Long Shot Undrafted Free Agent Wide Receiver Turning Heads In Denver, Quietly Earning Buzz As Potential 1,000-Yard Nightmare Opponent—Could This Unsigned Gem Shock The NFL?

The competition to make the Denver Broncos 53-man roster at wide receiver — and the order in which they get snaps — has become about as cutthroat as it gets. Which is exactly what head coach Sean Payton wants.

There are essentially 5 wide receiver spots locked down right now with Courtland Sutton, DeVaughn Vele, Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin and rookie Pat Bryant. That leaves one spot still up for grabs, with undrafted free agent and massive long shot Jerjuan Newton continues to create buzz that shows he might be the one who grabs it.

“Big plays were hard to come by, but quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who played in eight games for the Indianapolis Colts over the past three seasons, showed his experience with back-to-back deep balls running the No. 3 offense — one to rookie Jerjuan Newton that was the catch of the day as Newton reeled in the pass off his shoe-tops in full stride,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote on August 2. “There isn’t much room on the Broncos’ depth chart for a wide receiver to surprise and shove his way on to the 53-man roster, but Newton has shown explosiveness throughout camp.”

Newton would truly be a surprise to make the roster out of training camp after the former Toledo star signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Broncos in May that included just $10,000 in guaranteed money.

MAC Star Goes Undrafted in 2025

Newton, 5-foot-10 and 187 pounds, is emblematic of the last era of college football after he played 6 seasons from 2019 to 2024 at Toledo. He was a 3-time All-MAC selection from 2022 to 2024, with his best college season coming in his final year with 72 receptions for 1.048 yards and 11 touchdowns in 13 games.

Newton had 2 games in his final season with over 150 receiving yards with 9 receptions for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns against Bowling Green and 7 receptions for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns against Buffalo.

Newton is trying to be the second family member on an NFL roster in 2025. Younger brother and defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton was a second round pick by the Washington Commanders in the 2024 NFL draft after he was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at Illinois.

Broncos Don’t Have Clear Cut WR2 Option

One thing Newton has going for him with the Broncos is there is no real clear cut pecking order once it gets past Sutton at the WR1 spot.

The Denver Post’s Luca Evans predicts veteran Trent Sherfield will be the sixth wide receiver to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.

Sherfield, who played for the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, is on his sixth team in 8 seasons and started his career, like Newton, as an undrafted free agent.

“Sherfield has made plays throughout camp and might end up playing a large number of snaps this year as both a special-teamer and blocking receiver,” Evans wrote on August 1. “That makes the choices here fairly clear-cut, even as (Joaquin) Davis, (Courtney) Jackson, Newton and (Kyrese) Rowan have all authored standout July moments.”

One problem with Newton is his skill set might be a little too similar to Mims. a 2-time NFL All-Pro return specialist. Newton, like Mims, has his most value on special teams as a returner after returning kicks for Toledo for several seasons.