Tenth in a series previewing the Broncos’ 2026 roster in the weeks leading up to the start of training camp in late July. Previously: Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, outside linebackers, inside linebackers, and cornerbacks.

On the roster (6): Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, Tycen Anderson, JL Skinner, Miles Scott, Parker Robertson

How many on the 53? Four or five. Five made the cut last year, but it would be easy to see the Broncos shave that down and rely on Key, Skinner, Anderson or Scott to fill two backup-safety and key special-teams slots.

Most impactful offseason move: Letting P.J. Locke walk.

Not exactly a busy positional offseason when the winner in this category is a guy who had 16 tackles last season, but Locke was an important piece of Denver’s roster for years and filled a key role as a third safety last season. After Jones suffered a season-ending pec injury late last season, Locke stepped in capably for three regular-season and two playoff starts, including a massive interception in the Broncos’ wild-card win over the Bills.

The Broncos opted to let Locke hit free agency — likely for a seventh-round compensatory pick in 2027 — and sign to play in Dallas under old Denver assistant Christian Parker. Makes enough sense, given it’d be cheaper for Denver to replace their third safety than match the $4 million one-year deal Locke signed with the Cowboys. And the Broncos filled the void this offseason by signing veteran special-teamer Anderson to a one-year, $1.5 million deal and drafting Illinois safety Scott in the seventh round in April.

There’s enough quality depth in this room, now, to identify a Locke replacement. Someone has to seize that spot in camp.

Biggest question to answer in camp: Did Hufanga and Jones get on the JUGS machine?

No, seriously. Hufanga could’ve wound up a down-ballot candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year in his first season in Denver in 2025 if he’d managed to simply catch and secure the approximate five or six potential interceptions that cracked off his hands last year; he finished with zero. He and Jones, in fact, ran smack-dab into each other while chasing a meatball from New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart in Week 7.

All in all, the Broncos’ safety duo finished with a combined total of one interception in 104 combined targets as the closest defender in coverage last season. Simply not good enough for a pair of rangy defensive backs who form one of the most back-end tandems in the NFL. Denver needs all the help it can get to widen its margins after a rollicking season of comeback wins in 2025; start here as one of the most obvious areas for growth.

Battle to watch: Key vs. Anderson vs. Skinner vs. Scott for the third-safety job.

As previously mentioned, Locke is gone, and a stable of capable reserves are ready to seize his place. Especially important here: Hufanga just played a 17-game season for the first time in his career in 2025, and Jones has played a full slate just once in a six-year NFL career. Somebody in this group will likely see a substantial snap share this fall.

The 28-year-old Key just put together one of the best special-team seasons in franchise history, and should be the runaway favorite here for the job. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, even, said point-blank last year he’d be comfortable starting Key at safety in a pinch. But Denver also signed 2022 fifth-round pick Anderson in part to compete at depth safety, as a source told The Post in March. Skinner is a former sixth-round pick himself, and Scott is a mature seventh-round rookie who still has some clear developmental upside.

Key, Anderson and Skinner all bring considerable special-teams value, with no clear leg up from that standpoint on a roster spot. And in another interesting wrinkle, Jones is currently set to hit free agency in 2027; this year’s camp battle could prove an early audition for his starting job next season.

Under the radar: Skinner.

Joseph often deployed Skinner in late-game units to counteract desperation offensive situations last year, a move that theoretically made sense given the 6-foot-4 Skinner’s length. But a handful of late-game snaps against Philadelphia in Week 5 proved a complete and utter adventure, as Skinner was whistled for a costly pass-interference call that nearly gave the Eagles an opportunity for a game-winning score on their final offensive drive.

After another season as a primary special-teamer, though, Skinner revealed this offseason on his social media that he’d played the entire 2025 slate with a torn labrum and underwent surgery after the year. Upside still drips off his frame, and Skinner now enters the final year of his rookie contract in Denver. This could be the camp that he proves himself ready for an expanded defensive role in Joseph’s system.

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