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Jan 12, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Damarri Mathis (27) warms up before a game against the Buffalo Bills in an AFC wild card game at Highmark Stadium. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

5 Broncos Draft Picks Facing a Do-or-Die Preseason Game 3

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Chad Jensen | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 9:56 PM ET

NFL teams must have their rosters trimmed down to 53 players by 2 pm MDT on Tuesday, August 26. The Denver Broncos have one last preseason game between now and the final roster cuts deadline.

Sitting at 90 players, we know that more than 30 guys won't make the Broncos' roster. But there are five recent draft picks who really need to show out in the preseason finale to avoid the cutting room floor.

A big performance in the final preseason game doesn't always get the job done. Remember tight end Albert Okwuegbunam back in 2023? He posted a 109-yard receiving day in the preseason finale, but, in fairness, he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, not cut.

Perhaps a better example is tight end Lucas Krull, who caught seven passes for 106 yards in the New Orleans Saints' 2023 preseason finale, and still got cut. The Broncos claimed him off waivers, which goes to show that the quality of film these bubble players put up is the most important thing, even if they're unable to stick with their current team.

All that being said, they play the third preseason game for a reason. It factors into the equation. Payton and company have some tough decisions awaiting them in about a week's time, so let's examine the Broncos' five recent draft picks under the gun in Game 3.

Damarri Mathis | CB | 2022 Fourth-Round Pick

It's not a good sign that the team assigned his No. 27 jersey to newly arrived running back J.K. Dobbins. It's legal for two players to share a jersey number during the preseason, but still...

Mathis needed to have a transcendent summer to offset the financial incentive the Broncos have to cut him. If he's cut, the Broncos would save $3.4 million on the salary cap.

As it stands, Mathis is the No. 6 cornerback on the depth chart, at best. No team is going to pay $3.4M for a No. 6 cornerback, and he just hasn't been good enough to leapfrog Kris Abrams-Draine, and he's been outshined at times by Quinton Newsome and even undrafted rookie Jaden Robinson.

The Arizona Cardinals only scored one touchdown vs. the Broncos in preseason Game 1, and Mathis was responsible. I'm not sure anything, at this late juncture, could save him from the chopping block, just because of that financial incentive the team has.

Audric Estime | RB | 2024 Fifth-Round Pick

Estime's fall from grace has been eye-opening. Since the offseason began, he went from being projected as a 2025 starter to the guy bringing up the rear in the running back pecking order by the preseason.

This summer, Estime has carried the ball 17 times for 41 yards, averaging 2.41 yards per carry in the preseason. Granted, he's been running behind Denver's third-team offensive line, but that also means he's been going against third-unit defenses.

Adding to the urgency of Estime's situation has been the impressive play of Tyler Badie and Blake Watson. Unfortunately, this is becoming a no-brainer decision, even though Estime was a fifth-round pick last year.

Delarrin Turner-Yell | S | 2022 Fifth-Round Pick

It's honestly a bit surprising that Turner-Yell has hung on this long. Anytime his number has been called on defense, dating back to his rookie season, he's looked lost and in over his head, but he's also dealt with some bad luck on the injury front.

Turner-Yell suffered an ACL injury late in his second year, which caused him to start his third year on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. He ended up missing all of the 2024 season.

In desperate need of a breakout summer, the results simply haven't been there for Turner-Yell. Meanwhile, the Broncos have P.J. Locke and JL Skinner looking like the team's No. 3 and No. 4 safeties behind starters Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga, with young guys like Devon Key and Keidron Smith outshining Turner-Yell. It's not looking good for the 2022 fifth-rounder.

Eyioma Uwazurike | DL | 2022 Fourth-Round Pick

Uwazurike still has a very good path to the roster, but he needs to have one productive preseason showing to cement a roster spot. Through two games thus far, he hasn't looked too good, struggling to hold up against the run.

Helping Uwazurike's case are two factors: 1.) Payton gushed about his "infectious" play when training camp began, and 2.) the Broncos' lack of defensive line depth. That depth was depleted when Matt Henningsen suffered a torn Achiles in a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers and was lost for the season.

Still, with guys like Jordan Jackson showing some production (four tackles last week), and Uwazurike's other prime competition, Sai'vion Jones, being a third-round rookie, it's putting pressure on the former Iowa State product to answer the bell.

The Broncos kept six D-linemen out of training camp last year, including Uwazurike. This year, the top five are known, with Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, John Franklin-Myers, Malcolm Roach, and Jones each being a lock. Who wins that sixth spot? Uwazurike, Jackson, or one of the undrafted rookies, Jordan Miller or Kristian Williams?

Caleb Lohner | TE | 2025 Seventh-Round Pick

Based on all the offseason talk we heard about Lohner from head coach Sean Payton, comparing him to Jimmy Graham, I think most fans expected to see at least a little something from the former basketball star. Alas, Lohner has failed to make an impact on offense, and his woeful lack of football experience (57 snaps as a Division I tight end) has been palpable in preseason competition.

Lohner's technique as a blocker is nonexistent, and the speed of the game seems to be way too fast for him. Now, it's possible that Denver waives him only to re-sign him to the practice squad to continue nurturing and developing the physical tools that made him so attractive as a late-round flyer.

But with fellow rookie tight end Caden Prieskhorn (undrafted) turning in a solid performance, Lohner's production, in contrast, is pitiful. Time will tell how many tight ends the Broncos carry on the 53-man roster out of training camp, but if they carry four again (as they did in 2024), it's looking like three of the spots will go to Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, and Nate Adkins.