Payton Explains Why UDFA LB Karene Reid Made Broncos' 53-Man Roster

Payton doesn't recall which teams were after Reid this year and Bailey in 2024, but he was happy to have persuaded them both to bring their talents to the Mile High City.

"Everyone can say, ‘Free agents have a great shot at making our team,’ and yet we have a history," Payton said. "Our scouts did a great job of putting together 17 years, 18, 19 years with me as a head coach, and then getting that information. So the process with those two players I felt was almost identical. I can’t recall the teams, but we flipped them." 

Even though Bailey was a rather surprising late roster cut, he was re-signed to the practice squad, keeping him in Denver. He will continue his development on the Broncos' practice squad, but other teams could swoop in and sign him away, so long as it's to their active roster. 

That would offer even more proof of how well Denver's undrafted free-agent strategy works. But Payton, obviously, hopes Bailey remains on the Broncos' practice squad.

"You’re being creative because what’s so unique, the draft ends, and here is this hour and a half period where there’s just so much happening, and trying to organize it and prioritize it to where you’re signing the highest-graded players first while you’re on the phone maybe with plan B or C," Payton said. "It’s not an exact science. It’s a challenge."

Savvy Use of the Top 30 Visits

Broncos fans have often wondered at some of the names the Broncos have brought in for top 30 visits ahead of the draft. Many of them over the years have been unheralded prospects not expected to go anywhere close to the top 100 picks, and yet, the Broncos would meet with them. Payton explained the method to that madness.

"The good thing is you can Zoom [call with] players before the draft. You can bring players in," Payton explained. "Sometimes we’ll bring players in that we feel like we already know about the make-up and the mental, but a lot… For a player to visit a facility and then go home and then get a call after the draft, there’s a comfort level maybe that didn’t exist if he didn’t visit. So sometimes we’ll use some [top] 30 visits for priority free agents if they don’t get drafted. It certainly isn’t an exact science either."

Reid's Preseason Body of Work

Reid now gets a huge opportunity to back up veterans Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton, and it should put the 25-year-old from a prestigious football family at an advantage moving forward. Payton continues to assemble the kind of depth at the position that Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph can utilize, including the three inside linebackers on the practice squad: Bailey, 2025 undrafted rookie Jordan Turner, and newcomer veteran Garrett Wallow.

Reid's strong preseason, which included eight tackles, one tackle for a loss, one quarterback hit, one interception, and one fumble recovery, separated him just enough from Bailey to make the final roster. Unlike many of his fellow head coaches around the NFL, Payton still puts a big emphasis on fringe guys showing their chops in the preseason. 

Significance of Preseason Finale

Even the preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints had plenty of significance, but Payton admitted it was more helpful in getting a view of the practice squad than the final roster. 

“I think the last game helped us in a number of different ways, and maybe more relative to the practice squad than maybe even the active roster," Payton said. "I think the last game was important for certain players, and I would say probably more relative to the practice squad than maybe the active."

Juggling the demands of both the active roster and the practice squad comes with enough variables to make almost anyone dizzy. Thankfully, things have slowed down and become clearer as Payton and Paton have worked through the process, which, again, led to yet another undrafted rookie making the roster. 

A Much Deeper Roster

As the Broncos' top two shot-callers met to hash out the final roster decisions ahead of Tuesday's deadline, it became clear how much deeper this team is entering the 2025 season.

“One thing that was noticeable, I would say, our first year, I can’t tell you the length of the meeting," Payton said. "George [Paton] and I are meeting daily leading up into, call it the final meeting, the night before. I can’t tell you an hour or two hours, last year [it was] an hour, two hours. But last night was closer to six hours. There was a lot of discussion, film. It was very evident that we’re deeper. I would say, just strictly based on the length of the meeting and the process itself, that was very clear. I think it was evident in the preseason games as you watched them. When the second wave or the third wave went in, you saw good football.”

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