Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos FINAL 53-Man Roster PREDICTION

Episode Date: August 25, 2025

The Denver Broncos final 53-man roster will be formulated on Tuesday, with George Paton and Sean Payton facing many tough decisions. We took a shot at playing GM and predicted the Broncos 53-man roste...r ahead of cuts, including keeping six wide receivers on offense, six defensive lineman, and 10 players in a loaded secondary. Cody Roark and Sayre Bedinger share their thoughts and more. Cody Roark is a credentialed beat reporter for Mile High Sports and covers the Broncos daily in person. Sayre Bedinger is the site expert for Predominantly Orange. Both bring Broncos Country the most in-depth and objective coverage of the Denver Broncos. WANT MORE DAILY DENVER BRONCOS CONTENT?For all of the latest Denver Broncos news today -- Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBroncos?sid=YouTube Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL Follow on Twitter: @CodyRoarkNFL and @SayreBedingerFollow the show on Twitter: @LockedOnBroncos Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!RugietHead to Rugiet.com/LOCKEDONNFL and use code LOCKEDONNFL to get 15% off today. UpsideDon’t let this offer drive on by, download the free Upside app now using my limited time promo code TOUCHDOWN for a limited time 25 cent per gallon bonus! Offers vary by user and location, Go to upside.com for terms and conditions.Click Here to download the app: https://getupside.onelink.me/zlLr?af_xp=custom&pid=barrington&c=barrington_lockedon25&deep_link_value=promo&deep_link_sub1=lockedon25&af_dp=upsideapp%3A%2F%2F Yahoo FantasyPresented by YahooFantasy #YahooPartner. Draft now at https://yahoofantasy.com/lockedonnfl. PrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuelToday's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Football season is around the corner, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now. 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.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos had to trim their roster from 90 to 53-man players. And while George Payton and Sean Payton have the toughest job, we play GM and we predict the final 53-man roster here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. One of the toughest days around the NFL is fast approaching as a handful of teams that will have to trim their rosters from 90 to 53 players by,
Starting point is 00:00:35 Tuesday, 2 o'clock p.m. Mountain time. Tough job to be had by all. We'll give our final 53-man roster prediction here on today's episode of the show. Broncos Country, welcome into another episode with Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Lockdown podcast. Never if you know it's your team every day. A special shout out to all the everydayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in and making us your first listen. However you choose to do so. And if you're not yet every day or become one, hit the subscribe without follow button.
Starting point is 00:01:02 So you never miss out on what's going on with your favorite. favorite team. I'm Cody Rourke. Broncos reporter from Ohio High Sports, joined as always by Sarah Bedinger, site expert of their predominantly orange.com. And we're going to go through the Broncos offensive side of the ball, defensive side of all special teams. We're predicting our final 53 men roster. But we're going to tell you, well, the Broncos might be keeping six players at wide receiver on their 53 on offense. We'll tell you why the Broncos defense is loaded on that side of the ball. And then we'll go through some of the prime practice squad candidates who could clear waivers when it's all said and done. You get all
Starting point is 00:01:34 here on today's show. this is always hard, man. I always want to approach to 53 roster cuts with just a little bit of grace because so many players, there's going to be a handful, not just for the Broncos, but for 31 other teams whose NFL careers
Starting point is 00:01:48 will essentially be over. They may not get an opportunity ever again. You're going to see other guys get second chances here. But, you know, we've got to play the tough job of being the general manager here and trying to build out the 53-man roster. Let's start on the offensive side of the ball. I've got 25 players.
Starting point is 00:02:05 players on offense for Denver on the 53. How many do you have? Because I know this is still, it's hard when you factor in all the different circumstances here. Yeah, it's a sticky situation. I've got 24 on my offense as of right now. And then obviously we'll figure out the rest as we go, 25 defense three special team.
