These Undrafted Free Agents Have A Solid Shot To Crack Denver’s Stacked Roster
The Denver Broncos have a stacked roster with few open spots and roles, but don’t sleep on the Broncos ’ undrafted free agents. The Broncos have a solid reputation for finding genuine players among their UFAs, and Nick Kosmider of The Athletic ranked their chances of cracking the roster.
Taurean York, ILB, Texas A&M
As much as the Broncos love their vaunted linebacking corps, there’s a hole inside due to the age of Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad , and York as a solid chance to crack the depth chart, according to Kosmider. The Broncos will give Jonah Elliss the first shot as he slides inside, but York was a freshman All American in 2023, and he had 16.5 tackles for loss across two seasons. He’s undersized at just 5’10”, 226 pounds, but the production sticks out, so don’t discount the possibility of him making the cut.
“York’s below-average length and mediocre athleticism are limiting factors, but he is a good football player who anticipates, plays faster than the stopwatch and maximizes his potential with overachieving habits,” said draft expert Dane Brugler in his scouting report of York. “The obvious comparison is Ivan Pace , who has overcome his deficiencies to become a borderline NFL starter.”
Dasan McCullough , OLB, Nebraska
Yup, another linebacker. McCullough would fill the whole left by Elliss if the latter moves inside. He was the only free agent addition at linebacker, and he has ties to Payton via his father, Deland, who dates back to 1997 when Payton was quarterbacks coach with the Philadelphia Eagles . Dasan McCullough did have four sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss as a freshman at Indiana, so he’ll get a look based on that production.
Gavin Ortega, OL, Weber State
The Broncos have a history of adding UFAs to their offensive line as depth players, and the list includes Alex Palczewski and Frank Crum . That’s reason for optimism for Ortega, who became a second-team FCS All-American in 2025, and he has the versatility to play across the line as well.
Dane Key , WR, Nebraska
Key has family toes to Broncos safety and All-Pro special teams player Devon Key , but the reason he went undrafted is because he didn’t test all that well in the pre-draft process, according to Kosmider. He did provide production at both Nebraska and Kentucky, however, and he’s a larger receiver at 6’3”, 203 pounds who caught 19 touchdown passes during his time at the two schools.
