Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos 53-MAN Roster Prediction After NFL Preseason Week 2

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos will have to trim their roster to 53 players next week. We played GM and we did just sat in our 53-man roster prediction here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Broncos country, what's happening? Welcome into another episode of Lockedon Broncos, your favorite, your daily Denver Broncos podcast here on the Lockdown Podcast Network where you know it's your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:34 That's it. You never miss out on what's going on with your team. We bring you all your Broncos news content coverage analysis in one place. I'm Cody Rourke. Broncos reporter from all high sports. Join, as always, by Sarah Bedinger, site expert of their predominantly orange.com. If you're not yet in every day or Broncos Country, be come. And hit us, subscribe with that follow button wherever you get your podcast.

Starting point is 00:00:53 We appreciate you so much for making us your first listen. However, you choose to do just that. But we've got a lot to break down here on today's episode of show. We're predicting our 53-man roster predictions after week two of the NFL preseason. will go through the offensive side of the ball. How many players will Denver carry on offense? How many will the carry on defense? What other decisions could make this a little bit difficult next week

Starting point is 00:01:13 when George Payton, Sean Payton actually have to do it? You get all that here on today's episode of show, which is brought to you by our friends over there at the Game Time app. Download the Game Time app. Create an account. Use code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase. Sayre, look, man, this is always a fun exercise of trying to predict the 53 man roster, but it's always hard to get from 90 to 53 because it's a numbers game.

Starting point is 00:01:34 You have to analyze your strengths, your weaknesses, and what you need overall. We do not envy the Broncos decision to do this, but we like taking our own shot at predicting the 53 men roster. You and I did our own individual ones. I'm very curious to see where we're similar and where we're different. Absolutely. And one of the biggest differences that we can tease to everybody listening is that I ended up with 52 guys and you ended up with 53. And we're going to find out exactly how we arrived at that. But yeah, it is a really tough offseason for the Broncos in that regard, which is a

Starting point is 00:02:04 exactly what you want. You want tough roster decisions. And I've never gotten all 53 right. So for anybody that's listening out there, I've never bet at 100% on a 53 man roster prediction, because something is always bound to be different from our perception or from where we're sitting and we're seeing things on the field. The team is evaluating things from not just this year, but future years. So just keeping that in mind, Broncos country, that we're making our most educated guess is possible here, although it's probably easier to get an NCAA tournament bracket right than it is to get a 53-man roster right these days. But starting with the quarterback position, Cody, I think you and I both, I think we both agree on this. I'm keeping two quarterbacks

Starting point is 00:02:47 on the roster this year as opposed to three that we saw last year when Zach Wilson was around. I just don't feel like Sam Ellinger is the same exact type of guy like you're talking about it. The quarterback position was Zach Wilson, who was a former second overall. all picks. So I feel like you can sneak Sam onto the practice squad. And that's why I'm taking two guys here at QB. What do you say? Yeah, no, same line of thinking. It's going to be Bonix and Jared Stidom. I agree with you on the premise of getting Ellinger on the practice squad because you don't need three QBs on your active game day roster. I mean, we know that there was those situations in San Francisco

Starting point is 00:03:21 where the 49ers, they went through their starter, their backup, and then they had to go Wildcat there. The rarity of that occurring in today's game is interesting. But now obviously with like the rules where you can bring up a QB from the practice squad as your third guy and it not count against like your active game day roster perfectly fine. I think that's exactly where the Broncos and Sean are going to go. There's no debate, no controversy there. I feel like this will probably be the one where things are a little interesting here. Running back, Sarah, transitioning there, I've got them keeping four. I've got them going with J.K. Dobbins, R.J. Harvey, Jil McLaughlin and Tyler Badee. I got them keeping four. And those two guys on the back end make up those

Starting point is 00:03:58 final spots that are, which means that no Blake. Watson, no Audrick Estimate in terms of the active 53-man roster, where are you at, like, in terms of the number of running backs on your 53-man projection and are the guys the same as mine, or do you have something different? I have the exact same four guys on my roster prediction, Cody, and I feel like the one player that I could see is if the team really believes in the projection for Audric Estime, then you keep him over Jolil McLaughlin, who I think Tyler Bade has outplayed him dating back to early last. season when they've gotten their opportunities.

