The Denver Broncos are searching under every rock for depth and talent to add to their offseason roster, recently going to the UFL to sign cornerback Mario Goodrich. The signing of Goodrich can be viewed as just giving a talented guy a shot to compete at training camp, or it could be viewed as a step toward the Broncos potentially trading a former draft pick.
One situation that we've been monitoring this offseason is that of 2022 fourth-round pick Damarri Mathis, a starter back in his rookie season and someone whose talent has been overshadowed by injuries. Mathis's role in Denver has already effectively been erased with the emergence of Riley Moss last season as well as the development of slot cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian and the recent selection of Jahdae Barron in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The writing feels on the wall for Mathis already anyway, but the emergence of Kris Abrams-Draine last year combined with the decision to sign Goodrich after a strong showing for the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL might be even more proof.
Mathis has got to be on the trade block, right?
Damarri Mathis might not be on the Broncos for much longer
Whether the Broncos hang onto him until the end of training camp or get him into a new situation before that, there are ample reasons beyond the signing of Mario Goodrich to believe that Mathis could be on his way out of the Mile High City.
For starters, and this might not seem like a big deal, but Mathis just recently gave JK Dobbins the shirt off his back. The newly signed free agent running back was spotted wearing No. 27 immediately after signing with the Broncos, and that number previously belonged to Mathis. Dobbins said he gave Mathis something nice for that jersey number, but it's another small sign that Mathis doesn't have much staying power right now.
Mathis is also set to count over $3.6 million against the cap for the Broncos this year. In fact, the Broncos could save over $3.4 million by cutting or trading Mathis at any point this offseason. If Mathis isn't going to be playing a Kayvon Webster-like role on special teams, keeping him around at that price is a waste of everyone's time and cap resources.
The Broncos could get up around $20 million in salary cap space by moving Mathis via trade or release, and getting him into a new situation could benefit his pro career. It's not Mathis's fault he's dealt with injuries, but the Broncos have legitimately five guys who are solidly ahead of him on the depth chart. He could be the third corner or better on a number of other teams.
We aren't trying to overreact to the Goodrich signing as being something more than it is, but Goodrich can play special teams and the Broncos can use that cap savings from moving on from Mathis.