Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Three Denver Broncos veterans face uncertain futures after the team added seven late-round rookies in the 2026 NFL Draft.
- Each player must now battle new competition and health concerns to secure a spot on the roster this summer.
- The next three months will determine whether these veterans remain with the team or land elsewhere before the season opener.
The Denver Broncos chose to sit back and watch the first day and a half of the 2026 NFL Draft due to prior trades that left them without a first- or second-round pick. Still, the front office managed to select seven rookies in rounds four through seven who will be looking to prove their worth at mini-camp.
Don't let the late-round selection of these prospects deceive you. There have been many a gem who have emerged from the latter half of the draft to have fruitful NFL careers and Denver's front office felt these rookies were worth the capital.
The first goal will be getting acquainted with the team through mini-camp but once they merge with the veterans this summer, things start to get real. If you glance at the team's depth chart, you can already guess how valuable these rookies already are. That's bad news for these veterans who may need to find another gear to avoid being pushed out.
RB Jaleel McLaughlin
The 25-year-old from Youngstown State became a fantasy football flier for his first two seasons in the league, cobbling together a pair of 400+ yard campaigns. Last year, however, his usage took a major dip with the arrivals of J.K. Dobbins and rookie RJ Harvey. He managed just 187 yards and a single touchdown as the team's RB3 but now he's slipped further with former Washington Husky Jonah Coleman's selection in the fourth round (No. 108 overall).
Coleman was a 1,000-yard rusher in 2024, scoring 10 touchdowns for the Huskies as a bell cow. His usage was altered slightly last year, becoming more of a receiving back with over 1,100 all-purpose yards and 17 total touchdowns. McLaughlin only caught four balls all season for the Broncos which means his lack of versatility is a detriment to his cause. All Coleman has to do is remain healthy and adapt to Denver's system and he's easily the backup safety valve for QB Bo Nix over McLaughlin this year.
G Nick Gargiulo
The 2024 seventh-rounder out of South Carolina was already on thin ice entering this offseason after missing the entire 2025 campaign with a torn ACL suffered in the preseason. Denver's front office spent a valuable fourth-round pick (No. 111 overall) on Boise State tackle Kage Casey, presumably with the intent of making him a depth option or more with Gargiulo's health in question.
What this will ultimately come down to is durability and confidence. Gargiulo still has a questionable tag attached to him and sits behind not only Casey but also Alex Palczewski on the depth chart. Any kind of setback or limitations are going to immediately boost Casey's credentials to remain higher on that list and make Gargiulo a practice squad or, worse, a cut candidate.
DE Matt Henningsen
The 26-year-old Wisconsin product appears to be gathering dust on the Broncos' shelf as he hasn't recorded an in-game tackle since 2023. Henningsen, too, comes with a questionable tag after missing the 2025 season with a torn Achilles tendon. Denver selected Tyler Onyedim out of Texas A&M with its first pick of the draft (No. 66 overall) and he leaped over not only Henningsen but fifth-year veteran Jordan Jackson too on the depth chart.
Henningsen's one-year deal signed in March isn't an indication he's got job security by any means. Onyedim was selected for a reason and now the ball is, figuratively, in Henningsen's court. If he can't return to full strength by training camp, he may be joining Gargiulo on the practice squad or in free agency by the time Week 1 rolls around. That being said, experience always trumps youthfulness and that may be his only asset if Onyedim is struggling to adapt to the NFL system.
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