Cornerback · Denver Broncos

Ja'Quan McMillian

No. 29 · 5th season

Nobody picked him, but the Broncos kept watching

The list of players who go undrafted and make it to a real NFL game is short. The list of players who go undrafted, get cut before the season starts, survive on the practice squad all year, and still get called up for the last game — that list is shorter.

Ja'Quan McMillian came to the Denver Broncos in 2022 without a draft slot or a guaranteed spot. He made enough of an impression on the coaching staff to stick around when the roster was trimmed, just not enough to land one of the 53 spots that count. So he took the practice squad job — the football equivalent of a standing offer with no promise of anything more.

He stayed there the whole season. Then, in the final week, the Broncos signed him to the active roster.

One game at the end of a long year is a small thing on paper. But for a cornerback nobody drafted, it meant the door was open. He did not get cut again — he got called up. That is a different kind of ending to a first season.

Now there is a second one to figure out.

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