Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders remain the present of the Broncos' wide-receiving corps, pegged to start as both head into their ninth seasons.
But the long-term future starts with the No. 3 receiver. It's important to use that term, not "slot receiver," because the receivers will be moving around.
"We're looking for good guys, number one. If they're good we'll find a place for them," Musgrave said during OTAs. "At times, that's outside the numbers. At times, that's in the slot. We want to be difficult to defend without jazzing ourselves up.
Even though fourth-round pick DaeSean Hamilton projects as more of a pure slot receiver based on his work at Penn State and his route-running ability, second-round selection Courtland Sutton has at least an equal shot at being the third wide receiver.
No matter how you define it, the Broncos are blessed with young depth at the position -- which is a result of heavy draft investment in the last two years, with four picks in the first five rounds of those drafts devoted to wide receivers.
Sutton and Hamilton both delivered strong work during OTAs, drawing the attention of quarterback Case Keenum.
"[Sutton], he's a friendly target and I like throwing him the football. He's done really, really well," Keenum said during OTAs. "I think he's come a long way and I'm excited to throw him the football."
"DaeSean is just in the right place at the right time. He doesn't act like a rookie and he's not playing like a rookie. To have a receiver that you can count on to be in the right place at the right time, that's always a huge plus."
"Maturity" is the key word to describe this year's rookie class, and that applies to Sutton and Hamilton in particular. But their arrival muddied the waters a bit for last year's drafted wide receivers, Isaiah McKenzie and Carlos Henderson.
McKenzie's skill set and size ensures that his offensive use is going to be more of a situational nature than on every down. His path to the roster likely rests on special teams, and will be determined by whether he can solve the ball-security issues that felled his rookie season as a punt returner.
For Henderson, the first step is being healthy and not missing any more practice time. He watched most of the Broncos' work in OTAs and minicamp from the sideline while nursing a hamstring injury. That came on the heels of a rookie season that was lost to injured reserve after he hurt his thumb in the preseason opener last August.
"He's got to get back on the field if he wants to make this football team," Joseph said during minicamp. "Again, you can't make the football team on the sideline, so those guys [Henderson and Kenny Bell, who was also sidelined during minicamp] have got to get back on the field, especially in that room. It's a competitive room and it's a full room.
"If you're not practicing, your chances of making the team are slim to none."
But for McKenzie and Henderson, the competition isn't just about moving up -- it's about holding off a horde of talented receivers without their draft pedigree. Undrafted rookie John Diarse and first-year players Jordan Leslie and Tim Patrick all made notable catches during OTAs and have the capability to push themselves into the mix.
And that group doesn't even include Jordan Taylor, the third-year veteran who will start training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list.
Clearly, depth isn't a problem at wide receiver. The question now is whether a clear No. 3 receiver emerges, or if the competition is so tight that the Broncos exercise a liberal rotation to get four receivers quality repetitions.
