Denver Broncos: 7 players the team should claim on waivers

The Denver Broncos have a chance to upgrade the roster through waiver claims. Here are some players they should seriously consider.

The Denver Broncos have cut their roster down to 53 players with very few surprises among the initial cuts. As fascinating as it is to watch all of these roster moves unfold for teams to set their initial groups of 53, it’s even more fascinating to see the fallout on the day after when teams put in waiver claims, set their practice squads, and make even more moves before the regular season gets underway.

George Paton said after the initial roster was set that he and the rest of the front office would be spending time into the night going over the players that were waived over the course of the last 48 hours to evaluate whether or not a couple of them could be fits for his roster.

Paton decided, at least initially, to keep just five wide receivers and effectively just five cornerbacks given the fact that Michael Ojemudia is going on short-term injured reserve sometime on Wednesday.

Mike Boone will also be going on short-term IR, and the Denver Broncos obviously placed a bit of an emphasis on special teams with their moves made on Tuesday, trading for Jonas Griffith and keeping way more defensive players than they did offensive players.

We weren’t in the room with George Paton and his crew, but we still have some ideas of who the team should look to claim off of waivers on Wednesday.

They won’t make seven waiver claims, but they could make a couple. Here are some names to watch out for.

Denver Broncos should claim these 7 players off waivers

1. Pooka Williams, RB (Bengals)

The Denver Broncos have brought in a number of smaller running backs with some big-time speed over the last couple of years, including one of their most recent acquisitions Adrian Killins Jr., a former Philadelphia Eagles player who unfortunately and almost immediately landed on injured reserve.

With the team’s speed at running back (Mike Boone) headed to short-term IR, could the Broncos look to another smaller, speedy playmaker for a true change of pace at the running back position?

We all know what Royce Freeman brings to the table, and it’s sort of the same thing to a lesser degree as what Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams will bring to the table.

Pooka Williams, a rookie out of Kansas, has some serious pop in terms of his ability to get upfield quickly and he showed in his time at Kansas that he is an effective all-around back, not only carrying the ball out of the backfield but catching passes and returning kicks.

The Broncos could use Pooka immediately as a kickoff returner and develop him as an intriguing offensive weapon.

George Paton emphasized the desire to improve the overall team speed, and right now, no one in the running back room has it.

2. Joe Bachie, LB (Bengals)

Joe Bachie had been awarded to the Cincinnati Bengals on waivers earlier this year (May) with a number of disappointed teams that tried to also put in claims to get him.

The Denver Broncos were one of the teams that tried to put in a claim on Bachie back in May and when you look at his athletic metrics, it’s easy to see why.

Bachie played in just four games as a rookie in 2020 and in those four games, he played 56 special teams snaps.

That’s where he’s going to make his bread in the NFL.

Although the Denver Broncos just traded for Jonas Griffith, you can’t help but wonder if they were so unimpressed by Tom McMahon’s special teams unit in preseason play that they might consider another move to upgrade that phase of the game.

Bachie was a highly coveted undrafted player in the 2020 NFL Draft circuit and received the second-highest guarantee of any player in the post-draft pool ($160,000).

At Michigan State, he was extremely productive and at this point, it’s fair to say he could still eventually develop some intriguing three-down upside with his speed, explosiveness, and range.

3. Justin Hilliard, LB (49ers)

The Denver Broncos just threw the San Francisco 49ers a nice draft pick for a player — Jonas Griffith — who may have otherwise hit the waiver wire.

You might as well go ahead and grab the other guy who was competing for a spot in San Francisco and a player who was highly coveted after the 2021 NFL Draft as well, Justin Hilliard.

Hilliard, unlike some of his peers at Ohio State, did not test very well in the pre-draft process. Still, it was slightly shocking to see him go completely undrafted in the 2021 class and he showed off his hard-hitting abilities in the preseason.

The Denver Broncos have been on a streak of really, really good luck with Ohio State Buckeyes players, looking specifically at 2019 third-round pick Dre’Mont Jones and now 2021 rookies Jonathon Cooper and Baron Browning who look like they are going to be really good for this team as well.

There’s a definite Buckeye-Bronco connection going on right now and Hilliard would have no problem fitting into the locker room with so many of his former Buckeye teammates already on the roster.

The linebacker position in Denver is not solidified beyond this season, by any means, so adding a player like Hilliard could make some sense.

4. Tyron Johnson, WR (Chargers)

For my money, this was arguably the most surprising player to hit the waiver wire all day on Tuesday.

Tyron Johnson was somewhat of a breakout player for the Los Angeles Chargers last year, catching 20 passes for nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns, showing he had some really nice chemistry with young quarterback Justin Herbert.

Averaging nearly 20 yards per reception, it’s really hard to imagine a guy with that kind of production on somewhat limited opportunities last season with 4.36 speed was just flat-out cut.

The Chargers had to have made some mistake here, right?

How did the Denver Broncos get 5th-and-7th-round picks for Trinity Benson but the Chargers got nothing at all for this guy?

I will have to pour a little cold water on this idea, however, because the Detroit Lions (who traded for Benson) are ahead of the Broncos on the waiver order (the Broncos are 9th, Lions are 7th) and they currently employ Anthony Lynn as their offensive coordinator.

Lynn was the Chargers’ head coach last year, and his offense is in desperate need of receiver help. Tyron Johnson has too obvious of a connection to make it past the Lions on waivers, right?

