and he performed well and he performed well with a less
Starting point is 00:54:49 efficient, a less efficient offensive line because he was running for his life. But he showed his mobility. There were moments in the game against Minnesota and albeit it was the final preseason game where I had to look and do a double take and I was like, wait a minute,
Starting point is 00:55:05 that's number four? He looks a whole hell of a lot like number 10. Right? And when it went and I put a video up and it was I think he would and then Matt Parrott was on the left side. The guy just breathed right past him. And then Sam had the presence of mind,
Starting point is 00:55:20 well, oh, there's Jule McGoughlin. Underhand pass to him. We saw him doing certain things to show that he could actually play. And once again, what we saw in practice equal to what he saw that we saw in the game. When you, when you play in a quarterback position
Starting point is 00:55:36 and you plan against Cover 2, you know the weaknesses of Cover 2, right? But it's tight one-do throws, especially on the sideline. And that's what he showed. At no point in this preseason or in training camp, did I ever see Jared Stidham present any of that? I didn't.
Starting point is 00:55:54 If anyone wants to tell me they did, please tell me, show me the receipts because I didn't see them. So I feel as though the Broncos should have elevated Sam Ellinger to the number two spot, push Jared Stidham to the side because guess what? We already know, one, what he is and two, what he isn't. Right. Right.
Starting point is 00:56:13 And the idea is that if you're Sam and the team told you last year when you had a chance to go to Indy and then they decided on Phillip Rivers, hey, listen, we need you to come in our quarterback room. This gave you an opportunity to showcase your ability. And we don't know what can happen after that. He decided he was going to stay with the Broncos because he was probably told we're not really sold on Jared being the number two guy. You're going to have the ability to compete with it.
Starting point is 00:56:40 Lo and behold, he wasn't given. an opportunity. So if you are Sam, if you are happy with being a backup quarterback, then stay with Denver. Because obviously, Jared Stidham is comfortable with that. And I don't know about you guys. I'm not comfortable being number two. Even if I don't get number one, I am not comfortable being number two. But Jared Stidham is. And I wonder if Sam Ellinger is following Jared Stidham's shoes, his footsteps, and he's going to be comfortable just being that number three guy. Yeah, I think, I kind of think he is, though, right? Because, like, and we've had this conversation of, like, why would you not run to Indianapolis
Starting point is 00:57:23 and take that opportunity to try to keep the trail on the tracks there, right? And, like, we're better for worse, right? Like, it is what it is, right? But I also just think at the end of the day, like, if you're your Sam Ellinger, especially after the way the AFC championship went last year, like, and you felt like you were supposed to have this fair shake of a competition to be back up quarterback. Like, you know, it's obviously interesting, but the fact that there's a level of contentness, is that a word, when it comes to his standing. It is now. Back three, you know, like I think kind of speaks to, you know, maybe there's a
Starting point is 00:57:53 comfortability when it comes to, you know, just being in this quarterback room. And that was one thing that, you know, I was in his scrum after the final preseason game about how, you know, this quarterback room is so tight and they want to keep that and they enjoy it, right? So maybe that's kind of replaced or weighs a little bit more than the desire to want to go out there and necessarily play any given Sunday. Well, and who's to say that, you know, he won't be QB2 by season's end because we know that quarterback injuries happen all the time. And now the Broncos have somebody they could trade for a reasonable cost
Starting point is 00:58:23 in the middle of the season who could go and hold the fort down. I mean, Jared could do that for somebody. And the Broncos could recoup assets. They could recoup cap space. And Sam could ascend up the depth chart. But what it says to me, him coming back as the third quarterback or being on the roster as a third quarterback, what that said to me immediately was he was going to leave. And I think the Broncos knew that. So you bring him, you put him on the 53 man roster because you found out for whatever, I mean, wherever he was going to go, he was going to leave. And that's okay. Like I think that's their right to say, well, we signed him in the offseason. Like he could have signed somewhere else that didn't have a QB2. And there's a. lot of teams that kept rookies as QB2s.
Starting point is 00:59:06 Like the Buccaneers have an undrafted rookie as Baker Mayfield's backup. So Sam could have gone any number of places. And he chose to come back to Denver, whether he was promised competition or not. I think at this point, shoot, I mean, he's, he's kind of made the bed that he's lying in at this point. And I think he's still got an opportunity to be QB2, whether it's in the middle of this season, whether it's 2027, what have you. I think he still has a chance. And I think obviously he's proven what he can do in this offense.
