There are a few players who have a ton on the line during the rest of the 2023 NFL offseason. Who would those players be? At the end of the day, no matter what the back of the jersey says, NFL teams will play their best players and carry their 53 best players on the active roster.
If a player is not one of those players, not only could that put them out of a job temporarily in the NFL, but that could totally end their NFL career. Surely there are hundreds, maybe thousands of examples of players who were on a roster bubble got cut and never got signed by an NFL team ever again.
It's a sad reality for those players who want to chase their dream and provide for their families. Regardless of that, NFL teams are wanting to win and will have to make those tough choices.
The Denver Broncos will surely have a good bit of tough choices to make this offseason. Which three players have the most on the line the rest of this offseason?
3 Broncos with the most on the line during the 2023 offseason
1. Lloyd Cushenberry, C
Lloyd Cushenberry has a ton at stake this offseason for his future in the NFL as a starting center, which also comes with huge financial ramifications. His first three seasons have not been inspiring and Cushenberry appears very replaceable at this point.
Denver signed a center in free agency in Kyle Fuller and also drafted one in Alex Forsyth in the 2023 NFL Draft. Perhaps Cush will break out in his fourth year much like Garett Bolles back in 2020. Or, if he doesn't, and maybe even loses the starting job to Fuller or Forsyth, Cush would probably hit free agency in 2024 without Denver re-signing him and may end up latching onto a team late in the offseason for pennies.
Cushenberry has a ton on the line this offseason.
3 Broncos with the most on the line during the 2023 offseason
2. Russell Wilson, QB
This is an obvious one, so let's get it out of the way now. Much was made when Russell Wilson arrived in Denver last year; many then looked at Denver as being a viable playoff team and for good reason.
However, Wilson endured the worst season of his career in 2022 and many seem to think that he's over the hump and is way past his prime. Well, he's got to prove that it isn't and has to prove to Sean Payton and the rest of the offensive staff that he still has something left in the tank.
Payton and co. have no connections to Wilson, so if the 2023 season goes south, they'd have no reason to continue with him. This would leave Wilson without the bulk of his mega-extension he signed in Denver and may also signal the end of his starting career in the NFL at just 35 years old.
Bouncing back in 2023 likely keeps Wilson on the roster for another year and also silences some critics.
3 Broncos with the most on the line during the 2023 offseason
3. KJ Hamler, WR
KJ Hamler's time in Denver might be coming to an end. Sure, he's a funny guy and is a fan favorite, but he hasn't stayed on the field and is not contributing enough to warrant a spot on this roster. Him being a higher draft pick in the second round is also worth noting.
The Broncos added two players of note to the wide receiver room that may bump Hamler off the roster. They signed Marquez Callaway in free agency who I believe is a very underrated player, and they also took a speedster in Marvin Mims Jr in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Mims has a similar player profile to Hamler, so it's easy to see how this could lead to Hamler being the odd man out. Furthermore, in late March, Hamler tore his pec, which is a 4-6 month recovery. Well, if he's back in five months, that would put him at the beginning of September.
He may not even be fully 100% by then, either, and with the regular season starting in September, Denver may simply decide to just move on from the former Nittany Lion. Something major has to change this offseason for KJ Hamler to end up on the Broncos' opening-week roster.