The Denver Broncos don't necessarily need to make any major roster cuts, but this key defensive player was named a possible candidate in 2025. The team's defense took a huge leap in 2024 and ended the year with the most sacks in the NFL and settled in as a top-5 unit.
The defensive inconsistencies down the stretch were not ideal, but perhaps new additions in the offseason can help keep this unit playing at a high level all year long. Last offseason, one of the notable moves the team made was trading for defensive end John Franklin-Myers, who has always been a very solid player.
The New York Jets made the move to help free up some room to get Haason Reddick in town. The trade was terrible for New York, as Reddick barely played and JFM balled out for the Broncos. He racked up a career-high seven sacks while also adding eight tackles for loss and 18 QB hits.
But could the Broncos cut him in the offseason?
Here is what NFL.com had to say about the possibility of the Denver Broncos cutting John Franklin-Myers:
"The Broncos are right in the middle of the league in cap space and have a promising quarterback (Bo Nix) on his rookie contract, so they’re not in bad shape financially. That said, if they want to make extra room -- perhaps to acquire some weaponry for Nix -- the first candidate for release would be John Franklin-Myers. Despite appearing in all 17 games (16 starts), Franklin-Myers played just 46 percent of defensive snaps. He still managed seven sacks and 18 QB hits on those snaps, which is a solid production rate, but he carries a $10 million cap hit in 2025 and can be released prior to June 1 for $7 million in savings. It’s not a necessary move by any means, but it’s a possible one, depending on Denver’s priorities."Matt Okada
I just don't think a move like this makes sense at all unless the Broncos are about to make a major move along the defensive line. The release of JFM would force the Broncos to eat $3 million in dead money, so it's really only cap savings of $4 million. Do the Broncos really need an extra $4 million in cap space that badly?
The answer is no, and it would make virtually zero sense to part with Franklin-Myers a year after the Broncos defensive front established themselves as one of the best in the NFL. If anything, Denver should look to add to their defensive line and strive to bring in another defensive tackle.
The formula for long-term success is to get the QB right and to be deep and strong in the trenches. Denver is truly right on the cusp of this; they probably need Bo Nix to continue playing well into year two and also need another notable body along the DL.
Denver is close, but cutting John Franklin-Myers would back them up a bit. It's a very odd cut candidate. Alex Singleton is the key cut candidate for this team. John Franklin-Myers, if anything, should have his contract extended another year.