Starting point is 00:04:32 I think just that's just the way that I see it, Cody. And that's what I would do. If I was the Broncos, I'd be keeping bidet if I was only keeping three. But I think Sean Payton loves Jililil McLaughlin. And I think Audric Estime is very clearly in the doghouse. We see the 49ers only have one healthy running back. A number of other teams are kind of panic signing guys at running back. I would hope that if the Broncos are going to move on from Estimate, that they find a place to

Starting point is 00:04:57 trade him and get some value here because he does have three years. left on a rookie deal. And I don't think he would come back onto the practice squad if he did even clear waivers. I do think a lot of teams have Blake Watson's though. I think the Broncos would be able to sneak him through, although I mean, that might be a bit of a coin flip. So might be looking at the Broncos adding a practice squad back from elsewhere if they lose both of those guys. So you and I are same running back. I think wide receiver, you and I are probably both in agreeance as well, six guys on this roster, unless something surprising happens with Devon Valet. Yeah, no, I've got them keeping six just as a safeguard here.

Starting point is 00:05:33 And it is the room that we've talked about dating back to really mandatory minicamp, Cortland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin, Devon, Velae, and obviously Trent Sherfield, Senior, because of special teams there. Really, I think Velae is kind of that wildcard, or we don't know. Like, could be traded, could be just, you know, a guy that Sean Payton says, hey, he's very important to what we're doing. I want with the safe bet of going with six there. So I think you and I are in agreeance there.

Starting point is 00:05:58 And, yeah, I mean, do you have any of, one making it over Trent Sherfield or is Trent your sixth guy? Trent's the sixth guy. I think he's proven in this free season that he's going to be an asset to this team, both offensively and on special teams and the former is actually a bit of a surprise, isn't it? Yeah, no, it is. It is a little bit. But, I mean, he's been, he's been fantastic.

Starting point is 00:06:18 You've seen him grow and not only just play that special teams role effectively, but man, he's doing things downfield as a blocker. He's being a decoy running defensive backs off. I did a film review from the Cardinals game. I came away so impressed with this wide receipts. receiver room and Pat and Troy and Trent Sherfield specifically against the Cardinals here. But let's go to tight end fullback, right? Kind of like combining all these guys together, knowing what we know about Nate Atkins,

Starting point is 00:06:40 the injuries there. Evan Ingram, Adam Troutman, I got Lucas Crowell making the roster. And then Adam Prentice has that fullback. So really four between three tight ends and one fullback. Where are you at here? Yeah. So I've got Evan Ingram, Adam Troutman, and Caleb Loner making the team, Cody. I'm going to stand by what I said earlier in the offseason, which is that

Starting point is 00:07:00 the Broncos spent a draft pick on Caleb Loner because they believe in the long-term potential. I think they're not going to mess around with subjecting him to waivers, things like that. So I think Lucas Crowell ultimately, I don't know if he did enough to make the roster this year. I'd be interested to know what the team thinks. I know you've been out there at practice watching him. So I'm not opposed to that. I think tight end is one position, though, where I would say the Broncos could look to potentially bring somebody in. And we'll talk about that later on on today's show.

Starting point is 00:07:28 but I think with Adam Prentice coming in as the fullback, he would become that 50 third guy for me if I was adding a 50 third player. But I do believe the Broncos could kind of manipulate things, keep an open spot. If they've got some players on waivers that they like, you could put Adam Prentice onto your practice squad, shuffle him up while Nate Adkins, who I'm placing on my hypothetical injured reserve, right? Nate Adkins will go on short term IR and he'll come back later on down the line. but you shuffle up a guy like Prentice off the practice squad instead of using a 53 on him. That's just how I would play it, but I don't know if that's how the Broncos will do it. So this is the first time you and I are really going off from each other here. Yeah, no, and I'm curious to see how it plays out because this is one of those positions where one or two moves could be off

Starting point is 00:08:15 and it can make the difference in, you know, maybe another position getting an additional guy there. Let's go to the offensive line here, center. I've got them keeping two. Luke Wattenberg, Alex Forsyth. I feel like there's no need really for them to keep a third guy there. Are you in agreeance with that one? And then we'll get to guard. Yeah, 100%.

Starting point is 00:08:31 I'm in agreement with you. I've got 9-0-alignment total on mine, which I was kind of surprised by. I didn't think I would have that many, especially after Nick Hart-Duo went down. So I have nine guys. I've got nine guys as well. So let's go to guard. Obviously, Ben Powers, Quinn Miners, make up your starters there. I've got them keeping one backup guard there.

