Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos: Final 53-man roster predictions

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Predominantly Orange staff takes a crack at predicting the 53-man roster for the Denver Broncos. Will there be any surprise cuts?

Sep 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch (12) drops back to pass in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

As roster cuts are fast approaching, the Denver Broncos have some very difficult decisions to make. Not the least of which is the decision of whether to keep a third quarterback in Mark Sanchez, or just fully commit to the youth movement.

There are questions at nearly every position on the roster, and as John Elway and Gary Kubiak evaluate the last five months of work, they have to put together the group of 53 guys that can help this team win a second consecutive Super Bowl.

Us here at Predominantly Orange took our stab at predicting what Elway and Kubiak will decide…

(@skriz24 – Steven Kriz)

QB (2)

Trevor Siemian
Paxton Lynch

RB (4)

C.J. Anderson
Devontae Booker
Ronnie Hillman
Andy Janovich

WR (6)

Demaryius Thomas
Emmanuel Sanders
Bennie Fowler
Cody Latimer
Jordan Norwood
Jordan Taylor

OL (9)

Russell Okung
Max Garcia
Matt Paradis
Ty Sambrailo
Donald Stephenson
Michael Schofield
Darrion Weems
Connor McGovern
James Ferentz

TE (3)

Virgil Green
Jeff Heuerman
John Phillips

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DE (5)

Derek Wolfe
Adam Gotsis
Jared Crick
Billy Winn
Henry Melton

NT (3)

Sylvester Williams
Darius Kilgo
Kyle Peko

OLB (5)

Von Miller
Demarcus Ware
Shane Ray
Shaquil Barrett
Dekoda Watson

ILB (4)

Brandon Marshall
Todd Davis
Corey Nelson
Zaire Anderson

CB (5)

Aqib Talib
Chris Harris Jr.
Bradley Roby
Kayvon Webster
Lorenzo Doss

S (4)

Darian Steward
T.J. Ward
Justin Simmons
Will Parks

ST (3)

Brandon Mcmanus
Riley Dixon
Casey Kreieter

Interesting Makes:

Ronnie Hillman-

When Hillman tested the waters of free agency and had no suitors, he resigned with Denver but the money that was guaranteed was minimal. Throughout the offseason Kapri Bibbs’ name was brought up over and over again. However, a strong showing in the third preseason game, along with the unique speed he brings ultimately keeps him on the roster.

Dekoda Watson-

Watson was brought in to add depth to the ILB position and battle with Zaire Anderson for a roster spot. However, he was moved outside and let loose on quarterbacks this preseason and the results have been astounding. He has made play after play after play, and has made it near impossible for the coaching staff to part ways with him.

Kyle Peko-

Peko was a name few had heard of coming into this camp. The Broncos have been a little bit thin on the defensive line, especially after the injury to Vance Walker. Peko is a big body that moves well, and has impressed coaches enough to earn himself a roster spot.

Interesting Cuts:

Mark Sanchez-

Sanchez essentially had the starting quarterback job handed to him on a silver platter when the Broncos elected not to pull the trigger on a trade for Colin Kaepernick, and instead decided to move up in the draft and select raw rookie Paxton Lynch. Sanchez was the veteran, the bridge to the young kid—all he needed to do was not screw it up. Screw it up he did; he turned the ball over 3 times in roughly two quarters of play. Once it was clear he wasn’t the starter, the plan to bring Lynch up to speed quicker, coupled with the cap savings and saved draft pick sealed Sanchez’s fate.

Juwan Thompson-

While Hillman made the roster because of his speed, Thompson was thought to have value because of his ability to play both fullback and running back. Unfortunately for Thompson, there just aren’t enough spots on the roster.

Kapri Bibbs-

Like Thompson, there just aren’t enough spots on the roster for a player such as Bibbs. What makes this surprising is the constant praise Bibbs received throughout the course of the offseason. He ran well, and is a very good special teams player. This is just a numbers deal.

Sep 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Kalif Raymond (19) runs the ball in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

(@AricManthey – Aric Manthey)

OFFENSE

QB- 2: Siemian-Lynch

RB- 4: Anderson-Booker-Hillman-Bibbs

FB- 1: Janovich

OL- 9: Okung-Garcia-Paradis-Schofield-Stephenson
Sambrailo-Weems-Ferentz-McGovern

TE- 3: Green-Phillips-Heuerman

WR- 6: Thomas-Sanders-Norwood-Taylor-Fowler-Latimer

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Offensive Breakdown: The QB competition has ended and we have our clear cut starter heading into the season. With Trevor Siemian securing the starting gig, it’s only natural to slot rookie Paxton Lynch as the back up. Every rep that Lynch can get this year will be paramount for his long term development and I believe that he has shown enough in the preseason for the Broncos to be able to trust him as their #2 QB heading into the season.

