The 2022 NFL Draft is rapidly approaching, and roster spots will be hard to come by with the Denver Broncos. Which players could be released?
The Denver Broncos are poised to make some big additions in the 2022 NFL Draft even after the blockbuster Russell Wilson trade.
There’s no question that general manager George Paton’s war chest has been slightly depleted when it comes to draft capital. He no longer has the 9th or 40th overall picks.
Even though those picks belong to the Seattle Seahawks now, Paton can still make a big splash in this year’s draft and that could ultimately lead to some roster casualties.
Depending on what the Denver Broncos end up doing in the 2022 NFL Draft, we could see a few veterans let go to pave the way for younger players to come in, or perhaps the Broncos will find some post-Draft matches via free agency to upgrade the roster.
Let’s take a look at some players that could be let go depending on what happens in the NFL Draft…
Denver Broncos that could be released after the Draft
1. Mike Purcell, DL
I could be way off regarding the team’s perception of Mike Purcell, but the production simply hasn’t been there in the last couple of seasons.
Purcell has been dealing with injuries limiting him to just 19 games and 580 snaps over the last two seasons, preventing him from being the high impact player that earned a contract extension back in 2019.
In that 2019 season, Purcell broke out with a 48-tackle campaign that included 8.0 tackles for loss.
Since then?
He’s had just 3.0 tackles for loss in the last 19 games and has not been consistently available for the Broncos.
The Broncos could add more than $2 million in cap space by cutting Purcell and depending on what his role is, the time might be drawing near where the Broncos give the majority of their defensive line snaps to Dre’Mont Jones, DJ Jones, McTelvin Agim, De’Shawn Williams, and potentially some other younger players coming in.
There are also some intriguing free agents still available like Akiem Hicks.
Denver Broncos that could be cut post-Draft: Mike Boone, RB
Let me just preface this, before getting absolutely destroyed in the comments, that I would not personally advocate for this particular move.
I simply view it as a possibility.
Mike Boone was signed last offseason to a two-year contract and because of an injury in training camp, we really didn’t get to see him hardly at all in the 2021 regular season.
That was a major disappointment because I think Boone has a very intriguing overall skill set and he has outstanding speed at the running back position.
Against the Chiefs in Kansas City, Boone had his best performance of the year with 54 yards from scrimmage on just five touches.
The issue here is, we didn’t get to see nearly enough of Boone to warrant over $2 million against this year’s salary cap. The Broncos could save almost $2 million by cutting him depending on what they do in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Again, I would probably campaign to keep him around, but if finances get tight and you need to make a sacrifice to improve elsewhere on the roster?
This is a move that I could see happening.
The 2022 NFL Draft class is loaded at the running back position and I’ve been advocating for the Denver Broncos to take multiple guys. If that happens, Boone’s days could be numbered.
Denver Broncos that could be released post-Draft: Sam Martin, P
Coming off of a rather good season, it might be unpopular to let go of punter Sam Martin. He improved upon his 2020 season in Denver but was near the middle of the league in average yards per punt (46) but in the top seven in punts inside the 20.
Despite the improvements made by Martin in the 2021 season, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Broncos made a waiver claim late last season to acquire Corliss Waitman, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who would have led the NFL with over 53 yards per punt on his seven kicks if that average had held up.
Waitman obviously has a booming leg and it’s an interesting pickup because the Broncos didn’t bring in competition for Brandon McManus. They haven’t even brought in competition for long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer at this point, either.
Only Martin has competition currently, and he’s also scheduled to make $2.25 million this season with a cap hit of over $2.7 million.
The Broncos could save that $2.25 million by releasing Martin, which again would be slightly risky in the event that Waitman doesn’t turn out to be good or if they can’t get a capable replacement in the draft or undrafted free agency.
One of Broncos Country’s favorite 2022 NFL Draft prospects is the Punt God, AKA Matt Araiza out of San Diego State.
Araiza could be a top 100 pick in this year’s draft but shockingly enough, he’s one of at least a few punters that could be desirable enough to actually select in this year’s draft.
Denver Broncos mock draft: Loading up on defensive talent early
The Denver Broncos have an opportunity to really upgrade their roster in the 2022 NFL Draft. We look at a mock draft with an early emphasis on defense.
Would the Broncos take the risk of letting go of a proven veteran for an unknown rookie at the punter position?
They could save a bit of money if they choose to do so after the 2022 NFL Draft.