Starting point is 00:08:48 And that's Calvin Throckmorton, I think, because of his versatility, he could play a couple of spots there. if knee-B can play right guard, can play left guard. So I think Will Sherman gets brought back onto the practice squad. I liked what I saw from him against the Cardinals. And then I've got them keeping four tackles where these two back-in guys, Alex Paucheski and Matt Pairt behind McGlinchie and Garrett, these guys can play guard as well. So that kind of factors into that positional versatility and that equates to nine

Starting point is 00:09:13 total offensive linemen here. So, Sarah, you and I, we didn't really differ much here on the offensive side of the ball. I've got them keeping 25 total players on offense. there's going to be three special teams guys, Will Lutz, Jeremy Croshaw and Mitchell Fraboney. That kind of makes out, you know, there's 28 players, which leaves 25 spots available. Where do we differ when it comes to the defensive side of the ball here? Broncos country, Sarah and I are going to share who we have making the Broncos roster on defense, including a short number amount of quarterbacks compared to years prior.

Starting point is 00:09:44 We'll go through that much more here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. Today's episode of Locked on Broncos is brought to you by Fanduel, August 26. is officially Fanduel Futures Day, a brand new holiday for football fans who live for bold predictions and preseason hunches. For just 24 hours, Van Duel is giving you deals on NFL season predictions. So whether you're calling your MVP, eyeing a long shot division winner, or ready to crown your Super Bowl champ before week one even kicks off, this is your moment. One of my favorite things to do before the season even begins is I like to put together a parlay of who I think is going to win the division. Every division across the league there,

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Starting point is 00:10:42 Fandu, play your game. Cody and I didn't have too many disagreements on the offensive side of the ball as we build out our 53-man roster. But defensively, we'll see. if we're on the same page here, Broncos country, as we continue to fill out what looks like one of the deepest rosters in the entire NFL. So stay tuned so you don't miss a single moment of this because we're going to tell you we're looking into the crystal ball right now. What's going to happen here in the next 10 or so days? But appreciate all of you so much also for listening to lockdown Broncos every single day.

Starting point is 00:11:14 If you haven't yet already done so, man, hit subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts as well as over on YouTube. We're continuing to grow the community. and we're so grateful that you're all part of it. Cody, one housekeeping note on the offense. I had Frank Crum instead of Calvin Throckmorton, but that's the only other difference that we had. Besides you having 25 offensive guys, and I left a spot open at 24,

Starting point is 00:11:36 you and I both have 25 defensive guys here. Let's start in the trenches with the big boys. This is where the Broncos are arguably at their deepest, is on the defensive front. And this is where maybe a lot of the most difficult decisions will end up being made. Yeah, I mean, you figure out your starters are very solidified. Malcolm Roach, you know, is that key guy that's going to come in right behind DJ Jones,

Starting point is 00:11:59 but what does the back end depth look like there? I've actually got them keeping. I kind of walked it back because I think last week I said I could see them keeping seven defensive linemen here. I actually have them keeping six total, right? You've got Zach Allen, JFM at defensive end. You've got Jordan Jackson, Savion Jones, who are kind of backing those guys up there. And then a detackle, I've got DJ Jones.

Starting point is 00:12:21 Malcolm Moch kind of rounding out my six guys. Do you have six or do you have seven? And what does your order look like there in the trenches? I'm surprised. We have the exact same six guys. I've really thought about, I know I was, I thought about Inyoamo Owasarike,

Starting point is 00:12:36 but I also feel like, man, he could probably sneak to the practice squad, you know, based on what we've seen. Same with Jordan Miller. I feel like you want to buy into the flashes in the preseason, but you also have to remember that they're evaluating the whole, if you put it in like a pie, chart terms.

Starting point is 00:12:52 You know, they're evaluating everything. And so one preseason standout game doesn't necessarily mean everything, but I guess you never know what they've also showed, you know, that we don't know as well. So I wanted to consider Jordan Miller after his game on Saturday. I definitely consider In Yoma Uazerike, but ultimately, man, running it back with the top five guys from last year plus Savion Jones in there. That was tough to pass on. How about an edge?

