Sam Ehlinger, after spending time with the Colts and on the Broncos' practice squad, has re-signed with the Denver Broncos on a one-year deal. He showed promise in training camp and preseason, even being activated to the 53-man roster multiple times, and is reportedly close with the quarterback room and optimistic about the team's future. The question remains whether he can now push for the backup quarterback job
Ehlinger didn't see any action as the Broncos' emergency No. 3 quarterback in 2025, and he's now re-signed with the team on a one-year deal for 2026. As such, he can be expected to reprise a similar role behind Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham. Ehlinger is entering his age-28 season and last saw regular-season action with the Colts in 2023
The Denver Broncos began their first set of OTA practices this week, and today was their first practice session open to the media. As expected, starting quarterback Bo Nix did not participate after undergoing surgery on his broken ankle that he suffered during the Broncos ’ Divisional Round victory over the Buffalo Bills. He would later undergo a second follow-up procedure but was expected to be ready for the start of training camp. However, we learned today from Head Coach Sean Payton that Bo Nix is expected to be back and participate in two weeks during the Broncos’ minicamp practices. Reports indicated that Bo Nix would be ready “well ahead” of the start of training camp, and this news seems to confirm that. Nix has been throwing, per Payton, and media members noted that Nix was walking around without a brace or limp and looked fine, and was actively talking to the offensive players as well. After some offseason concern over Nix, it appears that he is nearing 100% and will be back on the practice field here in two short weeks. This is great news as it gets Nix some reps before the start of training camp, and he can work on his chemistry with the Broncos’ big offseason addition, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle . All eyes will be on his ankle and how he is looking out there, but all signs seem to point to his recovery going well, and we shouldn’t have to worry about his ankle moving forward. This is great news because the Broncos are Super Bowl or bust this season. They made it to the AFC Championship Game last season, and likely would have advanced to the Super Bowl if Nix were healthy. They need Nix healthy and performing at a high level if they want to reach their ultimate goal, and he will be tested early on due to a tough schedule. So, the earlier they can get Nix back and healthy, the better it will be for them moving forward. Until then, backups Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger will be the Broncos quarterbacks, and the two players could be competing for the Broncos backup quarterback position behind Nix. Stidham has been the Broncos backup the past few seasons, but they have also been impressed with Ehlinger, and he reportedly looked good today . So, this could be something to watch as we progress through the OTAs and minicamp and into training camp and the preseason
Our Denver Broncos will finally take the practice field next week for the first time since their disappointing AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots . This will be our first look at quarterback Bo Nix since he suffered a broken ankle in the Broncos’ thrilling Divisional Round overtime victory over the Bills and underwent surgery and a follow-up cleanup procedure. He isn’t expected to be a full participant, but we could see him out there in some capacity . This will also be the first time that we see wide receiver Jaylen Waddle practice as a member of the Broncos. The team acquired the explosive wide receiver in a blockbuster trade during the winter, and he is going to be a big part of this offense moving forward. We are going to see several intriguing roster battles kick off as well. Some notable ones will be the WR3 battle and Jahdae Barron vs. Riley Moss/McMillian at corner. It will be intriguing to see how that all shakes out. Finally, it will be our first look at the crop of rookies the Broncos selected during the 2026 NFL Draft. Tyler Onyedim, Jonah Coleman , Kage Casey, Justin Joly and the rest of the Broncos draft class will be taking part in their first true NFL practice of their careers. With the excitement building, I decided it could be a good time for a very early 53-man roster projection. We have a long way to go, but here is how I currently think the Denver Broncos 53-man roster will look come week one. Made the team: Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham With Bo expected to be 100% well before the start of training camp, I believe the Broncos will carry two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. Veteran Jarrett Stidham has been the backup, is getting paid backup money, and is trusted by head coach Sean Payton, so I believe he will be the guy once again. Sure, the AFC Championship Game sucked, but I think Stiddy will be QB2 once again this season. I would anticipate Ehlinger landing on the practice squad again. The team loves him, he loves being a Bronco, and I don’t see them breaking up that quarterback room. Could Ehlinger push Stiddy for that QB2 job? That’s possible, but we’ll see how it plays out moving forward Made the team: JK Dobbins, RJ Harvey , Jonah Coleman and Adam Prentice (FB) I see the Broncos keeping three backs on their 53-man roster, with Tyler Badie landing on the practice squad. Dobbins is your starter, Harvey is your pass catching/speed guy, while Coleman will factor in on short-yardage and goal-line plays. On paper, it’s a solid room and one we could see the Broncos lean on more this upcoming season. How the touches and carries get spread out remains to be seen, but I believe this will be the Broncos running back room heading into Week 1. Veteran fullback Adam Prentice also makes the team. There’s the possibility they have him on the practice squad early on to open up a roster spot for someone else, but that’s TBD right now. I have Badie on the practice squad simply because he is a trusted pass blocker on 3rd downs. Made the team: Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton , Troy Franklin , Marvin Mims , and Pat Bryant No real surprises here. These are the five locked into roster spots in my opinion, and I don’t see the Broncos trading anyone at this point. The question will be, who gets the WR3 job behind Waddle and Sutton? Franklin, Mims, and Bryant have all flashed potential and made some big plays, so it’ll be an interesting battle to watch throughout the summer. Made the team: Evan Engram , Adam Trautman , Justin Joly, Caleb Lohner , and Dallen Bentley Engram and Trautman are locked into their roles as main receiving and blocking tight ends, while Justin Joly is all but locked into a roster spot. The real question here is, who gets the final spot? Nate Adkins has been that guy, but re-signed on a vet minimum deal and has some competition for that spot. Rookie Dallen Bentley was a late 7th-rounder, so he’s far from locked in, but a strong camp/preseason could change that. Lucas [... truncated ...]
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