Starting point is 00:02:23 So I'm spoiler alert for everybody. I've got 52 on mine right now, but I might convince myself of a 53rd as we're going along here. I think, Cody, there's, let's just go through the positions that right now feel like, they're kind of set in stone or if there really is. I don't know if there is one on offense. That's the thing with I think defensively we could say, but offensively,
Starting point is 00:02:44 now there might be even some confusion about whether or not you're keeping three quarterbacks because Sam Ellinger played really well in the preseason and the Broncos now have, I think, a situation on their hands at receiver that they've kind of created some confusion. So where do you even begin? Because I've got them keeping two quarterbacks. I still think, you know,
Starting point is 00:03:03 Sam's going to make it to the practice squad. I feel like that's kind of been a maybe the plan all along. And I just don't, I don't even think he's subject to waivers as a veteran at this point. So the Broncos could easily just cut him, don't subject him to waivers, bring him back to the practice squad. Everybody's happy. He's dressing every game day. So I think that's what they'll do to save a roster spot. But like I said, I've got 52 guys.
Starting point is 00:03:26 I can't even figure out a way to fill it. I think like we said, we'll figure it out before the show's over. I'm curious where we're like one off between you. and I in comparison. I'm with you. I've got them keeping two QBs, Bo Knicks, Gerrit Stidham, and because of what you mentioned there, Sam being a vested veteran, they can cut him, bring him right back onto the practice squad, not subjected to waivers. There you go. He's going to be there. We'll talk about practice squad guys here in a little bit. Running back, I'm still sticking with four backs on this roster, and I think it's very clear who those backs are,
Starting point is 00:03:56 though, once again, the Broncos could operate with some confusion here. And maybe they trade somebody else away. You know, we all think Audric Estimee is probably going to get traded or released, but there's a chance. What if they try to trade Tyler Badey away? I mean, they featured him quite a bit. Maybe that could be in the cards. I hope not. I think Badei should be on this roster. I've got them
Starting point is 00:04:16 carrying four backs. I've got J.K., I've got R.J., I've got Tyler Badee. And I've got Jloulafflin as my four backs here on the 53. Where are you at here at this position? I guess that's where you went wrong then, Cody, because everybody else rhymes. You should have gone with Estime. You had RJ, JK,
Starting point is 00:04:31 Badee estimate. That's the way. No, I think that obviously that's where things seem to be trending right now, but I'm with you. I'm kind of like, I don't know if I'm in my head about this or if I'm just expecting the unexpected. I think that it would be the, the, everybody's expecting Juliel McLaughlin and Tyler Bade to be the other two backs at this point. So yeah, what if they do throw us a little curveball here? I think you could make a case for Audric Estimae. As somebody of the team drafted in the fifth round last year, Sean Payton openly said that they had a third round great on him. He's the youngest guy on the team. He played really well in the preseason finale. I mean, you could go on and on here, but ultimately, you can't help but wonder if that's more
Starting point is 00:05:11 of a, you know, organizational slash player fit with those two because it just feels like Audrick has kind of been in the proverbial doghouse since late last season when he was a healthy scratch in favor of Tyler Biday for the playoff game. So I feel like you could make a really strong case for estimate to stick around even though it yeah i get jillel mclofflin has done more up to this point in the nfl right averaging 4.8 yards per carry over his first two nfl seasons although we did see a substantial decline last year so maybe that's where i struggle here is there's the bad taste in my mouth from last year just an increased number of touches and snaps and decreased efficiency in every metric i'd rather go with the younger guy who has more years on the contract but i understand also
Starting point is 00:05:58 that Jalilil is very well liked by this coaching staff, if not beloved by the coaching staff. Yeah, I mean, it's a tough position to try to break down and we'll find out here on Tuesday, 2 o'clock p.m. Mountain Time where the Broncos lean here. Maybe even earlier here. Let's go to the wide receiver position. I've got them carrying six. We already know Cortland, Marvin, Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin, Trent Sherfield. Those are the five most notable names there. But I've got them keeping undrafted receiver, Joaquin Davis, just because
Starting point is 00:06:28 you traded away Devon Vele, who was your 6-foot-5-size guy. Joaquin is 6-foot-4 has really elite intangibles that I feel like are going to be valuable. He'll be a game day inactive for you, but he's a guy that you can keep on your active roster while continuing to shape him because he fits that size mode that Sean is looking for. Even though we didn't have necessarily the biggest numbers in the preseason, it's the whole body of work and stuff that we've seen in practice, I think, is going to be the deciding factor here. Do you agree with six wide receivers here?
