LB Sankey signed, LS Theus waived

With less than 48 hours before the start of Training Camp, the Broncos have a released a player for more depth at the linebacker position. Why did they make  this move so close to camp? Let’s take a look and find out why.

Can you feel it, Broncos Country? It’s almost here! After nearly 6 months of waiting, we’ll finally be able to watch our beloved Broncos put on the pads again and prepare for their title defense in 2016. No more hearing about which player we lost or what player we needed to draft, it’s to the point where you have to make do with the players you have and do everything you can to put another tally in the win column.

As we all know, part of that process is having to evaluate and cut players before the regular season starts. While many see training camp as the great opportunity “equalizer”, some players still find their way off of a roster before camp even begins. The reasons could vary but it’s a predicament that no players wants to be in at this time of the year.  With that said, I have some good news and bad news to report.

The good news? We have a new player on the roster! The bad, somebody had to sacrifice their roster spot for this new player.

With less than 48 hours before the start of training camp, the Broncos have signed former Sacramento State LB Darnell Sankey and waived former Georgia LS, Nathan Theus.  What does this mean for the team? For one, it means that the Long Snapping competition is over (for now). With the release of Theus, that leaves Casey Kreiter as the only LS on the roster.

As for Sankey, I think this was purely a depth move.  While he enjoyed a productive career at Sacramento State (330 tackles with 12.5 career sacks), it’s hard imagining Sankey coming to the team so late in the off-season and making a serious run for a roster spot.  With that said, I don’t think it’s out of the question for him to get Practice Squad consideration with a few good performances in camp/preseason games.  It’ll be interesting to see how much action Sankey will get in camp and what he can make of the opportunities given to him.

It wasn’t that long ago that another Sacramento State LB came to the Broncos as a late addition and worked his way into a starting position.  Can Sankey have the same kind of career trajectory as Todd Davis?That remains to be seen but until then, I’ll be interested to see what Sankey can do in camp.