The Denver Broncos did not sign J.K. Dobbins until the middle of last June, and he became their leading rusher for the 2025 season. The year before, they plucked Dondrea Tillman out of the United Football League as a summer signing, and the linebacker has since contributed nine sacks and two interceptions across the past two seasons.The art of building a roster, general manager George Paton likes to say, is a 365-day-a-year endeavor. The Broncos have 91 players on their roster, counting an international player exemption spot for Australian punter Jeremy Crawshaw. Between now and when the Broncos put together a 53-man roster ahead of their Week 1 opener in Kansas City, there will be signings, cuts and perhaps even trades that will alter the complexion of the squad.It’s very clearly too early to predict what the roster will look like when the initial team is put together in September, but we’re doing it anyway.Really, this exercise serves as an overview of where Denver’s roster stands ahead of next month’s OTAs and mandatory minicamp, and highlights some of the battles and storylines to watch as the offseason work begins. We will put together a second version just before the start of training camp and a third and final version following Denver’s final preseason contest against the Minnesota Vikings on Aug. 28.Quarterback (2)Bo Nix, Jarrett StidhamOther: Sam EhlingerNix’s timeline to return from last season’s ankle injury is the most intriguing aspect of Denver’s quarterback room as on-field offseason work begins. Head coach Sean Payton said earlier this month that Nix could see the field at some point during the team’s June schedule, most likely during its mandatory minicamp. The third-year quarterback will be back by the start of training camp at the latest.Another subplot worth monitoring in a room now being coached by Logan Kilgore, following Davis Webb’s promotion to offensive coordinator and play caller: Is Stidham still cemented as the team’s No. 2 quarterback? The Broncos re-signed Ehlinger, last year’s third-stringer, to a one-year contract in March, less than two months after Stidham’s underwhelming performance in place of the injured Nix in the AFC Championship Game. Payton didn’t rule out a change in the pecking order when he was asked during the league meeting in Arizona in March whether there would be an offseason battle to back up Nix.“We see competition,” Payton said. “It wasn’t different last year. There’s nothing that is etched in stone. There just isn’t — and that’s a good thing.”Running back (4)J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jonah Coleman, Tyler BadieOthers: Jaleel McLaughlin, Cody SchraderMcLaughlin has defied the odds, sticking on Denver’s 53-man roster during each of the past three seasons after joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2023. The Broncos have typically carried four running backs, so the battle for the final spot in that room could come down to McLaughlin and Badie. The former could bring more special teams value, but McLaughlin is the more versatile back.Other questions for the offseason program at running back: How will the Broncos handle Dobbins’ workload as they try to prepare him for a full season? And how quickly can Coleman assert himself as a third-down answer in Denver’s offense?Fullback (1)Adam PrenticePrentice proved to be an important pickup for the Broncos last season after Michael Burton suffered a season-ending injury during training camp. He converted seven of his 10 carries into first downs and played a critical role on special teams for coordinator Darren Rizzi. As things stand now, he has a clear path to the roster as the team’s lone fullback.Wide receiver (5)Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, Marvin MimsOthers: Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Michael Bandy, Dane Key, Joseph Manjack, Cameron Ross, Michael Woods II, Kolbe KatsisThe room of five listed above would be the same as the group on Denver’s initial 53-man roster in 2025, with one notable swap: Waddle in and Trent Sherfield, cut by the Broncos midway through last season, out. It’s a significant upgrade for Denver, which needed another productive, crisp-route-running weapon for Nix.Humphrey has played no fewer than 36 percent of Denver’s snaps while on the team’s roster the past three seasons, which included nine games in 2025. One way or another, he figures to be in the mix.Tight end (4)Adam Trautman, Evan Engram, Justin Joly, Caleb LohnerOthers: Nate Adkins, Dallen Bentley, Lucas KrullPayton offered unsolicited praise during rookie minicamp for Lohner, the second-year player who was a seventh-round pick of the Broncos in 2025. Lohner, who played college football at Utah for only one season following a basketball career that spanned three schools, could be a unique red-zone target for the Broncos at 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, with big hands and a substantial vertical leap.The Broncos have always found a place for Adkins, an undrafted free agent signee in 2023 who made the roster as a rookie. Krull has experience in Payton’s offense and the Broncos liked what they saw from Bentley, the second-to-last pick in April’s draft, during his final season at Utah in 2025. There will be a great battle for depth spots in this room — and don’t be surprised if Denver finds a way to keep five.Offensive line (9)Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Kage Casey, Alex Palczewski, Frank Crum, Matt PeartOthers: Nick Gargiulo, Alex Forsyth, Michael Deiter, Nash Jones, Calvin Throckmorton, Gavin Ortega, Tyler MillerGargiulo, a seventh-round pick in 2024, was having a great training camp last season before suffering a brutal leg injury during a preseason game. Forsyth, a seventh-round selection in 2024, has played in all 34 regular-season games for Denver since being