After an impressive showing against the San Francisco 49ers in their preseason opener, the Denver Broncos will host the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night in the second game of the preseason.
The Broncos have announced that they will not play any starters in this game, which means a heavy focus will be placed on some of the guys on the back of the roster looking to prove they belong on the final 53-man roster.
Several players should be worried about their status heading into this game, and the time is now for them to do something to stand out and show that they still belong. We will highlight four of those players here.
Broncos players who should be worried about roster status ahead of preseason game No. 2
Audric Estime, RB
Audric Estime needs to get going, or his career with the Broncos is going to be a short one. Last week against the 49ers, he was given the most carries (8) but averaged only 2.6 yards per attempt. Tyler Badie and Blake Watson both had more pop and ran with more purpose.
Estime is still a young player, but as a fifth-round pick last year, it's likely he won't clear waivers if the Broncos cut him, meaning a spot on the practice squad could be out of the question. If Badie and Watson outperform him against Arizona, his clock could be ticking.
Eyioma Uwazurike, DL
The season-ending injury suffered by Matt Henningsen makes Eyioma Uwazurike's path to the 53-man roster much clearer, but there's no guarantee he gets there.
Assuming the Broncos keep six defensive linemen, Zach Allen, D.J. Jones and John Franklin-Myers will be three of them. Third-round pick Sai'vion Jones is a lock to make the roster and Malcolm Roach probably is too. That means the final spot could come down to either Uwazurike or Jordan Jackson, and one of those players will be cut.
Damarri Mathis, CB
The Broncos appear to be deeper at cornerback than most people thought, and those people already knew the position was deep.
Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss and Jahdae Barron are going to make this team. I don't know how you cut Ja'Quan McMillian, and then the fast-rising Kris Abrams-Draine is there as well. There simply doesn't seem to be a spot for Damarri Mathis, who is a player the Broncos should look to trade.
Nate Adkins, TE
Following the announcement of a sprained ankle that led to "tightrope" surgery, it appears that Nate Adkins will miss the start of the season and could even be placed on injured reserve, requiring him to miss the first four games.
That likely means that Evan Engram, Adam Trautman and Lucas Krull will be on the roster in Week 1. Krull may not have made the team had Adkins been healthy, and Adkins could also be bounced from the roster by Michael Burton at fullback.
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Though the Broncos probably wouldn't just release Adkins if he were placed on IR, they could choose to keep him there for the entire season if they are happy with the other tight ends on the roster.
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