Denver Broncos roster cuts: 2018 roster taking shape
The Denver Broncos are making moves to get their roster down from 90 to 53 players. Which players are on the outside looking in?
One of the toughest parts of the offseason is watching the roster go from 90 to just 53 guys. For the Denver Broncos, the job is especially difficult.
It’s never easy to cut players, especially guys that have proven their worth in games, but that’s the way things go in the NFL.
The deadline to set a 53-man roster is not until Saturday, but the Broncos have already started informing players of their release.
According to a variety of reports, they are:
Jordan Leslie, WR
Mark Chapman, WR
Bryce Bobo, WR
John Diarse, WR
Jeremiah Poutasi, OL
J.J. Dielman, OL (waived/injured)
Austin Fleer, OT
Antonio Simmons, DE
DeShawn Williams, DL
DeQuinton Osborne, DL
Marcus Rush, OLB
Michael Hunter, CB
Marcus Rios, CB (waived/injured)
Jordan Moore, S (waived/injured)
Among these initially reported cuts, the most surprising is DeShawn Williams based on merit, but it’s not all that surprising considering the Broncos already have seven defensive linemen they will likely carry into the regular season, barring a trade.
The Broncos waived/injured Marcus Rios, which means if he clears waivers, he can revert to their injured reserve. Rios is a player the team has been high on as a 2017 undrafted free agent who ended up on the active roster last season.
The Broncos also parted ways with wide receivers Jordan Leslie and Mark Chapman.
Leslie led the team in receptions and receiving yards this preseason, and Chapman was signed at the outset of camp after being taken first overall in this year’s Canadian Football League draft.
The Broncos had 89 players on the roster heading into the preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals, and these nine moves mean the team is still at 80 players.
Next. Final 53-man roster prediction. dark
As of Thursday night, it sounded like the Broncos had not made any official decision in regards to quarterback Paxton Lynch, who would be one of the highest paid third-string quarterbacks in the NFL if he is kept.