10 Broncos players who will not be back next season

2. Lloyd Cushenberry III, C

The Denver Broncos went into the 2023 season with the center position as a major question mark, at least in the eyes of the fan base. Nobody in Broncos Country was sure why Sean Payton and GM George Paton decided to pass on centers both in free agency and in the NFL Draft, at least until they selected Oregon's Alex Forsyth in round 7.

But Payton and his coaching staff clearly felt they could extract the best out of Lloyd Cushenberry III, and their faith apparently wasn't misplaced. Cushenberry has enjoyed the best season of his NFL career and some people feel like he's even a Pro Bowl snub.

Along with having the best season of his career, Cushenberry is hitting free agency in 2024, and it looks like that's coming at just the right time. He could earn a new contract upwards of $10 million annually, and I just don't view that as being a price the Broncos are going to be willing to pay.

The big question here is whether or not the Broncos view Cushenberry's development as something that has made him a foundation/core piece of the roster, or whether it serves as a proof of concept that this coaching staff feels it can get the best out of whatever guy is in that spot.