Starting point is 00:06:55 I actually had them keeping five, Cody. So this may be where we really differ in our overall roster projections. So I like the bold prediction of Joaquin Davis on your final 53. I think that that is, that's, that's, I want to talk about this later too, but I do think that the history and tradition of keeping an undrafted free agent is important to Sean Payton and the Broncos, obviously, but I think that's something that Sean does think about. I don't think it's something that he's going to try to shoehorn, but I think if he has an opportunity to do that, because you already have what, seven guys,
Starting point is 00:07:27 or six guys inactive every week anyway. I mean, yeah, if you feel like there's somebody you can't sneak through waivers, like make sure you keep that guy. So if Joaquin Davis is that guy, but otherwise I've got the other five guys on my roster. Tight end, I've got them keeping four now, which was a shift from the last, I'm excuse me, the last time we did a projection. I've got them keeping, obviously, Evan Engram, Adam Troutman, Nate Adkins, who Sean Peyton kind of revealed, but, you know, he was basically on the
Starting point is 00:07:53 roster. And then I've got them keeping Lucas Crowell. I mean, I think that he's played well enough down the stretch in this preseason. You know you're going to be without Nate Adkins for a couple of weeks. I think keeping Lucas Crowe in the fold because he does also play some special teams for you can give you some depth that you desperately need and give him another opportunity to prove maybe that upside that you believed he once had. Yeah, you and I are very similar right there in terms of our line of thinking. That's the same exact thing that I have here at tight end. Let's go to the offensive line now at center.
Starting point is 00:08:22 I've got Luke Wattenberg, Alex Forsy. So there's two guys there. I feel like we're in agreeance on that, are we? Yeah, absolutely. Okay, absolutely. All right. At guard, maybe this is where it could be different. I've got them keeping two guys.
Starting point is 00:08:34 I've got Ben Powers, Quinn Miners, but it's because of the caveat behind these guys at tackle, right? Garrett Bulls, Mike McGlinchy, or two starters. But you have Matt Pair, Alex Paucheski, guys who could play tackle and guard that could factor into being those backups behind obviously Ben and Quinn. And then I've got them keeping a fifth offense tackle here. and Frank Crum.
