Denver Broncos

Michael Woods II

WR

Woods spent time on Green Bay's practice squad last season but was never elevated to the active roster. The 26-year-old last appeared in a regular-season game during the 2024 campaign with the Browns and will look to earn a spot on Denver's final roster.

Bo Nix

QB

Nix continues to progress in his recovery from surgery to repair a broken bone in his right ankle that he underwent in late January. The initial recovery timeline was 12 weeks, but the Broncos won't push the third-year quarterback too much during June's minicamp, with Jarrett Stidham expected to take the majority of snaps at that time, though Nix should be a full go for training camp.

Joseph Manjack IV

WR

Manjack finished third on TCU in receptions (44), yards (579) and touchdowns (three) through 13 games in his fifth collegiate season. He'll join fellow undrafted rookie wide receivers Dane Key, Kolbe Katsis and Cameron Ross. Five receivers have likely already locked up spots on the team, meaning Manjack is likely heading for the practice squad.

Kolbe Katsis

WR

Katsis was dominant for Northern Arizona of the FCS last season, and he recorded a combined 95 receptions for 1,566 yards and 12 touchdowns over his last two college campaigns. He earned All-Big Sky First Team honors as a wide receiver and as a kick returner, as he averaged 30.6 yards per kick return while scoring once. The Broncos have a deep receiver corps, so Katsis likely will need to produce immediately as a returner to earn a 53-man roster spot.

Dane Key

WR

Key was immediately productive at Kentucky as a freshman, producing a 37-519-6 line. He never meaningfully improved from there, however, as he topped out with a 47-715-2 line in his junior year before regressing to a 39-452-5 mark in his senior year at Nebraska. The 22-year-old has intriguing size (6-foot-3, 210 pounds), but his 4.60 40-yard dash at his pro day was a bit disappointing. The Broncos' top-five wideout roles look locked up, meaning Key will need to flash in the offseason program and training camp to secure a roster spot.

Pat Bryant

WR

Bryant was injured in Denver's season-ending loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. The 2025 third-round pick had 31 catches for 378 yards and one TD on 49 targets in 15 games during his rookie regular season. Bryant has regained health but will need to impress the coaching staff throughout training camp and the preseason to earn a prominent role in a deep wide receiver room that Denver bolstered by trading for Jaylen Waddle in the offseason while retaining Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin (hamstring), Marvin Mims and Bryant.

Devon Key

S

Once Denver made the tender offer, the safety had no choice but to remain with the team, or sit out the season. Key also was tendered by the Broncos for the 2025 campaign. He has appeared on more than 200 special-teams snaps in each of the last two regular seasons.

Red Murdock

LB

Murdock (6-foot-2, 232 pounds) is an example of a player with a poor athleticism grade but heaps of football ability otherwise. His skill level as a linebacker is uncommon, because in his last two years at Buffalo he accumulated 298 tackles, including 30 for a loss and 7.0 sacks. Murdock also somehow punched out 17 fumbles in his last three seasons. Very few collegiate linebackers live in the backfield as often as Murdock did. The limitation with Murdock is his athleticism, which grades below average thanks to a 4.79-second pro day 40 and poor jumps (31.5-inch vertical, 114-inch broad jump). Murdock already proved he can play if his athleticism can hold up at a given level of competition, so if he turns out to be a steal for the Broncos it wouldn't be fair to call it a complete surprise.

Dallen Bentley

TE

Bentley's big numbers from the 2025 season were undermined by the fact that he did next to nothing in any of the prior seasons, and by the time Bentley started producing for Utah he already had a big age advantage over most of the competition, cheapening the value of that otherwise noteworthy receiving production (48 catches for 620 yards and eight touchdowns on 80 targets). Even with quality workout metrics at 6-foot-4, 252 pounds, Bentley will likely begin his NFL career as a practice squad type yet will turn 26 this winter, so he doesn't have much development time on his side.

Miles Scott

S

Scott (6-foot, 203 pounds) will have his work cut out for him to compete for a depth role in Denver's secondary, but he boasts the size, ball skills (as a former wide receiver) and experience to find a role if he can make the most of his developmental opportunities. The 24-year-old started the final three seasons of his five-year career at Illinois. Expect Scott to kick off his rookie year competing with JL Skinner (shoulder), Devon Key and Tycen Anderson for depth reps at safety.

Justin Joly

TE

Joly spent the last two years of his four-year college career at NC State, and he was named to the All-ACC First-Team in 2025 after catching 49 passes for 489 yards and seven touchdowns across 12 games. Joly was mostly detached from the offensive line with NC State and lined up primarily in the slot, making him a mismatch when lined up against opposing secondaries. His 6-foot-3 frame and large, strong hands helps him finish catches regardless of coverage, and he could earn himself regular snaps on offense if he can be more consistent as a blocker. Evan Engram leads the Broncos' tight end room, so Joly is set to compete against Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins for snaps as the TE2 and in 12-man personnel.

Kage Casey

OT

Casey (6-foot-6, 310 pounds) played four years at Boise State and solidified himself as the team's starting left tackle over his final three seasons, concluding his collegiate career with 41 consecutive starts. While Casey boasts the experience and well-rounded skillset to tentatively contribute as a rookie, he could be more suited to a move inside at the NFL level. Denver's elite offensive line represents one of the few landing spots in the league where Casey could get the luxury of a transitional period to focus on his development, with Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey already locked in as this unit's top tackles.

