Broncos' Final 53 Has Some Unexpected Winners and Losers

The Broncos believed that if they waived Ehlinger, this time, he'd be gone. Knowing that, he was kept on the 53-man roster with Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham, which means the Broncos are carrying three quarterbacks.

Why the Broncos were so intent on not losing Ehlinger is anyone's guess. GM George Paton said on Sunday that "Sam is a big part of our quarterback room," emphasizing how much the Broncos love their trio of signal-callers.

A part of me wonders how much keeping Ehlinger in the fold has to do with Stidham playing on an expiring contract. Ehlinger is, too, for what it's worth, but rostering him this year gives them control over keeping him in the spring when Stidham is likely to seek a starting job elsewhere.

Ehlinger may not have won the QB2 job this summer, but the Broncos could already be penciling him in for it in 2027.

Loser: Broncos' Front Office

I said the Broncos were able to re-sign most of the players they wanted to the practice squad because fifth-round tight end Justin Joly and nickel cornerback Reese Taylor were both claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins. That's the risk the Broncos run when they waive a player, and usually, it doesn't blow back on them, but it did this time.

With Joly now landing on the Dolphins' 53-man roster, we can say that Denver wasted two draft picks this year. Not only was he a fifth-round pick, but the Broncos traded up to draft him, relinquishing a sixth-rounder in the bargain.

Joly is one of the highest-drafted rookies of the 21st century to fail to make the Broncos' initial roster out of training camp. They had hoped to hang onto him on the practice squad and continue to develop his extremely raw but talented skill set, but it didn't pan out.

Instead, the Broncos kept seventh-round tight end Dallen Bentley on the 53-man roster, which was one of the biggest surprises of the weekend. Bentley had a quiet summer and didn't do anything to really stand out or distinguish himself, but the Broncos kept him. Congrats to the former Utah Ute.

Keeping it in context, though, the Broncos lost out big-time in the Joly pick, but this was always going to be an exceedingly tough roster to crack. Given the depth of the roster and the six other selections the Broncos made, all of which are still in Denver, either on the active roster or practice squad, it's losing Joly isn't the end of the world.

Winner: Tyler Badie | RB

The Broncos kept Badie, though it wasn't a huge surprise. What raised eyebrows was the fact that he was outplayed by Cody Schrader in the preseason.

Paton pointed to Badie's versatility as a pass blocker, receiver out of the backfield, and special teams contributor as the the reason he was kept over Schrader or Jaleel McLaughlin. I'm not so sure that's a valid enough reason to pass over Schrader, whose body of work was clearly superior to Badie this summer. But I'm not the one making the roster decisions at Dove Valley.

How much Badie will dress this season remains to be seen. Hopefully, it's not much, because if Badie dresses, it would likely mean rookie fourth-rounder Jonah Coleman does not. The Broncos won't ever dress four running backs, so I, again, question the rationale of keeping Badie instead of rewarding Schrader for a job well done.

Fortunately, Schrader passed through waivers unclaimed and was re-signed to the practice squad on Monday. He stays in the fold, for now.

Loser: Lucas Krull | TE

I would have guessed that if Joly wasn't making the roster, Krull would have, but he too was waived on Sunday. Krull went unclaimed on waivers and re-signed, so he sticks around, but it's pretty tough to lose a roster spot on this team to a seventh-round rookie.

Krull wasn't good this summer, though. I'm surprised the Broncos even chose to bring him back to the practice squad, but I suppose they need at least one tight end in reserve.

Winner: Lil'Jordan Humphrey | WR

There was much speculation about whether Denver would keep six receivers, and that's how it shook out, with Humphrey claiming the last spot. A long-time Sean Payton guy dating back to New Orleans, Humphrey had a great summer and was kept because he can play all the receiver spots, knows the offense, blocks well on the perimeter, and contributes on special teams.

It's interesting how keeping Humphrey came at the expense of another deserving player, who we'll talk about next, but the veteran deserved to make the roster. Humphrey has been a contributor to the Broncos' rapid turnaround, and really came through in the playoffs last year amid the team's rash of injuries to the receiving corps.

Loser: Kolbe Katsis | WR

Katsis came really close to making the roster after he impressed the Broncos as the team's best returner in the preseason. With Marvin Mims Jr. missing most of the preseason, Katsis, Cameron Ross, and Sean Fresch Jr. received some long looks as returners.