Starting point is 00:13:18 I think this one's a pretty straightforward one, right? I mean, you and I, I both keeping five guys, right? This has got to be the easiest one on the team. I mean, I like five guys, the food here, but the Broncos like five guys here at outside linebacker, Jonathan Cooper, Nick Benito, Jonah Ellis, who's had a tremendous offseason and preseason campaign, Dandre Tillman. And then, of course, Q Robinson, who I like to, a lot of what we saw from him, it'd be hard for them to not keep this group here.

Starting point is 00:13:44 I feel like this was probably the easiest one to kind of pinpoint on the defensive side of the ball. Absolutely. The top five is very clear. You had a top undrafted free agent off the edge who's already been placed on injury reserve. So that's not even part of the equation at this point. And yes, I think the Broncos once they drafted Q Robinson, man, you could have pretty much set in stone the 53 man roster, five edge guys right there. Inside linebacker, I struggle with this one, Cody, because I kept four guys. So, Drey Greenlaw, Alex Singleton, Justin Sernod, and Lavelle Bailey. Those are the guys that I kept. Do you feel like there's a legitimate chance they would keep five? Because it would require them to cut somebody elsewhere. Yeah, that's, I mean, when I was trying to formulate this, I was struggling. I was like, do I keep five inside linebackers knowing just like the injury stuff there where it's like, all right, well, if you bring a couple of these guys like Jordan Turner, Karen A Reed, like two guys who I think are going to be prime.

Starting point is 00:14:43 return to the practice squad immediately type of players. It's like, all right, well, if you run into an issue, the flexibility is you can promote these guys from the practice squad to the game day roster and it not affect what you do from a roster making standpoint there. So Jordan Turner, Corrine, I read, these guys that have making the practice squad. So I felt safe with that in mind, going with the four inside linebackers with Sternaud and Lavel Bailey being those key backups to Alex Singleton and to Drey Greenlaw, who right now will, I imagine that both Singleton and Greenlaw will play a,

Starting point is 00:15:13 few snaps against the Saints on Saturday in the preseason finale. But it was tough. I was having a hard time trying to figure out should I go four, should I go five, knowing what we know about the injuries there. Obviously, I imagine short term I are on the table here for Drew Sanders as well, had to factor that into the equation. This one is probably a tough one to kind of go through here. Yeah, it is.

Starting point is 00:15:34 I thought about Drew Sanders as well. I don't know exactly when the timeline is going to line up for him to come back. I think ideally you would like to not have him missing four games, guaranteed. That's what injured reserve will do. I think he's a legitimate cut candidate, Cody, I really do. I think the lack of availability over three straight years, that's just, it's tough. And part of that is on the team because they tried to switch in positions, added a bunch of weight. You know, I think they still believe in him. I think he could be cut or maybe traded, but I say the safe bet is short-term IR. He misses a guaranteed four games,

Starting point is 00:16:06 and then we reevaluate ahead of week five. Yeah, it'll be interesting to see what they decide to do with him because yeah i mean the best ability is availability he hasn't been on the field that's it's a challenge and you know there there's got to be the sense of reliability is you know hey this guy's dealt with you know several big injuries back to back to back years at this point what does it look like for him you know even if he gets let's say he released could he be brought back onto the practice squad at some point i i don't know brachos country make sure you let's know your thoughts here on an inside linebacker this one is probably one of the tougher ones to do i feel like the safety position was a lot easier than i thought it was going to be

Starting point is 00:16:41 Sarah, I've got them keeping five guys here once again. We're going to five guys theme. Taloa, Hufanga, Brandon Jones, PJ, P.J. Locke, J.L. Skinner, Devin Key. I think with those back-in three guys, the final three guys that I mentioned there, those three are going to be core four special teams guys, whereas Hufanga and Jones, those guys are going to play defensively, and those other guys are going to rotate in in certain packages. I kind of really like the Bronco safety group here in terms of security

Starting point is 00:17:08 in the event of an injury. I think Denver's actually in a good spot at, this position with these guys. Where did you land on the safety position and what were the names there? I kept the same five guys. And I think that the question would be, you know, DeLarian Turner Yell, Sam Franklin Jr. You already have three guys at a minimum who play a lot of special teams for you. I mean, PJ Locke, very good at special teams. And then of course, Devin Key and J.L. Skinner. That's where we've primarily seen them for the Broncos. So I don't know that you need to necessarily keep DeLarian Turner Yellow and Sam Franklin, Jr.

