In June, Sean Payton delivered an emphatic message to reporters regarding a sardine-packed running back room: Don\u2019t count.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t try to figure out the club right now,\u201d the Broncos head coach said. \u201cIt\u2019s way too early.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was right. The fates of J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime and many others still had months to play out. This is the same head coach who touts the 2007 story of his New Orleans Saints drafting running back Antonio Pittman in the fourth round \u2014 and then cutting him for the undrafted Pierre Thomas, who eventually became a Saint staple.<\/p>\n
So, who\u2019s the next Thomas in Payton\u2019s camp? Or the next Devaughn Vele, who put himself in position for a strong rookie year after a standout summer in 2024<\/a>? Or even the next Frank Crum, who surprisingly made last year\u2019s Broncos roster<\/a> as an undrafted offensive tackle?<\/p>\n Here are five breakout candidates to keep an eye on \u2014 from the temporary bleachers<\/a> \u2014 in Broncos training camp.<\/p>\n Jonah Elliss, OLB<\/p>\n Elliss wants more and isn\u2019t afraid to say it<\/a>. Five sacks are nothing to scoff at \u2014 especially on a Broncos front with bodies galore. But after the 2024 third-round pick endured the natural maturation of \u201cfreaking out\u201d on rookie installs, as he self-described to The Denver Post this offseason, the game should slow down for him in his second season.<\/p>\n The key is improving his first step off the edge. And the Broncos will likely give him every opportunity to showcase that get-off in camp, with several in their core pass-rush group at a contract crossroads. Zach Allen needs a new deal. Nik Bonitto needs a new deal. John Franklin-Myers needs a new deal. It\u2019s a lot of wealth to allocate, and if the 22-year-old Elliss showcases noticeable growth, it could clear up some extension decision-making.<\/p>\n Troy Franklin, WR<\/p>\n Somebody in Denver\u2019s pass-catching room is going to get left out. Too many mouths to feed. Courtland Sutton and Evan Engram (technically a TE) will get their looks, and Marvin Mims Jr. will likely start at the Z. Devaughn Vele could catch a heap of passes this year. Rookie Pat Bryant could set himself up for immediate reps if he plays like he did in minicamp and OTAs.<\/p>\n Franklin, with an overlapping-ish skillset to Mims and an up-and-down rookie year, could be the odd man out. He could also set himself up for a massive second-year leap. Payton doesn\u2019t trade up willy-nilly,<\/a> and Franklin came into the offseason with an intriguing blend of added muscle and quick-twitch feet. Payton said he\u2019d had a \u201cnumber of explosive plays\u201d during OTAs.<\/p>\n He was Bo Nix\u2019s go-to guy at Oregon in 2023 for a reason. Franklin\u2019s in store for a pivotal camp.<\/p>\n Mario Goodrich, CB<\/p>\n In mid-June, the Broncos quietly signed Goodrich away from the UFL, their last technical free-agent move before camp. The 25-year-old has played a total of 110 snaps in his NFL career after going undrafted out of Clemson in 2023. Not an earth-shattering move.<\/p>\n But this isn\u2019t a simple camp body. Nobody Payton and George Paton bring in truly is. Broncos scout Ish Seisay first reached out in March to Birmingham Stallions general manager Paul Roell for a list of names to keep an eye on. Months later, after the UFL\u2019s 2025 season, the Broncos saw enough in Goodrich to bring him in for a tryout and sign him.<\/p>\n Goodrich played well in the UFL, and notably, he has a chunk of NFL tape under his belt as a slot corner. The majority of the Broncos\u2019 cornerbacks profile as outside corners. Goodrich could carve himself out a niche with a strong camp.<\/p>\n JL Skinner, S<\/p>\n Still pinned to Skinner\u2019s Twitter page is a post from 2023: \u201cPatience. Learn. Grow. When the time comes I\u2019ll be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s had to have plenty of patience and do plenty of growing, across a tough couple of seasons in Denver. A torn pec tanked the one-time Boise State standout\u2019s stock enough before the 2023 NFL draft to slide to the Broncos in the sixth round. A bid for more playing time in last year\u2019s offseason resulted in all of 19 defensive snaps.<\/p>\n Still, Skinner made himself into a key special teams standout, providing another clear path to an initial spot on the 53-man roster under new special teams coach Darren Rizzi. Signing Talanoa Hufanga made the Broncos\u2019 safety room more complicated, but Skinner still has a wealth of potential and the youth to show it off in camp.<\/p>\n Clay Webb, OL<\/p>\n The pedigree\u2019s all here. And if it shows up in the NFL, the Broncos could have a heck of a steal on their hands. Webb was once a promising Georgia offensive lineman with a higher ranking in the class of 2019 than Bo Nix<\/a>. After transferring from the SEC amid a federal bullying lawsuit<\/a>, Webb put together three strong years at Jacksonville State before entering the NFL draft.<\/p>\n He was widely projected as a Day 3 pick and projects as a center in the NFL, but he played primarily at guard in college. That\u2019s solid positional versatility in a crowded Broncos offensive line room. Denver did its homework on Webb before choosing to bring him in on a UDFA deal, and he\u2019ll have a shot to impress during camp.<\/p>\n