12 names to learn before the Denver Broncos' first preseason game

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos‘ preseason opener is only a day away!

The Broncos are headed to Indianapolis for a matchup with the Colts on Sunday morning. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. MDT. DNVR will be live on YouTube for 30 minutes leading up to kickoff and for an hour after the final whistle to break down the game.

The preseason will feature our first look at new Broncos like Bo Nix and Josh Reynolds, but the bulk of the game will be played by players fighting to make the team.

I put together a list of 12 names you might not know—but should definitely learn—before the Broncos hit the field…

Audric Estime and Blake Watson

Until defenders are trying to tackle a running back to the ground—which doesn’t happen in practice—it’s tough to know what you’ve got.

The Broncos’ running back competition will begin in earnest in the first preseason game.

Audric Estime, the former Notre Dame star, is a bruiser. He’s on the field to hit. The Broncos drafted him in the fifth round because he can be one of the league’s top short-yardage thumpers, and he has the upside to be an every-down running back. Don’t forget, he hit 20 miles per hour in college, too.

In a dream world, he’s a reincarnated Stephen Jackson… but if that was the expectation instead of the dream, he wouldn’t have been available in the fifth round. The physicality would need to translate to the NFL, and his speed would have to play up.

The potential disruptor in the running backs room is Blake Watson, an undrafted rookie out of Memphis.

Watson is one of two FBS running backs to catch at least 50 passes last year. He’s a former receiver who moved into the backfield. He has great balance through contact. The Broncos gave Watson the third most guarantees of any undrafted free agent this offseason.

Watson missed the first week or so of camp with a tweaked leg muscle. He dropped two passes in his first practice back.

But the running back competition doesn’t start until it’s time to tackle.

Nate Adkins

Last year, tight end Nate Adkins made the Broncos’ 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent.

The son of an SEC offensive line coach, Adkins doesn’t miss blocks.

“Whatever the assignment is, he’s one of those guys that when you grade the practice, he ends up in the 90s always,” head coach Sean Payton said. “The same thing happens in the kicking game. He gets his guy blocked. So he understands space and leverage. He’s a little better receiver than we expected, but he is that F-type player so he meets with the tight ends.”

Here’s where the intrigue kicks in…

Adkins has caught a surprising number of passes in training camp this year. Most of them are short curls against zone coverage, but his volume in the passing game has clearly increased.

And here’s the kicker…

The Broncos wear vests that track all sorts of data. Things like heart rate and distance traveled during practice. According to Lucas Krull, Adkins often leads the tight ends in top speed during practice.

“Nate—unbelievable with his hand in the ground and freaky speed that people probably don’t even realize,” he said. “45 can roll. He’s always the top of the charts.”

Devaughn Vele

The Broncos’ decision to draft Devaughn Vele in the seventh round of this year’s draft was shocking… at least as shocking as any seventh-round pick can be.

Vele was 26 years old. His stats at Utah were nothing special. He was a grinder without the outstanding physical tools to make up for the rest of the scouting report.

But, all of a sudden, Vele looks like a steal.

His 6-foot-5 frame helped him make the catch of training camp, when he reached out with one hand to snag a touchdown.

OKAY, ROOK!

Devaughn Vele with an unbelievable catch at #BroncosCamp 🤯 pic.twitter.com/PJ0NdMcM3M

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 8, 2024

Early in camp, Vele looked like a lock to clear waivers if the Broncos wanted to place him on the practice squad. Now he looks like too important of a piece to risk losing.

Michael Bandy and David Sills

The wide receiver room is deep. Getting a spot on the team will be tough. Michael Bandy and David Sills have almost no shot to make the team.

But they’ve probably caught more balls than anybody else in training camp. That’s gotta be worth something right?

Bandy, 26, turned to rugby after failing to catch on in the NFL, but caught a break with the Chargers in 2022, catching 10 passes and appearing in 10 games. He spent the 2023 season on the Broncos’ practice squad.

Sills made headlines a decade-and-a-half ago when he committed to Lane Kiffin’s USC Trojans as a seventh-grade quarterback. Things didn’t work out and he shifted to wide receiver. He’s bounced around practice squads for the past half-decade, including the Broncos’ last season.

