The Broncos wrap up their preseason Saturday night against the Minnesota Vikings, three days ahead of the deadline to cut the roster from 80 to 53. Here are five players to watch:
Brett Rypien
Maybe there really is a competition for the No. 2 quarterback spot behind Russell Wilson, who has missed only two games in 10 NFL seasons. Josh Johnson started against Dallas and Buffalo and Rypien gets Saturday’s first half to make an impression. If the Broncos choose Rypien, the dead cap charge for cutting Johnson is only $100,000. This preseason, Rypien has one touchdown and a 95.3 rating and Johnson has two touchdowns and a 96.3 rating.
Nik Bonitto
Bonitto is, of course, making the team, but does he have to flash a bit against Minnesota to be a part of the Week 1 game plan? Possibly. The Broncos’ top edge rushers are currently Bradley Chubb, Randy Gregory, Malik Reed and Baron Browning. If Bonitto shows the game has slowed down for him, the Broncos will have to find playing time for him against Seattle.
Calvin Anderson
Anderson’s hold on the first-team right tackle spot has become tenuous in the last two weeks. Cam Fleming received starting practice snaps and Anderson is the only current starting offensive lineman to play in both preseason games. Billy Turner, who we think the coaches really want to be ready to start in Week 1, returned to individual work this week. If Turner isn’t ready, Anderson has Saturday to show he should be the fill-in player.
Damarri Mathis
The Broncos need cornerback help, but since nearly every team is in the same situation, the favorite to be the Week 1 fourth cornerback is Mathis. Michael Ojemudia (elbow) was injured against Buffalo and is out another 3-5 weeks. Essang Bassey is expected to make the team but has played exclusively the nickel spot. If Mathis plays well, the Broncos may choose to let him grow into the role instead of trading for one early next week.
Young receivers
The Broncos have a traffic jam at receiver, which makes for tough roster decisions and the possibility of trading one for a 2023 draft pick. Kendall Hinton, Brandon Johnson, Jalen Virgil, Seth Williams and the injured Tyrie Cleveland are competing for 1-2 spots. If the Broncos keep five, that’s bad news for this group because they could keep Cleveland and then put him on injured reserve. If they keep six, it could be Cleveland and one from the group of Hinton, Virgil, Williams and Johnson.
