Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos RB Blake Watson UNDERRATED Role Could Impact Competition

Starting point is 00:00:00 As the Denver Broncos dive deeper into week two of OTAs, there are three players on the offensive side of the ball who are flying under the radar. We'll highlight all of them 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, what's happening? Welcome into another episode of Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network where you know it is your team every day. Thank you so much to all the everydayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in, making us your first listen of the day.

Starting point is 00:00:40 However, you choose to do so. And just so you never miss out on what's going on with your favorite team to get daily Broncos news, content coverage, analysis, and more from the best Broncos podcast out there. Becoming every day by hitting that subscribe or that follow button. So you never miss out on anything going on with your favorite team, including we have a practice coming up that media is able to attend here as OTAs continues. I'm Cody Roark, Broncos reporter, four mile high sports. And I'm Sarah Bedinger, site expert, predominantly orange.com. And here's what you can expect on today's episode of the show. Broncos Country.

Starting point is 00:01:11 We're going to talk about three players on the offensive side of the ball who are flying under the radar during OTAs, not being talked about enough. We've already talked about defensive players in that category earlier this week on lockdown Broncos. Now it's time to focus on that offensive side of ball. We're going to kick things off with Blake Watson and his underrated role that he could have here with this team. If he has an impressive summer, Caleb Loner, the Broncos is exciting. and fun developmental project is getting worked in. He's getting a lot of reps as the Broncos hopefully look to fast track his development here

Starting point is 00:01:40 with Sean Payton. And there are plenty of young wide receivers who are looking to make an impact and potentially get onto the team's practice squad when it's all set and done or maybe turn heads enough to surprise somebody on the active roster. We're going to break all of that down on today's show here. Sarah, my friend, let's dive into it. Obviously, the running back position is a very popular position of discussion points right now. I think amongst everybody in Broncos country.

Starting point is 00:02:03 with R.J. Harvey, Audrake Estmate, guys that we've talked about pretty much in length here throughout the entire offseason. We're following the NFL draft. Blake Watson is a name that probably hasn't been talked about enough. And I want to say he's flying under the radar here for the Broncos at OTAs last week when I had the chance to attend practice. He made some plays. And look, obviously it's hard to evaluate everything because there's no pads. But Blake Watson is kind of this under the radar, underrated name to watch. and he can help the Broncos in several different facets this upcoming season if he makes the most of his opportunity. Yeah, he's a former wide receiver turned running back who obviously had a fun college career to watch was one of those guys.

Starting point is 00:02:45 I think everybody in the NFL draft community was shocked to see not get picked in last year's draft class. So the Broncos signed him coming out. They paid the price for it, right? And he was one of their biggest additions in terms of undrafted free agents in 2024. four and we saw them kind of drafts or not draft and stash, but sign and stash a little bit as they kept a surprising number of running backs on the roster, Cody. And then we didn't see Blake until kind of later in the year and specifically against the Chargers. Remember that game. That was kind of the first like big glimpse we got of him

Starting point is 00:03:20 and a role that he could have in the offense, made a couple of plays. I really like this guy's skill set. He's got speed. He's got hands. He's got the ability to be a dynamic threat, no matter or what way you choose to use him offensively. But I know you and I have talked all offseason about the intriguing wrinkle that's being added into the mix this offseason for the Broncos is we know Marvin Mims is going to be the primary kickoff returner, but there's a second spot there up for grabs. And you and I have kind of been spitballing. Who could that person potentially beat?

Starting point is 00:03:52 Who's going to be standing next to Mims as teams try to kick away from him? I think Watson has an underrated chance right now to seize not just a role in the offense, but maybe on special teams as well. I think primarily this is where the bread and butter of his type of role, I think, can kind of come to the forefront here for Sean Payton, where you can justify him being, you know, taking up a roster spot here. Last year, it was Tremont Smith, who was the guy right next to Marvin. And there were a few games down the stretch last year where teams weren't kicking it to

Starting point is 00:04:22 Marvin, right, because you have your two returners that are back. You're not going to kick it to number 19, an all pro returner. So they're going to kick it to the other guy, which was Tremont Smith. And look, I will say, Tremont had a couple of big returns that were nice for the Broncos. Nothing to the extent of what we see normally from Marvin. But Blake Watson is a guy who has that home run capability as a returner. I mean, he's speedy. He's hard to bring down.

