Delarrin Turner-Yell might have a Hollywood story waiting for him, but he’s also a realist.
Since December 2023, the Broncos’ 2022 fifth-round pick has been working his way back from a torn ACL suffered during a game against the Chargers. He finally returned to practice late last October — but wasn’t activated from injured reserve. His reward for a year and a half of tribulation? A scrap for a roster spot in a loaded secondary.
Call it like it is, as he told The Denver Post on Tuesday.
“All of us can’t stay here,” Turner-Yell said. “So, I feel like whichever, whatever happens, we’ll all go and we’ll all succeed, just because we had so deep of a camp.”
That applies well beyond the Broncos’ secondary. This is the deepest training camp roster Sean Payton’s had in his three seasons in Denver. A number of veterans could find themselves on the bubble when roster cuts come in late August, and three preseason games on the horizon will decide battles at several positions.
Here’s The Post’s first stab at a Broncos 53-man roster projection entering the week of their first preseason game against San Francisco:
OFFENSE (25)
Quarterback (2)
Locks: Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham
In the mix: Sam Ehlinger
Bubble consideration: There are tremendous vibes with this group, between Nix chasing Stidham in drills and all three throwing their hands up like Mii characters when they hit the intended pocket in net-toss drills. Ehlinger, though, might be hard-pressed for a roster spot after an uneven start to camp. The Broncos did take three quarterbacks last year, but with the amount of depth and upside at skill-position spots, they could cut back here in 2025.
The call: Nix and Stidham.
Running back/fullback (4)
Locks: J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey
In the mix: Jaleel McLaughlin, Michael Burton, Audric Estime, Tyler Badie, Blake Watson
Bubble consideration: Boy, where to begin? Payton has repeated throughout the offseason that nobody will know how this room shakes out until the preseason kicks off. Just look at McLaughlin, who staff thought was a nice practice-squad rookie in 2023 before he popped in the preseason. Estime seemed like he could wind up on the chopping block after the Broncos signed Dobbins, but the second-year power back has put together a run of good days. The key factor here is Burton, who didn’t crack the initial 53-man roster in 2024 but ended up playing in all 17 games with elevations from the practice squad. Here’s betting Payton plays his cards similarly this year.
The call: Dobbins, Harvey, McLaughlin, Estime.
Wide receiver (6)
Locks: Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant
In the mix: Devaughn Vele, Trent Sherfield, Michael Bandy, Joaquin Davis, Courtney Jackson, Jerjuan Newton, Kyrese Rowan, AT Perry
Bubble consideration: It’s strange to not have Vele as a lock after a 41-catch rookie season, but he hasn’t quite flashed the same as the Broncos’ young Mims-Franklin-Bryant triumvirate in camp. He’s still probably too valuable to the room and too much of a 6-foot-5 Payton ideal to cut. Sherfield has made plays throughout camp and might end up playing a large number of snaps this year as both a special-teamer and blocking receiver. That makes the choices here fairly clear-cut, even as Davis, Jackson, Newton and Rowan have all authored standout July moments.
The call: Sutton, Mims, Franklin, Bryant, Vele, Sherfield.
Tight end (4)
Locks: Evan Engram, Adam Trautman
In the mix: Nate Adkins, Lucas Krull, Caleb Lohner, Caden Prieskorn
Bubble consideration: Engram’s arrival has shaken up this group substantially, and there’s not much room for a heap of pass-catching tight ends beyond him. Adkins brings inherent value as a blocker/receiver/fullback/ST guy. From there, the battle is between Krull and the rookie Lohner. Krull led the Broncos’ tight ends in catches last year, but Lohner, for all of his football inexperience, has made more plays in camp.
The call: Engram, Trautman, Adkins, Lohner.
Offensive line (9)
Locks: Luke Wattenberg, Ben Powers, Quinn Meinerz, Garett Bolles, Mike McGlinchey, Matt Peart, Alex Palczewski
In the mix: Centers Alex Forsyth and Joe Michalski; guards Nick Garguilo, Calvin Throckmorton and Will Sherman; tackles Marques Cox, Frank Crum, and Xavier Truss
Bubble consideration: This is quite literally the same group as last year, and it’s tempting to just toss out the exact same names that kicked off the Broncos’ 53-man in 2024. Beyond the Wattenberg-Powers-Meinerz-Bolles-McGlinchey starting quintet, Peart and Palczewski have continued to establish themselves as the key next men up at tackle. Forsyth is Wattenberg’s natural backup, so he’s set for the roster again. That leaves Crum (who surprisingly made last year’s initial roster as an undrafted rookie) and Garguilo to duke it out with some youngsters. If Denver wants more guard depth, though, they’d likely lean Garguilo.