Starting point is 00:17:41 For that particular reason, unless they beat out one of the guys that we already mentioned, which I don't know that that would be the case. I think that it's kind of a solidified group there. Corner, I was surprised too, Cody. I only kept five guys at corner, and a lot of times you will see NFL teams keep six or seven. I mean, it's just a shortage around the NFL of quality cornerbacks. Teams, as I've been putting together a few 2026 mock drafts, Cody, because I'm a psycho and that's my job to be a psycho about the NFL draft.

Starting point is 00:18:12 But so many teams have horrible starting cornerbacks right now. I can't even fathom it. I mean, just imagine not having five guys who could start for you. That's where I think the Broncos, though, draw the line. I think Damari Mathis is the guy that he's going to be off this roster. And the Broncos would save over $3 million by against the salary cap by cutting him or trading him, which I don't know that he has much trade value anymore, Cody. he had any at all. I don't know. And I also feel like the Jets perspective-wise feel like that,

Starting point is 00:18:42 you know, they're struggling. You know, some guys get banged up there and they, I feel like they're looking to add corner depth as well. I mean, that's why they signed Mario Goodrich after the Broncos had released him initially a few weeks ago. I've got them keeping five as well. And what I like about this, like, you can make the argument that this top five in terms of the Broncos cornerback depth might be the best in the NFL across the board there in terms of strength. Pat Sertan, Riley Moss, obviously, as you know that, Jayquam Macmillan, Jada Baron, Chris Abrams, Drain on paper. That looks like the best group of five cornerbacks you can have on a depth chart here.

Starting point is 00:19:14 And it's not necessarily one of those things where it's like, all right, we need to keep a certain number of guys here because of the injuries last season. We saw what happened after Riley went down. I think it's like, all right, if Riley goes down, we think that Chris Abrams, drink can step up and play. And we know that Jadae and J-Quan, they could play outside too if need be. So it gives them that versatility to say, hey, we're good with just five guys here at corner. And dang, what a good group.

Starting point is 00:19:37 of five guys it is it really is i mean it's quality depth quality starters it's everything and for anybody that's thinking that the broncos would trade somebody from this group i just i don't see it i thought about it and as i was putting together this 53 man projection i just i don't think you want to mess with that considering your top two guys went down at one point or another last year right i mean pat sur tan had the concussion against the chargers riley had the injury later in the season that was really costly for the team and even when you have depth, you don't always just trade from your depth unless you have a young guy that you believe can step into a spot and a specific role. And I just think the depth the Broncos have at corner

Starting point is 00:20:18 right now, those guys are practice squad types. It's just not good timing for a trade right now. I think you keep the five guys that you have and you allow that depth to be a strength of yours on your roster this season. Well, Sarah and I, we have shared our 53-man rosters, offensively, defensively. But we're also going to debate as well where there's room where the Broncos can maybe add or replace a few guys because of special teams value or depth additions from other teams. We'll debate and discuss that here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by game time.

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Starting point is 00:21:50 Again, create an account and redeem code L-O-C-E-D-O-N-N-FL-F for $20 off. Download the GameTime app today. Last minute tickets, lowest price, guaranteed. When the Broncos have to formulate their 53-man roster next week, what potential moves could they make from other teams who are going to go through roster cuts? That's one area as Sean Payton has always highlighted as something that they pay attention to as other teams rosters, just as there's probably going to be a handful of teams that

Starting point is 00:22:19 pay attention to who the Broncos cut next week when they have to trim it from 90 to 53. Thanks once again, all the everydayers out there. Thanks for tuning in, making us your first listen, however you choose to do so here. Sarah, this is always a fun thing to look at here. I know obviously we gave our predictions for the 53-man roster, offensively, defensively, your three special teams guys in terms of punter kicker, long snapper here. But where are some positions or some names up for debate here for the Broncos

Starting point is 00:22:46 that maybe they can look from the waiver wire from some other teams, guys that they've scouted here in the preseason process, or maybe even bringing guys back essentially? Well, I think that we're going to see the Broncos taking a little. look at the tight end position, Cody, I just do. I mean, maybe they feel more strongly about guys like Lucas Crowe, Caden, Preece Corn, and even Caleb Loner. I mean, I think I took a risk by putting him on this 53 man roster. We got Nate Adkins, who's going to be out for an extended period of time after having his, the repairs done on his ankle. I just, I think that tight end is a non-negotiable

Starting point is 00:23:21 area. I was, I was bummed that the Broncos didn't go after, especially seeing what he signed for. Noah Fant, who took a backup role to Mike Gaseki in Cincinnati. I mean, just they have to add at the tight end position. They have, it's, I don't know what they're going to do because there's not like an overabundance of guys, right? But there could be some guys maybe in trades like the Packers. They have Luke Musgrave. I don't know what his situation is or how much it would cost to get him.