All three acquitted themselves well, although Ross did muff a punt in the finale (which he recovered), but Katsis separated himself as the top option. His 48-yard kick return in the finale helped seal his fate as a practice squad addition, at worst.

The Broncos were able to re-sign Katsis to the squad after he went unclaimed. The undrafted rookie may not have made the 53-man roster out of camp, but he'll have a part to play in the 2026 season, I believe.

Winner: Matt Peart | OL

Peart beat out Frank Crum and Tyler Miller for the backup tackle spot on the offensive line. The Peart decision, undoubtedly, was fueled, in part, by Crum getting hurt late in the preseason and landing on injured reserve to open the season.

However, Peart was clearly the better player this summer, and he has actual starting experience at left tackle, so if anything were to happen to Garett Bolles — God forbid — he's a much more reliable backup than Crum. The truth is, Crum was terrible in the preseason. He didn't deserve to make the roster over Peart, so it's good to see the scales of football justice balanced, at least in this instance.

Miller, meanwhile, is a big 6-foot-9 tackle with a lot of upside whom the Broncos were able to re-sign to the practice squad. He could become something if he develops.

Loser: Calvin Throckmorton | OL

The way I see it, two players were robbed by the Broncos' decision-making on Sunday: Schrader and Throckmorton. The good news? Both re-signed to the practice squad.

Throckmorton deserved a roster spot over Alex Forsyth, the latter of whom missed most of training camp and all of the preseason with an injury. Amid the Broncos' injury crisis at center in camp — losing each of their top three players at the position — Throckmorton stepped up to the plate and ran the first-team offense at the pivot.

Throckmorton played his rear end off, and factoring in his versatility to play any of the three spots on the interior offensive line, he deserved to be rewarded. Forsyth is a center-only player, and while you hate seeing anyone lose a job because of injury, it is the NFL. It happens; just ask Crum or linebacker Drew Sanders.

As a vested veteran, Throckmorton could have signed with anybody after the Broncos released him, but he chose to re-up. Something tells me there's a decent chance we'll see him on the field at some point this season.

Winner: Sai'vion Jones | DL

I was getting a little bit worried about Jones's roster outlook as the preseason progressed. He simply failed to shine, and as a second-year player and former third-round pick, you hoped to see more from him this summer.

Jones was outshined by rookie third-rounder Tyler Onyedim in the camp competitions. Jordan Jackson also outplayed Jones this summer.

It was concerning enough that I wondered how secure Jones's place with the Broncos really was. He still offers interior pass-rushing upside, but he's really taking his time developing the other skills required to thrive as a complete defensive lineman.

How much Jones dresses this season remains to be seen, but barring injuries, I wouldn't expect to see him much. Onyedim, on the other hand, will be a key cog in the Broncos' D-line rotation.

Loser: Red Murdock | LB

Murdock was the last pick in the 2026 NFL draft, but he would've heard his name called much earlier were it not for a lingering injury. 'Mr. Irrelevant' took a week or so to build up a head of steam in camp, but when he did, he started flashing his playmaking ability.

One of Murdock's strong suits is his ability to punch the ball out and force fumbles. He exited the college ranks as the FBS' all-time leader in forced fumbles.

As a rookie, Murdock led the Broncos in tackles in the preseason, and even managed to force a fumble in the finale. Given the Broncos' newfound priority to force more takeaways moving forward, it seemed like the rookie had earned a roster spot, but he was waived in favor of veteran Jordan Turner.

Fortunately, Murdock went unclaimed on waivers, and was re-signed to the practice squad. He'll need to improve his special teams acumen to make himself more valuable, but he's the Broncos' best hope for a long-term starter among their depth linebackers.

Winner: Tycen Anderson | S

Anderson made the 53-man roster by the skin of his teeth. After an unimpressive camp performance, the Broncos went looking for an upgrade over Anderson, signing veteran safety Taylor Rapp halfway through the preseason.

Alas, Rapp was released less than a week later due to some personal issues he's working through, but the Broncos plan to bring him back when all that is resolved. The team's plan, though, was for Rapp to take the fifth safety spot on the roster, after Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, and JL Skinner.

If I were Anderson, I wouldn't be sleeping to well over the next few weeks. But congrats to him for making the 53-man roster after being the Broncos' only outside signing in March's free-agent period.