The Denver Broncos have certainly cycled through a ton of players during their time in the post-Peyton Manning era. Are these four former players done in the NFL? The Broncos have said goodbye to a plethora of players this offseason in an effort to build on what they showed in 2023.
The team was 8-9 in the regular season and finished the year 7-4 after a brutal 1-5 start. The NFL is a business, and sometimes, hard roster decisions need to be made. Over the last several seasons, the Denver Broncos have cycled through a good bit of players, but have moved on for varying reasons.
Among the players that the Denver Broncos don't seem to be bringing back, could a handful of them be done in the NFL?
4 former Denver Broncos players who might be done in the NFL
Mike Purcell, DT
Mike Purcell is 33 years old and definitely showed his age over his last few seasons with the Denver Broncos. He didn't play significant time in the NFL untill his third season in 2016 with the San Francisco 49ers. He enjoyed a huge breakout season in 2019, but it seems as it he was just never able to reach that level of play again.
In 2023, across 16 games, Purcell had zero sacks, 25 total tackles, and one tackle for loss. Frankly, even as a depth option, I'm not sure Purcell was sufficient enough. The Denver Broncos did bring in some new faces along the defensive front this offseason, including two DTs in Malcolm Roach and Angelo Blackson. They also traded for John Franklin-Myers, so at this point, it's hard to envision Mike Purcell returning.
And with him up there in age and not being that effective in 2023, you have to wonder if his NFL days are over.
Fabian Moreau, CB
Newly 30 years old, could Fabian Moreau be done in the NFL? He played in 16 games for the Denver Broncos in 2023, filling in nicely for the benched Damarri Mathis. Moreau did fall off a bit toward the end of the year, but he did finish with one interception, seven passes defended, and 46 total tackles. Moreau was with Denver on a one-year deal in 2023 and remains unsigned.
Honestly, I myself would be a bit shocked if he did not find himself on a new NFL team before or during the 2024 NFL Season, but he's really just a depth player and can start when needed. There does seem to be a deeper-than-usual pool of free agent defensive backs.
Teams may then opt to sign the younger players who might be reclamation projects instead of aging players who have maxed themselves out in the NFL. Fabian Moreau might just be done in the NFL.
K'Waun Williams, CB
K'Waun Williams did not play for the Denver Broncos in 2023 and played in 14 games for them in 2022. The veteran cornerback has never played a full season in the NFL and is 33 years old in July. It might be the end of the road for Williams, who has always been banged up and hasn't played in a game for what could be two years.
Slot cornerbacks are an interesting group in the NFL. With teams playing with heavier DB packages, having a good slot CB is vital, but they aren't paid a well as you might think. The Denver Broncos were able to sign K'Waun Williams for a low number,
But with the emergence of Ja'Quan McMillian, the Broncos do not have a need for K'Waun Williams anymore.
KJ Hamler, WR
KJ Hamler is on the Buffalo Bills if you didn't know, and he spent 2023 on the Indianapolis Colts practice squad. Hamler was a disaster for the Denver Broncos and just could not stay on the field. The former second-round pick has bounced around since then but has not caught a regular season pass since 2022.
Turning just 25 in July, KJ Hamler could still have a long career ahead of him if he can figure out this injury bug, but even on the weak Buffalo Bills WR roster, Hamler surely still has his work cut out for him.