drafted, including six career starts. The Broncos have had an undrafted offensive lineman make the initial roster in two of the past three years (Palczewski in 2023; Crum in 2024) and have two candidates this offseason in Gavin Ortega and Tyler Miller, the latter a behemoth 6-9, 335-pound tackle out of Iowa State.In other words, there are going to be some great camp battles to watch along the offensive line.Defensive line (6)Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, Sai’vion Jones, Tyler Onyedim, Eyioma UwazurikeOthers: Jordan Jackson, Kristian Williams, Matt Henningsen, Jordan MillerJones, the 2025 third-round pick out of LSU, is quietly one of the more intriguing players to watch on Denver’s roster this offseason. Jones was active for only three games last season, but he had some nice flashes. Paton said the Broncos “really like where (Jones) is going” at his season’s end news conference, citing the development made in practice by the 6-5, 289-pound defensive end. Jones spent much of last season under the wing of John Franklin-Myers. Now, he will need to be part of the equation, along with rookie third-round pick Tyler Onyedim, in Denver’s quest to replace Franklin-Myers.Outside linebacker (5)Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Dondrea Tillman, Que Robinson, Drew SandersOthers: Dasan McCullough, Johnny WalkerSanders has vacillated between outside and inside linebacker since joining the Broncos as a third-round pick in 2023, but he’s played in only four combined games the past two seasons. Payton said earlier this month, though, that the 25-year-old “is in great shape” and will begin the offseason on the edge.“The one thing when you watch him play, when it’s decisive, it’s really good,” Payton said of Sanders, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. ” … Yes, it can be frustrating when you have an injury, and it sets you back just as you’re turning the corner. So I know he’s looking forward to this season.”Sanders has to prove he can remain healthy during the offseason, but he has a real opportunity to find a place in coordinator Vance Joseph’s defense given his versatility.Inside linebacker (4)Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Jonah Elliss, Red MurdockOthers: Taurean York, Jordan Turner, Karene Reid, Levelle BaileyElliss is still listed as an outside linebacker on Denver’s roster, but all indications are he’ll be moving inside once the on-field work begins for the Broncos next month. His teammates believe he’ll make an instant impact at the new position — in part because he already has experience with it.“If people actually watch the games, they’ll see a lot of the times, on third down, he was lined up at inside ‘backer already,” Bonitto told reporters at a recent charity event. “He’s one of the best coverage players when we drop him in coverage. Even in those packages, the stuff he can do with dropping and rushing in on a running back, he provides so much versatility. Obviously, he has a way to go when it comes to learning the position, but I have no doubts about his talent. He’s one of the most talented guys on the team.”Beyond Elliss, there could be a fascinating battle for the final one or two spots in the room. The Broncos drafted Murdock, a record-setting turnover producer at the University of Buffalo, with the final pick in last month’s draft. They also signed York, one of the SEC’s most productive linebackers, as a high-priority free agent after the draft. Those two were added to a room that already included a trio of former undrafted pieces with experience in Joseph’s defense in Turner, Reid and Bailey. This will be the position to watch defensively during preseason games.Cornerback (5)Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian, Jahdae Barron, Kris Abrams-DraineOthers: Brent Austin, Ahmari Harvey, Paul Manning, Jaden Robinson, Reese TaylorWhere will Barron play for the Broncos in 2026? It is one of the bigger questions for Denver’s roster headed into this offseason. The 2025 first-round pick played most of his snaps in the dime role last season. He also saw some work in the nickel, at outside corner and even a few snaps at safety. Will Barron find a more permanent home in his second season? Or will he continue to be a do-it-all piece for Joseph to move around the defensive backfield?Safety (5)Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, JL Skinner, Tycen AndersonOthers: Miles Scott, Parker RobertsonAnderson, a special teams standout the past three seasons in Cincinnati, is Denver’s only external free-agent signing to this point in the offseason. The Broncos clearly have a role in mind for him, but it’s worth noting that Denver signed a similar deal last offseason with another safety/special teams veteran in Sam Franklin, only to release him ahead of cutdown day. So the Broncos won’t be hesitant to put Scott, the seventh-round rookie out of Illinois, on the 53-man roster ahead of Week 1 if he can show during the offseason program that he’s ready to contribute, particularly on special teams.Specialists (3)Wil Lutz (kicker), Jeremy Crawshaw (punter), Mitchell Fraboni (long snapper)Other: Luke Basso (long snapper)Fraboni has snapped for every punt, field goal and point-after attempt for the Broncos since 2023 and is under contract for the next two seasons, though there is no guaranteed money left on that deal. Basso, a one-time teammate of Nix at Oregon, snapped for the specialists during Denver’s rookie minicamp earlier this month. Will he be real competition for the team’s incumbent snapper? Or is he simply a player the Broncos want to take a closer look at as the offseason progresses?Final thought here: Crawshaw quietly had a strong rookie season as Denver’s new punter. His performance in the AFC Championship Game was superb, even if it largely became a footnote in Denver’s narrow loss.