Starting point is 00:04:44 I think he looks a little bit leaner so far from what I've seen in the offseason. Granted, no pads are on. So maybe that's why he looks lean and mean. But I think when the pads come on, there's going to be a big emphasis there on this running back position. And obviously that competition that's going to be ongoing between not only Blake Watson, but R.J. Harvey, Audrake Estimate, Jolilne McLaughlin, and even Tyler Badegh at this point, I think, and I don't know if this is going to come across as a hot take. I don't think it is. Look, obviously the Broncos, they've struggled to get the run game going. They've had some of these guys on the roster. If Denver truly keeps three backs on this roster, Sarah, I think the other two guys who don't make it or don't go to the practice squad, I think they're going to end up on a team elsewhere, and I think they're going to contribute.

Starting point is 00:05:25 I think if Tyler Badee ends up somewhere else, Tyler Badee is going to have an impact for some other. their team this upcoming season, right? I think if it is Blake Watson, same exact thing. The Broncos last year, they were trying to keep a couple of teams who were sniffing around the practice squad trying to get Blake Watson onto their roster. They signed him to the active roster so they could prevent that from happening. So there is interest from other teams out there. Maybe now it's changed a little bit because there has been free agency.

Starting point is 00:05:49 There has been the NFL draft. But I would even say with all the veteran guys that were available in free agency at running back, there wasn't a strong run on guys going to new places or guys being signed at that position. and there could be a team out there that's just waiting, like, hey, are they going to risk letting a guy like Blake Watson go if it ends up being Jalululowflin, Estimay, and R.J. Harvey. I would say this. When you look at his skill set, I don't think there's any debate about it.

Starting point is 00:06:13 I think right now Blake Watson would be the Broncos best pass catching back out of the backfield in terms of being a polished enough receiver. We don't have a large sample size of that in the NFL just yet, but I think his background, as you mentioned, as a former receiver, I think gives him that value. But even then, I think that there was an effort, and even in the small sample size we saw from Watson for Sean Payton to get him the ball in the passing game, we saw it in the preseason where he caught a pass in the flat against the Colts and took it for a massive game, I think 20, 25 yards up the sideline. And then obviously, you know, getting a couple first downs against the Chargers on that late Thursday night football game. Blake Watson does have this underrated role kind of in the line here for the Broncos going forward.

Starting point is 00:06:52 And I think people forget last year at Trinicamp, he suffered a soft tissue injury that held them out of action for a little bit. That impact some of his development, but I think he's going to be a guy that is going to be talked about quite a bit once training camp comes around. Yeah. And the reason why that wide receiver background really matters is something that Sean Peyton and George Peyton have brought up before, which is that running backs at the college level, they aren't really asked to run a lot of different routes, right? I mean, college teams do get running backs involved in the passing game, but it's typically a screen or a wheel route, right? Not a lot of running backs are running a full NFL level, you know, route tree for lack of a better term there. And Blake Watson has experience running a route tree as a wide receiver. So that gives him an edge. And you look at his athletic traits, Cody, I think it's easy to forget because you kind of put these guys up on the shelf.

Starting point is 00:07:42 And it's like, oh, we got new undrafted players coming in. You got a new stable of running backs. You got RJ Harvey coming in. Let's dust off the excitement on Blake Watson a little bit because this guy ran a 4-4 flat in the 40. R dash, a 41 and a half inch vertical jump that's in the 99.5 percentile at his position, an 11 foot three inch broad jump, Cody. That is 99.8 percent that he's in the highest in terms of that sort of explosiveness. And so you bring in a guy like this who, okay, yeah, there's there, I think you and I

Starting point is 00:08:17 talked about this earlier in the off season, like who on the roster could actually have those Joker types of traits that's already on the team? there was literally nobody besides Blake Watson that you and I talked about. And he's that guy that man, as a third running back with Estimae, hopefully getting touches. And obviously R.J. Harvey, we have high expectations for him. Blake Watson is kind of that third guy that I think you could see be active on game days to play a role on special teams, to be that kind of wild card threat out of the backfield that when he's on the field, you don't know what exactly is going to happen.

