3 Denver Broncos players who may have lost their roster spot against Rams

3. Nate Hairston, DB

The Denver Broncos probably have two open cornerback spots given the recent injury to Michael Ojemudia.

I think Ojemudia’s injury could prevent a possible Bryce Callahan trade, but the Ojemudia injury hasn’t stopped George Paton from speaking out publicly about the team receiving calls on corners.

The Broncos’ depth at cornerback is impressive, and I will continue to preach the importance of having one eye on the future when it comes to back-end roster players.

Nate Hairston has been solid this offseason and it looked after the Vikings preseason game like he was on his way to a roster spot, but things have changed over the last couple of weeks.

Saivion Smith has played well also, and now has arguably the best special teams tackle of the preseason on his ledger.

Smith is an exclusive rights free agent after the season, whereas Hairston is unrestricted. That means the Broncos would have three years of team control on Smith versus one for Hairston. It would make sense to keep Smith in a close competition based on that alone.

The Broncos also might soon have Essang Bassey coming back from injury, and Bassey would almost undoubtedly push Hairston off the roster anyway.

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I think as of right now, the performance by Smith in the Rams preseason game has pushed Hairston off the roster, whether that means he’s cut or traded.