Starting point is 00:08:56 So nine total offensive linemen here for the Broncos on my 53. I've got the exact same nine guys, and I think it would have been 10 if Nick Gargulo didn't get injured. Cody, I really do. I think he was looking really good out there, was really excited for him. Hopefully he can make it back in a full recovery next offseason,
Starting point is 00:09:14 because, I mean, you never know when the Broncos are going to need another starting guard there. And he may have those kind of chops. So I think that he's a good looking young player. and really unfortunate to see him go down. But you and I are in agreeance on the O-line. I mean, that's pretty shocking because that's the biggest position group on the team. I think maybe Calvin Throckmorton is the discussion point there,
Starting point is 00:09:33 but you can put him on your practice squad. You don't need to mess around with that. I don't know that there's any other young guys on this unit who stepped up enough over the course of the preseason to warrant a 53-man spot. Yeah, no, I'm with you. And I think it's just so hard to evaluate O-line playing the preseason, especially when you get to those third-string guys where, unless someone's really standing out,
Starting point is 00:09:54 ideally you can sneak a good portion of those guys onto your practice squad. So we'll see how things pan out. Broncos, country, what did you think of our offensive side of the ball? Where did you agree with Sarah and I? Where did you differ? Make sure you let us know here on today's episode of the show. But coming up next, we're going to tell you why the Broncos defense is loaded
Starting point is 00:10:10 on our final 53-man depth chart projection on that side of the ball. Here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by Ruggiat. Guys, you've probably heard of Viagiot. Agra or Sealis. Maybe you've even tried them, but if you're looking for something beyond the usual pill, it's time to meet Ruggiat Ready. Rugeot Ready is a next-gen prescription treatment designed to amplify arousal in the brain and boost blood flow. Unlike the usual pills that can take hours, Ruggiat's three-and-one formula dissolves under your tongue and kicks in fast. On average,
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Starting point is 00:11:21 please visit the Ruggiat website for full safety information. Today's episode is also brought to you by Fandual. August 26th is officially FanDuel Futures Day, a brand new holiday for football fans who live for bold predictions and preseason hunches. For just 24 hours, FanDuel is giving you deals on NFL season predictions. So whether you're calling your MVP,
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Starting point is 00:12:50 Cody, I'm feeling like I'm about to add a 50 third player to my roster here, but let's start defensively on the defensive line where, you know what? We had a great little competition there over the course of the preseason, kind of an underrated competition from the backup defensive line perspective. Savion Jones coming in means that one of the two guys, I think, you know, between Jordan Jackson and Yoma O'Azareke is going to be on the way out. What do you have for your defensive line? And do you even have six guys?
Starting point is 00:13:19 I have six guys on my defensive line. I was debating between seven or six, seven in my opinion would have meant that I kept in Yoma, Uazirike. I went with six, and I'm not keeping him on this. I'm hoping they can get him back onto the practice squad. So I've got Zach Allen, John Franklin Myers, DJ Jones, Malcolm Roach, Savion Jones, and Jordan Jackson, whereas I think the Broncos with DJ and Malcolm, they're stout there in terms of those tackle positions. and I think that behind Zach Allen and behind JFM, I think you need two different guys who can back up and rotate because the trenches are physical.
Starting point is 00:13:54 They're violent. So I've got them keeping six here. It was hard. I was debating on any a lot, but I feel like I have a great chance to bring him back on the practice squad potentially. That's kind of how I'm feeling as well. I've got the same six guys in the defensive line. So you and I are kind of in agreeance on that one.
Starting point is 00:14:11 Jordan Miller also had a nice preseason for the Broncos and was able to get on the field there with the same. second unit. So maybe he's a sleeper if you're out there, you know, kind of wondering, is there anybody that could steal a roster spot? Maybe Jordan Miller is that guy this year. For the edge position, I think you and I are going to be in agreeance on that one. Cody, obviously, Nick Benito, Jonathan Cooper, Jonah Ellis, Dondray Tillman, and Q Robinson. That's been pretty well set in stone since the NFL draft. Nobody has even really, I don't think anybody really even made like a strong case to take one of those spots from those guys,
Starting point is 00:14:44 which you love to see the team load up on past rushers before the preseason, but at the same time, you ain't mad about that group of five guys. No, five guys is really the theme, I think, at least on my 53-man roster projection defensively. I feel like Denver's got a really strong group of five guys at several positions, including here, edge rusher, no disagreeance there. And that leads us obviously here to outside, I mean, not outside inside linebacker.
Starting point is 00:15:09 That's where we have four guys here. We'll get to the other five guys segments here in segment. But I've got Alex. I'm Alex Singleton. I've got Drey Greenlaw, Justin Sternod, and Lavelle Bailey. I really debated here going with maybe adding a fifth guy and Jordan Turner being one of those guys as the fifth or Karen A Reed. And I feel like, okay, from the numbers perspective, I'd like to bring just one of those guys up, but it's going to impact another position group. So sticking with four and I'm going to try to bring those guys back on the practice squad. Where are you at an inside linebacker? Are you different or are you the same?