Starting point is 00:08:50 He has the home run capability. He can be a return man for you. This is a guy that when you talk about a 53 man roster and rounding it out with quality players sort of at the bottom of your depth chart, I think Blake Watson is the perfect guy to have out there with all of his athletic upside, pass catching upside, and home run abilities. Well, it's nuts is that you mentioned he's got a 41 inch vertical. He's 5 foot 9. He's 2 inches shorter than me at that point. So for him to be able to jump that high, that explosiveness, that's an exciting thing to watch.

Starting point is 00:09:21 And I'll say one thing as well. Like even though he had the soft tissue injury, I don't know if I think it was a calf or a hamstring last year. The dude's got pretty big calves and quads. Like he's got really good lower body balance, which I think will translate well in the run game to absorb some hits and maybe keep going. I'm excited. This is the one position battle that's going to happen during Trenton camp that I think every day. The microscope is probably going to be on it a little bit bigger than other positions right now for this Broncos team. But Broncos country, we want to hear your thoughts on Blake Watson, his optics here to make the roster.

Starting point is 00:09:51 He's flying under the radar here at OTAs. I think that's the perfect place for him to be to maybe sneak up here and train of camp and the preseason and say, gotcha. I want that thorough running back spot here on this roster. Make sure you let's know here on today's episode of the show of Broncos country. Sean Payton's latest developmental project, Caleb Loner. He's getting a lot of reps.

Starting point is 00:10:08 And there's some exciting things about his game. I think you're going to translate well when he puts on the pads for the preseason. We'll break him down and much more here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by Fan Duel, the NBA finals are here and a lot of Denver Nuggets fans out there that are listening to the show. He might be honorary Indiana Pacers fans as they go up against the Oklahoma City Thunder. And we know that every night of the finals will deliver highlight worthy performances,

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Starting point is 00:11:32 and prove that he can play at the highest level. We're going to talk about the Broncos sleeper rookie at the tide-end position and him getting plenty of reps at OTAs. We'll talk about some young wide receivers on today's episode of the show, but also want to say thank you to every single one of you out there that makes us your first listen of the day. every single day. And Cody and I, we appreciate you for making us part of your day, however you choose to do so. If you're one of them ones, though, that has not yet subscribed or hit follow

Starting point is 00:11:58 wherever you listen to podcast, we appreciate you just taking a couple of seconds to do that so that you don't miss a single episode of the show. And Caleb Loner, Cody, is one of the most interesting players on the roster. I remember very vividly when the Broncos drafted Julius Thomas out of Portland state. I think that was obviously a pretty similar situation, although I think Julius played a little bit more college football than Caleb Loner did. And at the time, everyone was just interested to see, hey, can this translate to the NFL level? The guy played at Portland State. And he was a basketball player first and foremost. So you're talking about somebody whose abilities translated, but it was kind of on a lower level of competition. Caleb Loner, he played at a higher level of competition,

Starting point is 00:12:44 but the dude didn't even play 60 snaps at Utah, 56 snaps offensively for them. Now, high hit rate on those snaps with the usage that he did get on the offensive side of the ball there for Utah. But I think he remains one of the most interesting players because tight end is probably the biggest area. The Broncos need to improve offensively outside of running back. And he just has such fascinating traits, doesn't he? And you saw last week how big he is out there on the practice field. Yeah, look, and this goes back to a rookie minicamp. we had our chance to get our first look at loaner.

Starting point is 00:13:17 He received more targets in the passing game during rookie minicamp than he did in the OTA practice in which we were able to attend last week. He got plenty of reps last week with Bo Nix, though, with Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ellinger in that tight end rotation of guys moving in and out there. And while we didn't see him get necessarily passes thrown to him in last week's OTA practice, there was plenty involvement in the run blocking department. Now, granted, the pads aren't on yet. But you can see with a guy of his size.

