Sam Ehlinger

Ehlinger turned a depth-chart spot into a real endorsement with his preseason command. He still has to prove it under regular-season pressure, but Denver sees a quarterback worth keeping close.

Strengths: Mobility, preseason production, offense command, resilience and developmental upside.

Weaknesses: Small recent regular-season sample and sits behind two more established quarterbacks.

Ehlinger is a sensible third quarterback because he can move, has started NFL games and clearly understands how to prepare. His Texas résumé also explains the toughness and leadership reputation. But a three is the honest number: Denver has not needed him to play meaningful snaps recently, and his NFL passing sample is small. He is valuable insurance, not someone whose current role should be inflated.

Strengths: He brings quarterback mobility, leadership experience and enough NFL starting exposure to run an emergency plan. Ehlinger is a tough competitor with a proven college history of creating with both arm and legs.

Weaknesses: His recent NFL game action is minimal, and the three-start sample was uneven. He needs to show more high-level passing consistency if he is ever asked to move beyond a depth and emergency role.