Denver Broncos roster cuts tracker 2020: Who makes the 53?

Denver Broncos roster cuts tracker 2020: Who makes the final 53?

The two worst parts about training camp every year in the NFL are injuries and roster cuts.

While roster and player movement is fascinating to us fans of the game, these are real people with real lives and families to support, and for some, it could be their last real shot at playing in the NFL.

Teams all around the league have had a limited offseason to evaluate their roster, but the unique circumstances won’t change the fact that there is going to be plenty of player movement and we’ve already seen some examples of that with the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos traded former third-round pick Isaac Yiadom to the New York Giants for a 2021 seventh-round pick and released veteran inside linebacker Todd Davis.

Those two moves put the Broncos’ roster at 78 players to start the day.

Not every player is going to be cut, either. Some will be traded while others will be placed on injured reserve or some other reserve list.

The Broncos have 16 practice squad spots available, meaning we could see a majority of these guys back on the team if other teams don’t poach them first.

TE Troy Fumagalli sent to waivers

One of the toughest cuts the Denver Broncos undoubtedly had to make is Troy Fumagalli, who was caught in a numbers game at the tight end position.

Fumagalli had a strong camp for the Broncos and isn’t likely to make his way through waivers with the talent he has.

CB De’Vante Bausby cut in most surprising move of the day

De’Vante Bausby was seemingly one of the leaders in contention for the Broncos’ CB3 spot until the bomb was dropped that he had been let go.

This is definitely the most surprising Saturday cut for Denver and something to monitor in terms of his practice squad status. Bausby showed starter qualities last year and made plays in camp coming off his spine injury.

OL Quinn Bailey let go

The Broncos had tried Quinn Bailey at both guard and tackle, but he wasn’t able to crack the initial 53-man roster after spending last season with the practice squad.

TE Austin Fort heads to injured reserve

Although his injury was not initially thought to be of the season-ending variety, Austin Fort will once again head to IR in hopes of making the Denver Broncos in 2021.

He had made a really strong case for a roster spot in 2019 before his preseason knee injury against Seattle.

S Douglas Coleman III doesn’t seize 4th safety spot

Douglas Coleman was one of the top players in college football last year at picking off passes, but he has a ways to go before seizing the Denver Broncos’ fourth safety spot.

He’s been let go after training camp’s conclusion.

DL DeShawn Williams let go again

The Broncos brought in DeShawn Williams for yet another training camp audition. He has performed well in preseason games in the past, but he has yet to truly break through.

The team let him go again this year as they trimmed down to 53 players.

WR Cody White further thins out receiver room

The Broncos didn’t keep Cody White after signing him essentially as an injury replacement during camp when receivers started to go down.

The former Michigan State star could latch back on in Denver, but there will be strong competition for practice squad receiver spots.

OT Jake Rodgers not playing the swing role again

Jake Rodgers was a surprise player on the 53-man roster in 2020, but the Broncos stuck with him and he actually started the final game of 2020.

Rodgers won’t be starting for the Broncos again anytime soon as he’s been let go this time around.

WR Fred Brown let go again in 2020

The Broncos used Fred Brown plenty in 2019 on special teams, but couldn’t carve out a role for him in the offense.

He’s a talented athlete who now has some legit NFL experience on special teams, so he could find a new team or be back with the Broncos after his initial release.

OLB Malik Carney cut

Malik Carney was a practice squad addition in 2019 and reserve/futures player in 2020. There were not many reports of him flashing at camp in 2020 so his release doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

RB LeVante Bellamy practice squad bound?

One of the top undrafted players in 2020 was running back LeVante Bellamy, who got $60,000 in guarantees from the Broncos to sign in Denver after the draft.

He made some plays in training camp and it won’t be surprising at all if the team has long-term plans for him after getting waived following his rookie camp.

DB Alijah Holder doesn’t get 4th safety spot

The Broncos thought Alijah Holder could compete for the fourth safety job behind top backup Trey Marshall, but he will have to prove his candidacy with some time on the practice squad yet again after hitting waivers.

Holder was one of the team’s top UDFAs in 2019.

OL Patrick Morris beat out for center job

Patrick Morris got some run with the first-team offense during training camp as the Broncos manufactured a competition for Lloyd Cushenberry at center.

Ultimately, he will hopefully be an emergency type of player at center on the practice squad after getting cut on Saturday.

QB Brett Rypien waived, leaving 2 QBs

The Broncos are likely going to want to keep three quarterbacks in some form or fashion, but Brett Rypien is by no means guaranteed to be the 3rd guy. He knows the offense though, so he should be considered a solid practice squad candidate after being let go.

