The Denver Broncos have one more preseason game scheduled before having to trim their roster to the final 53 players.
The Broncos will host the Minnesota Vikings this Saturday and that will be the final audition for several players still hoping to make the final roster. Other players have a roster spot locked up and will watch that game from the sidelines.
The Broncos made five roster cuts on Tuesday to get down to 80 players on the roster but will need to part ways with another 27 before the deadline. There will be some difficult decisions to be made, but the three players on this list should not make this year’s team.
And they are some notable names, to be sure.
Broncos who will not make the final roster: McTelvin Agim, Defensive Lineman
When the Broncos selected McTelvin Agim in the third round of the 2020 draft, it certainly seemed like the team was taking a guy who was a little bit raw, but also one with a lot of untapped potential. The thought was that he could develop into a defensive force.
That does not seem likely at this point.
Agim has never looked good for this team and the regime that drafted him rarely used him on the field because he just wasn’t ready to contribute. He doesn’t seem any more ready with the new regime either.
The Broncos have some solid players along the defensive line in Dre’Mont Jones, D.J. Jones, DeShawn Williams and Mike Purcell, who could also be a surprise cut. But what is going to seal the fate of Agim is the fact that the team’s two rookies, Eyioma Uwazurike and Matt Henningsen, are both going to make this team and appear to be contributors in the not-too-distant future.
Agim looked awful when he was on the field in last week’s loss to Buffalo and it’s time for him to be shown the door.
Broncos who will not make the final roster: Jonathon Cooper, Outside Linebacker
It is difficult to put Jonathon Cooper here and it is not that I feel that he should be waived, but rather that he could easily find himself on that list due to circumstances.
If it were up to me, Michael Ojemudia would be here instead but the Broncos have more depth at outside linebacker than they do at cornerback.
Despite having a tremendous rookie season for a late-round pick, Cooper is going to become a victim of the numbers as the Broncos have just loaded up at the edge rusher spot.
It is obvious that Bradley Chubb, Randy Gregory, Baron Browning and second-round pick Nik Bonitto are going to make the team. There is no way that Malik Reed should be cut based on his contributions in recent years and then you have Aaron Patrick, who is a key piece of the special teams unit.
That could definitely leave Cooper on the outside looking in.
The team’s other options would be to cut or try and trade Reed or to part with Patrick which could put a major hole in Dwayne Stukes’ special teams group.
Broncos who will not make the final roster: Sam Martin, Punter
This should be an easy decision, but it likely won’t be due to Sam Martin’s experience and name value. Martin missed the game against Buffalo due to an ankle injury he sustained in pre-game warm-ups.
Though that injury doesn’t appear to be serious, Martin has been locked in a position battle with Corliss Waitman who has performed well in the competition.
Waitman, who is a cheaper option than Martin, punted the ball twice against the Bills and averaged 52 yards per kick with a long of 63. The Broncos grabbed Waitman off waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers back in January, so there was something that the organization saw in him.
There really wouldn’t be any need to keep Waitman around if this wasn’t a legitimate competition and it could come down to the final game this Saturday against the Vikings before the coaching staff makes its decision.
But Waitman can seemingly do anything that Martin can do and he can do it for a lot less money.