Part of building an elite NFL roster is turning over some veteran players for younger and cheaper draft picks. Could the Denver Broncos already have some cut candidates in mind for 2025?
If the team so willingly cut Justin Simmons, that leads me to believe that they'd have no issue cutting most everyone else on the roster if the time has come to make a move. The team could be in a position to go all-in for 2025. The team has the formula to be a breakout team for 2024, so that could lead them to making some aggressive moves next offseason.
Part of their aggression could be cutting ties with some current players. Who could they part ways with?
All contractual figures are taken from Over The Cap.
3 way too early cut candidates for the Broncos in the 2025 NFL Offseason
Courtland Sutton, WR
Courtland Sutton got a bit of a sweetened deal for the 2024 NFL Season. However, even with the added money, the team can still move on from Sutton after the coming year. It would be a bold move, but Denver may need to again re-work their WR room for 2025. The team got Tim Patrick back this offseason, along with drafting Troy Franklin and signing Josh Reynolds.
Marvin Mims Jr is the other WR of note in this room, but rookie Devaughn Vele has had a nice offseason thus far. You also have to consider the possibility of Sutton just not playing as well in 2024 as he did in 2023 or even going through another serious injury.
Both scenarios would be flat-out devastating, but there is just so much that can happen in the NFL.
Alex Singleton, ILB
Alex Singleton is a fine inside linebacker. He is not the best in coverage but is always making tackles. He's perhaps the best tackling linebacker in the NFL, if that makes any sense. Singleton turns 31 years old in December, so age could end up being a concern. Contractually, cutting Singleton in 2025 could save Denver $6 million on their cap while only taking about $1.3 million in dead money.
I do not believe this potential move would be much of a shock, especially if a younger ILB like Jonas Griffith ends up taking a step forward. More broadly, the Broncos do need to try and find more of an alpha at ILB, as it's not likely neither Singleton or projected starter Cody Barton is that in 2024.
Josh Reynolds, WR
One of the new faces at wide receiver this offseason is Josh Reynolds, whom the Broncos signed to a two-year deal late in the offseason. It can really just be a one-year commitment if the Broncos wanted that, as cutting Reynolds could save Denver $4.5 million on their cap while only eating $1 million in dead money.
If Denver wanted to get very aggressive, they could move on from both Sutton and Reynolds, but with Tim Patrick being a free agent in 2025, I would not be surprised if Denver ended up keeping two of these players in 2024. Nonetheless, if the Broncos had plans to make more of a splash move at wide receiver, they could do a bit of house-cleaning here by cutting one of Sutton or Reynolds, or even both.