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Jul 24, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals tight end Josiah Deguara (47) during training camp at State Farm Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

3 Cardinals Broncos Should Target to Upgrade the Roster

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Erick Trickel | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 10:06 PM ET

As the Denver Broncos march through the preseason, the front office is keeping an eye on players from around the league. When the Broncos hold joint practices with a team ahead of a preseason matchup, like they did with the San Francisco 49ers last week and the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, they get some extra insight.

While the Broncos seem pretty set at most positions, there are still a few areas they could look to improve. Even though the Broncos handily defeated them, the Cardinals had a few standout players who could help, if they're among the team's final roster cuts. Let's dive in.

Josiah Deguara | TE

The Broncos lack a blocking tight end, and none of their current guys have proven to be the answer. Nate Adkins' injury only exacerbates the problem. Deguara wasn’t great as a blocker for the Cardinals, but he was a lot better than what the Broncos got from the position.

With the depth the Cardinals have at tight end, Deguara is likely on the outside looking in, and the question for the Broncos would be whether he'd be better for them than Lucas Krull, Caleb Lohner, or Caden Prieskorn, and the answer is yes.

Not only is Deguara a better blocker than all three of them, but he's tougher as a receiver than Krull, has shown more in the NFL than Prieskorn, and has significantly more experience than Lohner. Plus, Deguara has the versatility to play special teams and fullback to help fill in for Adkins while he misses time.

PJ Mustipher | DL

This should be a familiar name, as Mustipher was actually with the Broncos two years ago, when he was signed off their practice squad in December of 2023. So, the Broncos would be familiar with Mustipher and what he can bring.

The primary reason for Mustipher is that he adds mass to the inside of the Broncos' defensive line to bolster their run defense, and he had a massive game for the Cardinals on Saturday night. With 14 snaps against the run, Mustipher had three stops, which is a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Right now, Eyioma Uwazurike is the Broncos' biggest defensive lineman, at 320 pounds, and he will give you one good play for every three bad ones. The Broncos need more consistency than that, and Mustipher can bring that while also coming in at 320 pounds.

Elijah Simmons | IDL

There is a trend here, as Simmons is a 335-pound nose tackle who can add mass and quality run defense to the Broncos' interior. While he wasn’t quite as good as Mustipher, Simmons had two stops against the run on 18 run defense snaps.

Simmons is an undrafted rookie out of Tennessee and was a coveted college free agent. Many draft analysts expected someone to take a flier on Simmons in the sixth or seventh round, with the knock on him being that he doesn’t have the height or length you look for.