The Denver Broncos added seven new players to the roster in the 2024 NFL Draft and to this point, have signed 13 other players as undrafted free agents. The roster will balloon to 90 players as the team prepares for mini-camps and training camps later this summer.
Looking at the results of this draft, some conclusions can be drawn. Bo Nix was someone Sean Payton clearly coveted and third-round pick Jonah Elliss comes from a family that Payton thinks quite highly of.
Looking down the roster, we can start to make some other educated guesses. The four players in this article are going to have their playing time severely cut into or taken away completely if they don't show a better performance in 2024.
4 Broncos who could be on thin ice heading into 2024
Javonte Williams, RB
You could probably lump Samaje Perine into this conversation too but he and Javonte Williams are used in totally different ways.
Williams is the team's No.1 running back but he lacked juice last year after returning from a torn ACL in 2022. He still rushed for 774 yards but those yards came differently than they did in his rookie season. Take a look at these numbers.
| Season | Carries | Rushing Yards | Avg. | TD |
| 2021 | 203 | 903 | 4.4 | 4 |
| 2023 | 217 | 774 | 3.6 | 3 |
As a rookie, Williams ran with force and was running through and carrying defenders for extra yards. Last season, he carried the ball 14 times more than he did as a rookie but had 129 fewerhttps://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/instant-analysis-denver-broncos-drafting-c-nick-gargiulo-round-7/1999d19ff90230d6f6f74084 yards on the ground, which translated to him losing nearly a full yard per carry.
Williams wasn't terrible but he also was very obviously not the same burst of energy out of the backfield that he was in 2021.
The selection of Audric Estime changes the Denver backfield and even as a rookie, he could see considerable playing time. He's a bruising runner, willing to lower his shoulder and run through guys, the way Williams did when he hit the league. He could also be a problem for defenses at the goal line.
Sometimes it takes two full years for an athlete to get back to where they were before tearing their ACL, but Williams needs to look much more like he did as a rookie than he did last season in 2024.
Luke Wattenberg
Luke Wattenberg was likely facing tough odds to make this year's 53-man roster as it was, but the addition of Nick Gargiulo in the seventh round didn't help his chances.
The Broncos will be looking for a new starting center this season after Lloyd Cushenberry left in free agency and though Alex Forsyth is the favorite to win that job, having to compete with another guy who can play center or could also be a rotational guard hampers Wattenberg's chances.
Damarri Mathis and Riley Moss
One of the concerns about this current Broncos team is whether or not the team will get enough help at the cornerback position to go with Pat Surtain II. The selection of Kris Abrams-Draine in the fifth round gives them much more flexibility but the free-agent signing of Levi Wallace last week has to be figured in as well.
These two moves help the team by not having to place so much confidence in Damarri Mathis and Riley Moss.
Mathis had a solid rookie season in 2021 but was flat-out terrible last season in Vance Joseph's defense and saw his snaps basically taken away in favor of veteran Fabian Moreau.
Moss was drafted in the third round last year but was slowed by injuries and hardly played all season. It's too early to label him a draft bust but he won't get away with another season like that.
Ja'Quan McMillian emerged as a strong nickelback and slot defender last season so he should continue to see a lot of work. It should surprise no one if Wallace wins the starting cornerback job opposite Surtain so both Mathis and Moss were already going to have to prove themselves this summer.
The selection of Abrams-Draine puts more pressure on both of them and if he starts seeing more playing time than one or both of them, they'll need to find another team to continue their careers with.