Both Bandy and Sills are long shots to make the team, but they’re favorites to provide depth from the practice squad.

But what if their stellar camps turn into stellar preseasons…

Alex Palczewski

The Broncos found a hidden gem in Alex Palczewski… but I’m not sure why he was hidden in the first place.

Palczewski was a first-team All-American left tackle at Illinois in 2022, according to Sporting News. Other outlets had him on the second or third team.

Palczewski wasn’t drafted. Maybe his 65 collegiate starts, an FBS record, were seen as a negative and not a positive. Maybe his injury history scared teams off. Maybe NFL teams thought he was a little too lanky.

But Palczewski was a monster in training camp in 2023 and earned a place on the Broncos’ 53-man roster. He was immediately placed on injured reserve.

With Quinn Bailey out for the year with a fractured fibula, the door is wide open for Palczewski to make the team again. He could even surpass Matt Peart to be the Broncos’ swing tackle if all goes well.

Durell Nchami and Thomas Incoom

One of the bigger surprises of Broncos camp has been the pass-rushing ability of the backup and third-string defense.

Denver entered camp with four clearcut guarantees to make the roster at outside linebacker: Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto and Jonah Elliss.

But beyond those four, the depth was suspect.

Through two weeks of practices, Durell Nchami and Thomas Incoom have dominated.

Nchami was a prototypical edge rusher out of Maryland. However, injuries had shortened two of his college seasons. With limited time on the field, he was considered raw and injury prone. After going undrafted, Nchami signed with the Broncos’ practice squad in December.

Nchami’s physical traits and athletic tools are showing up on the practice field. He looks like a viable piece of an NFL defense, and he’ll have a chance to put his skills on display in the preseason.

Incoom was a physical and highly-productive rusher at Valdosta State and then Central Michigan, but he won by eventually wearing opponents down, rather than having a bag of pass-rush moves or special athletic abilities.

The Ghana native spent last year on the practice squad but, like Nchami, has dominated his competition daily during camp.

Levelle Bailey

The top undrafted free agent in Broncos training camp has been Fresno State linebacker Levelle Bailey. And it isn’t close.

Bailey shines in coverage. He picked off three passes in his final season and broke up eight more. He’s quick enough to cover backs out of the backfield and he has the senses to make plays in zone coverage. All of these skills have translated so far in training camp.

But Bailey’s skills in the passing game were never questioned. The running game is why he wasn’t drafted.

At 225 pounds, Bailey might not be able to handle the physicality of NFL tranches. In training camp, where he isn’t asked to bring running backs to the ground, it’s tough to get a read on how he fares.

“I like him,” Payton said. “I like how he’s built. Once we get to tackling, I’m anxious to see how he fares there because we liked him on his college film.”

If Bailey doesn’t miss a tackle in the preseason, I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t make the team.

Reese Taylor

Last year, Ja’Quan McMillian had a monster training camp. He broke up passes. He blitzed quarterback. He was the star of the offseason.

Reese Taylor isn’t having quite that same showing this year, but he isn’t far off.

Taylor joined the Broncos’ practice squad midway through the 2023 season, as an undrafted rookie out of Purdue.

Like McMillian, Taylor plays with his hair on fire as a nickel back. He should have two interceptions in team drills, but he wasn’t able to hold onto either. His lone interception came in one-on-one drills against Phillip Dorsett.

I’ve got Taylor as the heavy favorite to be the Broncos’ backup nickel cornerback, and I think he’ll make a play or two in the preseason.

I want to give a shoutout to fourth-round pick Kris Abrams-Draine, too. He’s been having an awesome camp as a boundary cornerback and should see plenty of work in the preseason.

Devon Key

You’ve heard of JL Skinner, the 2023 sixth-round safety out of Boise State.

Skinner hardly saw the field last year, but he’s in prime position to be the third safety for the Broncos in 2024.

But what if I told you that Devon Key is just as deserving of that role? Or even more deserving?

Key spent his rookie year on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad and the last two seasons on the Broncos’ practice squad. He’s been a top performer in camp, and that’s probably part of the reason the Broncos were willing to move on from Caden Sterns.

Skinner comes with more pedigree than the former Western Kentucky captain, but Key has been the better player in camp.