Denver Broncos release first depth chart, make roster cuts

The Denver Broncos have announced a very large wave of roster moves, including the release of veteran safety T.J. Ward…

The Denver Broncos announced a huge wave of roster moves to get down to 52 players on Saturday, including the release of veteran safety T.J. Ward.

The Broncos made a variety of surprising moves on Saturday, not the least of which was the decision to waive quarterback Kyle Sloter, who had an excellent preseason and appeared on track to be the team’s opening day backup quarterback with Paxton Lynch hurt.

Before we get to all the cuts, here’s a photo collage of all 52 players currently on the Broncos’ roster.

Not pictured yet? Soon-to-be free agent acquisition Brock Osweiler.

https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/904139189888978944

The Broncos also released their first depth chart for the regular season opener, with some twists and turns:

First and foremost, you’ll notice that the Broncos don’t have a starting left guard yet. It’s either Max Garcia or Allen Barbre. That’s a bit frustrating to not have that position settled yet, especially considering how poorly Garcia played at times during the preseason. He must be showing signs of improvement during practices, or that seems like it’d be an easy decision for the Broncos to make.

Undrafted free agent Jamal Carter made the team, adding to the Broncos’ great tradition of signing undrafted players out of college who can contribute right away.

Some could even argue that Carter’s emergence allowed the team flexibility with their decision making in regards to T.J. Ward.

Speaking of Ward, he was part of a huge wave of roster cuts. Here’s the alphabetical list of transactions sent out by the Broncos:

Not yet announced is the move to put Shane Ray on injured reserve, which Adam Schefter reported on Saturday. Ray’s injured wrist is not fully healed, nor was it expected to be at this point. He’ll be out for a while yet, potentially until late October or early November.

Once the Broncos place Ray on IR, they will have 51 players on the roster. When they sign Osweiler, the’ll be up to 52. They’ll have the ability to sign one more player to the active roster and continue to make moves.