With roster cuts coming up, the Denver Broncos will have some tough decisions to make as they try to formulate the best 53-man roster possible for the regular season grind that’s ahead. One of those decisions could dictate whether or not Keidron Smith makes the roster after an impressive offseason.

Denver Broncos DC Vance Joseph discusses Keidron Smith and his versatility

Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos have gambled big time on their young safety depth this offseason. Denver was forced to move on from veteran Justin Simmons, who just signed with the Atlanta Falcons, and Caden Sterns who has proven to be a playmaker when healthy.

That’s left P.J. Locke, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, JL Skinner, Tanner McCalister and Smith as the safety options on the team. Locke and Jones have the most experience, and behind them there’s a lot of development that’s taken place or is still ongoing.

Smith has emerged as an exciting young player at the safety position, snagging two interceptions in Denver’s first two preseason games. On top of his contributions on defense, he’s made plays on special teams as well.

One reason his stock has elevated more is his ability to play multiple positions — cornerback, nickel, and safety. He’s got the ability to do all of those, which adds more value to Denver’s secondary and could ultimately influence personnel decisions.

“We have a lot of young guys playing well, and he’s one of them,” Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. “He’s had two good weeks. He’s a guy that’s played some corner, nickel, and safety for us. He has the traits that we like. He gets to the ball, he has man cover skills, he can blitz, he can tackle. That’s been impressive, watching him tackle and make calls. It’s his first time playing safety at a full-time appointment, so he’s tackling, he’s making plays. He can surely cover, so that’s a skill set that you want so that guys can get the balls in the back end.”

He’ll get the chance to play a large number of snaps this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals in the team’s home preseason finale, and I’d argue he has a chance to move ahead of JL Skinner on the depth chart because of his consistency of making plays.

With veteran safety Brandon Jones recovering from a hamstring injury that the team is hoping doesn’t linger, their safety depth should be a larger and longer conversation when final personnel meetings occur before Tuesday’s roster cuts.