RB JK Dobbins is a "new" veteran and a very vocal leader on offense. He won’t be the bell cow but he will contribute in both the run and pass game, particularly in pass protection. WR Pat Bryant is a precise route runner who consistently creates space with his explosive release at the line of scrimmage. He also is good at contested catches. The Broncos need to convert more third downs than 2024 in order to score more points. QB Bo Nix had great success when targeting WR Courtland Sutton when under pressure but most of his interceptions came from forcing the ball to Sutton. TE Evan Engram will take some of the pressure off of Sutton which will make the Broncos' offense less predictable and more effective. Engram has the ability to present himself as a target when things get dicey for the QB Bo Nix.

Training Camp

1. QB Bo Nix has shown his resilience and bounce back ability against the Broncos elite defense who can anticipate almost everything the offense throws at them.
2. 2) The second-string line is struggling with pre-snap penalties.
3. 3) The undrafted wide receivers are showing that they belong.
4. 4) RBs Audric Estime and Blake Watson are stacking days.
5. 5) TE Caleb Lohner is showing his athleticism
6. 6) WR Tony Franklin has added weight and strength and is emerging as a wide receiver, adding slot, to where he lines up.

Both the Broncos and the 49ers got what they wanted from their joint practice. Denver’s defense dominated early but the 49ers offense did well against it overall. PK Wil Lutz and Rookie CB Jahdae Barron had a tough day. The running game is still a work in progress. WR Troy Franklin stacked another day. DL Matt Henningsen likely lost for this season. QB Bo Nix looks ready. Denver Broncos 30 San Francisco 9 The Broncos highly touted defense was gutted by San Francisco's 2nd team offense and the team was not sharp on either side of the ball. The first team offense (19 plays) saw multiple badly underthrown passes by QB Bo Nix and WR Courtland Sutton had a bad drop on a perfectly placed ball by Nix. The offense struggled to reach midfield although they played more plays than intended. Edge Nik Bonitto, WR Trent Sherfield, RB Tyler Badie, and Edge Jonah Elliss individually had a good game.

The week of practice after the SF game didn’t show much. While battles for roster spots continued without pads, the coaches were focused on "improvement" at the practice with the Cardinals.

Both teams were happy with what they got from their joint practice. QB Bo Nix had his best practice of the season. He was under a lot of pressure, but avoided it with pass completions to nine different players. The young receivers continued to "show out" and Marvin Mims had his best day of practice and seems to be the WR2. TE Lucus Krull also stood out.The ground game continued to struggle, but this time it was the offensive line at fault with poor blocking. The Denver defense also struggled because they were trying things that they "might" do in a game. They also couldn’t handle TE Trey McBride. Both teams will sit some starters in the game on Saturday.

Arizona Cardinals 7 Denver Broncos 27

WR Troy Franklin caught two touchdown passes from QB Jarrett Stidham cementing his spot on the roster. WR Pat Bryant continued to show he belongs as did WR Trent Sherfield. UDFA WR Courtney Jackson and WR Michael Bandy also had a good game. RB RJ Harvey got his first NFL touchdown while RBs Jaleel McLaughlin and Blake Watson showed some chops. The defense had another solid performance allowing Arizona only two first downs. Broncos key backup G Nick Gargiulo was lost for the season with a knee injury. The starters will play "some" in New Orleans on Saturday with cuts coming the following Tuesday. The competition for some roster spots continues to be close with tough decisions ahead.

The Broncos addressed the pre-snap penalties against the Cardinals. Like post-snap penalties, they require more discipline. Nix, Sutton, Franklin, Bryant and Dobbins continued their good camp. ILB Dre Greenlaw was back to full participation.

Denver Broncos 28 New Orleans Saints 19

It was the Bo Nix to Courtland Sutton show, but it took 19 snaps to get the first team off the field. They finished with 4 rushing yards for the first team. The offense had a slow start again and the interior offensive men were awful, making it necessary for Nix to operate under pressure and also stymied the running game. RB Tyler Badie displayed his pass protection chops and RB Audric had his best performance of the season. The Broncos have technical errors on offense that are critical to correct or they could limit their success during the season. The offensive line was supposed to be the strength and the implementation of the wide zone was to take the offense to the next level. The line is shaky, Nix is still a work in progress, but the Nix/Sutton connection is ready to explode. RB Blake Watson looked good, but was injured once again muddling his roster status. TE Lucas Krull had a good game as did WR Kyrese Rowen. OLB Que Robinson and DL Eyioma Uwazurike stood out for the defense.

Transactions (before cuts)

Waived/Injured DL Matt Henningsen; Signed CB Gregory Junior; Signed CB Micah Abraham; Waived/injured CB Gredory Junior. Signed FB Adam Prentice. Traded WR Devaughn Vele to Dallas for 2026 (4th rd) and 2027 (7th rd) picks. Waived rookie LB JB Brown. Signed DL Michael Dwumfour.

53-ManRoster

(OFFENSE 24): Quarterback (2): Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham Running back (4): Tyler Badie, J.K Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jaleel McLaughlin Wide receiver (5): Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims Jr., Trent Sherfield Sr., Courtland Sutton Tight end (4): Nate Adkins, Evan Engram, Lucas Krull, Adam Trautman Offensive line (9): Garett Bolles, Frank Crum, Alex Forsyth, Mike McGlinchey, Quinn Meinerz, Alex Palczewski, Matt Peart, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg

DEFENSE (26): Defensive line (7): Zach Allen, John Franklin-Myers, Jordan Jackson, D.J. Jones, Sai'vion Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike Outside linebacker (5): Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson, Dondrea Tillman Inside linebacker (4): Dre Greenlaw, Karene Reid(UDFA), Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad Cornerback (5): Kris Abrams-Draine, Jahdae Barron, Ja'Quan McMillian, Riley Moss, Pat Surtain II Safety (5): Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, P.J. Locke, JL Skinner

SPECIAL TEAMS (3): Kicker: Wil Lutz Punter: Jeremy Crawshaw Long snapper: Mitchell Fraboni Practice Squad The Broncos are one of the more active teams at manipulating the practice squad to effectively serve as an extension of the roster since the NFL liberalized practice-squad eligibility rules and increased its size. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger Tight End Caleb Lohner Offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton Linebacker Jordan Turner Cornerback Reese Taylor Cornerback Jaden Robinson Nose Tackle Jordan Miller Wide receiver A.T. Perry Wide receiver Michael Bandy Fullback Adam Prentice Linebacker Levelle Bailey Safety Delarrin Turner-Yell Offensive lineman Joe Michalski Cornerback Quinton Newsome Linebacker Garret Wallow S Kiedron Smith

Orangeman’s Take

There were no real surprises on the 52-man roster. It was different on the practice squad where the Broncos brought back Michael Bandy instead of one of the young wide receivers. I expect the Broncos to keep track of free agents as they received no one on waivers. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered on offense as the season is set to start. The defense also needs to stay healthy. It remains to be seen if rookie punter Jeremy Crawshaw will be effective.. Fantasy Outlook The number three running back behind Dobbins and Harvey is Tyler Badie if either one of them goes down. The wide receivers look like it’s going to be a collective effort with everyone in the room behind Courtland Sutton. Lukas Krull will replace TE Evan Engram if he goes down. The targets in the passing game are likely 1) WR Courtland Sutton, 2) TE Evan Engram and 3) the running backs. ILB is a concern for the defense if the starters go down, but retaining Levelle Bailey on the practice squad helps.

End.