3 Broncos Veterans Fighting for Their Jobs After 2022 NFL Draft

The Denver Broncos traded most of their top trop picks to the Seattle Seahawks when they acquired Russell Wilson earlier this offseason. Still, that didn't stop the organization from leaving last week's 2022 NFL Draft with a decent haul.

Training camps will be starting up before fans know it, giving the Broncos' rookies their first crack at an NFL role. On the other hand, the team also has a handful of veterans who will be looking to lock down their own respective spots, especially if they underachieved in 2021.

Here's a look at three Broncos veterans fighting for their jobs after the 2022 NFL Draft.

Denver Broncos Roster Rumors

1. K.J. Hamler, WR

K.J. Hamler was expected to play a bigger role in the Broncos' offense last season but missed the majority of the year after tearing his ACL in Week 3. While he's expected to make a full recovery, that doesn't mean his role is guaranteed. First of all, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton already make it tough for Hamler to be targeted as is. The Broncos also still have Travis Fulgham under contract and also drafted Montrell Washington in the sixth round this year after his promising season at Samford. Hamler must prove that he's healthy and can contribute as soon as camp begins because his job likely depends on it.

2. Malik Reed, OLB

Malik Reed has improved with each passing year since joining the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2019. Even though he started 13 games last year while seeing 81% of defensive snaps, his job might not be that secure after Denver drafted Nik Bonitto with the final pick of Round 2. Bonitto is an exciting rookie with a good motor and high potential that should challenge for a job at training camp. Considering how Reed missed a career-high 10.4% of his tackles last season, the door may be open enough for the 22-year-old rookie to challenge for his job. Reed isn't in danger of being cut, but his playing time could be shortened if he doesn't step up.

3. Mike Purcell, DT

Mike Purcell is another player that's looked great at times, but injuries have limited his ceiling lately. Purcell has missed 14 games over the last three seasons, causing his performance to decline as he enters his 30s. Adding that to the fact that the Broncos could save $3.5 million by cutting him and it's easy to see why he might be fighting for his job. To make matters worse for Purcell, Denver just drafted Iowa State DT Eyioma Uwazurike, who has solid athleticism to match his 6-foot-6, 316-pound frame. Unless Purcell proves that he isn't declining and is capable of being healthy, his time with the Broncos could be over sooner than later.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.