The Denver Broncos will open their 2025 preseason schedule on Saturday night against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. The teams participated in a joint practice on Thursday.
Sean Payton does intend to play starters in this game, though it likely won't be for long. So while fans will be excited to see Bo Nix under center as well as all of the other top players on the roster, that's not what the preseason is for. Instead, it's about finding out which players can earn the last few spots on the 53-man roster.
Once the thrill of live football being back wears off and the starters take their helmets off after a series or two, here are some players on the Broncos' roster who have a chance to make a big impression in this game.
Joaquin Davis, WR
Joaquin Davis is a big-bodied wide receiver who has looked good for the team this summer. The undrafted player out of North Carolina Central is 6-foot-4 and has an outside chance to steal a roster spot with a strong preseason. Even if he doesn't, he will be one of the top inclusions on the team's practice squad with a chance to develop into a future option.
Courtney Jackson, WR
Another undrafted player, Courtney Jackson, had an excellent week of camp and is firmly on the team's radar as a guy with a chance to make the team. He could get a chance to return some kicks and punts in this one and that might be his biggest strength.
Caleb Lohner, TE
Caleb Lohner might be Broncos Country's top under-the-radar player on the roster. The seventh-round pick played basketball predominantly in college, but fans remember what Payton did with Jimmy Graham in New Orleans.
Broncos HC Sean Payton seems pretty high on 7th round TE Caleb Lohner 👀pic.twitter.com/45S99jDDBu
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) May 12, 2025
Undrafted Linebackers
The Broncos have already seen Dre Greenlaw, Alex Singleton and Drew Sanders miss time in camp and though the injuries to Greenlaw and Singleton appear to be minor, the Broncos need players to step up at the inside linebacker position.
Levelle Bailey is making his case for a roster spot and Justin Strnad is still on the roster, but in this game, the undrafted trio of Karene Reid, JB Brown and Jordan Turner need to make some plays.
READ: Former Sean Payton weapon could fall right into Broncos' lap
Jeremy Crawshaw, Punter
The Broncos took Jeremy Crawshaw out of Florida in the sixth round of this year's draft and promptly parted ways with veteran punter Matt Haack. The team is completely sold on him as the punter of the future. Fans who have attended training camp have seen how good he looks, and now, it's time for him to put that out to a bigger audience.
The Broncos and 49ers are scheduled for kickoff at 6:30 pm MT. Fans can tune into the game locally on 9News or they can stream the game on NFL+.
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