As the Denver Broncos near closer and closer to the official deadline for NFL teams to trim down their roster limits from 90 to 53 players, multiple discussions and questions have arisen regarding numerous players on the team and whether or not their future is in jeopardy. With the preseason officially in the books, head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton now return to drawing boards as they evaluate all 90 players on their rosters in preparation to contact 37 players to inform them of their release within the next 24+ hours.
The Broncos already began the process on Sunday night when they announced the decision to waive WR Kendall Hinton, CB Delonte Hood, OT Isaiah Prince, and WRs JJ Koski and Nick Williams off their active roster. The moves saved the team roughly $1.2M in cap space as they now currently obtain $10.3M with plenty of room to bring in veteran additions to the roster. However, the Broncos are nowhere near close to being finished parting ways with veteran players on their roster as fans may be in for a few surprises as the team cuts down.
Denver Broncos Potential Surprise Cuts in 2023
WR Marquez Callaway
Reuniting with Sean Payton in his first offseason with the Denver Broncos, there was slight optimism that Marquez Callaway could return to his "2021 form" where he caught 46 passes for 698 yards and six touchdowns as the WR1 in Payton's offense. However, since signing with the Broncos, the veteran WR has not been able to pick up where he left off with his hall-of-fame head coach. In fact, Payton has repeatedly called out his former New Orleans Saints WR numerous times this offseason for the lack of progression and play-making ability as well as showing up to offseason programs overweight. Payton is known for not holding back in his criticism of players and he definitely let Callaway hear it in press conferences with the media.
Rather than bouncing back and making an impression during training camp or preseason, Callaway has been completely underwhelming to begin his tenure in Denver. Rarely did Callaway make plays with the offense during camp and thus, led to his demotion on the depth chart. Most expected Callaway to be the fourth WR behind Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Tim Patrick (prior to injury) however, he has been consistently outperformed by WRs Marvin Mims Jr., Brandon Johnson, and Lil'Jordan Humphrey on a weekly basis. If George Paton and the Broncos truly believe in upgrading at positions of need, they will release Callaway and search for available wide receivers around the league that are cut within the coming hours.
S Kareem Jackson
Despite being re-signed to a one-year contract earlier this offseason, the 35-year-old safety Kareem Jackson is certainly not guaranteed a roster spot with how loaded and talented the Broncos' safety room is from top to bottom. Granted, considering PJ Locke is currently dealing with a lower-leg injury that could potentially place him on the short-term IR to begin the season, Jackson's spot on the active roster is likely safe because of that. However, the Broncos can save $1.17M in cap space by moving on from the veteran and simultaneously get younger at the position.
Second-year safety Delarrin Turner-Yell has quietly had a terrific offseason and surprised a lot of coaches playing in the absence of Justin Simmons who had dealt with a groin injury for a week or so towards the end of camp. And not to mention, the Broncos drafted safety JL Skinner in the sixth round of this year's draft who has loads of potential and raw talent at the position.
Denver will likely only carry five safeties entering the season meaning that one of the three previous safeties mentioned will not be on the active roster come Week 1. Maybe George Paton and the Broncos front office feel comfortable with their young core of safeties led by Simmons and Caden Sterns to develop and mentor the group -- Kareem Jackson is a name to watch for surprise cuts.
OT Garett Bolles
Even with a strong bounce-back performance against the 49ers in Week 2 of the preseason, left tackle Garett Bolles is at potential risk of being released as the Broncos trim down their roster. Denver has a capable starting left tackle in Cam Fleming who is three months younger than Bolles and is highly regarded by the offensive staff and front office. Not to mention, Fleming is a much cheaper option as he is scheduled to make $12M less than Bolles in base salary in 2023.
If the Broncos choose to move on from their starting left tackle and are unable to find a trade partner, parting ways with the former first-round pick would instantly save the team $9.8M in cap space. This would be more than enough for the team to fill other holes on the roster and even sign another backup tackle behind Fleming.
It all comes down to whether or not the front office is confident enough in Bolles' performance in camp and preseason to believe he can return to his elite, All-Pro form he once showed. Bolles was not off to a pretty start in the 2022 season and seems to be declining with age. While there is a slight chance he can return to borderline superstar status, the Broncos still have to weigh the pros and cons of moving on from the 31-year-old in his seventh year with the team.