Denver Broncos Position Battles Going Into Preseason Week 3
There are multiple Denver Broncos position battles to watch in Week 3 of the preseason. Will Jonah Coleman leapfrog RJ Harvey?
Heading into this third and final game of the preseason, the back end of the depth chart has to be figured out through these position battles for the Denver Broncos.
There are a lot of questions to be answered in terms of special teams and third-stringers. But beyond just that, where the rookies land in the depth chart is an interesting thing to look for as well.
Bo Nix is expected to sit out of the Week 3 preseason game, meaning many other starters will likely be benched as Denver searches through the best of their backups. And there are certainly some Denver Broncos position battles to keep an eye on.
Running back
Because it's Sean Payton, and he's old school, Jonah Coleman is listed as the sixth running back. He has to be the team's No. 3 back as of right now. No offense to Tyler Badie or Jaleel McLaughlin.
Speaking of, it seemed like McLaughlin was playing for a roster spot in Week 2 of preseason. He looked electric at times and celebrated with the "feed me" motion. That came after his game-long 12-yard run. He finished with 4 carries for 15 yards.
Jonah Coleman
But back to Coleman. The dude is a bowling ball; he's 5'8" and 220 pounds. Even at that size he has some life in his legs, man. He only had 3 carries for 9 yards last week, but in Week 1 he had 4 for 24 yards. That included a beautiful 13-yarder where he bounced off a would-be tackler.
Coleman is a lock to make the roster at this point; will we see him on Friday? And even more intriguing; has he leapfrogged RJ Harvey? If not, could he later this year?
It's definitely possible. Though both of them bring different strengths to the team. Harvey is a spectacular receiver, and his speed is electric. Meanwhile Coleman is more powerful and can gain those crucial yards between the tackles.
Badie or McLaughlin?
So, will it be a battle between Badie and McLaughlin for the final roster spot? Denver kept four running backs last year, and J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey are the other locks at the position.
Badie is also second on the depth chart in the kickoff return game behind Marvin Mims, with McLaughlin down the list at fourth. That could factor in if Denver is choosing between the two.
Of course, there's also Adam Prentice, the fullback and pride of Colorado State University. But I think Payton will keep four RBs and the FB as well.
Wide Receiver
Over the course of the season, Denver had eight different receivers active.
That includes Elijah Moore, who they brought on before the Divisional Round win over the Bills. Moore is no longer on the roster, but there are 14 guys competing for likely six spots.
And five of them—Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, and Pat Bryant—are locked in. One could argue Lil'Jordan Humphrey is that surefire No. 6 guy, too.
That leaves Michael Bandy on the outside looking in. Bandy had four catches in four games last year, including a touchdown in the win over the Packers.
It also means guys like Cameron Ross, Kolbe Katsis, and the gloveless wonder Joseph Manjack won't make the active roster either.
Both Katsis and Ross are returners, and Katsis had 117 yards on 4 returns vs. Green Bay last week. That's a solid average of 29.4 yards per return. It could help him earn a spot, or at least a practice squad spot.
What's the depth chart looking like?
Beyond deciding which guys Denver will try to stash on the practice squad, I'm interested to see how the depth chart shakes out.
For now, it's Sutton, Waddle, and Mims as the top 3 guys. Then it's Bryant, Franklin, and Humphrey backing the starters up. But has Bryant leapfrogged Franklin? Or is Franklin still the No. 4 guy?
“His consistency, he has really strong hands," Payton said of Bryant earlier this week. "I’ve said this before, if you watch tape and you’re looking at it, rarely does he have to leave his feet to make a clean catch. Even if you just skip to catch it, at that moment, everyone’s moving and you’re kind of frozen and rarely does he do that."
We may not know for sure if Bryant is ahead of Franklin until the regular season kicks off in about two weeks from now.
Safety
The Broncos brought in Taylor Rapp last week to help shore up the safety position behind Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones. That was needed, because the starters are great but the depth behind them was a bunch of inexperienced guys.
But then Rapp was cut to deal with family issues.
“Taylor Rapp came in, [I] spent some time with him. He needs a little time at home,” Payton said.
"We’ve played against him, he’s smart, which is a great trait to have as a safety," Payton said of Rapp on Wednesday. "He’s a good tackler, he can play down over the slot, he’s got versatility and this came up and it was something that obviously [we] needed to address.”
So now knowing Rapp isn‘t going to make the roster, how many safeties will they keep?
Last year, they kept four, although six safeties ended up playing at one point or another due to injuries. If they keep five, which seems more likely, that opens the door for both JL Skinner and Devon Key to make the roster.
Key and Skinner look like locks
Key was an All-Pro special teamer last year. He's definitely making the roster again. And Skinner has impressed on special teams as well. He played the entirety of the 2026 season with a torn labrum and gutted it out. I can't wait to see what he can provide when healthy.
And for Tycen Anderson, Miles Scott and Parker Robertson this game is a chance to either make the Broncos actice roster or practice squad or make a roster somewhere else in the league.
Note: Payton also said it’s likely Rapp will be back with the Broncos later this season.
“I know how he felt being here. So I think sooner than later that’s going to happen,” Payton explained.
Linebacker
The competition should be really fierce at inside linebacker.
We know Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad are the starters.
The next guys are a bit of a question mark.
Will it be Karene Reid and Jordan Turner like last year? Or will preseason sensation Red Murdock and/or Taurean York make the roster?
If we say the Broncos will keep four inside linebackers again like last season, it's hard to picture them not keeping Reid. He played in 10 games last year and 59% of the team's special teams snaps. He'll likely be there again this season.
Murdock or Turner?
Similarly, Turner played 64% of the special teams snaps last season. Will the rookie Murdock take his roster spot?
Murdock has been a force this preseason. He led the team in tackles both preseason games; with 9 vs. Atlanta and 7 total tackles against Green Bay including a hit that knocked a Packers player out of the game.
Even York has been somewhat impressive during camp.
If I had to guess, I'd say they keep Reid, and Murdock and hope Turner can find his way to the practice squad. But tomorrow night's game against Minnesota at 7 p.m. MT (9News) may decide things.
Defensive line
As with the other positions; how many guys will they keep? It's always a guessing game for Payton's rosters, and there's usually at least one surprise.
I'm going with the D-line keeping seven guys.
The locks are: Zach Allen, DJ Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike, Dondrea Tillman, and rookie Tyler Onyedim.
That leaves two spots open with Jordan Jackson, Sai'vion Jones, Jordan Miller, and Kristian Williams battling it out.
Both Jackson and Jones made the roster last year, but only in fill-in roles due to injury. Still, that seems to give them a leg up on Miller and Williams.
Through two preseason games, Miller has four tackles, Williams has two, and Jackson has one tackle with one pass defensed at the line.
I'm going with Jackson and Jones again here, but it's possible Miller take Jackson's spot. Of note, Jackson also played 17% of the team's special teams snaps, down from 35% in 2024.
Again, the Denver Broncos are hosting the Minnesota Vikings Friday night in Week 3 of the preseason before this 2026 season kicks off. The game can be seen locally on 9News and otherwise on NFL Network.
Thanks for reading! Please subscribe today. Or leave a tip in the tip jar!
New offer: Get a free artwork print of your choice with a paid subscription.
Follow The Broncos Blitz on Bluesky!
Rich Kurtzman was born and raised in Denver Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins in the aughts. He's been a professional writer since 2011, covering Colorado State football and men's basketball, as well as the Denver Broncos, for many outlets. Current Denver Broncos work can be found on Mile High Sports. Previous credits include CBS Denver and The USA TODAY Sports Media Group.
Comments ()