Keidron Smith surprised and made the final 53-man roster for the Denver Broncos in 2024. Will he be able to find a way to do so again this season?
The Denver Broncos had one of the strongest secondaries in the National Football League in 2024.
This offseason, they added to that strength via a mixture of signings in free agency, the 2025 NFL Draft, and several undrafted players. Without question, the training camp battles for the backup spots on the roster on the backend of the team’s defense will be some of the most competitive.
Last year, former Kentucky Wildcat and Ole Miss Rebel defensive back Keidron Smith surprised and initially made the Broncos’ final 53-man roster after an impressive training camp and preseason. He spent nine games on the active roster and recorded a significant amount of special team’s snaps. However, he was waived and placed on the practice squad in the lead up to last year’s trade deadline.
Will Smith be able to reclaim a spot on this year’s roster after being waived midseason and assigned to the practice squad in ‘24? Let’s discuss.
Keidron Smith with his 2nd INT of the preseason for the @Broncos!
: #GBvsDEN on @NFLNetwork
: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/triUCsduhj— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2024
Player Profile
Age: 25 | Experience: 3 | School: Kentucky (via Ole Miss) | Height: 6’2” | Weight: 210 pounds
Bench Press: 14 reps | Arm Length: 31-1/4” | Vertical Jump: 36 inches | Broad: 10’6”
40-yard dash: 4.61 seconds | 10-Yard Split: 1.82 seconds | 3-Cone: 7.19 seconds
Keidron Smith’s 2025 outlook with the Broncos
Smith went undrafted during the 2023 NFL Draft and spent time with the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders as a practice squad player that season. A cornerback with 41 career starters between Kentucky and Ole Miss, Smith has impressive size and length but lacks the speed to stick out on the boundary in the NFL.
He was an extremely productive college player that had good ball skills and did a good job holding his own at cornerback. However, he had average testing results, and his lack of long-speed led to a transition to safety. Nevertheless, he was able to showcase his ball skills over camp and the preseason and was able to pick off a few passes and make the team last season.
He only played a few defensive snaps last year but played 50-percent of the team’s special team’s snaps in the nine games he was on the active roster. In order to make the team this year, Smith will have to stand out in that phase and show he picked up more of Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph’s playbook to earn a spot on the roster.
Final Thoughts
The Broncos sport a lot of depth and competition at the safety position. The team carried six cornerbacks and five safeties on the initial final 53-man roster in 2024. As of now, the team has eight safeties battling for presumptively five spots.
Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, and P.J. Locke are the three players I feel are the safe locks for the roster. That leaves five players fighting for two spots. As mentioned above, standing out on special teams and making the most of his time in defensive reps during the preseason will be paramount in order to make the team. If he can do that, he should have a good shot to make the roster, but at the very least would be a quality addition to the practice squad.