Starting point is 00:23:47 Luke's schoonmaker from, or schoonmaker from the Cowboys, a former second rounder who I think he's kind of been a bust for them that the Broncos, I think, liked that. tight end class and they just didn't end up getting the guy that they wanted. So I would be interested to find out if there's a potential value trade there for this team to explore at tight end because the free agent group, I mean, it's bad enough that the dolphins are calling like Darren Waller out of retirement. So I don't think there's necessarily many free agents out there that could really help you, but I do think that this is a position number one on my list where the Broncos need

Starting point is 00:24:21 non-negotiable proven better depth. Is this the one position that you're the most uncomfortable about with the depth of this team right now, or is there another position specifically? This is the number one most uncomfortable, because I think the Broncos are one Evan Ingraham injury away from utter disaster at tight end. I mean, that's where we're at. Caleb Loner is so raw, and Lucas Krull just has not been consistent enough for me. I think personally, this would be the number one on my list, circled in red.

Starting point is 00:24:53 like we have to get somebody here to help. What did you think of loaners game this past Saturday? Because I just, I mean, from my perspective, watching in the press box and then going back and watching the game, you know, I would like him to stay on his blocks a little longer. It still seems like he's trying to work out his refinement as a route runner. That's still very much a work in progress. But in my opinion, just I feel like it's it's too much to justify right now a 53 man roster spot. But then again, it all goes back to if the Bronco's visionary saying, hey, we're comfortable with. Evan Ingraham and Adam Troutman being our top two guys.

Starting point is 00:25:26 We're going to live with that. And taking that risk of saying, like, if there's an injury that pops up, okay, Adam Troutman, you're back to being the number one guy. To me, I still feel like the potential there for loner is certainly there, right? Are we going to see his rookie season? I don't think that's going to be the case. But maybe he is a guy if he does get cut and gets brought back to the practice squad, maybe he can take this year to develop.

Starting point is 00:25:50 And then maybe next year, maybe see a little bit of an increase. you know, it's a dart throw. We go back to that. And it's an exciting one. It certainly is an exciting name to talk about. I just feel like his first two actual games in the NFL have kind of been a little underwhelming. Yeah, 100%.

Starting point is 00:26:06 We've seen everything that is concerning about, you know, like why he's raw. We've seen that in the preseason and we have yet to see what makes him special. Like that's the thing. We haven't gotten the chance to see that in a game setting that that ability to dominate at the catch point or dominate in the red zone. We just haven't gotten the chance to see that. Now, I know in practices, he's caught some touchdowns, and he's caught some passes and things like that.

Starting point is 00:26:29 So, again, you evaluate on the whole. But when you're seeing everything that becomes a concern about a raw player, that he can't stay on blocks. He's committing pre-snap penalties. He's clearly behind everybody else in terms of just understanding of football overall, which we knew coming in, those elements were to be expected if, or I guess it would have been much more. easy to stomach if he was making the plays in the passing game, which we did not get to see at all in

Starting point is 00:26:59 the preseason. And you and I called for more tight end involvement in the second game of the preseason did not really get that other than the Evan Ingram play. I know we saw a couple of catches here and there from guys, but it's just getting tougher and tougher to see where the Broncos are going to have this depth that you need in an 18 week regular season at a position where, man, it's crucial to have these guys and you're already down Nate Adkins. Caden preschool has grown on me quite a bit. I'd say just combined the last two weeks of practice from him and also the last two preseason games, I feel like he's been terrific.

Starting point is 00:27:32 I mean, even playing that fullback role to kind of start that game against the Cardinals, kind of what we had talked about in our players to watch preview show initially surrounding him. But then it's just, okay, he can play inline. He can play as that kind of move around fullback wing hybrid type of player. and of course, yes, he had to play where he was going to extend it for the end zone and it gets punched out. I mean, just that stinks. He was so down after that, but you want to be able to look at the whole body work.

