Denver’s IR slate shortens to six after Kristian Williams’ injury settlement, freeing him to join another club. Malcolm Roach and Drew Sanders land on short-term IR, with Week 5 return eligibility if healthy; four others remain on season-ending IR. The Broncos head to Indianapolis as slight Week 2 favorites, navigating roster churn while hoping Roach/Sanders backfill depth later this season.

Two IR moves (Williams off IR, Burton/Gargiulo/Walker/Henningsen still out) compress roster flexibility but could unlock reserve opportunities. Week 1 win over Titans provides a positive note as the team readies for a Colts matchup that could shape early-season defensive identity and fantasy plays.

Denver carries a 53-man roster with a 17-player practice squad for 2025, but six players sit on injured reserve — Kristian Williams, Michael Burton, Nick Gargiulo, Johnny Walker, Matt Henningsen (season-ending) and Drew Sanders (short-term) — reshaping the front seven and backfield to start the season. The Broncos host Tennessee in Week 1, and Sanders’ four-game return window will be a key factor in early defensive depth. Expect immediate shifts in run defense and pass rush as Denver leans on reserves and multiplayers roles at RB/TE.

Week 1 will test Denver’s depth as Titans come to town with a balanced attack. The IR crop highlights how quickly Denver can retool and who emerges in front of the crowd, while fantasy managers gauge early-season upside for Denver defenders and backfield role players amid arrival of reinforcements and potential injury settlements as the season unfolds.

Denver waived seventh-round tight end Caleb Lohner in a late-day move that hints at a stealth path back to the Broncos’ practice squad rather than a clean cut for a 2025 draftee. Payton’s Jimmy Graham comparison and Lohner’s Utah red-zone track record keep the door ajar for a return, despite rough prep and blocking lapses. If unclaimed, Denver is poised to re-sign him and continue the developmental arc that at least hinted at high upside coming out of college.

Denver's 90-man preseason roster is set after a week of moves: Gargiulo to injured reserve, Prentice signed at fullback, Dwumfour added on the defensive line, Brown waived, and Vele traded to the Saints. Week 3 game prep and looming 53-man cuts shape how depth talent will be valued.

From a fantasy lens, Prentice could surface in red-zone and goal-line sets, Dwumfour may chip in as interior pressure, and Vele's exit could open targets for Sutton and Mims with Perry and Jackson vying for snaps. The Saints gain a speedy addition, while Denver tightens its depth ahead of the season’s start.

Denver cut Gregory Junior from IR after an injury settlement, freeing a roster spot for a cornerback depth shake-up as the 53-man roster looms. Junior, 26, signed Aug. 5 and reinjured a hamstring four days later in a joint workout with the Cardinals, ending his Broncos run on IR with a settlement that allows him to sign elsewhere. Denver still has three season-ending IR players—Johnny Walker, Matt Henningsen and Nick Gargiulo—keeping depth thin at the start of roster construction. When Denver clears the 53, two players can return from short-term IR after four games, with Micahel Burton and Drew Sanders possible candidates. The Cardinals are noted only as a practice partner in the hamstring setback, a reminder of cross-team logistics in early-season injury management. For fantasy and betting, this is a vanilla personnel move with limited immediate DI/IDP impact, but it creates a potential waiver wire pivot if Denver upgrades at CB or if the IR returns shift the depth chart.