Starting point is 00:13:44 six foot seven borderline six foot eight he understands i think this is where his basketball background comes in handy because of his physicality he's muscular he's a big body dude but he also i think understands the appropriate angles to take in the in the blocking department which i think that's an area sean paeton plans to deploy him a little bit but he's still getting all the the route running concepts the nuances down he is a big target he's hard to miss when you see him running across the field. I think that he's going to be in a position right now. He's going to get a ton of reps, I think in training camp. I think he's going to get a ton of run and volume overall in the NFL preseason. And I hope that this is my expectation here. I hope he catches, let's say,

Starting point is 00:14:26 three touchdowns during the preseason. I would be very happy to see that kind of formulate. But can he be the chain mover on third down? I think there's a really distinct possibility. That could be the case because one thing I like about him, when you talk about that basketball background, Sarah, what do we talk about? What do we see with guys like Tony Gonzalez back in the day or even Robb Grankowski with those guys? No, Rob didn't necessarily play basketball, but you talk about that big, that size and that length.

Starting point is 00:14:51 You have the ability, and this is where his background does come into play, to box out smaller defenders, to be able to isolate. If I've got a linebacker in my hip, I know how to squeeze him with my hip to extend my hands out there to make a play, even if there's a guy tightly contesting me in coverage, I can still make a play. That's where that body control, I think, comes into play here. John Payton is very excited here about Caleb Loner.

Starting point is 00:15:14 I don't necessarily believe that there's this instance where his roster spot isn't safe. He signed a four-year deal with the team. The Broncos are going to be patient with that. Obviously, they've seen these traits that really excited them enough to draft him in the seventh round when a lot of people thought he was going to go undrafted. This is a guy who the team is going to be patient with. They're going to get him there. And I would say that's a stable part of John Payton.

Starting point is 00:15:38 and George Payton's dynamic. There is an emphasis on player development, whereas if this was a different coaching staff, I don't think that would be a major key here. So I think he's in a good situation. He is flying under the radar. And obviously, when we attend Thursday's practice here today,

Starting point is 00:15:52 I'm excited to see maybe if he gets involved a little bit more in the past game, how often they throw them, what he's going to look like. I'm excited to see that development unfold today. Yeah, you really want to see that ball dominance at the next level. You know, when you talk about boxing out defenders and things like that. I mean, he did it against Colorado. I think there's a six two defensive back. There's a clip out there of him literally just boxing out, like backing into a guy.

Starting point is 00:16:16 I don't even know if it's a legal play in the NFL, Cody, but he just literally boxes out the six two defensive back for Colorado, makes him look way smaller than he actually is. And it's that type of, okay, that's my ball mentality, right? And you talk about guys who are 50, 50 receivers, or when you talk about body control, what does that mean? That means that you know how to maneuver yourself in those tight spaces. And that basketball background really helps a guy like this to be able to be ball dominant, to have body control, to know exactly how physical to be when you're in a situation like that, just because you've been in those situations many times.

Starting point is 00:16:54 You've had to go up for rebounds many times. You are better at other alley-ups. Absolutely. You're better at timing your jump. You're better at high-pointing the ball. Those sorts of traits can really lend to this guy. being a, I don't know, maybe he has a bigger role as a rookie than anyone's assuming. Like, to me, I kind of just felt like, okay, this is a draft and stash.

Starting point is 00:17:15 You know, the Broncos are picking this guy. They're going to allow him to kind of get down the nuance of the NFL. But to me, I'm like, why the heck not just say, hey, a couple of times a game, we're going to tell this guy, get open on hut, you know, for a lack of a better term, right? You want to say, hey, go out there and just go make a play. Go do what you do best. We're going to do a, you know, a slot fade with you. or we're going to put you out there in a red zone situation to draw attention away from what we're actually trying to do.