The call: Wattenberg, Powers, Meinerz, Bolles, McGlinchey, Peart, Palczewski, Forsyth, Garguilo.
DEFENSE (25)
Defensive line (6)
Locks: Zach Allen, John Franklin-Myers, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach
In the mix: Matt Henningsen, Sai’vion Jones, Garrett Nelson, Jordan Jackson, Eyioma Uwazurike, Kristian Williams, Jordan Miller
Bubble consideration: There is plenty of continuity on this front, too. This will likely shape up as a three-man battle for two spots between third-round rookie Jones, second-year Jackson and 2022 fourth-rounder Uwazurike. Jackson cracked the initial 53-man roster fairly easily last year and played a sizeable rotational role, but this might be a tougher proposition. Uwazurike’s had a standout camp, and Sai’vion Jones could be the eventual replacement for any of the Allen-Franklin-Myers-Roach core that the Broncos don’t extend.
The call: Allen, Franklin-Myers, D.J. Jones, Roach, Sai’vion Jones, Uwazurike.
Outside linebacker (5)
Locks: Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Jonah Elliss, Dondrea Tillman
In the mix: Andrew Farmer, Que Robinson
Bubble consideration: Pretty straightforward here. Elliss has too much upside to cut, and Tillman has been — in the words of Cooper — balling throughout camp. The Broncos took only four here on their initial 2024 53-man roster, but Robinson might force their hand. The fourth-round rookie missed the last couple of days of camp but flashed throughout offseason work. He carries special teams upside, too, which hits on two birds with one stone.
The call: Bonitto, Cooper, Elliss, Tillman, Robinson
Inside linebacker (5)
Locks: Dre Greenlaw, Alex Singleton, Levelle Bailey
In the mix: Justin Strnad, Drew Sanders, JB Brown, Karene Reid, Jordan Turner
Bubble consideration: With the Broncos’ recent rash of injuries here, this is likely the most interesting and unpredictable room on the roster. Singleton and Greenlaw have both been banged up during camp, and Sanders will be out upwards of a month. That will create some interesting gymnastics, though, as the Broncos probably wouldn’t want to slap Sanders with an IR designation. They may take five here with Strnad or Turner, the latter of whom has shone as an undrafted rookie out of Michigan State.
The call: Greenlaw, Singleton, Bailey, Sanders, Strnad
Cornerback (5)
Locks: Jahdae Barron, Ja’Quan McMillian, Riley Moss, Pat Surtain II
In the mix: Kris Abrams-Draine, Mario Goodrich, Damarri Mathis, Quinton Newsome, Joshua Pickett, Jaden Robinson, Reese Taylor
Bubble consideration: The Broncos brought in five CBs last year, but the amount of positional flexibility in this room would let them shave here. Barron and McMillian are competing for the starting nickel job, but both — particularly Barron — can play outside. Mathis, Taylor, Abrams-Draine and Newsome have all battled for second-team reps throughout camp, but Abrams-Draine carries the higher upside after a couple of standout performances in 2024.
The call: Barron, McMillian, Moss, Surtain II, Abrams-Draine
Safety (4)
Locks: Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones
In the mix: Sam Franklin Jr., P.J. Locke, JL Skinner, Delarrin Turner-Yell, Devon Key, Keidron Smith
Bubble consideration: How much do the Broncos value special-teamers? Franklin is the pivot point here. He’s a free-agent signee who likely won’t contribute much in the secondary but could be a key part of Darren Rizzi’s unit. Key, Locke, Skinner and Smith all made last year’s initial roster, but as Turner-Yell himself said, they all aren’t making it here. Locke played the second-most snaps of any Broncos defender in 2024, but keep an eye on him throughout preseason. He’s in a backup role, and Denver would save over $4 million in cap by cutting him.
The call: Hufanga, Jones, Locke, Key
SPECIAL TEAMS (3)
Locks: Jeremy Crawshaw (P), Wil Lutz (K), Mitchell Fraboni (LS)
In the mix: No one
Bubble consideration: Unless there’s an injury and the Broncos bring back Matt Haack or Zach Triner from the cutting-room floor, there’s no competition here. Cut-and-dry. Man, can Crawshaw boot, by the way.
The call: Crawshaw, Lutz, Fraboni
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