Starting point is 00:27:59 Yes, that's a negative play. But, man, I came away impressed with pre-scoring. He's kind of risen up a little bit because I feel like initially when he signed, I think you and I talked about it. It's like I just have a hard time seeing him being anything other than a camp body. Happy to eat crow here. I feel like he's done a lot. He's looked more polished than Caleb Loner at this point.

Starting point is 00:28:18 Granted, pre-scorn has more historic college production, more tight-in experience of actually playing in a lot of games as compared to a guy like Loner. So that's where I think you weigh the pros and cons here. Maybe the Broncos stubble into, okay, they drafted Caleb Loner, but maybe Prescorn is going to bring something to the table that are like, hey, we might have gotten lucky with finding this guy. I don't know. But I'm with you.

Starting point is 00:28:40 I'm curious to see how Broncos country feels about the tight-end position, where they feel they're the most uncomfortable with the team's depth with Evan Ingram really being added on our 53. Shocker, he made the team. They kind of really have seven wide receivers essentially, right? Six with the guys we kept. And then Evan Ingram with his versatile skill set. So he's kind of like this jack of all trades, as Sean Payton would say, he's the Joker. But is there a defensive position where you're worried about?

Starting point is 00:29:04 I mean, I know we talked about inside lineback a little bit, but I think with the guys that we project to be on the practice squad, I feel like you can make up for those concerns a little bit at off ball linebacker. Yeah, 100%. It would be difficult to see where the Broncos. would cut somebody else to bring in another linebacker from another team. Like last year it was Christian Welch, right? And I know that they had to, like I had an open spot on my 53.

Starting point is 00:29:28 It's not for a linebacker necessarily, but I think if they were that concerned about having a fifth guy, having that extra depth with two guys at the top of your depth chart who have been hurt this off season, you've been bringing them along really slowly. I just think they probably feel good enough about both Justin Sternad and Lavelle Bailey stepping into the starting lineup, even if both of those guys had to start for extended periods of time, I think they feel good enough about those guys that they would be willing to say, hey, we've got a good enough top four here that we don't need to bring in somebody else who's going to play special teams. Like if they need somebody at linebacker to play special teams,

Starting point is 00:30:02 you're right. Bring up Karen A Reed for a couple of games. Bring up Jordan, is it Jordan Turner? Yeah, Jordan Turner for a couple of games off the practice squad. You don't need to sign somebody to your 53 when you have needs elsewhere. Well, this is, obviously unrealistic, but let's just play a fun hypothetical game just for the fun of it. Let's say Jeremy Crosha, let's say that international exemption actually counted in the regular season. Who would you, like, what position and what name would you add right now to the Broncos roster from this current crop of guys that probably aren't going to make to 53?

Starting point is 00:30:32 That's a great question. Who would you? Who would you keep? Would it be a defensive lineman? I feel like that's kind of where we had our maybe biggest, our most difficult decision, potentially. I don't know. Maybe I would keep estimate.

Starting point is 00:30:45 I think I would say, you know what, I've got an extra spot. I'm not ready to give up on that yet. I'll keep estimate if it's an extra roster spot that the Broncos get. Yeah, I debate between offball linebacker, running back certainly is a choice there. Maybe an additional tight end. I mean, that's the kind of benefit and the luxury of the Broncos having really good depth right now. I'd probably add Jordan Turner to the 53 at the off ball linebacker spot here if Croshaw didn't count against the roster designation there. But there are obviously a bunch of names that could be practice squad candidates as well.

Starting point is 00:31:18 We'll look at those a little bit further as the week goes on. The Broncos will report back for training camp on Tuesday here. We'll have post practice coverage as well and setting you up for Saturday's preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints. It'll be a morning kickoff. We're excited to bring all the coverage for you here this week. Broncos country for all your Broncos news content coverage analysis and more. Make sure you become an every day. If you're a brand new viewer or listener of the show, we appreciate you.

Starting point is 00:31:42 Rock with this all season long because we got you covered here. Lockdown Broncos. For your second, listen, check out our friends over there at Lockdown Fantasy Football for all the information you need going into your fantasy drafts here. Sarah Bedinger, myself, we'll be back tomorrow for a brand new episode of the show.

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