Starting point is 00:17:41 Remember the play that the Broncos ran last year a couple of times that left Nate Adkins wide open over the middle of the field? I think he scored a touchdown against the Falcons and then one other team on a just a brilliant, I think it was the Chargers even, just a brilliantly designed play called by Sean Payton. And look, that's the type of play that I think you can get out of Caleb Loner is to say we're going to throw him out there. everybody on the defense is going to expect the ball to go his direction because why else would we put him out there? And then all of a sudden somebody else is running wide open right in the middle of the field and you're playing chess while the other team is playing checkers. That's the kind of impact that I think this guy can have even if it's just a small, even if it's not even 200 snaps this year. I think we're going to see a big impact from him whether he's getting the ball or not.

Starting point is 00:18:28 I think one area he can also be underrated and is kind of being that guy that sets a pick, right, a legal, pick to free open a guy, you know, out of a bunch of formation. I would love to see that because think about it, imagine trying to have to fight through a six foot seven, six foot eight dude and you have to climb across because you're playing man coverage and you can't locate the other receiver because you have this really tall, large object right in your way. I think that's an area of loner's game where I think Sean Payton can obviously utilize him as well. If I'm not mistaken, I even think that Bo Nix's touchdown pass that he had to Josh Reynolds against the Las Vegas Raiders in week five,

Starting point is 00:19:03 the one where Josh Reynolds heard his hand on. But I think that was set open perfectly by kind of a pick play. And then Reynolds came free on the backside crosser and Bo found him perfectly. Loner, I think, can be that guy. And, you know, obviously if the NFL was fun and they allowed certain celebrations, imagine Caleb Loner catching a touchdown. And then Bo Nix runs up, throws an alleyute to him and he dunks it over the goalpost there. That would be, you know, a really fun thing.

Starting point is 00:19:26 But, you know, the NFL doesn't let these guys have fun. They care too much about, you know, that stuff for the sanctity of the game. But anyways, Broncos, country, want to hear your thoughts. What is it something that you're looking for to maybe hearing or seeing from Caleb Loner during OTAs? I'll have my eyes on him. And obviously, Blake Watson as we attend practice here today in Dove Valley for week two of OTAs. But there are a couple of other wide receivers that are on this Broncos team right now. They're impressing.

Starting point is 00:19:51 They're turning heads a little bit. But with that room being as loaded as it is, these guys might have the better opportunity to make the team's practice squad. further. We'll talk about some of the undrafted guys and a widely veteran here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. At this point of the offseason, every NFL team will have a wide variety of different wide receivers. But if you already have an established wide receiver room, how does that translate into evaluating these other guys that are going to be getting a lot of reps, are going to be getting a lot of playing time as Denver prepares to play a three game preseason slate? Two of those games being on the road here in August and only one home preseason.

Starting point is 00:20:30 in game. This is where I think you're going to learn a lot about some of these players here, and the Broncos have a handful of wide receivers to keep an eye on, including some undrafted guys, and obviously a veteran guy that's been in the mix here on the practice squad for the last couple of years. Sarah, let's talk about first off, let's talk about the veteran here, the Wiley guy. Michael Bandy is just kind of like this practice hero, in my opinion, because, look, while Michael Bandy will probably never play in the regular season, this is a guy who is making the Broncos better on the practice squad on scout team on a consistent basis. He's kind of a speedy slot guy.

Starting point is 00:21:06 His height is the biggest thing that's impacting him, I think, from seeing time on the NFL regular season field quite a bit. But Michael Bandy, once again, just continues to make plays. Catching passes from Bow Nicks, Jared Stidham, and obviously Sam Ellinger in practice. And there's a reason why he's still been on the, he's been a practice squad guy here in Denver since Joe Lombardi has come on staff. And obviously, Sean Payton as well,

Starting point is 00:21:29 he's kind of that reliable little outlet option here. Yeah, he's somebody that I think made a few plays for Justin Herbert, excuse me, a couple of years back. And so you give that look on the practice field for your defense, and you give them an opportunity to accurately evaluate practice film and say, hey, this is what we can expect for. Like guys prepare, Cody, they watch tape. And I think it's often, you know, something that goes underrated,

Starting point is 00:21:56 but you throw on the jersey of a player that you're, kind of simulating his role for another team that you have upcoming. And Bandy, if he can play that role and make the defense better, that might be the most interesting factor that he brings to the table is how much better does a practice squad slot receiver that may never play for you in the regular season? How much better can he make your defense by giving them good looks during practice? I think that's kind of fascinating.