The Broncos should put in a claim anyway.

5. Tyrell Crosby, OT (Lions)

The Denver Broncos settled their right tackle position after the Ja’Wuan James injury with a competition between Bobby Massie and Calvin Anderson.

Massie ended up beating young Anderson in the battle, but the Broncos kept both guys.

Obviously, beyond the 2021 season, the right tackle position remains unsettled and the Broncos should be looking into opportunities to potentially upgrade there or find some long-term options.

Tyrell Crosby has got to be a consideration.

Even though he was waived/injured from the Lions, his release from the team was a pretty substantial surprise.

He’s been dealing with a hamstring injury, but even with that under consideration, the addition of Penei Sewell to take his job obviously didn’t sit well and there have been rumors for a while that Crosby could be traded.

He’s now available for nothing in return, so the Denver Broncos should be all over this.

The former Oregon Ducks player was a favorite of many in Denver Broncos Country during the pre-draft process back in 2018. He could come into Denver, learn under Mike Munchak, and give the Broncos an option for 2021 and beyond.

He would be an upgrade over Cam Fleming (who was cut and is expected back) as well.

6. Cornell Powell, WR (Chiefs)

This move would kill two birds with one stone.

First and foremost, the Denver Broncos need to add a wide receiver, in my opinion.

Having just five on the active roster going into week one with one of those players being Diontae Spencer is unacceptable, so they have to add a receiver on waivers. Right?

Second, this move would poach a guy the Kansas City Chiefs probably want to sneak through onto their practice squad. Why let them have their cake and eat it too?

The Denver Broncos have a chance here to get an intriguing, explosive player at the receiver position in Cornell Powell who was a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Broncos cut their own sixth-round pick Seth Williams, and even though the goal is to get him back onto the practice squad, losing that “high” of a pick would sting a little bit after just one training camp and preseason.

Stealing a fifth-round pick from the Chiefs and getting some valuable nuggets of intel in the process? I’m game for that.

Powell struggled to make an impact for four seasons at Clemson due to injury, and then finally got the chance to really break out in 2020 when he became one of Trevor Lawrence’s favorite targets.

He’s built like a running back and can do some damage after the catch, but he’s also got some nice route-running skills and big-time upside.

7. Ben Braden, OL (Packers)

Using similar logic with the Tyrell Crosby pickup, the Denver Broncos should be on the lookout for some potential options at right tackle on this waiver market.

Ben Braden has restricted free agent status after the 2021 season, so even though he’s 27, he’s appealing in that regard for sure.

Packers fans were rather surprised to see Braden cut from the team and that’s as good of an indicator as any that a guy might be worth picking up.

Considering how much of a need this position has been for the Denver Broncos and the fact that they are apparently trying to bring Cam Fleming back, no stone should be left unturned here.

Braden can play both guard and tackle and has ties back to his days at Michigan with Denver Broncos right guard Graham Glasgow.

Braden recently competed to start for the Packers at guard but got a shot to go out and play right tackle in the preseason and perhaps the Packers were hoping that some team would throw them a late pick in a trade.

As it turns out, nothing materialized and Braden is now available for the taking. He would be a worthwhile pickup for the Broncos with more long-term upside than Cam Fleming.

Honorable Mentions

Isaiah Johnson, CB (Raiders)

The Denver Broncos were tied to Isaiah Johnson leading up to the 2019 NFL Draft, and you want to talk about improving team speed?

This guy is a freak athlete with freak size, and for whatever reason, the Raiders have just not been able to develop defensive backs in recent years.

Johnson is a former fourth-round pick who was beloved by the NFL Draft community coming out of Houston, and he could be an ideal fit in the Vic Fangio defense.

Travis Fulgham, WR (Eagles)

Fulgham led the Philadelphia Eagles in receiving yards in the 2020 season, which is not exactly to say it was a year to remember for them by any means.

Still, Fulgham is a big-bodied receiver who had four touchdowns and over 14 yards per catch in 13 games last season.

Dez Fitzpatrick, WR (Titans)

The Titans traded multiple day three picks to move up in the 2021 NFL Draft to snag Dez Fitzpatrick early on in the fourth round.

Why are they cutting him?

In terms of size and athleticism, Fitzpatrick has it. In terms of college tape, he has it. Picking him up would be like some team getting a bonus fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Charles Snowden, EDGE (Bears)

Charles Snowden would be a longshot for the Denver Broncos because they already kept five EDGE players but he’s a fascinating player with outstanding length but a need to bulk up.

The Broncos could lose Derrek Tuszka on waivers, so maybe they try to recruit a guy like Snowden to the practice squad if he clears.

Jimmy Moreland, CB (WFT)

A former seventh-round pick out of James Madison, Moreland was one of the most surprising cuts league-wide. Based on how much he’s played the last two years in Washington on both defense and on special teams, he seemed like he would have more value than just to be placed on waivers.

As a result, I think he will be a very popular name, perhaps too popular for the Denver Broncos, which is why I placed him so low on this list.

There are other teams ahead of the Broncos in need of corners, but he’s a name worth monitoring.

Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR (WFT)

Perhaps more than any other name, Broncos Country was calling for George Paton to put in a claim on Antonio Gandy-Golden after he was cut by Washington.

The former Liberty star has outstanding size at 6-foot-4, 223 pounds, and really showed out at the 2020 Senior Bowl. He doesn’t have great speed, but he’s explosive.

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