3 Broncos playing their way off the roster after preseason Week 2

The Denver Broncos are prepared to enter their second season with head coach Sean Payton as the head coach. After last year, Payton has molded the team in his image, notably moving on from Russell Wilson and using a first-round pick on Oregon quarterback Bo Nix to effectively replace him.

On Sunday, in Denver's second preseason game, Payton gave Nix the start against the Green Bay Packers. This game was all Broncos, as they picked up a dominant 27-2 win over the Packers, who looked like a disaster in all facets of the game.

Nix shined with his first start, completing eight-of-nine pass attempts for 80 yards and a touchdown. In fact, Nix could have had another touchdown pass, had he not crossed the line of scrimmage on a throw.

It was an all-around great game for the Broncos. But there are only so many spots on the roster. So, some players could lose out.

With the second preseason game in the books, here are three players who may have played their way off the roster.

3. Samaje Perine, RB

The Denver Broncos have a crowded running back room, much like their wide receiver depth chart. The team has Javonte Williams leading the way, and has shown why the team would be foolish to even consider trading him. Williams made the most of his carries, picking up 17 yards on three attempts.

But, the question remains how the rest of the depth chart will look like heading into the 53-man roster. Veteran Samaje Perine may be the odd man out.

Perine has been with the Broncos since last season but has been a reliable journeyman since arriving in the NFL in 2017. Last year in Denver, Perine ran for 238 yards and one touchdown on 53 carries, while catching 50-of-56 targets for 455 yards.

The thing is, the Broncos used a Day 3 draft pick on bruising running back Audric Estime out of Notre Dame. Not to mention, they have second-year back Jaleel McLaughlin.

On Sunday, Perine picked up 16 rushing yards...on five carries. That's just 3.2 yards per carry, the lowest among all running backs in the game. Not to mention, McLaughlin was used more on passing down situations than Perine, as Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke points out.

Based on the entire preseason, including Sunday, Perine could very well be on the way out, with Payton leaning towards a running back room of Williams, Estime, and McLaughlin.

2. Will Sherman, G

If there was one player who stood out for all the wrong reasons, it was offensive guard Will Sherman. Sherman has been with the Broncos since 2022, after spending his rookie season with the New England Patriots. But, Sherman hasn't played a single snap in the regular season.

On Sunday, Sherman had a game to forget. The Broncos were on the verge of a shutout, as the Packers weren't able to do anything on offense. But Sherman gave the Packers a gift.

In the third quarter, deep in their own territory, quarterback Zach Wilson hiked the football and rolled backward to prepare for a throw downfield. Packers defensive lineman Zach Morton met Wilson in the end zone to pick up the safety. The problem with this is, Morton would have never gotten to Wilson had Sherman not whiffed on the block.

Not a great outing for Sherman, who was looking to earn a spot as a reserve lineman.

1. Zach Wilson, QB

This is not to say that Zach Wilson was awful. Rather, this had more to do with how Nix and Jarrett Stidham played on Sunday night.

As mentioned earlier, Nix led the Broncos to two scoring drives. Stidham, who was listed as the QB1 on the depth chart, played pretty well also. Look no further than his angry touchdown run into the end zone to extend Denver's lead to 17-0. Stidham completed 7-of-11 pass attempts for 65 yards and threw one interception. Granted, the interception wasn't his fault, due in part to the throw getting batted up into the air at the line of scrimmage.

Wilson, meanwhile, didn't make the most of his limited opportunities late in the game. Wilson completed two-of-six throws for 29 yards and a late touchdown on a screen pass to running back Tyler Badie.

Wilson didn't do much to climb up the quarterback depth chart. Nix has essentially secured the starting job, with Stidham doing enough to stay on as a backup. This isn't to say the Broncos will release Wilson. However, with J.J. McCarthy already being ruled out for the season, maybe a team gives the Broncos a call about Wilson to further secure their depth at the quarterback position.