Trinity Benson has spent his whole career in prove-it mode, so fighting for a roster spot in a third consecutive Broncos training camp is business as usual for him.

So far Benson has played well enough to be in the mix as one of the final wideouts on the initial 53-man roster. He's been consistently targeted through the initial practices, and had four catches for 36 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason opener against the Vikings.

"I came from the Division II level, so I always come out here with a chip on my shoulder just to show I can play with the big boys," Benson said. "I'm trying to prove that I'm not a one-hit wonder (after Minnesota). I can stay consistent, and I can make the big plays day-in and day-out."

Benson signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of East Central (Ok.) in 2019, and spent the past two seasons on the team's practice squad. It was a valuable baptism-by-fire for Benson, who checks in at 6-foot, 180 pounds, and has made up for his lack of size with speed and sure hands.

"Going against the starting defense two years in a row all during practice and during the season — I learned a lot," Benson said. "My first year I was going against Chris Harris a lot, and last year going against our top DBs too. They taught me how to run routes (in the NFL), and how to manipulate those routes against good corners."

Those lessons are paying dividends at just the right time for Benson, who entered camp as a roster longshot and still faces positional competition despite his head-turning play so far.

Last year the Broncos kept seven wideouts on the initial 53-man roster, and they might again.  Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler are all locks and Diontae Spencer could make it as the primary kick/punt returner. Tyrie Cleveland, who made the initial 53-man last year and is a core special teams player, may have the inside track on the sixth spot.

That leaves maybe one spot left for Benson, Kendall Hinton, De'Mornay Pierson-El, Seth Williams and Branden Mack to compete for ahead of the final two roster cutdowns.

"(Benson) has got to continue that good play," coach Vic Fangio said. "We're deep at receiver, as you've seen out there, and we're going to have some hard cuts to make there. He's got to keep showing (his value) because when you come down Trinity's path, you've got to keep showing, and keep showing.

"If you slack off — and I don't mean effort-wise, because I know Trinity wouldn't do that — but if your play slacks off, (coaches) forget about what we saw last week."

While Benson has the attention of the staff and teammates — quarterback Teddy Bridgewater remarked the wideout's "been showing some flashes" — he echoed Fangio's comments. He recalled that as a rookie, he also had a standout training camp, but fizzled during the preseason games.

A second year in offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur's system has Benson feeling like his performance in Minnesota is just the floor of what he can do.

"I need to make sure those big plays keep transferring to the game," Benson said. "My rookie year, I had a good camp too, but come game time, I really wasn't making the plays in the game. This year, it's a better mental state and I'm in tune with the offense — I'm more locked in and I can go out there and play without having to process. I'm playing fast and showing what I can really do."