Practice Squad Players Who Could Land on Broncos’ Active Roster

The 32 practice squads of the NFL are more than just extra players who are waiting for a chance to get on their teams’ active rosters. It’s a weekly audition of sorts. The Denver Broncos’ 2025 practice squad, much like previous years, is a combination of veterans, reclamation projects, and eager rookies, all with aspirations of getting that active roster call-up. Like death and taxes, injuries are certainties in the NFL, meaning a few of these individuals are likely to suit up for spot duty this season.

Which practice squad members are most likely to get elevated to the active roster? Let the speculations begin.

This one is a 50/50 proposition. Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham are the only 2 quarterbacks on the active roster. The emergency QB3 waiting in the wings is Sam Ehlinger, who reportedly turned down several offers to join other teams’ active rosters.

Ehlinger would be the next man up should Nix or Stidham miss time. Make no mistake, he’s not just a fill-in; he’s played in 31 NFL regular-season games and has proven that he has enough mojo to engineer scoring drives. It’s not a sure bet, but don’t be surprised if Ehlinger gets elevated once or twice before the end of the calendar year.

The one thing that’s making the coaching staff lose sleep is the team’s depth at tight end. Greg Dulcich has yet to play a full season due to injuries, and Lucas Krull is still a work in progress. Enter Caleb Lohner, one of the more intriguing developmental projects on the practice squad.

Lohner was a two-sport collegiate athlete. Basketball at BYU and Baylor; Football at Utah. Being a relative novice in high-level organized football, he’s raw and skillfully underdeveloped. At 6′-7”, the athletic upside is off the charts. He can potentially give the Broncos a huge receiving target in red zone, short-yardage, and goal-line situations. If Dulcich remains injury-prone, expect Sean Payton to elevate Lohner and deploy him in the above-mentioned situations.

Speaking of injury-prone, the cornerback position is at the top of that list in football. The Broncos’ depth has a few question marks, and that’s why Quinton Newsome‘s name is circled in red ink. As things stand, the former Nebraska stalwart is slotted right behind Pat Surtain II. Long, physical, and able to hold his own in press coverage, Newsome is the perfect backup CB.

He won’t be playing too many downs at first, but Newsome is pretty much a lock for special teams snaps. Injuries to every team’s secondaries are all but inevitable, so it’s safe to bet on him seeing gameday playing time.

NFL defensive lines need wide bodies to plug and clog up running lanes. Jordan Miller is a picture-perfect example of that type of prototypical player. A 6′-4”, 320-pound nose tackle; he’s going to disrupt interiors simply by occupying space.

In games where the Broncos will face run-heavy offenses like Las Vegas or Pittsburgh, they’re going to need extra meat. Miller could get called up for depth purposes. Of course, his getting elevated to the active roster won’t be anything to write home about, but he’s certainly more than capable of eating up snaps in spot duty.

A sure-fire way for practice squad players to get noticed is to excel in special teams. Levelle Bailey, an undrafted free agent linebacker from the 2024 class, checks that box. He’s quick, has a high football IQ, and is instinctive. Traits that were fully on display this preseason.

The Broncos’ depth at inside LB is somewhat unclear, so it’s a strong possibility that Bailey finds himself active on Sundays both as a backup and a special teamer.

Future members of a team’s core are groomed within its practice squad, the not-so-secret part of an NFL roster. Sam Ehlinger, Caleb Lohner, Quinton Newsome, Jordan Miller, and Levelle Bailey are the likeliest to earn call-ups during the grind of the long 17-game season. If history repeats itself, at least one of these players will end up playing a key role down the stretch.