Broncos' undrafted wide receiver may have just made 53-man roster following big trade

Broncos' undrafted wide receiver may have just made 53-man roster following big trade originally appeared on The Sporting News

The Denver Broncos have a rich history of undrafted free agents becoming much more than just players who participate in training camp, and it appears that another one of those could soon add his name to that list. 

Courtney Jackson has had a terrific summer with the team and following the trade of Devaughn Vele to the New Orleans Saints, the door could be open for him to land a spot on the 53-man roster. The Broncos will likely keep six wide receivers and if Vele was going to be one of those, Jackson should be the next name up. 

The Broncos were encouraged to make the deal for Vele based largely on the emergence of Troy Franklin, but there is also a good chance that they don't want to let a guy like Jackson be exposed to the waiver wire. That could certainly have gone into the discussion to move Vele. 

Undrafted out of Arkansas State, Jackson was on my list of players the team must find a way to keep. He was seen as a player who could potentially aid the team in the return game, but he has shown flashes as a wide receiver in the preseason, catching four passes for 41 yards in two games. He has returned one kickoff for 28 yards and five punt returns for 74 yards. But it's clear that with the ball in his hands, he can make something happen. 

Broncos UDFA Courtney Jackson was FLYING 💨

He reached a top speed of 20.86 MPH on this 30-yard run, per @NextGenStats

Watch live out-of-market games on #NFLPlus
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— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) August 17, 2025

The Broncos will now have the opportunity to just keep him outright rather than cut him and hope he clears waivers so that he can be added to the practice squad. There may be an argument to keep Joaquin Davis on the roster instead, as the 6-foot-4 target has great size, but he hasn't shown as much as Jackson this summer. 

READ:Broncos predicted to cut productive third-year running back

Either way, the Broncos have some fantastic options to build the team they want for 2025 and trading away last year's third-leading receiver is proof of that. 

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