Starting point is 00:15:42 This is where I'm adding my 50 third guy, Cody. Okay. So I had the, I had the flex spot here going into this. I'm going to keep Corrine read in addition to the four guys that you picked. I think that he proved a lot over the course of the preseason. I constantly saw 47 in the mix for special teams and he made a lot of plays defensively as well. I feel like he's one of those types of guys that you feel because the Broncos invested a lot in him already. He was one of their highest priced undrafted free agents. They've already invested a lot in him. they've proven that they really like him. I feel like that's a guy that if you really like him a lot and you have a roster spot that's flexible or you're not bringing in somebody from the outside, man, keep this guy around. He was flying around the field. So that's what I meant earlier when I said, hey, Sean Payton,
Starting point is 00:16:28 he cares about this tradition of, you know, keeping undrafted free agents. And you had Joaquin Davis on offense. I'm going to go ahead and keep Karen A Reid here on defense. And this is the first 53 man roster prediction I've done that includes him. So, I mean, I'm excited about that. I feel like there's a chance that it could happen. Maybe we manifest it here on the podcast.
Starting point is 00:16:47 All right. We'll see, obviously, Tuesday, 2 o'clock p.m. Mountain Time. You'll get a reaction show as the Broncos really formulate their 53. You'll get that a little bonus episode on Tuesday's locked on Broncos. Now we're going to get to the five guys portion at cornerback. I've got them keeping five. Pat Sertan, Riley Moss, Chris Abrams, Drain, J-Quain Macmillan and Jave Barron.
Starting point is 00:17:08 The two guys are going to play in the nickel can also have outside flex versatility. Really, I think the one guy that's probably just positioned to just stay outside would be Chris Abrams drain at this point, though I know that the Broncos feel like he could also play inside from time to time. I feel like that's good flexibility at corner. And I also have five safeties as well. I've got Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, PJ Lock, Jail Skinner, Devin Key, like that hasn't changed with that five guys theme that we had last week at corner and safety specifically. Absolutely. We have the same 10 defensive backs. And I think obviously the big notable cut there would be Damari Mathis, who was a fourth-round pick back in 2022.
Starting point is 00:17:44 And you hope that you can trade somebody like that. I mean, obviously everybody that, you know, comments about Damari Mathis on our shows or we interact with on Twitter is like, you're not going to get anything for Damari Mathis. And I would just say, you just never know. I mean, you never know what teams are willing to give up for players around the league. It'll save the Broncos 3.4 million either way. So if they cut him or if they trade him, that's how much they save against the salary cap, which doesn't seem like a lot, but anything that they can continue to add or to roll over for what they're currently trying to do in keeping their own guys.
Starting point is 00:18:16 Cody, I think is a big deal. Safety. Another classmate of Demari Mathis, DeLarian Turner, Yale, he would be getting cut in this instance. A free agent that the Broncos picked up, Sam Franklin Jr. He would be getting cut as well. So certainly some notable names in the defensive backfield that could be on the move. And you would love to see as many as the Broncos are going to have to cut because that's the reality. you'd love to see them be able to strike at least a trade or two,
Starting point is 00:18:41 whether it's on defense with the depth that they have. And you and I talk about it all the time. They're very deep on defense, but also on offense where they have other guys that they may not just fit in the team's current plans. So with all of these projections that we've made so far, we have three roster spots remaining. Who will it be? Well, easy.
