NEW ORLEANS — Sam Ehlinger made a heck of a final impression.
The thing is, he made a solid first impression, too, all the way back in the spring before he signed as a free agent with the Broncos.
Now Denver’s No. 3 quarterback will wait out the next couple of days along with dozens of teammates and more than 1,000 players league-wide ahead of Tuesday’s deadline to cut rosters from 90 to 53.
Ehlinger, who spent his first four seasons in Indianapolis before signing with Denver this spring, has put together a strong pitch for the Broncos to keep three quarterbacks on their active roster.
He capped it off by getting nearly three full quarters of work in Saturday’s 29-18 preseason finale win over New Orleans.
Ehlinger completed 22 of 31 passes for 198 yards, with a run-around-and-heave-it touchdown, an interception and six rushes for 25 yards.
“Sam did a fantastic job,” said head coach Sean Payton, who began his postgame news conference by saying emphatically he would not talk about any player’s roster status ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. “Some of his gifts are with his feet. His athleticism. He’s got a little moxie and leadership to him that obviously you saw when he played in college.
“Shoot, I saw him beat Georgia here in a big bowl game. He did a good job.”
This didn’t have the kind of atmosphere of a Sugar Bowl that led to the infamous declaration of Texas being “back,” but it did have real stakes for Ehlinger.
The rules in the NFL are such that it makes sense to keep three quarterbacks. They all count against the 53-man roster, but teams get a game-day freebie because an “emergency third” quarterback doesn’t count against the limit of 46 active players.
For many teams, that discount alone might be reason enough to keep three. The Broncos, though, think they’ve got one of the deepest rosters in football. Keeping three quarterbacks means potentially subjecting a player at a different position to the waiver wire, where he could attract attention from other teams.
Still, Ehlinger’s not a one-week, pop-up storyline in Denver. The Broncos coaching staff and front office liked him this spring and thought he had a real chance to develop after he appeared in eight games between 2021 and 2023 with the Colts and spent all of last year on Indy’s practice squad.
“I’ve followed him since (Austin Westlake High), to be honest with you,” quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, a former Texas high school quarterback himself, told The Post earlier this month. “… You could tell his leadership qualities at the University of Texas, the way he ran the ball with some toughness.”
Webb said he felt like he saw Ehlinger pregame every year since he’s been in the NFL, as Webb went from playing for Buffalo and the New York Giants to coaching for the Broncos.
“And I was always like, man, if somebody just spent a little more time mechanically with him or had a former quarterback coaching him, I think the best is yet to come for him,” Webb said. “When he was available and we needed a No. 3 or a guy that could push our No. 2, that was a pretty easy decision.
“We didn’t go after many, but we went after him.”
Ehlinger said Saturday he’s learned a lot so far and sounded like a guy who hopes to keep on his current track.
“I think Davis is one of the best quarterback coaches in the league, and I think he’s on a fast track to doing whatever he wants,” Ehlinger said. “Our conversations during free agency, when making that decision, was that he believed in me. It was a rough couple first years there for a little bit (in Indy), but he really believed in me, watched the tape and and said, ‘I know what you’re capable of and I want you to come and develop and continue to get better, learn a new system.’ ”
Now Ehlinger waits to see if he’s on the 53-man roster going forward. Perhaps the Broncos will decide they just don’t have room for him. Perhaps a team will call and dangle a draft pick in exchange for him.
The player and the team, though, each seem happy with what the other’s shown.
“Just this team in general, I think it’s really well-formulated,” Ehlinger said. “Organizationally, I think it’s top-down, one of the best organizations in the league. It’s been great to be here and I’ve really enjoyed it.”
That doesn’t change the fact that Denver has to make 37 cuts by Tuesday afternoon.
Here are a couple of quick-hitters of other bubble guys who had notable Saturdays.
• Payton said first blush he thought running back Audric Estime (eight carries, 45 yards, TD) ran hard and played well. However, Tyler Badie also put a good foot forward with four carries for 14 yards, four catches for 31, and a 46-yard kick return. Blake Watson left the game with a left leg injury in the fourth quarter.
“I’m blessed to be part of this roster and hopefully I’ll be part of this roster going forward,” Estime said. “You’ve just got to learn from the guys that are there in the room with you, and that’s what I’ve been doing this whole preseason.”
• Defensive lineman Jordan Jackson’s been through this waiting game before, and even though he made the roster last year, this year’s defensive group is even deeper.
“It’s a little stressful, and it’s something you think about for the next 48 hours, but I’m at the point where I just leave it in God’s hands. … The coaches have hard decisions to make. I’m glad I’m not them.”
He and Eyioma Uwazurike each had productive camps. Uwazurike finished with a burst Saturday, logging a sack and four tackles.
• Special teams are always key to the 53-man roster and several players were notably on Denver’s top kick and return units Saturday. That group includes: Safeties Sam Franklin, JL Skinner and Devon Key and veteran inside linebacker Garrett Wallow. No guarantee all four make it, but interesting nonetheless.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.