Jonah Coleman

RB

Coleman is a bruising running back at 5-foot-8, 220 pounds. He led Washington in rushing in each of his final two seasons, combining for 1,811 yards (5.2 YPC) and 25 touchdowns while adding 54 receptions for 531 yards and two scores through 25 games. Coleman is quick but he isn't fast, and he produced more than 10 yards on just 20 of his 156 carries as a senior. He didn't run the 40-yard dash this spring, either. Still, players like Coleman have clear NFL utility, especially if they can catch passes. The 22-year-old can block in the pocket and run routes in the open field, so he projects as a potential short-yardage back who will chip in on passing downs as well. Coleman will battle Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie for a role behind J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey in 2026.

Tyler Onyedim

DT

Onyedim (6-foot-4, 292 pounds) wasn't especially disruptive in his four seasons at Iowa State, but he posted 8.5 tackles for loss in his fifth year, his one and only with Texas A&M, which is a solid mark for a tackle. He can play standard defensive tackle or end from a three-man front, as he has standout reach (34 and 1/8 inch arms) to pair with standout short-area explosiveness (32-inch vertical, 111-inch broad jump).

Dondrea Tillman

LB

Tillman was a productive part of the 2025 Broncos defense, playing 25 percent or more of the defensive snaps in all 17 regular-season games. The 27-year-old likely will maintain his rotational role for the team heading into the 2026 season on a new $1.075 million contract.

J.K. Dobbins

RB

Payton went on to describe Dobbins as a "compound multiplier" who "brings 10 others along with him in positive light." The glowing comments came three weeks after Denver re-signed Dobbins to a two-year, $16 million contract. It's essentially a one-year deal, with $8 million guaranteed this year and then a team option for around $8 million in 2027. Broncos GM George Paton said last week that Dobbins has made a full recovery from his season-ending foot injury, noting that the RB might've even played in the Super Bowl if Denver had made it, Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette reports. Dobbins and RJ Harvey figure to get most of the first-team backfield reps this spring, with Dobbins the current favorite to start Week 1.

Jaylen Waddle

WR

Waddle's restructure opens up significant cap space for Denver. The Broncos acquired Waddle from Miami on March 17, and the 27-year-old wideout's explosiveness and athleticism should make him a dangerous 1-2 downfield punch alongside Courtland Sutton for quarterback Bo Nix in 2026. Head coach Sean Payton has praised Waddle's "grit" and "high, high [competitiveness]," as Andrew Mason of 104.3 The Fan reports.

Tycen Anderson

S

The fifth-round pick of the Bengals in 2022 has seen a grand total of 64 defensive snaps in his NFL career, though he has become a consistent special-teams player, seeing over 300 snaps in that role in each of the last two seasons. Anderson should compete for a depth safety and special-teams role in Denver, too.

Courtland Sutton

WR

In 17 regular-season games in 2025, Sutton parlayed his team-leading 124 targets into a 74-1,017-7 receiving line, with Troy Franklin next in line in terms of targets with 104. The addition of Waddle -- a 2021 first-rounder -- gives Denver a dynamic playmaker to pair with Sutton, providing the team with a strong 1-2 punch at wideout, supplemented by Franklin, Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims, with Lil'Jordan Humphrey along with Michael Bandy rounding out the current WR depth chart. As the 2026 campaign approaches, Sutton isn't necessarily the Broncos' clear-cut top option at the position, a standing that Waddle has the upside to claim should he mesh well with franchise QB Bo Nix.

Ja'Quan McMillian

CB

It represents a significant raise for McMillian, who made $1.03 million in 2025. The 25-year-old cornerback joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and has carved out a prominent role in Denver's secondary. He appeared in all 17 regular-season games last season, making three starts, and recorded 56 tackles (40 solo), including a career-high 4.0 sacks, nine pass breakups, including two interceptions, and a pair of forced fumbles. He's the team's No. 1 slot corner.

Jaleel McLaughlin

RB

Though the Broncos initially declined to offer McLaughlin a contract tender ahead of free agency, the 25-year-old will return to the team after all. The core of Denver's backfield thus remains unchanged from 2025, with J.K. Dobbins having also been re-signed and RJ Harvey back for his second year as a pro. In eight regular-season outings in 2025, McLaughlin carried 37 times for 187 yards and a TD, while adding four catches for 27 yards. Now that he's back in the fold, McLaughlin will reprise his depth role behind Dobbins and Harvey in 2026.

Lil'Jordan Humphrey

WR

Humphrey kicked off the 2025 campaign wearing a Giants uniform, but he was poached off New York's practice squad by the Broncos in advance of a Week 11 game against Kansas City and provided the team with depth at wideout behind Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims down the stretch. Now, heading into his age-28 season, Humphrey appears positioned to reprise a similar reserve role.

Adam Prentice

FB

Prentice opened the 2025 season on the Broncos' practice squad before being signed to the active roster in late September. He played in all 17 regular-season games and both of Denver's playoff tilts. Prentice saw some snaps on offense as a backfield blocker while also serving on special teams, and he should reprise those roles for the Broncos in 2026.

Matt Henningsen

DE

Henningsen missed the entire 2025 season after tearing his Achilles in training camp joint practices with the 49ers. He hasn't appeared in a regular-season game since 2023 and will compete for a job this offseason.

Lucas Krull

TE

Krull is re-upping with the Broncos via a one-year, $1.15 million deal, per Mike Klis of 9News Denver. The depth tight end was able to suit up for only the first three regular-season games of the 2025 campaign with Denver due to a foot injury, but he appeared to be nearing a return down the stretch of the team's playoff run and should be ready to participate in spring activities.