Starting point is 00:18:59 Your punter, your kicker, your long snapper, Will Lutz. Mitchell Friboni, though I will say, and I think Broncos country feels the same way. I'm curious how you feel there. I feel very uneasy right now about Jeremy Croshaw. 100%. I think after watching the preseason and, you know, it's, yeah, it's the preseason and you have a chance to, I guess, come back around in the regular season, but what's more
Starting point is 00:19:21 translatable from the preseason to the regular season than what we're seeing from the kickers and the punters, right? I mean, it's that they have one job, you know? And so I think with Croshaw, maybe you do hedge your bets a little bit and bring somebody on to the practice squad after cuts are made around the late. league. I know Ryan Stonehouse is a name who continues to come up. A lot of Broncos fans want to see the team bring him in because he played his college ball. I believe at Colorado State, Cody, you can correct me if I'm wrong there, but certainly would not be opposed to the Broncos bringing
Starting point is 00:19:50 somebody like that in because like you and I were talking about before we started the show, week one against the Titans, if your offense for some reason goes three and out, you can't be given the Titans the ball, the 50 yard line and getting off to this crappy start. I'm so sick of this stuff, like these little things. Sean Payton talks about. it. And we do need to be patient with rookies. But man, when you're talking about field position and hidden yardage, like those are things that matter so much to Sean Payton. You can't sacrifice it on the altar of, well, we got to get this guy reps. If he can't play, bring somebody in who can and stash him on the roster until he's actually ready. I couldn't agree with you more. And here's
Starting point is 00:20:28 the thing that's so crazy about the Croshaw situation is, I mean, Sarah, in practice, all of us reporters, we watch him boom the heck out of it in the live periods, right? And, you know, here and there, he has some consistency issues. But for the most part, about 90% of his punts that he's had in live sessions and practice have been really good. So there is some sort of disconnect where it's just not coming over in the games, but the Broncos can't just sit around and say, hey, we're going to wait to see that hopefully, you know, in the regular season, you do that.
Starting point is 00:20:56 I think I agree with you. I think after roster cuts happen, you bring on one punter to push him because you cannot play around. Like Sean Payton is the type of guy who doesn't want to lose a game because of special teams. I can tell you that. So even though they drafted him, that patience meter might be wearing a little thin. If he can't translate it, if he doesn't showcase something sooner rather than later. Brockos country, make sure you let us know your thoughts on our 53-man roster on the defensive side of the ball.
Starting point is 00:21:21 Your concerns on Jeremy Croshaw as punter as well here. But now after roster cuts have happened, once you formulate your 53, now you have to field. Your 16-man practice squad will highlight some of the prime candidates here that could end up on Denver's practice squad this season. We'll break that down a much more on today's episode of the show. This episode is presented by Yahoo Fantasy. Fantasy season is right around the corner and you can feel the buzz. Fantasy football season is here. Everyone's researching, drafting, and building their championship squads.
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Starting point is 00:22:47 With roster cuts, finalizing our projection here on today's episode of the show will now formulate a practice squad because these guys are going to be so important for continued player development or if you need to elevate players for a few games while there's a player who's battled in injury. There's a lot of circumstances right now that we're looking at as we fill out our 16-man practice squad. Real quick, thank you to all the everydayers in Broncos country for tuning in, making us your first listen.
Starting point is 00:23:13 We appreciate you. Sarah, look, I always find trying to fill out your practice squad to be a little bit more of a challenging projection. You can talk about your key guys. But then as Sean Payton always reminds us, you're looking at 31 other players, rosters and cuts as well to try to fill things out here. But I think for the most part, you bring a large portion. Let's say you have 16 spots.
Starting point is 00:23:33 I think 13 to 14 of those, you're really bringing. bringing back guys that have been on your roster since OTAs and mini camp. And then you have two or three spots that potentially go to someone who's away from your team, essentially. That's kind of how I have it playing out here. Let's talk about vested veterans. I think you and I talked about Sam Ellinger early on. I think that'll be a pretty easy decision.
Starting point is 00:23:54 Sam is one of those guys that would be vested. I also have fullback Michael Burton or Adam Prentice or maybe both of those guys as vested veteran options that you can add to the mix, considering what we know about Nate Adkins. while Nate can play tight in, he's kind of that I play tight end, I play fullback, he's kind of that dual Swiss Army knife here for Sean Payton, who really emphasized the importance of him. One or two of those guys could help fill in is practice squad to game day elevations.
