Safety P.J. Locke has been with the Broncos since 2019 and has seen how the roster steadily has been beefed up since then.
Now, the Broncos look to have their deepest roster since they won Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season. That means there will be plenty of tough decisions when the initial 53-man unit must be set by 2 p.m. Tuesday.
“We’re loaded at a bunch of different areas, important areas,’’ Locke said.
Locke, a starter last season, looks to have a good shot to stick around as a backup behind starters Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga, but that might not be a certainty since he is on the books for a salary-cap number far more than any of the other contenders to be reserves.
“You have tough cuts, but that’s the nature of the beast,’’ Locke said after the Broncos closed the preseason with a 28-19 win Saturday at New Orleans. “I might fall in line with that and that’s fine, but if I could retire a Bronco, that’s what I want to do. I’ve been here through the ups and downs and everything. We’ll see. I understand the business side of it, but, hey, I know this team regardless is going to make a huge run.”
Locke already has defied the odds, working his way back after he was uncertain if his career would continue due to back issues. However, he said he’s now feeling good after spinal fusion surgery shortly after last season.
But Locke is on the books for a salary-cap number of $5.19 million, the most on the team for a potential reserve and even well above Hufanga’s $3.41 million number. None of his $3.49 million base salary or his $750,000 in potential bonuses is guaranteed. If Locke were to be let go, the Broncos would have a cap savings of $4.19 million.
“If they feel like they want me here, they want me here,’’ said Locke, 28, who joined the Broncos on the practice squad in 2019 and is their third-longest tenured player. “If they don’t, they don’t. As I said before; my motto is it’s going to be what it’s going to be. I feel like I should be fine, but, hey, it’s whatever at this point. I know I’m good enough to play.”
What remains to be seen is if the Broncos will keep two or three reserve safeties on the initial 53-man roster. Among the other top contenders for spots, Sam Franklin, 29, has a cap number of $1.337 million, Delarrin Turner-Yell, 25, is at $1.183 million, JL Skinner, 24, at $1.079 million and Devon Key, 27, at $960,000.
Franklin, whose base salary of $1.17 million, is guaranteed, and Skinner are very adept at special teams. That could help their chances of landing on the 53.
Skinner and Key are holdovers from last season while Turner-Yell sat out in 2024 after suffering a torn ACL late in the 2023 season. Locke has the most starting experience of any of the candidates, having eight starts in 2023 and 15 last season. That could be an important factor in the event of an injury to Jones or Hufanga.
Locke signed a two-year, $7 million contract in March 2024. It remains to be seen also if the Broncos might approach him about making an adjustment to his deal.
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Locke said he has no concern about his health as cutdown day approaches. He said he feels much better after undergoing his surgery. He played in great pain last season and was ranked No. 90 out of 98 NFL safeties by Pro Football Focus, leading to uncertainty about his future.
“I feel fast,’’ he said. “I feel more explosive. I feel much more confident and most important like for my mental, I feel like I’m just at peace with everything.”
Locke at least appears to be in a much better spot than another reserve defensive back with a good-sized salary-cap number. Cornerback Damarri Mathis, a former starter who is entering his fourth season, has a cap number of $3.6 million and his base salary of $3.406 million is not guaranteed, money Denver would save if he were to be let go. If Denver keeps five cornerbacks rather than six, that likely would doom Mathis.
The Broncos, with head coach Sean Payton entering his third season, have plenty of tough decisions to make entering Tuesday. On offense, that includes whether to keep two or three quarterbacks and whether to hang onto three or four running backs.
Broncos quarterback Sam Ehlinger runs with the ball in the 4th quarter of a preseason game at Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025.
Jerilee Bennett,The Gazette
At quarterback, Bo Nix is the starter and Jarrett Stidham the backup. The Broncos want Sam Ehlinger to be third string, but there’s no certainty they can get him on the practice squad if he doesn’t make the 53.
“It’s an absolutely blessing,’’ Ehlinger said of being able to play nearly the final three quarters Saturday and completing 22 of 31 passes for 198 yards with one touchdown and one interception. “All the other things are out of your control, but you get to control your play and your attitude between the lines, and I got to have fun, and we got the win.”
At running back, J.K. Dobbins and rookie RJ Harvey are locks for the 53. There is a traffic jam after that with Jaleel McLaughlin likely being the leader for a third spot and Tyler Badie, Audric Estime and Blake Watson all being in the mix to try to get a spot.
“We have a lot of guys, but I feel like competition is good,’’ Estime said after carrying eight times for a team-high 45 yards against the Saints. “Competition brings the best out of you. I feel like I just went out there and played another game.”
Estime was a fifth-round draft pick in 2024. Another recent draft pick looks to be a long shot to make the roster in raw tight end Caleb Lohner, a seventh-round selection last April. If he is waived, there would be the hope of getting him on the practice squad.
On defense, Jordan Jackson looks to have the edge over Eyioma Uwazurike for a sixth defensive lineman spot, but the Broncos will need to decide whether they want to keep seven. And then there are the logjams in the secondary.