Denver Broncos First 53 Roster Depth Chart

With NFL teams having to get down to their first 53 man rosters they also come out with their first depth charts of the year. Now, it is worth noting that these are not the final 53 man rosters, or depth charts and a lot is likely to change just within the first few weeks. The Denver Broncos are one of the teams to already release their first depth chart. There isn’t much to talk about with is, as it has mostly been known for a few months.

Quarterbacks

Starter: Trevor Siemian. Backup: Paxton Lynch. Third String: Austin Davis

Running backs

Starter: C.J. Anderson. Backup: Devontae Booker. Third string: Kapri Bibbs

Fullback

Starter: Andy Janovich

Wide Receiver

Starters: Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders. Backups: Bennie Fowler, Cody Latimer. Third string: Jordan Norwood, Jordan Taylor.

Tight End

Starter: Virgil Green. Backup: Jeff Heuerman. Third string: John Phillips.

Offensive Tackle

Starter: Russell Okung, Donald Stephenson. Backup: Ty Sambrailo.

Offensive Guard

Starters: Max Garcia, Michael Schofield. Backups: Darrion Weems, Connor McGovern.

Center

Starter: Matt Paradis. Backup: James Ferentz

That wraps up the offense. Absolutely no surprises here. Only thing worth mentioning is that Ty Sambrailo being back at tackle. All offseason he was getting looked at as the right guard, but he seems to find himself as the swing tackle. Schofield was great at right guard during the preseason, which is probably why the switch. Also, Norwood lost his job as the #3 receiver and could be limited to punt returner duties.

Defensive End

Starters: Derek Wolfe, Jared Crick. Backups: Adam Gotsis, Billy Winn.

Nose Tackle

Starter: Sylvester Williams. Backup: Darius Kilgo. Third string: Kyle Peko.

Outside Linebacker

Starters: Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware. Backups: Shane Ray, Shaquil Barrett. Third string: Dekoda Watson.

Inside Linebacker

Starters: Brandon Marshall, Todd Davis. Backups: Corey Nelson, Zaire Anderson.

Cornerback

Starters: Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, Bradley Roby. Backups: Kayvon Webster, Lorenzo Doss.

Strong Safety

Starter: T.J. Ward. Backup: Will Parks.

Free Safety

Starter: Darian Stewart. Backup: Justin Simmons

Similarly to the offensive side of the ball, there isn’t much worth mentioning with the depth chart on the defensive side of the ball. DeMarcus Ware being listed as a starter is only thing that needs mentioned. Ware is going to take a step back into a pass rush specialist role. So, don’t be surprised if Shane Ray ends up as the starter come game time.

Special Teams

Kicker: Brandon McManus

Punter: Riley Dixon

Long Snapper: Casey Kreiter

Holder: Riley Dixon

Kickoffs: Brandon McManus

Punt Returner

Starter: Jordan Norwood. Backup: Emmanuel Sanders.

Kick Returner

Starter: Cody Latimer. Backup: Jordan Norwood.

It is a small surprise that Latimer and not Norwood is the primary kickoff returner.

Practice squad

Dillon Day, Vontarrius Dora, Mose Frazier, Henry Kreiger-Coble, Ryan Murphy, Justin Murray, Taurean Nixon, Juwan Thompson, Kyle Kragen, Kalif Raymond.

The headliner for the practice squad is Dora, who had an outstanding preseason. However, he got cut due to the numbers game and Dekoda Watson being even better. Mose Frazier and Henry Kreiger-Coble both showed a lot of promised during the preseason, but also showed they could use time on the practice squad. Nixon got hurt, which hurt his chances to make the roster. It is a good group filled with potential.

When looking over the roster as a whole, the Broncos are a deep team, but they are also a young team. They have only two players 30 years or older. That number goes up to four before the end of the season, but it still speaks to how young they are. In fact, they are the fifth youngest team in the NFL. Being a young and talented team is the key to being a dynasty. They have the defense, but questions remain on offense. Those questions get answered and they could compete for multiple Lombardi trophies in the coming years.