Which current Denver Broncos players may be gone in 2021?
The Denver Broncos are 4-8 and have suffered through a brutal season impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a barrage of injuries to star players, as well as the growing pains of a young offense.
As tough as this season has been, it might be in the team’s best interests to try and maintain continuity throughout much of the roster and coaching staff. Of course, there will be some changes made and plenty of additions through free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft, but the Broncos’ top depth chart (at least, presuming everyone to be healthy) could look very similar in 2021 as it does at the end of 2020.
With that said, there will always be plenty of player movement, as is typically the case. Thankfully, the Broncos don’t need to necessarily make sweeping changes all over the place.
Which players currently on the roster may be gone in 2021? Let’s take a look at some names.
1. Jeff Driskel, QB
The Denver Broncos signed Jeff Driskel to a two-year, $5 million contract with $2.5 million of it guaranteed.
Driskel is on the Broncos’ roster currently strictly because his base salary for the season was guaranteed, along with a $1.5 million prorated signing bonus that is spread out between 2020 and 2021.
If it weren’t for Driskel’s guaranteed salary, I think he would have already hit free agency.
Brett Rypien has replaced Driskel as the Broncos’ QB2, and the team felt that Blake Bortles brought enough value to the quarterback room to keep him around on the practice squad.
Driskel will have a dead money count of just $750,000 in 2021 and letting him go will save the Broncos $2.5 million, adding to their already impressive cap space figure for 2021.
The Broncos are much more likely to bring in a hedge that can actually compete with Lock in training camp, or at least provide the team with a much better solution should Lock miss time for injury as he has in his first two NFL seasons.