Denver Broncos initial 53-man roster

The Denver Broncos have trimmed their roster down from 90 players to 53 with a few surprises mixed in. First, we saw Audric Estime, Damarri Mathis, and Blake Watson all get waived. These were anticipated cuts, but also ones that could have gone either way. After that, I didn’t expect any more surprises, but it was reported that the Broncos waived linebacker Levelle Bailey. Many assumed he would make the 53-man roster, but undrafted rookie Karene Reid made the team instead. Then, with only a few spots left to cut, it was announced that the Broncos had waived 7th round tight end Caleb Lohner. He is a long-term project and one the Broncos are hoping to continue to work with on their practice squad. The final cut ended up being third-string quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who made a strong case for a 53-man roster spot.

Keep in mind, this roster can and will change moving forward, and could see changes as soon as tomorrow. The Broncos are lower in the pecking order when it comes to waiver claims, so we’ll have to see if they indeed put in any claims for a player. Payton mentioned they would be monitoring the TE/FB position on the waiver wire, so I would keep an eye out for that tomorrow.

With all that said and done, here is your 2025 Denver Broncos initial 53-man roster.

Note: The depth chart is unofficial and done to show what the Broncos roster and depth chart may look like

Broncos Offense

Thoughts

• The Broncos kept two quarterbacks on their roster and will hope to get Ehlinger on the practice squad.
• Broncos kept all four backs as expected, but no fullback. I would anticipate that the one being added to the practice squad, likely Prentice and will be elevated on Sunday.
• Broncos kept 5 WRs after trading away Vele and waived all of their UDFA’s. I would anticipate 2 or 3 of them to land on their practice squad
• Tight end looks as expected with Adkins not going on the IR. I would keep an eye on a potential waiver wire/veteran add at this position, but for now, Lucas Krull has made the team. Look for Lohner to land on the PS if he clears waivers.
• The Broncos have the same offensive line that they had last season. The same 5 starters, Peart as your swing man, Palco as the guard/tackle, Forsyth as the G/C, and Frank Crum as a 4th OT/development guy.

Broncos Defense

Thoughts

• The Broncos went heavy at defensive line and kept both Jordan Jackson and Eyioma Uwazurike, and now they have a deep and talented defensive line to work with this season
• Edge rusher looks as expected with all 5 of Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Jonah Elliss, Dondrea Tillman, and rookie Que Robinson making the team
• Linebacker is where the biggest surprise happened. The team waived Levelle Bailey and kept undrafted rookie Karene Reid...