Broncos safety in prime position to come out of nowhere and steal roster spot

Travis Wakeman

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Broncos safety in prime position to come out of nowhere and steal roster spot image

If there is one spot full of opportunity on the Denver Broncos roster, it is at safety. Keidron Smith is making the most of his chances. 

The Broncos released both Justin Simmons and Caden Sterns this offseason, the two players who opened the 2023 season as the starting safeties. Brandon Jones was signed in free agency but a hamstring injury has caused him to miss most of camp. In addition to that, Delarrin Turner-Yell is still recovering from an ACL injury and Kareem Jackson is no longer with the team. 

So who are the safeties?

 

P.J. Locke is still there and JL Skinner has had a strong summer, but there was more than enough room for someone to step up. Smith has done that, intercepting a pass in each of the team's preseason games. Against the Packers, he returned the pick 56 yards. 

Keidron Smith should be in thick of 53-man roster talk

Not long ago, Smith seemed like an easy cut for the team. He was a practice squad player at best after going undrafted out of Kentucky last year before playing for the Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins. 

The Broncos signed him in December and he has gone from long shot to having a real chance at being part of this year's team. How unlikely is it that Smith has found this success? He doesn't even have a Wikipedia page. 

Smith has one more preseason game to make his case, this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Final roster cuts are due by 2:00 p.m. MT on August 29. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.