One half of the Broncos’ unofficial double-header against Green Bay is in the books.
The next is Sunday night at Empower Field.
Denver and the Packers got extensive work in during a joint practice Friday and now get the actual game environment to cap off the middle preseason week.
Everybody in the NFL is charging headlong toward the cutdown from 90-man rosters to 53, which arrives Aug. 27. Denver head coach Sean Payton estimated Friday that his roster bubble is somewhere between eight and 10 players.
“It’s probably at 60 right now, give or take,” Payton said of the number that have either locked up a spot or are squarely in contention. “Then it’s just managing the roster relative to the practice squad. There’s a lot that goes into that 53-man cut.”
He indicated the preseason game Sunday will proceed similarly to the first one — three phases, with the starters in Phase 1 and working down the roster from there.
The work for the starters is good, but these games matter most for young players and those on the bubble.
In that spirit, here are five Broncos players with the most to gain against Green Bay.
WR Tim Patrick
Payton made his view on Denver’s wide receivers group clear earlier this week. He likes it quite a bit.
Whether that means somebody gets waived or cut and then hooks on with another team or if it means a potential pre-cutdown trade materializes, somebody who had a quality camp is not going to make the trip to Seattle.
Patrick, who has missed the last two seasons with Achilles and knee injuries, has taken steps to try to make sure that person is not him.
He had a good day Friday against Green Bay in the joint practice, linking up with Bo Nix twice in a red zone drill, showing his trademark blocking chops in the run game, and taking another step toward convincing Payton that he’s ready for the rigors of a regular season.
“He’s gaining confidence and moving around,” Payton said Friday. “He’s certainly in good shape, and we’ll get a chance again this weekend.”
The veteran head coach has a saying that he likes about veterans this time of year: “I don’t have to see it every day, but I still have to see it.” In this receivers room, Patrick might have to show it most days over the next 10.
CB Riley Moss
Moss put a heck of a practice on tape Friday against a talented set of Green Bay receivers.
The second-year man hadn’t had a bad camp by any stretch, but he’d been more solid than lights-out over the first couple of weeks.
Moss looked to be trending toward winning the starting job opposite Pat Surtain II over Damarri Mathis anyway, but Friday he put his strongest claim yet on the gig. One more good outing against the Packers on Sunday night and the job is probably his.
Moss missed almost all of training camp last summer as a rookie due to a sports hernia and then found himself playing catchup most of the regular season. By the end, he was a good special teams player.
He’s taken a big jump this offseason and now looks like he has the length and ability to hold up when teams inevitably dream up ways to minimize the number of times they throw in Surtain’s direction.
DL Eyioma Uwazurike
The third-year man joined the Broncos less than two weeks ago when the NFL reinstated him after a year-plus gambling suspension.
In the limited time he’s had, Uwazurike has shown flashes of the player Denver considered a promising project back in 2022.
Uwazurike, though, did not play in the preseason opener because Payton considered it “a tick early” for the former Iowa State lineman.
This week he’s got a full load of practice repetitions and he should make his preseason debut Sunday night.
A lot has changed since Uwazurike was last on the field for Denver, but one major difference is that the Broncos overhauled their defensive line this offseason. Assuming veteran Angelo Blackson is the fifth member of the unit, there may be just one spot available for Uwazurike, Jordan Jackson, Elijah Garcia and Matt Henningsen to jockey for.
The question Denver must answer: Is Uwazurike an easy clear through to the practice squad because of his suspension or will a team look at his size, strength and long layoff and see a project worth putting a waiver claim on?
Uwazurike could help prod the Broncos toward keeping him with a strong showing.
ILB Levelle Bailey
If the Broncos are going to have an undrafted rookie crack the 53-man roster for the 20th time in the past 21 seasons, the best bet might be Bailey.
He’s shown flashes of athleticism and ability in the middle of the field. He’s made some splashy plays, and Payton said he’s handling the deluge of information at his position as well as can be expected for a young player.
To crack the 53-man roster, though, he may have to show that he can be trusted to take the place of a special teams stalwart like veteran Justin Strnad.
Last weekend with Strnad out against the Colts due to a minor groin issue, Bailey had 18 defensive snaps and 11 on special teams.
If he gets more work than that this weekend, it could be a sign the staff wants a good, long look at him in game action.
OLB Durell Nchami
Nchami’s got an interesting story. He missed two seasons at Maryland due to injuries and then was hurt again during his draft preparation last year, meaning he was mostly off the radar.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pounder rehabbed throughout last fall and signed with the Broncos’ practice squad in early December, then signed a futures deal in January.
This summer, he’s put together a quality camp and looks to be pushing for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Denver has a pretty clear top-four edge rushers in Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto and Jonah Elliss, but it’s a premium position and if the team thinks somebody has upside or can play, it’ll keep him. Nchami has a chance to prove he’s worth a spot, though he’s in a battle with second-year man Thomas Incoom and former UFL standout Dondrea Tillman.
Is there one spot available? Maybe two? Either way, it’s a good group to watch Sunday night.
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Originally Published: August 18, 2024 at 5:45 a.m.
