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

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Preseason football is hours away.

The Broncos are on their way to Arizona to take on the Cardinals Friday night at 8 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast in Denver on 9News and can be watched out-of-market through NFL+, which offers a free seven-day trial. DNVR will be live from The DNVR Bar on YouTube with a pregame show at 6 p.m. and a postgame show when the game concludes.

The Broncos will play their starters—potentially including running back Javonte Williams—while the Cardinals are deploying their starters on a case-by-case basis. But the Broncos’ starters will only be on the field for 15-18 snaps, leaving about 75% of the game to the reserves.

The Broncos currently have 91 players on their roster. On Aug. 29, they’ll have to cut down to 53 players. The next day, they’ll pick out 16 to place on their practice squad, leaving 22 without a job.

“It may not be the most important game for a handful of players,” head coach Sean Payton said on Wednesday. “But in some cases, it’s the most important game in some players’ lives.”

The first chance for players on the roster bubble to prove themselves is in the first preseason game.

Here are some names you should know…

Jaleel McLaughlin

If there’s one player to keep an eye on on Friday, it’s Jaleel McLaughlin.

The undersized running back went from months of homelessness to the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher. He started out at Division II Notre Dame College and finished his career at FCS Youngstown State. By the time he was done, he had 8,166 rushing yards, the most ever.

Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine are locked into the top two spots on the roster. McLaughlin is competing with veteran Tony Jones Jr. and 2021 sixth-round pick Tyler Badie for the third, and probably final, spot. (Keep an eye on Badie, too. He finished last season with two touches for 29 yards and a touchdown. He’s got some burst.)

McLaughlin has had a strong camp, often producing the longest run of the day. He might be the fastest back on the roster. The test for the 5-foot-7, 187-pounder is how he holds up to contact.

“He has a little burst, and there’s some toughness to him,” head coach Sean Payton said. “He’s the first one here. I don’t know what time he gets here in the morning, but it’s pretty early. He’s a guy you root for. He’s shifty, and he has good change of direction. It’s funny. When you put the pads on players for the first day, then you really get an appreciation of how they look in pads. It’s hard to measure that when they’re not in pads.”

Taylor Grimes

Another FCS All-American, wide receiver Taylor Grimes comes from Incarnate Word, one of the most pass-happy offensive attacks in FCS football.

In 2021, Grimes caught 87 passes for 1,145 yards and 15 touchdowns.

In 2022, he caught 83 passes for 1,221 yards and 15 touchdowns.

At 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds, Grimes is remarkably polished for a rookie slot receiver. He’s beaten up on more experienced defensive backs throughout training camp. He’s three-for-three against Justin Simmons in one-on-ones. He caught a touchdown past Faion Hicks in a two-minute drill (and punted the football in celebration). He stacked Essang Bassey in one-on-ones and toyed with him before breaking outside and creating massive separation.

“You look for traits and somebody that can separate,” head coach Sean Payton said, when asked about Grimes. “There are priority free agents, and there are guys who you are looking to draft. Sometimes you end up signing a guy that maybe is a draftable player. You are looking for some redeeming traits. He has really good football IQ and separates well.”

Following injuries to Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler, there’s room on the final roster for another receiver. Veterans like Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Kendall Hinton are probably better bets, but if the undrafted rookie has a big preseason there’s no reason he can’t make the team.

Nate Adkins

Of all of the Broncos’ undrafted free agents, Nate Adkins might be in the best position.

The Broncos released their first depth chart of the season on Wednesday, and the biggest surprises were at tight end. Adkins climbed into the No. 4 spot, in front of veteran Albert Okwuegbunam. The Broncos will probably keep either three or four tight ends, which means Adkins is very much in play for a roster spot.

Like McLaughlin and Grimes, Adkins was an FCS standout. Unlike those two, he transferred to the SEC for his final season. In his first 10 games with South Carolina, Adkins’ role steadily grew, but he only caught two passes for 20 yards. In his final two games, against Clemson and Notre Dame, he caught nine passes for 160 yards.

At 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, Adkins isn’t the former-basketball-player, jump-out-of-the-gym, deep-threat tight end that steals headlines, but he can be a versatile weapon. He’s probably at his best in Sean Payton’s F-back role, where he can roam the backfield or line up at tight end. He, obviously, has had a strong camp to this point, and he could be a couple of big special teams plays from a roster spot.

“The first question we asked ourselves is, ‘Does he go with the tight end room, or does he go the running back room?’ He can go to either,” head coach Sean Payton said in June. “He goes to the tight end room, but he would be an ‘F’ tight end that would be used at times in some roles like [FB Michael] Burton would be used in. He would be an ‘F’ candidate.”

Ja’Quan McMillian

You may remember Ja’Quan McMillian from his start at cornerback opposite Pat Surtain II in last year’s season finale, but if not, here’s a refresher.

The Eastern Carolina product was a ball-hawk in college, with 12 interceptions over three seasons. His five interceptions in his final season ranked third in the NCAA. His 16 pass breakups that year ranked second. But because of his small stature and poor athletic testing, McMillian didn’t get drafted. He spent the entire season on the Broncos’ practice squad before making his debut in the finale. He played very well in that game and nearly had a pick-six before the refs called it back as incomplete.

Now McMillian appears to be the Broncos’ No. 3 boundary cornerback behind Surtain and Damarri Mathis. He had an amazing start to camp, getting his hand on a ball daily, but hasn’t been as noticeable over the past week.

Jonathon Cooper & Nik Bonitto

I’m putting two names in here and you probably know both of them—Nik Bonitto was a second-round pick last year and Jonathon Cooper has 14 starts for the Broncos since being drafted in the seventh round in 2021—but keep an eye on them on Friday.

Both edge rushers have had breakout camps. Bonitto has added some power to his game, which means tackles haven’t been able to sit on his speed rushes around the outside. Cooper has bullied the Broncos’ tackles, including beating Mike McGlinchey for sacks three times during camp.

“It’s the best room I’ve had from one to six in a very long time,” Payton said of his outside linebackers. “Having a bunch of rushers with different traits has been fun to watch. Having a plan for each guys to get enough reps to be effective during the game is going to be important for me. Having Randy [Gregory], Frank [Clark], ‘Coop’ and Bonitto and then when Baron [Browning] comes back, that’s a really good room. We’ve got two young guys breaking glass also. It’s a good room.”

Neither player is on the roster bubble, but either one could earn a significant role in the defense with a couple of preseason sacks. Based on what we’ve seen over the past two weeks, both seem to have a good shot.

(Check out Wednesday’s practice notes for the most up-to-date information about training camp.)