I commend Sanchez for the way he went about preparing for the QB competition this offseason and I have nothing bad to say about the guy personally. With that said, unless he’s willing to take a significant pay cut, then there’s little reason to keep him on the roster. Aside from wanting to give Lynch more reps, Sanchez may have a better opportunity to be a #2 and potentially start games this year with another team. With Teddy Bridgewater down for the year, the Vikings become another team in the veteran QB market and you have to wonder when (not if) Sanchez will be moving on to another team for a better opportunity.

For the RB’s, I feel like this is a situation where the Broncos will try to have their cake and eat it too. Many expected Hillman or Bibbs to fight for one roster spot, but I think that both of them have shown enough to stick around. While Bibbs is the more versatile player (his ST play can’t be understated), Hillman does provide a skill set that no other back on the Broncos roster possesses. In a limited role, he could be very effective as that “speed” back. Janovich is the obvious lock because of his position and ST ability.

Like the RB group, the OL is another group where I could see one less player than I projected to make the roster. I gave them 9 at this point simply because of the injuries surrounding Sambrailo and Weems. Virgil Green has established himself as the #1 TE, so there’s nothing to debate there. The real question becomes, who is the #2 TE? With Garrett Graham heading to IR, it appears that the recently signed John Phillips and Jeff Heuerman are the two to battle for that spot. Philips is the veteran with a reputation for being a good blocker, so I would give him the advantage for the #2 job. Heuerman is a lock and the de facto #3 mainly due to his draft status. Henry Krieger-Coble has had a good preseason but he’s a good candidate for the Practice Squad.

Finally, the receiving core will have six for the second straight season. This is the deepest group of any position on offense and it’ll be easy to see why we keep so many of them. Not only are they talented, but most of them play special teams. With Latimer and Fowler nursing injuries, you have to keep receiver that can not only make plays, but give you options on Special Teams as well.

DEFENSE

DL- 7: Wolfe-Williams-Crick-Gotsis-Kilgo-Melton-Winn

OLB- 5: Miller-Ware-Barrett-Ray-Watson

ILB- 4: Marshall-Davis-Anderson-Nelson

CB- 5: Harris-Talib-Roby-Webster-Doss

S- 4: Ward-Stewart-Simmons-Parks

Defensive Breakdown: You could make the argument that the Broncos have the talent and versatility to carry six Defensive Lineman and I see the validity in the argument. For me, I think that this position is similar to the receivers in that there’s so much talent and depth that it will be hard to let a few of them go. I could see Billy Winn possibly getting the axe but I think that they’ll hang on to him for depth reasons. The linebacker positions have been slotted and decided for quite some time now. The only exception is Dakota Watson. He has been fantastic this preseason and with his ability to play any linebacking position along with his ST play, you have to make a spot for him on the roster.

Like the linebacker core, the secondary has been mostly slotted for a while now. The only notable absence on the roster is Shiloh Keo. We have to keep in mind that he is suspended for the first two games of the season, so his presence on the roster won’t be counted for. Even when he comes back, I think it’s likely that he will be cut knowing that they can always bring him back later in the season(if they need to).

SPECIAL TEAMS

K- 1: McManus

P- 1: Dixon

LS- 1: Kreiter

Sep 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

(@CamParker22 — Cameron Parker)

Quarterback (2): Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. Cut: Mark Sanchez

Running Back (4): CJ Anderson, Devontae Booker, Kapri Bibbs and Juwan Thompson. Cut: Ronnie Hillman.

Fullback (1): Andy Janovich

Wide Receiver (6): Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler, Jordan Norwood and Jordan Taylor. Cut: Bralon Addison, Kalif Raymond, Mose Frazier, Durron Neal and DeVier Posey.

Tight End (3): Virgil Green, Jeff Heuerman and John Phillips Cut: Manasseh Garner, Henry Krieger-Coble. IR: Garrett Graham.

Offensive Linemen (8): Russell Okung, Max Garcia, Donald Stephenson, Matt Paradis, Michael Schofield, Darrion Weems, Connor McGovern, James Ferentz. Cut: Robert Myers Jr., Dillon Day, Aaron Neary, Mathieu Gibson, Lars Hanson, Justin Murray, Cameron Jefferson, Kyle Roberts.

Defensive line (7): Derek Wolfe, Sylvester Williams, Adam Gotsis, Jared Crick, Billy Winn, Darius Kilgo, Kyle Peko. Cut: Henry Melton, Lars Koht, Eddie Yarbrough, Calvin Heurtelou and David Moala.

Linebackers (9): Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Shane Ray, Shaquille Barrett, Brandon Marshall, Todd Davis, Corey Nelson, Zaire Anderson, Dekoda Watson. Cut: Frank Shannon, Sadat Sulleyman, Vontarrius Dora, Dwayne Norman and Kyle Kragen.

Defensive Backs (10): Chris Harris Jr., Aqib Talib, Bradley Roby, Lorenzo Doss, Kayvon Webster, TJ Ward, Darian Stewart, Justin Simmons, Will Parks and Taurean Nixon. Cut: Shiloh Keo, Antonio Glover, Ryan Murphy, Brandian Ross, John Tidwell and BJ Lowery.