Starting point is 00:22:20 So I know that there's not a lot of hope for him to maybe make the 53, maybe not even really much hopes to get called up off the practice squad. You know what? If you can play a role like that on the practice field and give the defense really good looks, I think Bandy has obviously proven that he's a Sean Payton favorite now at this point. Like you said, Joel Lombardi as well. And somebody that will give you good looks. You have quarterbacks battling it out at the bottom of the depth chart. You have other guys that they need the floor raised so that they can, okay, I got to go beat out this guy for a spot.

Starting point is 00:22:51 I think Bandy helps these guys do that. Well, there's 12 spots right now dedicated to wide receiver on Denver's 90-man roster right now. Bandy being one of them. But when you figure out like that competition, right, there's a couple of undrafted guys I think we are keeping eye on. Now, as it pertains to maybe similar stature as Michael Bandy, we're going to take a look at Courtney Jackson, wide receiver, undrafted guy out of Arkansas State.

Starting point is 00:23:14 He's got really good speed. I think he's a polished route runner from what I've been able to see from him. I want to continue to see him getting in the mix and making plays. You know, he stood out during obviously rookie minicamp there. And then Jirwan Newton is another guy, 511, 192, or undrafted rookie out of Toledo. He's got really good speed to his game as well. And then Kyriece White, 5'10, 185 out of Utah State.

Starting point is 00:23:36 I would say Kyrice White compared to Bandi, Jackson, and other guys. He's probably faster than anybody else there. I don't know exactly what his 40-yard dash time is. I can look that up here. But the way that he runs in space when he's running around or he's coming across the field, I'm thinking to myself like, wow, this guy's got legit speed that where he could also factor into the kick return game alongside Marvin Mims here this upcoming season. Yeah, Courtney Jackson is another guy.

Starting point is 00:24:03 Cody, I think that is fascinating at the receiver position. You mentioned his size and speed. He's only 510, 183 pounds, ran a 438 at his pro day back in March. So he's got big time speed. But also there was a period last year where he had two punt returns in a four game period. So I think that that definitely when you talk about somebody that has the upside, to maybe get the job done there. He was the Sunbelt Special Teams player of the week in week two last season. And then he had a return touchdown at the very end of the previous year. So kind of an interesting guy to keep an eye on here as we talk about who could emerge as that second return specialist.

Starting point is 00:24:44 You got a guy out there that's got four three eight speed. I mean, that's obviously legit. And we know that the Broncos brought in a couple of guys in terms of those preseason standout potential that Joaquin, Davis, Cody, I believe he was primarily known for his special teams ability at the college level, didn't get a ton of targets offensively by comparison to some other guys who might be high profile undrafted free agent pickups. But you've got a couple of guys here that, man, they might be able to make some hay on special teams. And I don't know, maybe factor into the 53. I know we're talking about practice squad guys, but I'll once again reiterate. I don't know that Trent Sherfield should be necessarily guaranteed a spot if somebody else can play special team.

Starting point is 00:25:31 So I might be eating crow for that down the line. Maybe he is guaranteed a spot. And I just don't know what I'm talking about in that regard. But I don't know. I feel like the kickoff return game is going to be a big factor here. Yeah. And for the special teams aspect for a guy like Sherfield, you know, I just saw an article. I think Chris Thomason did an interview where Sherfield recently talked to Matthew Slater,

Starting point is 00:25:53 who's obviously, you know, you bring up the name, Matthew Slater, real bald knowers know. Like, hey, that guy was probably one of the best special teams players. Maybe you'll find in NFL history made a career in New England with Bill Belichick, just as a special team's ace and a leader and a captain in that regard. Trent Sherfield wants to become that, obviously, through his NFL career, wants to be able to do more. And obviously, he does the dirty work. Now, going back to Kyrieh White, obviously out of Utah State, his combine numbers were very interesting.

