Denver Broncos will go with just three safeties on 53-man roster
The Denver Broncos have set their initial 53-man roster.
That roster will include just three safeties or at least, three guys who play that position primarily. For a full list of the players who were waived in order to get the roster down to the league-mandated limit, click here.
At the safety position, the Broncos are either extremely confident in the combination of Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson or there just weren’t great options elsewhere on the roster. It could also be a combination of those two things, but going into the season with just three safeties does seem a bit dangerous.
The only other safety on the roster is Trey Marshall. The team chose to waive Alijah Holder, Douglas Coleman III and P.J. Locke on Saturday.
One can’t really blame the organization if it is supremely confident in Simmons and Jackson. After all, they make up one of the best combinations at safety in the entire league. But in a season in which there was no preseason and limited practice time, having proper depth in case of injury should be seen as quite important.
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For that reason, it was a bit of a surprise to see the team waive Holder. Of course, the second-year player could wind up on the practice squad, where he spent much of last season after going undrafted. Coleman should be a prime candidate for the practice squad as well.
On the 53-man roster, both Duke Dawson and undrafted free agent Essang Bassey could be shifted to safety at times if the team finds itself in a jam at some point during the season.
Marshall is a guy who the team has developed confidence in, so much so he went from an undrafted player just two seasons ago to one who was pretty much a lock to make the team this year. Of course, that could be attributed to the lack of depth behind him as well.
Either way, the Broncos will be hoping players such as Holder and Coleman clear waivers so that they can place them on the practice squad Sunday. The team will also be scanning the waiver wire for a potential fit at safety that could be brought right onto the 53-man roster as well.