Starting point is 00:24:22 And then I got Calvin Throckmore and obviously at the guard position that you can bring up for three games if need be and not really hurt you in any way, shape, or form. Those are the three vested guys that I have. Is there anybody else that's vested that maybe you pinpointed there or where are you starting things out here? No, you know, I think that it could be a situation where you see Michael Bandy back again, Cody. I mean, I don't know how much this coaching staff really loves him, but he's been around for
Starting point is 00:24:47 quite some time. So, I mean, he's one of those vested guys that you feel like would be an option to come back always on the practice squad, but I'm with you. I kind of feel like it's more so of the young guys or out of house free agents. I think they'll, I think they very realistically could use because I believe you get what four. I can't remember if it's four or six veterans. now on the practice squad that you're allowed to have.
Starting point is 00:25:08 Good question. Maybe one of the listeners can let us know, but it's a limited number. And obviously our theory about the punter, I think that we may be on to something there. I think they might bring a punter onto the practice squad who is a vested veteran. So we'll end up seeing what happens with that. That's just a theory at this point. That's not concrete or inside information by any means. It's just an idea. But I think when you start talking about young guys, I think you got to start with Caleb Loner.
Starting point is 00:25:32 Like that guy, we cut him off our 53s just now, but I do. do think the Broncos would love to have him back if other teams that liked him in the pre-draft process don't end up stealing him away. I also think you're going to see a running back on the practice squad. And at this point, if Blake Watson is hurt and Audric Estime gets claimed or traded, I mean, Cody, the outside is where we're looking for running back help at this point. And in that case, I'd be very interested to find out where the Broncos would look. Yeah. And in regards to Blake Watson specifically, this is also where I had some trouble. in the 53-man formulation.
Starting point is 00:26:08 Also, the practice squad is he left the game on Saturday against the Saints with a knee injury, did not return, was able to walk off in his own power, but that doesn't really mean anything in the grand scheme of things. But let's say his injury is moderate in terms of timeline right there. I feel like he could be one of your injured reserve spots, right? Because now at roster cuts, you can designate two players for IR short term to return here at this juncture because it used to be, if you placed anyone on IR during training camp or the preseason, they're done for the year.
Starting point is 00:26:39 So that really kind of made the roster shuffle a little difficult at times. Drew Sanders is one of those guys that will go on probably that IR immediately once roster cuts happen. And then maybe Blake Watson's the other guy there. But that does open up a need for a running back here on your practice squad, which I don't know who that is. I really have Blake Watson as that guy at this point, sir. So we'll continue to monitor that situation.
Starting point is 00:27:04 I've got them keeping four receivers on the practice squad. I've got Michael Bandy, as you mentioned. I've got Courtney Jackson, Jirwan Newton, and Kyrieh Rowan, who I thought had a very impressive last preseason game showcases the speed. I think when you're trying to go in your scout preparation on a week-to-week game day basis, if you play a team that has a really fast dude, it's hard to simulate that if you don't have really fast dudes on your practice squad. Rowan, I think that trait right there is something that's going to play into his favor here for the Broncos
Starting point is 00:27:33 as they formulate things here. Where are you at in terms of linebacker? Because I agree with you, I have Caleb Loner, but where are you at with linebacker here for the Broncos? Do you have any of them keeping any of the guys? I know you have Corrine A. Reid making your 53 now. He's on my practice squad. I am Jordan Turner on mine.
Starting point is 00:27:50 I absolutely think Jordan Turner, yes. He showed plenty in the preseason to warrant a practice squad spot and continued development for this team. And you never know, the linebacker position could once again be one of those ones, where the Broncos are looking for outside help and they try to bring some veteran in. So that's going to be an interesting thing to watch this team kind of juggle. How many veterans do they keep on the practice squad?
