Broncos Draft 7 Rookies And Sign 14 UDFAs With Just 10 Roster Spots Left

Denver’s highest selection was No. 66 overall for a reason. The team traded its 2026 first-round pick (No. 30), a 2026 third-rounder, and a 2026 fourth-round pick to Miami earlier in the offseason in the deal that brought wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to Denver. That left Paton with a second-round pick (No. 62) but no first, and he traded that down during the draft to Buffalo for No. 66 and a sixth-round pick (No. 182), completing the slide out of the top two rounds entirely.

Tyler Onyedim Replaces John Franklin-Myers

The Broncos used that No. 66 overall pick on Texas A&M defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim, and the fit was not subtle. Onyedim was drafted into the interior DL vacancy created by the free-agent departure of John Franklin-Myers, and he is expected to rotate immediately into Vance Joseph’s front. For a team without a first-rounder, getting a plug-and-play defensive lineman at 66 is the single most important outcome of the class.

Jonah Coleman Came From the Devaughn Vele Trade

The fourth-round pick Denver used on Washington running back Jonah Coleman did not originally belong to the Broncos. It was acquired from New Orleans in the Devaughn Vele trade earlier this offseason, which turned a depth receiver into a runner who fills a clearer positional need. Coleman arrives in a backfield already holding Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin, which is exactly why the roster math on offense gets tight so fast.

Kage Casey: Tackle Now, Guard Later

Fourth-round pick Kage Casey arrives from Boise State after allowing the lowest pressure rate among Mountain West offensive tackles in 2025 at just 2.09 percent on 478 pass-blocking snaps. Sports Illustrated frames Casey as a developmental swing piece who can sit behind Garett Bolles at left tackle while getting reps at guard, with a realistic year-one role as a jumbo package blocker and primary swing backup. That dual-position flexibility is part of why his arrival puts direct financial pressure on a veteran already on a reduced deal.

Matt Peart’s Contract Rework Tells the Real Story

Offensive tackle Matt Peart already reworked his contract following injury, a move that typically signals retention. The restructure actually dropped his deal to a one-year, $2 million pact with $755,000 guaranteed, which makes an eventual release far less damaging to the salary cap. With Casey now in the building and capable of swinging between tackle and guard, Peart’s restructure looks less like security and more like a financial exit strategy.

Two Starting Cornerbacks on the Trade Block

Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian are both on expiring contracts, and rumors persisted before the draft that the Broncos were seeking to trade one of them. The timing was not accidental. With 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron already positioned behind them on the depth chart, Denver has a ready-made successor. The Broncos also signed three undrafted cornerbacks, Ahmari Harvey, Brent Austin, and Will Wright, flooding the position with competition.

Miles Scott Is the Seventh-Round Safety Nobody’s Talking About

Lost in the noise around the higher picks is safety Miles Scott, taken at No. 246 in the seventh round. Scott joins a safety room that already projects Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga as starters, which means his path to the 53 runs through special teams production in camp. He is one of the seven rookies the Broncos are counting on to justify the roster crunch this article is about, and he is absent from most post-draft coverage.

The Roster Math That Doesn’t Add Up

Fourteen undrafted free agents competing for 10 roster spots means at least four players must be cut before minicamp even begins. The Broncos found a temporary workaround: punter Jeremy Crawshaw’s international roster exemption removes the Australian from the 90-man count. But the exemption does not create new spots, it merely delays the reckoning. GM George Paton said the team “just kind of took the best players as they came,” yet that philosophy created this mathematical impossibility.

Lucas Krull’s Tight End Spot Is in Serious Jeopardy

The Broncos used a fifth-round pick on NC State tight end Justin Joly and a seventh-round selection on Utah’s Dallen Bentley, two draft investments aimed squarely at a position Lucas Krull currently holds. Krull was retained this offseason with no security provisions, then immediately faced competition from players the organization spent draft capital to acquire. That invested capital creates an institutional bias toward the rookies, placing Krull’s roster spot in direct jeopardy heading into camp.

Nate Adkins Has One Skill Keeping Him Alive

Nate Adkins remains Denver’s best blocking tight end, and that distinction may be the only thing separating him from the same fate as Krull. Dallen Bentley’s seventh-round selection puts direct pressure on Adkins, but his specialized blocking ability gives him a narrow path to survival. The Broncos drafted two tight ends in a single class, a clear signal that the position group is being overhauled. Adkins must prove his blocking value outweighs the cost savings of a rookie contract.

Jordan Jackson Was Already on the Edge

Defensive lineman Jordan Jackson was already bringing up the rear on the depth chart before the Broncos used their highest pick, third round at No. 66 overall, on Texas A&M defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim. That selection pushed Jackson even further from meaningful playing time. Unlike veterans with contract leverage or specialized skills, Jackson lacks the financial or performance argument to survive a roster crunch where the team has clearly signaled its preference for draft-invested youth at his position.

Karene Reid’s Underdog Story Faces a Cruel Twist

Karene Reid went undrafted in 2025, made the roster, and leapfrogged Levelle Bailey to become the Broncos’ No. 4 linebacker. It was a textbook underdog success story, until the Broncos drafted Round 7 linebacker Red Murdock from Buffalo. Murdock will compete directly for Reid’s spot behind Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, and Jonah Elliss. Reid’s rise proved that performance can override pedigree. His potential displacement proves that draft capital can override performance.

Two Running Backs Fighting One Rookie for Survival

Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin were both retained this offseason, only to watch the Broncos select Washington running back Jonah Coleman in the fourth round. Both veterans took immediate hits to their job security. The Broncos kept them through free agency, then drafted their potential replacement weeks later, a pattern that reveals how the organization uses retention as a bridge until draft-invested alternatives arrive. If Coleman’s preseason development exceeds expectations, both face practice squad assignment or release.

The Draft Grades Scoreboard

National outlets split on this class, which tells you how much weight each analyst puts on the missing first-rounder. Broncos Wire handed Denver an overall A minus, praising the Onyedim and Casey picks as immediate contributors. Sports Illustrated’s grades roundup logged a wider spread, with some graders going as low as the C range once the lack of premium capital was factored in. Yardbarker’s expert grade landed in the B range, citing trench investment but flagging the late-round tight end double-dip as a luxury on a team with other needs.

The Hidden System Behind Every Cut

This is not chaos, it is strategy. The Broncos systematically targeted veterans on expiring or cheap contracts, then surrounded them with draft picks and undrafted competition. The Crawshaw exemption delays cuts long enough to run a full training camp, allowing the team to frame releases as performance-based rather than financial. But the hierarchy is clear: draft capital first, cap impact second, actual performance third. For seven veterans in Denver, the math was decided before they ever stepped on the field.

Which Bronco on this list do you think actually survives final cuts, and which rookie are you most worried will be the one to take their spot? Sound off in the comments.

Sources:
Denver Broncos. “Who did the Broncos draft? A list of Denver’s 2026 picks.” DenverBroncos.com, April 25, 2026.
ESPN. “Denver Broncos 2026 NFL draft picks: Full list, analysis.” ESPN.com, April 25, 2026.
Klis, Mike. “Broncos quietly make slew of roster moves immediately after 2026 NFL Draft.” Predominantly Orange, April 25, 2026.
Renck, Troy. “OL Matt Peart takes a pay cut to remain with the Broncos.” Yahoo Sports, March 19, 2026.
Sports Illustrated. “Broncos’ 14 UDFA Signings: Full Breakdown & Top Names.” SI.com, April 28, 2026.
Mountain West Conference. “Kage Casey Drafted By Denver Broncos.” TheMW.com, April 24, 2026.