ENGLEWOOD, Colo — When trying to project which of the undrafted rookies will carry on Broncos tradition by making their season-opening roster, start by following the money.
After selecting seven players from their 2024 NFL Draft over the weekend, the Broncos quickly reached agreements with 13 undrafted college free agents Saturday evening.
All get various signing bonuses and/or partial salary guarantees. Generally speaking, the greater the signing bonus and guarantee, the more the team thinks of a player. From the Broncos’ undrafted list confirmed by 9NEWS, the players who got the most money were Memphis running back Blake Watson and Wyoming offensive tackle Frank Crum.
Watson and Crum each received a $25,000 signing bonus and $250,000 in guaranteed salary for a total guarantee of $275,000 that is among the best among the NFL’s undrafted players this year, sources told 9NEWS.
The 5-foot-9, 189-pound Watson rushed for a combined 2,030 yards in his final two seasons at Old Dominion in 2021-2022, then transferred to Memphis where in 2023 he rushed for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns and added 53 catches for 480 yards and three touchdowns.
Crum surprisingly went undrafted as he’s 6-foot-8, 313 pounds and ran an impressive 4.94-second time in the 40. He played in 56 games over five seasons for the Cowboys and was a first-team All-Mountain West Conference left tackle last season.
The Broncos’ undrafted group also included two players from Nebraska’s secondary, safety Omar Brown and cornerback Quinton Newsome, and Air Force linebacker Alec Mock. Colorado School of Mines quarterback John Matocha is getting a Broncos’ rookie minicamp tryout.
The Broncos are also high on Fresno State inside linebacker Levelle Bailey and SMU defensive tackle Jordan Miller.
An undrafted rookie has made the Broncos’ season-opening roster in 19 of the past 20 seasons. Four undrafted rookies made the Broncos’ initial 53-man cutdown last year: Running back Jaleel McLaughlin, tight end Nate Adkins, outside linebacker Thomas Incoom and offensive tackle Alex Palczewski, who was moved to injured reserve a day later.
Incoom and Palczewski received the highest signing bonuses ($20,000) among the undrafted players, with McLaughlin tied for third ($15,000). Incoom received the greatest guarantee ($200,000), followed by cornerback Art Green ($180,000), who spent all of last season on the Broncos’ practice squad.
A look at the Broncos’ 14 undrafted players in 2024, with their signing bonuses/total guaranteed dollars. *Yassmin has been designated with International player exemption and does not count against the roster):
- Blake Watson, RB, Memphis, $25,000/$275,000
- Frank Crum, OT, Wyoming, $25,000/$275,000
- Omar Brown, S, Nebraska, $20,000/$245,000
- Jordan Miller, DT, SMU, $15,000/$140,000
- Levelle Bailey, ILB, Fresno State, $15,000/$140,000
- Quinton Newsome, CB, Nebraska, $15,000/$100,000
- Thomas Yassmin, TE, Utah, $12,000/$47,000*.
- Jaylon Allen, OLB, Memphis, $10,000/$120,000
- Brandon Matterson, DT, UT-San Antonio, $8,500/$30,000
- Dylan Leonard, TE, Georgia Tech, $7,500/$35,000
- Lincoln Victor, WR, Washington State, $5,000/$25,000
- Alec Mock, LB, Air Force, $5,000/$20,000
- Cam Allen, S, Purdue, $5,000/$5,000
- Nik Constantinou, P, Texas A$M, $2,000/$7,000
The Broncos currently have 74 players on their 90-man offseason roster, not including their seven unsigned draft picks and 14 undrafted rookies. Simple math suggests a few roster moves will be coming.
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