Starting point is 00:28:14 How do they figure that out while guys are still injured or recovering from injuries and whatnot? So I'm glad you brought up Drew Sanders, though, too, Cody, speaking of the linebacker position, because, yes, he wasn't on either of our 53s, but I don't think you and I are projecting that he's going to be cut, although that wouldn't surprise me. I don't think it'll happen, but it wouldn't surprise me to see that. that come across the wire. I think it would be a little bit of a shock factor initially because you'd be officially saying goodbye to somebody, but the team did that just last year with Greg Dulcich.
Starting point is 00:28:41 I know that, you know, Sean wasn't part of drafting Greg, but, you know, obviously George Peyton was part of drafting him and he's a fellow UCLA guy. So I think that was a tough cut for them to have to make, but I just don't think the timing is right for that to happen for Drew Sanders. Yeah, and I also feel like from a medical standpoint, too, we know he had a procedure done on his foot, it's been in a boot. so he's training and rehabbing at the facility. So for me, that's where it kind of just makes the most sense for him to be an IR candidate,
Starting point is 00:29:08 short term to return because when the injury happened, Sean told us, you know, the timeline's north of seven to eight weeks. So that's all right. That's into the regular season. Maybe week six, week seven. I don't know. We'll see how things play out here. I have them keeping nose tackle Jordan Miller,
Starting point is 00:29:23 tied in Caden pre-scorn as well. So two tight ends when you factor in, loner, pre-scorn, who can play that full back role for you as well, though they were playing Adam Trott, at that position a little bit in certain situations, and then moving him, motioning him to the end of the line of scrimmage. So we'll see where things are at there. And then I have them keeping one cornerback,
Starting point is 00:29:42 but I kind of put it as either this guy or that guy, I have them keeping either Jaden Robinson or Quentin Newsom as one of those practice squad corners. Yeah, I like Jaden Robinson, what we saw from him in the preseason Cody. You know, I brought him up a few times, thought he made another little flash play against the New Orleans Saints as well. Nothing too crazy.
Starting point is 00:30:02 but he continued to show up at least once a game. So I think that's somebody that you say, hey, this guy showed up when the games were being played. He's got a little something there, something to develop. Of course, when you believe in a guy like Jim Leonard enough to give him the promotions that the Broncos have, you want to get him as many young minds to mold as you possibly can.
Starting point is 00:30:20 And so I like the idea of stacking a couple of dbs on the practice squad, but it's going to be fascinating to see how the Broncos do assemble it because we do see this team. I don't know if it's more than others, Cody, but they do shuffle guys up all throughout the season. And they do use them on game days all throughout the season. So whoever they do keep on the practice squad, I think we can expect at some point to see the majority of these guys.
Starting point is 00:30:44 Yeah. And then I left two spots open to 31 other teams, potential cuts, you know, two spots there. I agree with you on maybe one of those spots going to a punter. I don't know what other spot, what other position right now I would necessarily add to. Maybe safety. Maybe you add another defensive back into the mix here. I don't feel like at this point you need to add another pass rusher. So that's something that could change down the line,
Starting point is 00:31:06 which means that probably Andrew Farmer would probably end up elsewhere after the preseason officially ends and roster cuts happen. So there you have at Brockos Country. We've gone through our 53-man roster. We've gone through our offensive projections, defensive special teams, and practice squad. It's very, very important. Make sure you send us your 53-man projections.
Starting point is 00:31:24 You can comment it on YouTube or you can send it on social media on Twitter at Cody Rock NFL. at Sarah Bedinger at Locked on Broncos. But that'll wrap up today's episode of show. Broncos Country, I appreciate you as always for making us your first listen for your second. Let's go check our friends over there, Locked on Fantasy Football.
Starting point is 00:31:40 And for tomorrow's episode of the show, the 53-man roster deadline will be here. Sarah and I, we're going to be on standby as we wait for the moves to happen. So when the roster cuts happen, they're official, you'll get a brand-new episode of the show. Broncos Country, we'll see you then.

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