Woody Paige: Broncos prepare for Invasion of the Rookies

By Woody Paige July 12, 2025 | updated 2 weeks ago

Guess who’s coming to Denver Wednesday?

Rookies galore.

An aggregate of 23 first-year players is anticipated to report to Dove Valley (or whatever name a sponsor labels the Broncos’ complex under construction this year). They are coming from colleges in 16 different states (but not Colorado) and play 13 different positions – when you include a punter from Australia by way of Florida.

They’ll show the Broncos what they got, although two might be no-shows the first day of practice Thursday. First-round draft pick cornerback Jahdae Barron and second-round choice running back RJ Harvey still are unsigned at this moment. But the franchise will get it done before the training camp commences.

The Oh J’s will be wild – from Jahdae to RJ, JB, Jeremy, Joaquin, Jackson, Jones, Joe, Jerjuan, Joshua, Jaden, Jordan to Johnny Walker Jr. – who is an outside linebacker, not a drink of Scotch.

They will be joining the old J’s returning to the roster and the other J-Men who jumped to the Broncos – from J.K. Dobbins to D.J., JL, another Jackson and three other Joneses, Jaleel, Ja’Quan, Justin, Jonathan, John, Justin and Jarett.

Jiminy Cricket! I haven’t witnessed so many J’s, but not one Jay, in July at the previous 52 NFL training camps I’ve covered as a journeyman journalist.

How many of these J’s will start for the Broncos, be selected to the 53-man roster or chosen for the 16 spots on the practice (Uber) squad?

Sign Up For Free:

let pathVariable;
let pathVariable2;

function handleUrlPathSegment() {

console.log(`Current path: ${fullPath}`);
console.log(`Path variable set to: ${pathVariable}`);
console.log(`Path variable 2 set to: ${pathVariable2}`);

applyNewsletterName(pathVariable2);

return { pathVariable, pathVariable2 };
}

function applyNewsletterName(newsletterName) {

if (document.readyState === ‘loading’) {
document.addEventListener(‘DOMContentLoaded’, function() {
updateNewsletterElement(newsletterName);
});
} else {

updateNewsletterElement(newsletterName);
}
}

function updateNewsletterElement(newsletterName) {
const newsletterElement = document.getElementById(‘newsletterName’);

if (newsletterElement) {
newsletterElement.textContent = newsletterName;
console.log(`Updated #newsletterName element with: ${newsletterName}`);
} else {
console.warn(‘Element with ID #newsletterName not found in the DOM’);
}
}

function setupFormSubmitListener() {
function getFormattedDate() {
const now = new Date();

const timestamp = now.getTime();

console.log(‘chris: Using Unix timestamp’);
console.log(‘chris: Current time:’, now);
console.log(‘chris: Unix timestamp (ms):’, timestamp);

return timestamp;
}

const formattedDate = getFormattedDate();
var profile = window.blueConicClient.profile.getProfile();
profile.setValues(‘newsletter_category’, pathVariable);
profile.setValue(‘newsletter_signup_date’, formattedDate);
window.blueConicClient.profile.updateProfile(this, function() {
});
}

handleUrlPathSegment();
setupFormSubmitListener();

Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

View all of our newsletters.

function subscribeSuccess() {
var nsltrform = document.querySelector(“#nsltr”);
var nsltrSuccess = document.querySelector(“#successnsltr”);

nsltrform.classList.add(“hideblock”);
nsltrSuccess.classList.remove(“hideblock”);
}

function validateEmailAddress() {
const result = document.querySelector(“#result”);
const email = document.querySelector(“#email”).value;

result.innerText = “”;

if(validateEmail(email)) {
newsletterSubscribe(email);
} else {
result.innerText = ‘The email entered: ‘ + email + ‘ is not valid :(‘;
result.style.color = “red”;
}
return false;
}

function newsletterSubscribe(email) {
fetch(“https://services.gazette.com/mg2-newsletters.php?action=subscribe&site=denvergazette.com&emailPreferenceId=59&email=” + email, {
method: “POST”
}).then(res => {
console.log(“SUCCESSFUL POST”);
subscribeSuccess();
});