OT Hunter Watts let go

The Broncos brought in Hunter Watts as the only offensive tackle from their initial 2020 NFL Draft crop.

He didn’t make it but we’ll see what happens down the line. The small school product has talent.

WR Kendall Hinton cut from deep WR group

The Denver Broncos brought in Hinton as an undrafted rookie out of Wake Forest.

A quarterback turned wide receiver had over 1,000 yards in 2019 for the Demon Deacons and caught just about everything thrown his way at Broncos camp from those in attendance.

He’s got long-term slot potential, but for now, he’s hitting the waiver wire.

OL Tyler Jones heads to the wire

The Denver Broncos don’t have a lot of proven depth on the offensive line, and Tyler Jones will have to continue to wait his turn.

He heads to the waiver wire after signing onto the practice squad during the 2019 season.

OT Darrin Paulo let go shortly after being claimed

The Broncos recently claimed Darrin Paulo off waivers from the New Orleans Saints, but his time on the active roster was short-lived.

Typically when you pick up guys off waivers at this juncture of the offseason, you at least have a practice squad spot in mind for them.

RB Jeremy Cox hits waivers

The Broncos picked up Jeremy Cox as a reserve/futures player and have him as a running back/fullback hybrid type of player.

He’s a player they want on the practice squad, according to Mike Klis, but for the time being, he will hit the waiver wire.

Justin Hollins can’t make it at OLB/ILB

The Denver Broncos couldn’t find a fit for Justin Hollins at OLB with Jeremiah Attaochu and Malik Reed taking the top reps behind Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, nor could they find a fit for him at inside linebacker in the wake of all their injuries.

Hollins will head to waivers where LA Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley (the guy instrumental in drafting Hollins) could be licking his chops. Otherwise, Hollins would be a very high priority practice squad candidate.

2020 draft pick OLB Derrek Tuszka to waivers

The Broncos took a shot late in the seventh-round of the 2020 NFL Draft on North Dakota State star pass rusher Derrek Tuszka, and he appears bound for the practice squad unless some team loved him that much during the draft process.

Considering he was the second-to-last pick in the draft, it’s more likely that the Broncos get him back and get to keep developing him on the practice squad.

Safety PJ Locke sent to waivers

The Broncos did not enter 2020 training camp with much proven depth at safety, and PJ Locke had a chance to seize potentially a fourth safety role. For the time being, that has not happened as the team let him go on Saturday.

WR Juwann Winfree let go

As Steve Atwater said during the training camp broadcast, “You can’t make the club if you’re always in the tub.”

Juwann Winfree came into the NFL with an injury history that limited his production in college, and an inability to be available for practices has now lost him a chance at the 2020 active roster, at least for now.

WR Trinity Benson waived

The Denver Broncos have such a deep wide receiver room, roster spots were going to be hard to come by no matter what.

Trinity Benson was always popping up on highlight reels, but the Broncos sent him to waivers on Saturday. As with many guys on this list, expect Benson — who spent most of last season on the practice squad — to be a practice squad candidate yet again in 2020.

LB Josh Watson sent to waivers

The Broncos brought Watson up off the practice squad last season and he got some valuable experience on special teams, but he’s been sent to waivers for the second straight year.

Watson has intriguing developmental potential but hadn’t shown enough in camp to earn a spot as the Broncos opted to sign Mark Barron and trade for Austin Calitro.

Todd Davis released (saves $4.5M in 2020 cap space)

The Denver Broncos made the surprising decision to release Todd Davis, who was not on my ‘surprising roster cuts’ candidates list.

At his salary, Davis didn’t seem like that big of a hindrance for the Broncos financially, but we can safely assume the team is confident in Josey Jewell, Mark Barron, and newcomer Austin Calitro alongside Alexander Johnson.

Davis will now be free to sign with another team at his earliest convenience, and he won’t be out of work for long.

CB Isaac Yiadom traded to New York Giants (saves $750K in 2020 cap space)

The Denver Broncos built some 2021 NFL Draft capital with this trade, adding a seventh-round pick from the New York Giants.

Ultimately, this was both an admission of failure to develop Yiadom — who had multiple opportunities to seize a starting job — as well as an admission that Yiadom was simply not a good scheme fit with Vic Fangio.

It’s not a huge shocker as Fangio runs a different style of defense than Vance Joseph did when he was in Denver, and the change of scenery will hopefully do wonders for Yiadom.