ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos opened training camp July 27 at UCHealth Training Center in Englewood, Colorado. The Broncos are coming off an injury-riddled 5-11 finish in 2020.
It was the team's fifth consecutive playoff miss and the third season with double-digit losses over the past four. Vic Fangio enters his third year as the team's head coach and Pat Shurmur (offense), Ed Donatell (defense) and Tom MaMahon (special teams) all return as coordinators.
Here's a 53-man roster prediction as camp opens:
QUARTERBACK (3): Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater, Brett Rypien
Lock and Bridgewater will battle for the starting job in camp and the preseason. The winner will likely be the player who shows he doesn't repeat the same mistakes over and over, but is still willing to make game-changing throws. As much as the Broncos like Rypien, his snap count figures to suffer in practice because of the competition and if the Broncos need a roster spot when the final cuts are made it's possible they only keep two quarterbacks.
RUNNING BACK (3): Javonte Williams, Mike Boone, Melvin Gordon III
Fangio has already said he believes Williams, Boone and Gordon can easily co-exist. The real question may be how many touches Williams wrestles away from Gordon given what Williams showed in the offseason program, when Gordon stayed away. Williams is a decisive runner and more comfortable in the passing game than some believed in pre-draft evaluations. Royce Freeman needs a top-shelf camp/preseason to force the Broncos to keep four running backs.
WIDE RECEIVER (7): Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Tim Patrick, Diontae Spencer, Tyrie Cleveland, Seth Williams
The Broncos could keep six here. Given their needs for more speed and athleticism across the board on special teams, it is a place where Cleveland and the rookie Williams could carve out roles. Sutton's return gives them an effective four-player group on offense in Sutton, Jeudy, Hamler and Patrick.
TIGHT END (3): Noah Fant, Albert Okwuegbunam, Andrew Beck
The Broncos expect Okwuegbunam, who is returning from a torn ACL, to participate on a pitch count of sorts when camp opens and be ready for the regular season. If he suffers a setback, the Broncos may have to adjust the initial 53-man roster. Beck has some position versatility as a fullback, H-back, tight end combo as well as being one of the team's most reliable special teams players. Fant will be this team's TE1 and will be on the field in most of the personnel groupings. Former Falcons' fifth-round pick Eric Saubert will have to force the issue with a high-quality camp to carve out a fourth spot here.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Garett Bolles, Dalton Risner, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Graham Glasgow, Bobby Massie, Netane Muti, Cameron Fleming, Quinn Meinerz, Calvin Anderson
The additions of Massie and Fleming in free agency, as well as Meinerz in the draft, means players on the depth chart last season could get squeezed out in the name of development. Anderson got plenty of work in camp when Bolles missed some practice time and Massie did not participate because of injury. Meinerz will start his NFL career at center, but can work at guard as well, as will Muti.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6): Shelby Harris, Dre'Mont Jones, Mike Purcell, McTelvin Agim, Shamar Stephen, DeShawn Williams
The Broncos re-signed Harris to a three-year deal in March, believe Purcell (foot surgery) is on track to be ready for the start of camp and hope Jones is poised for a breakout season after some flashes down the stretch last season, including 3.5 sacks, four quarterback hits and 11 tackles over the last four games. The Broncos signed Stephen to a one-year, $2 million deal because they see a fit for the eighth-year veteran.
LINEBACKER (9): Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Alexander Johnson, Josey Jewell, Malik Reed, Justin Strnad, Derrek Tuszka, Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper
If the Broncos are confident Chubb (ankle) is ready for the start of the regular season, they could trim a player here. Cooper had a heart procedure in the offseason -- the Broncos knew he would need it when they selected him on Day 3 of the draft -- but the belief as the offseason program drew to a close was he would participate in camp. Same goes for Browning, who missed practice time in the offseason program with a lower leg injury. With Miller, Chubb, Reed and potentially Browning, the Broncos like their potential to get after opposing quarterbacks. The big question is how they handle tight ends in the middle of the field. They hope Strnad can help with that after missing last season with a wrist injury.
SECONDARY (10): Ronald Darby, Bryce Callahan, Kyle Fuller, Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson, Pat Surtain II, Michael Ojemudia, Caden Sterns, Jamar Johnson, Essang Bassey
Rookie Kary Vincent Jr. limped off the field with a knee injury in one of the final minicamp workouts and Bassey is returning from a torn ACL suffered last December. Bassey likely won't be ready to participate when camp opens. No position got more attention overall this offseason with Darby and Fuller arriving in free agency; Surtain, Sterns and Vincent in the draft and with the Broncos re-signing Simmons to a four-year, $61 million deal.
SPECIALIST (3): Brandon McManus, Sam Martin, Jacob Bobenmoyer
When the Broncos waived punter Max Duffy during minicamp, they made it clear they would stand pat with this group.