The Denver Broncos are back on the field today for the second week of organized team activities. This morning we’ll take a look at three players flying under the radar so far in the offseason program.

Three Denver Broncos flying under the radar on defense at OTAs

As OTAs kicked off last week, we focused plenty on players like Patrick Surtain II, newcomer Talanoa Hufanga, Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen and others, but it’s also important to focus on some players who are flying under the radar.

Kris Abrams-Draine

The Denver Broncos second-year cornerback out of Mizzou isn’t being talked about enough right now because of the overall depth of the team’s position room. With Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss, Jahdae Barron, and Ja’Quan McMillian have been the primary names talked about at corner, but Kris Abrams-Draine deserves more run.

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During Thursday’s OTA practice last week, Abrams-Draine easily stood out when he was on the field. He’s a player the Broncos know can excel in press man coverage and off-ball man coverage, as well as zone coverage, and he had a pass breakup during one of the team’s competitive periods last week.

He shined in the overall small sample size we saw from him during his rookie season, including intercepting Justin Herbert on Thursday Night Football late in the season where the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback hadn’t been intercepted much all season long.

Abrams-Draine has picked things up quickly, it seems, in his second season compared to where he was last year, trying to learn the ins and outs of the defensive playbook. It’s easy to see that he’s not thinking much and is going out there and playing loose on the practice field.

He’ll be in line to play as a core four special teams player this season, but has already proven he can have an impact if his number gets called in the regular season.

Delarrin Turner-Yell

Even though the Denver Broncos safety room is loaded with depth, Delarrin Turner-Yell arguably has the biggest chip on his shoulder after missing last season with an ACL injury. He was cleared to return midway through last season and the team opened up his practice window, but due to roster constraints they didn’t activate him after three straight weeks of practice, which sent him back to IR for the remainder of the year.

While Turner-Yell was disappointed in the decision, he put his head down and continued to grind throughout the year, leading into the offseason this year. We got our first look at him this past Thursday at OTAs where he fully participated in individual and team drills.

Even though he’ll compete with players like Devon Key, Tanner McCalister, Keidron Smith, Sam Franklin Jr., and JL Skinner, Turner-Yell could make his strongest case for a roster spot by shining on special teams once again. His ACL injury initially occurred late during the 2023 season against the Chargers running down on punt coverage.

He has a chance to build relationship equity with new special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi this offseason. The veteran safety looks comfortable on the field after the year or so layoff he experienced.

Keep an eye on him this offseason.

Levelle Bailey

The Denver Broncos linebacker room has a lot of younger bodies behind Alex Singleton, Dre Greenlaw, and Justin Strnad, and Levelle Bailey is one name that hasn’t been talked about as much.

Despite playing only five defensive snaps in 2024, Bailey played over 52% of the team’s special teams snaps last season in just 10 games of action and accumulated nine total tackles. For a player contributing on special teams, that type of production is impressive considering his overall sample size.

Bailey was a name Payton mentioned last offseason during minicamp as somebody who had stood out. His performance in the preseason helped secure him a spot on the 53-man roster last season, and he also spent ample time developing on the practice squad during the regular season after clearing waivers.

He’ll be competing with others like Karene Reid, JB Brown, and Jordan Turner for reps and potentially a roster spot this year as the team looks to solidify their depth at the position.