Broncos preseason: Joe Don Duncan cut most surprising

May 27, 2015; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos fullback Joe Don Duncan (42) warms up before the start of organized team activities at the Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

With the third preseason game in the books, it is time for teams to make roster moves in order to get to the 75 player limit. So far, the Denver Broncos have made moves to get closer to the 75 roster limit before the Tuesday deadline.

One player that I am surprised got the ax is the Dixie State product Joe Don Duncan. The fact that the Denver Broncos released him this early into the roster moves is what surprises me. In my opinion, if they were going to, I figured they would wait until the final cuts.

While he is a perfect candidate to land on the Broncos practice squad, Joe Don Duncan’s release this early into roster cuts makes him accessible to other teams who are looking for someone of his talents.

The move means that James Casey, for the moment, has won the starting full back job. He was signed by the Broncos after leaving Philadelphia via free agency.

Joe Don Duncan was having a solid camp. During the preseason tilt with the San Francisco 49ers, he recovered a fumble on special teams and led the way towards Juwan Thompson’s go-ahead touchdown.

If there is any silver lining to this, the tight end competition has been very deep. It is apparent that Gary Kubiak is looking for the best tight ends that fit his zone blocking scheme. But it appears that Joe Don Duncan did not do enough in preseason to get a spot.

I wonder if the Broncos considered Joe Don Duncan a viable option at the full back position instead of tight end? While James Casey does have the hands to catch a football out of the backfield, why not have Joe Don Duncan as a backup in case Casey gets hurt?

Joe Don Duncan may not have better hands than James Casey, but he can at least block for the running back and pass protect Peyton Manning if need be. At least having a backup in case would have been ideal.

It also strikes me that the Broncos would release him because he did not see a whole lot of snaps during the three preseason games. During on-air broadcasts, he name was not mentioned a whole lot, meaning that he did not get a lot of playing time on offense.

If a player does not get a whole lot of looks or snaps, how is that fair to release a player in that situation? At least they could have waited and gave him more snaps in the final preseason game in order to get a good idea on how he would do.

Broncos fans of Joe Don Duncan are hoping that he goes the entire week without getting picked up. But a fan can only hope. Wishing Joe Don Duncan success no matter where he ends up.

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