When Sean Payton arrived at the podium on his first cutdown day as the Broncos’ head coach in 2023, he sent an unmistakable message to the roster: Don’t get comfortable.“There is a lot of shuffling with teams,” he said then, “and we will be one of those teams.”The Broncos of Payton’s first year in charge were a constant work in progress as the deadline came and went, the coach and general manager George Paton trying to reshape a roster that won only five games the previous year. An eye-popping four undrafted rookies made the team out of camp, a sign of the work that needed to be done to make a more competitive roster.What we learned from Broncos preaseasonNick KosmiderPayton, speaking Friday night as this year’s cuts loomed, outlined just how much has changed in the last three years.“I look back to my first year here, and we were looking to claim (players),” Payton said after the preseason finale against the Vikings. “(It) was like that in New Orleans early on and, as you build something that gets a little bit more polished … gradually the quality of your team, it becomes a harder roster to make.”That was evident on Sunday as the Broncos maneuvered to form their initial roster ahead of a 2026 season with grand expectations. The Broncos cut three players they selected in April’s NFL Draft: tight end Justin Joly (fifth round), safety Miles Scott (seventh) and linebacker Red Murdock (seventh). They did not have an undrafted rookie make the roster, only the second such occurrence since 2003. And in what appeared to be the most painful cut for Paton, the Broncos also released running back Jaleel McLaughlin, who contributed 1,256 yards of offense and seven touchdowns over the past three seasons, while also setting the unofficial record for pre-dawn arrivals to the team’s training facility.“Man, that was tough,” Paton said of releasing McLaughlin in a wave of transactions Sunday. “Jaleel is something else. He was really important to this team with the passion and everything he brings. … It was a really hard decision.”Here are some takeaways after the Broncos announced their 53-man roster as well as two placements on injured reserve with designations to return — tight end Caleb Lohner and offensive tackle Frank Crum:Tight end remains work in progressArguably the biggest surprise cut for the Broncos was Joly, the fifth-round pick out of North Carolina State. With Evan Engram heading into the final year of his contract, Joly was viewed as a potential replacement in that field-stretching role in 2027. It could still end up that way if Joly clears waivers and lands back on Denver’s practice squad, where he can develop behind the scenes this season, but the rookie didn’t do enough to convince coaches and personnel staff that he’s ready to contribute to a championship-chasing team right now.“Justin’s a talented player. We knew when we drafted him (that) he was raw,” Paton said. “We still like the player. He was coming on at the end of training camp. The tight end position is a tough position for a rookie. He missed a lot of the offseason and was just a little bit behind. We wish we had another (preseason) game or two. We still like the player. We think he’s going to have a nice career. You’ve just got to make tough decisions and build the best 53 that you can make.”Joly caught an 88-yard touchdown pass in Friday’s preseason finale after a severe breakdown in Minnesota’s secondary, but he doesn’t have the same versatility as a blocker that helped seventh-round pick Dallen Bentley make the team Sunday. Joly may have been able to overcome that had he shown more flashes as a field-stretching pass catcher in training camp, but those didn’t come frequently enough.The Broncos believe Engram will be a bigger part of the offense in 2026 than in his first season in Denver. The team knows what it has in veterans Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins, smart players who know the system well. But finding a younger, more dynamic pass-catching weapon at the position has to be a priority for the Broncos moving forward.Evan Engram returns for his second season with the Broncos as the top pass-catching option at tight end. (Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)Could there be a move at linebacker?The Broncos will be relying on a couple of young players for depth at inside linebacker — which was going to be the case no matter how the cuts landed. Karene Reid and Jordan Turner both made the roster after joining the Broncos as undrafted free agents last season. It’s the second straight season Reid has made the roster out of camp. Turner made the roster despite beginning camp on the non-football injury list, coming on strong in the final two preseason games. He joined the Broncos as a rookie tryout player following the 2025 draft and has continued to move further up the pecking order at a critical position in coordinator Vance Joseph’s defense.The Broncos could still end up with Murdock and undrafted rookie Taurean York on the practice squad, but don’t be surprised if this position is the target of a late addition to the roster.One interesting name to watch: Tyrel Dodson, who had 129 tackles and five sacks with the Dolphins last season but was released by Miami on Saturday as it prepares to move first-round pick Jacob Rodriguez into a starting role.Broncos ‘didn’t want to lose’ EhlingerThe Broncos were going to keep Sam Ehlinger as the team’s third quarterback almost regardless of what happened during his appearance in Friday’s preseason finale. But the fact that he threw three touchdowns while completing 75 percent of his passes in three quarters certainly didn’t hurt his case to be among the 53 players on Denver’s roster Sunday.“We love the quarterback room. We’ve stated that a lot,” Paton said of the group that includes starter Bo Nix and backup Jarrett Stidham. “Sam, Stiddy, we thought that they both had really good offseasons, good training camps and games. Sam’s a big part of this quarterback room. We didn’t want to lose him. We felt like we were going to lose him (if he were released). He’s too important to our team. Just didn’t want to risk doing that. Obviously, the game he played (Friday) night was outstanding. We love the room and we’re going to keep the room together.”It all makes for a memorable couple of days for Ehlinger, who said after Friday’s game that he and his wife are expecting their first baby boy early next week. Ultimately, his place on the roster was not a surprise. He was waived on cutdown day last year, only to be signed back to the practice squad and then immediately elevated to the roster after another player landed on IR before Week 1. The Broncos have two other veterans taking the waive-promote path this season — fullback Adam Prentice and long snapper Mitchell Fraboni — but Paton intimated that Ehlinger’s options may have been too enticing had he spent a day on the open market.Broncos have the roster — can they get the bounces?Denver has a strong, deep team. Jaylen Waddle and Jonah Coleman, the rookie running back, are new weapons who will have an impact. Even with Jonathon Cooper landing on the commissioner exempt list Sunday, the Broncos have a loaded front line. They have a quarterback in Nix who has already won big games.It’s all enough to make a contender, but will they get enough bounces along the way? Can they avoid major injuries in much the same way they have in the past two years? Can they avoid too steep a regression in one-score outcomes after going 11-2 in close games in 2025? Can offensive coordinator Davis Webb thrive as a first-year play caller, overcoming any growing pains that could surface during a difficult early start to the season?It’s the answers to those questions that could decide whether the roster the Broncos put together Sunday has what it takes to capture the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl trophy.