Starting point is 00:59:38 And I think that's where his real value is, is continuing to develop in this offense under Sean, under Davis. And basically anything that the Broncos do at this point, teams want a piece of that. So I think he'll be more attractive asset after this season. How about this? Broncos have a great season. So even if they lost two or three games,
Starting point is 01:00:00 they go to the Super Bowl. They win the Super Bowl. Davis Webb departs and get a head coaching job somewhere else. Guess what he takes with him? Sammy E. He's a big, you know, I think it was a, it was either Parker Gabriel or Troy Rank. I want to give credit,
Starting point is 01:00:18 a little think piece in the post. And, you know, like, Davis Webb has been a big fan of Sam Linger since he was playing high school football in Texas, right? And I think that's also probably something that factors into why Sam wants to stay here, here regardless of who's two, who's three. But it, but it is fascinating.
Starting point is 01:00:37 But again, not surprising. Like, none of this was surprising to me. I think Justin Jolie, to kind of bring it back to where we all started, parting ways with Justin Jolie, the fifth round draft pick is the one real surprise. Honestly, if they would have lost out on Red Murdoch, I probably would have thrown that in there, too, just because of the positional depth that linebacker. But the fact that they got it back on the practice squad makes me feel a little better about it.
Starting point is 01:00:56 But there's really only one major shock to me, and that is Justin Jolie, you know, being shown the door, essentially. So any other closing thoughts before we get out of here, fellas? Are you shocked that? Are you shocked that Badee made it? I was kind of shocked. I thought they were going to keep three running backs, to be honest. I wouldn't say shocked.
Starting point is 01:01:16 Like maybe a little surprise, like a little like, huh, like of note. But like ultimately when I see who the head coach is and, you know, how they like their red butter, like it didn't surprise me like once I processed it. I don't want to hear you to know how I like my bread buttered. I'm surprised you're not squeezing butter right now. there you go. I'll find it for the next one. Well, you know what?
Starting point is 01:01:37 I'm surprised that the Broncos kept three. And to be totally honest, even though Jill is no longer on this roster, Cody Schrader, I play Talibur Day. So if there was going to be a fourth guy, let him be your fourth guy, practice squad guy, while you kind of peruse the other 31 rosters
Starting point is 01:01:55 to see if there was another guy you could pick up. But once again, I go back to this. There was nothing that I've seen from Talibur Day that said to me that he earned a spot on this roster over some of those other guys. Hey, shout out Michael Bandi as well. I posted on my Twitter page in 2076. Michael Bandy's going to be an old man. And somebody's going to say, hey, don't you want to go pursue opportunities somewhere else to get on our actor roster?
Starting point is 01:02:23 And he's going to be like Captain America on the bench. And he's going to be like, no, I don't think I will. and he's going to go back to the Broncos practice squad at the age of 87. Oh my gosh. I love it. I love it. I'm laughing because,
Starting point is 01:02:38 yo, that's true, man. Bandy has been fighting, cloning and scratching to stay on the roster. And he ends up on the roster every single year
Starting point is 01:02:48 it comes back, every single camp. And I know Hope Springs Eternal, he feels as though he's going to make the team only to find out, back to the practice squad. Yep. That's how it goes.
Starting point is 01:02:58 being okay with being number two i think he's okay i think yeah i think he feels like he's got a pretty good gig and i don't i don't blame him if i was michael bandy i'd be i'd be living large right now i'd be i'd be the happiest guy i've been NFL practice squad my coach loves me i can't be cut but i but i've been cut a million times it's like he's the one guy that sean peyton can't let go of and yet at the same time he's like the most expendable guy on the team yeah that is crazy love it love it love it love it Love it. All right. Awesome conversation here today, fellas. Looking forward to the regular season rapidly approaching in just under two weeks. So we'll have some fun. We'll be back in a couple of days here. And then we'll turn our attention towards the regular season. So we'll have some fun with that for everyone watching live. We appreciate you. Hit that like button. Smash that subscribe button on your way out the door. Helps us out a ton. And we'll talk to you guys later this week. Peace out, y'all.

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