}

#nsltr {
min-width: 100%;
margin: 10px 0;
padding: 10px 20px;
background-color: #2076b3;

background-image: url(https://static.gazette.com/emails/circ/Audience%20Images/pp5%20signup%203.png);
background-size: cover;

}

#nsltr-header {
color: #fff4f4;
}
#nsltr-body {
text-align: center;
color: #ffffff;
}
#nsltr-button {
margin-top: 5px;
}
#successnsltr {
min-width: 100%;
margin: 10px 0;
padding: 10px 20px;
background-color: green;
text-align: center;
color: white;
}

#successnsltr a {
color: white;
}

.hideblock {
display:none;
}

h6 a {
color: black;
text-decoration: none;
padding: 5px;
background-color: #bbccdd;
font-weight: 600;
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
#nsltr {
background-image: url(https://static.gazette.com/emails/circ/Audience%20Images/pp5%20signup%203.png);
background-size: cover;
}
}

Well, there is a new “Joker” (not to be confused with the real “Joker” in this town) who will arrive with the 67 veterans in nine days. His real name is Evan Engram, and coach Sean Payton wants him to be a Jack-of-many-trades – tight end, blocker, third-down receiver, big play guy, touchdown catcher and team leader.

J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin will make the final roster, along with Audric “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” Estime, and compete for who runs more often and for most yardage.

It seems as if the Broncos’ offensive staff has assembled two dozen wide receivers, but, in reality, only 10 candidates are in camp, although a few others could join the fray before the regular season.

Who, though, will be this year’s Bob Swenson or Joe Rizzo (two of the Four Horsemen linebackers in the Orange Crush defense), Rod Smith or Steve Watson (two of the team’s best wide receivers in history), cornerback Chris Harris Jr. or linebacker Shaquil Barrett, Phillip Lindsay or McLaughlin, Wesley Woodyard or Gene Mingo? All were undrafted free agents who made the team.

I have three possible prospects to be on the roster, or certainly with the practice squaders. Xavier Truss, who is 6-foot-7 and weighs 320 pounds, played all four guard and tackle positions at the University of Georgia. The X-Man is a keeper as a backup versatile offensive lineman. Johnny Walker Jr. could be the latest solid outside linebacker the Broncos discover off the discarded undrafted list, and he would be a special teams player with Joaquin Davis out of North Carolina Central. Payton loves him some big wide receivers, and Davis is 6-4 with speed (4.36). He needs to learn route running and kickoff gunning.

Not many Broncos Backers will be able to see 13 workout sessions this year because of the massive building project at the franchise’s headquarters. Only 800 seats from a unique perspective were long gone on the first day of availability. So reactions to the almost two dozen rookies, including the seven draft picks, and 67 veterans will be restricted for most of the faithful to the three Saturday exhibitions on TV or in person. The Broncos will play the 49ers in the stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., where they won their last Super Bowl 10 seasons ago, at home against the Cardinals and in another New Orleans homecoming for the Broncos’ former Saints coach for a rare afternoon game.

Broncos unrestricted free agent additions linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga, who may have left their hearts in San Francisco to move to Denver, probably won’t play, and Dobbins and Engram will not appear beyond a quarter or at all. New third-string quarterback Sam Ehlinger, behind Jarrett Stidham, will experience his first action with the Broncos in those three before the regular season opener.

Soon, Sunday September Seventh.

4939c48d-42d1-5d2f-9f45-e50fb0176548

Woody Paige: Broncos prepare for Invasion of the Rookies

Sign Up For Free:

Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

Featured Local Savings

Woody Paige: Saying goodbye to ‘Around the Horn’ after 23 years — and remembering how it all began

Woody Paige: Holmes, Watson and Jones head up myriad of offseason moves for Nuggets