There’s another undrafted rookie who has also given himself a chance to make the team, even if his path has been decidedly less flashy. Offensive lineman Alex Palczewski was signed by the Broncos after starting a Big Ten record 65 games at Illinois, a collection of starts that came across six seasons. During the two weeks that Mike McGlinchey missed with a knee sprain — the veteran lineman, in a great development for the Broncos, returned to practice Tuesday — Palczewski got work with the first team at right tackle. He has played 54 snaps in the preseason, including 35 against Arizona — the most of any Broncos offensive player in the preseason opener.

“He’s tough, smart, has played a lot of football,” Payton said. “There is this quality of, ‘He gets the job done.’ After the draft, we did a good job in that two-hour period of signing free agents. Sometimes offensive linemen are hard to get. We were able to sign a pretty good class of offensive linemen that has helped us and will help us, not only this year but in the future. I’m encouraged.”

Demontrey Jacobs is another offensive tackle the Broncos signed in free agency who has had second-team reps and a brief cameo on the first team in practices McGlinchey missed. Palczewski is probably the better bet of the two to make the 53-man roster given his overall experience, but the chances for both players could depend on how the math shakes out elsewhere on the roster.
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