5 early veteran cut candidates for Denver Broncos ahead of 2023 season

Broncos cut candidate: Kendall Hinton

Kendall Hinton will always be known as the player the Broncos had to turn to in November 2020 when all four of the team's quarterbacks were ruled ineligible due to COVID-19 infractions. Hinton, a wide receiver who played some quarterback in college, had to take over and it was... less than ideal.

But he has managed to hang on with the team for three seasons despite being undrafted. He continues to defy the odds and was even becoming a favorite of Russell Wilson last summer.

But Payton has brought over a couple of wide receivers from his time in New Orleans — Marquez Callaway and Lil'Jordan Humphrey — while also drafting Marvin Mims and signing another wide receiver as an undrafted free agent (Taylor Grimes).

Those moves cloud the depth chart and put Hinton on the outside looking in at the roster bubble. He will have his work cut out for him to stick around.

But the one thing that could work in his favor could be the fact that when he had to make that emergency start at quarterback, it just happened to be against Payton and the Saints. Payton loves a good gadget player and perhaps he sees one in Hinton.