Starting point is 00:26:22 You know, obviously for him being, you know, five foot 10, five, a little. 11 20 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds love to see that 37.5 inch vertical for a guy who's shorter you love that. Blake Watson though is I think an anomaly of ridiculous freak of nature being 5-9 had a 41 inch vertical. Absolutely insane. But they had a 10-4 in the broad jump and ran a 4.56 40-yard dash now 4.56 still fast, right? It's very fast. And it's not necessarily about straight line speed in the NFL. I mean, I think everyone gets so caught up.

Starting point is 00:26:56 And, well, this guy ran a fortude in a straight line. The NFL, you're never really running a straight line. Most of the time, you're bending a corner, if anything, to get to a straight line, where you're running a slant, you're running an out route. And then you're still bending it to try to get vertical here. So straight line speed, not really anything you have to worry about, except in the return game. I feel like that's probably where it's most prevalent at this point.

Starting point is 00:27:19 So Denver's got a lot of wide receivers right now. They're going to factor into the mix. I agree with you. I don't think that the wide receiver position right now for Denver in terms of the 53, I think Sherfield's spot still should be up for grabs, but so much as you mentioned is going to play into that special teams factor. Who is, like, how is this going to influence your decision making? Because ideally, we've already talked about the guys you're going to keep on the 53,

Starting point is 00:27:42 Cortland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Devon Bailey, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, those are five guys right there. That's five. Okay, who's the six? do you carry seven? And if so, is it justified by having an additional roster spot if you don't keep an extra quarterback under 53, it makes sense. And obviously, we'll see if that 53 man designation, obviously, the international player

Starting point is 00:28:04 exemption tag for Jeremy Croshaw, to my understanding, it does not carry over in a regular season for him, but somehow if it does, hey, there you go. There's flexibility with maybe what you can do. The kicking game is very important to Sean Payton. So I think that's where a lot of these guys, the emphasis is there is, hey, you're going to get reps at receiver, but it may not be as much as the, you know, the amount of reps you're going to get on special teams. So go out there, shine on special teams, and then that'll give you an opportunity here to really turn some heads.

Starting point is 00:28:32 And some of these guys will make it through to the practice squad. So I think the Denver's got a chance to build a very strong wide receiver room here going forward. How they get there, that's going to be a fun process for us to decipher from now all the way through the preseason. It is. And you mentioned maybe the deepest sleeper of them all, right? in Kyrice White, who formerly known as Kyrice Rowan, Cody, was a teammate at Utah of Devon Valle once upon a time. And obviously now a number of other Broncos players transferred to Utah State, but he was once a walk-on at Utah, kind of an afterthought in the process, didn't even

Starting point is 00:29:06 really play offense after, I think he was in college for six or seven years, Cody. He didn't even play offense until his last year at Utah State in 2024. He was mostly that, you know, kind of the college version of a Michael Bandie. I was doing some digging into his story. It's really fascinating that he played special teams at such a high level at Utah. But when he wasn't getting the opportunity offensively, I think it was kind of, you know, I think there's even a rumor out there that he had a scholarship pulled. Maybe some Utah fans that listen to the show can comment on that. But transfers to Utah State and becomes a receiving threat in his last year there, but still playing a key role on special teams, had seven

Starting point is 00:29:48 tackles over his last two seasons at the college level. So I'm interested to see what he can do because he was a tryout guy for Denver who made the team after his tryout. So a fascinating kind of wrinkle here with some of these underrated under the radar guys at the bottom end of this Broncos depth chart at receiver. Well, we're going to have our eyes on them here today as the Broncos OTA practice will be open to the media. You'll get full coverage and reaction here on.

Starting point is 00:30:13 Locked on Broncos on top of that. You'll get exclusive reports, milehysports.com. Also on the social media, make sure you follow us on the lockdown. Broncos TikTok as well. It is blowing up. And it's all because of all of you in Broncos country. If you're not yet never dare,

Starting point is 00:30:26 make sure you subscribe or follow. So you never miss out on what's going on with your favorite team of Broncos country. We appreciate you so much. The next time you see Sarah and myself will be recapping all of Thursday's OT action. Who stood out? What was the theme?

Starting point is 00:30:38 What did we notice? We'll break all that down. And much more for you here on the locked on. Broncos podcast. We'll see you then.

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