Nik Bonitto would tell himself to ease up if he were the ripe age of 22 again.
He was Denver’s first pick back in the 2022 NFL draft, a second-round selection out of Oklahoma. And yet Bonitto came into camp each day with a burning need to impress. To earn respect. It was too much pressure, the 25-year-old edge rusher reflected Sunday.
“I feel like now, it’s just, take it day by day,” Bonitto told reporters at his youth camp Sunday. “I mean, it’s kinda just running your own race.”
He’s earned that right after a second-team All-Pro breakout in 2024. But several players on Denver’s roster don’t come with that kind of pedigree and enter training camp fighting for their football lives. Make a statement, and head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton will notice. Falter, and they’ll notice, too.
As the Broncos kick off training camp this week, here’s a look at five holdovers who could find themselves on the bubble of Denver’s initial 53-man roster.
Blake Watson, RB
Unfortunately, this is a math equation. J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey are set to lead Denver’s backfield in 2025, unless there’s some sort of breach in the space-time continuum. Jaleel McLaughlin will get his touches because he always does. And Audric Estime remains the youngest back in the room, with as much upside as anyone.
That leaves second-year back Watson and Tyler Badie trying to attach themselves to some sliver of space on the roster. On paper, Badie has the easier path after he flashed home-run potential in a pair of games last year. Watson was sidelined through OTAs and minicamp with an undisclosed injury, meanwhile, and the second-year Memphis product earned just a few touches in his rookie year in 2024. He’ll need to drop jaws in camp to have a shot.
Alex Forsyth, C
Forsyth might not actually be in any danger. The Broncos don’t have many guys in their offensive line room with legit NFL center experience, and Forsyth filled in capably in a few starts in place of Luke Wattenberg last year.
But the room’s fairly set on tackle depth, and any shuffling on the Broncos offensive line could come on the interior. If undrafted rookies like Joe Michalski and Clay Webb put together solid camps and show they can handle both center and guard spots, Denver may opt to carry more positional flexibility on its initial roster.
Jordan Jackson, DL
Payton made clear last year that Jackson, an Air Force grad, made Denver’s initial roster in a breeze. He managed to slot himself capably into Denver’s defensive line rotation last season, playing in a number of alignments.
Jackson, though, ended 2024 as the lowest-graded member of the Broncos’ defense, according to Pro Football Focus. Take PFF’s metrics with a grain of salt. But Denver suddenly has two versatile rookies (Sai’vion Jones and Que Robinson) who could push Jackson for both snaps and a roster spot, with plenty of depth both at defensive tackle and defensive end. The 294-pound Jackson’s versatility in the trenches could help, but he’s got competition to hold off.
Lucas Krull, TE
Krull is a Payton lifer who started his career as an undrafted free agent in New Orleans. He actually led Broncos tight ends in catches (19) last year and beat 2022 third-round pick Greg Dulcich so emphatically that Denver cut Dulcich midseason. It was a terrific success story.
The problem: Krull is now competing with Evan Engram for a pass-catching role — a guy who had 47 receptions in nine games last year. Payton still has old reliable Adam Trautman in the tight-end room as a blocker, and Nate Adkins made himself into a valuable Swiss-Army special-teamer last year. Don’t forget about rookie Caleb Lohner, who Payton wants to mold into Jimmy Graham. It all points to a vague role for Krull.
Damarri Mathis, CB
The gradual evolution of Denver’s secondary has left Mathis behind since the Broncos targeted him in the fourth round of 2022’s draft out of Pittsburgh. He authored a promising rookie year in ’22. He faltered in ’23. He barely played in ’24 after an ankle injury wiped out the start of his season. Dobbins even struck a deal to take Mathis’s No. 27 upon his arrival in Denver.
Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian and first-round pick Jahdae Barron aren’t going anywhere. Kris Abrams-Draine also acquitted himself well as a rookie in spot time in 2024. Denver’s cornerback room is squeezed for depth, and Mathis has some work to do to re-establish himself among the group.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.