The Denver Broncos do not have a ton of cap space as of now, but with a few moves, they can save millions on their 2023 number. The team does not have a ton of draft capital nor do they have much cap space, but they have a clear path to fix one of those issues.
The team has the ability to create tens of millions of cap space with a few moves, and they’ll need to do this as the team is likely going to be very active in free agency. Not having first or second-round picks is huge, but the free agency class does have some solid players that could fill immediate needs for the Broncos.
There are some obvious candidates that likely won’t be with the team in 2023 due to their contract, performance, injuries, or a combination of those.
So, which four moves can the Broncos act on to save millions on their 2023 cap number?
Four moves to save millions on the Broncos 2023 cap
CUT Ronald Darby, save $9,647,059 on 2023 cap number
The first move is cutting Ronald Darby, which would save nearly $10 million on the team’s 2023 cap number. Darby played in five games this year before tearing his ACL, ending his 2022 season. In two seasons with the Broncos, Darby has played in just 16 games.
He has not been able to stay on the field, which has been an issue for him during his entire career. Damarri Mathis, the rookie cornerback out of Pittsburgh, played quite well this year and has likely shown enough to take over the CB2 duties opposite Patrick Surtain II in 2023 and beyond.
The team still has K’Waun Williams under contract, and there’s no harm in adding a cornerback at some point in free agency.
Four moves to save millions on the Broncos 2023 cap
CUT Graham Glasgow, save $11,000,000 on 2023 cap number
Another very obvious move for the Denver Broncos to make is to simply cut Graham Glasgow, who has not lived up to the massive $40 million contract he signed with the team a couple of years ago. Between injuries and just bad play, Glasgow is very expendable, especially with these potential savings.
While he can play both guard and center, I personally do not believe he’s shown much from either position to warrant Denver bringing him back with his current contract. According to overthecap.com, a restructure will not save Denver any more money, and his cap number balloons to $14 million next year.
It’s safe to say that Denver will just cut ties here. I do think he could be someone you traded if his contract wasn’t so ugly.
Denver will need to overhaul their offensive line. Aside from Quinn Meinerz at right guard, I could argue that the team needs a fresh face at every other position.
Glasgow, unfortunately, has contributed to some of the bad play we’ve seen along the Broncos’ offensive line over the past few seasons.
Total savings: $20,647,059
Four moves to save millions on the Broncos 2023 cap
RESTRUCTURE Justin Simmons, save $6,617,500 on 2023 cap number
The next choice that the team should consider is restructuring the contract of Justin Simmons, who came off another stellar year but will turn 30 years old in 2023.
His cap number is over $18 million for the second year in a row, which is a bit high for a safety. I do think you could make an argument for trying to trade Simmons to recoup some lost draft capital, but I don’t think the team does that, as Simmons is a culture player and a true leader of the team.
Plus, he’s been with the team since 2016, so he’s endured every losing season since then. The Broncos kind of owe it to Simmons to field a competent team as he’s always shown up, even in dark times for the Broncos.
Trading Simmons would save over $14 million, and I don’t think the team does this unless he requests it. A restructuring seems more likely and would save a solid amount of money.
Simmons is a true legend for the Denver Broncos and even though he does not play a super valuable position, his value to the team cannot be quantified.
Total savings: $27,264,559
Four moves to save millions on the Broncos 2023 cap
RESTRUCTURE Garett Bolles, save $6,335,000 on 2023 cap number
The last move that saves a good bit of cap space is restructuring the contract of Garett Bolles, who missed most of the 2022 season due to a broken leg he suffered at the beginning of the season. After a stellar 2020 season, Bolles regressed a bit in 2021 but was still quite good.
It seems like Bolles has settled in as a slightly above-average tackle in the NFL, and that’s perfectly fine for the Denver Broncos. Offensive line play is hard to find in the NFL, so the team should keep all the quality talent they have.
Coming off this injury, I would feel a bit concerned if Denver did not do something with his contract. Bolles has been able to stay on the field for most of his career, but I do think the team has a clear avenue to save money on their 2023 cap number with this move.
If the team wanted to trade Bolles, which I don’t think they will, they’d save nearly $14 million on their 2023 cap number, which is huge savings. I do think Bolles has shown too much for him to not be on the team in 2023, especially considering we’ll likely see new starters at left guard, center, and right tackle.
Total savings: $33,599,559
7 players that could follow Sean Payton to the Denver Broncos
There are plenty of players around the NFL that could help the Denver Broncos and follow Sean Payton to the Mile High City in 2023.
These four moves save the Broncos over $30 million, and if we add this figure to their projected 2023 cap space, the team would have $42,818,283.
All of these figures have been obtained from overthecap.com