5 Denver Broncos who may not clear waivers if the team wants them on practice squad
- Young players on both offense and defense may not clear waivers if the Broncos want to stash them on that practice squad.
The Denver Broncos still have two preseason games to play but right after that, the coaching staff and front office will have some difficult decisions to make in getting the roster down to 53 players.
The NFL has recently increased a team's practice squad to 16 players so many teams use this as a place to stash their unknown commodities as a way to keep players that aren't quite ready to contribute on a weekly basis but also players that they don't want to cut ties with.
There's just one caveat when it comes to that. When a team places a player on waivers after setting its final 53-man roster, that player sits on waivers — free to be claimed by any other team — for 24 hours.
If they clear waivers, the Broncos can bring that player back and put them on the practice squad. That is generally what happens, but not always. The 31 other teams all have personnel departments that watch every game, looking for the right players to add to their teams.
So that's what makes roster building in the NFL so interesting and strategical.
If the Broncos are looking to cut these players before the start of the season and add them back to the practice squad, they better be careful. They may not get a chance to get these five guys back.
Broncos players who may not clear waivers: Montrell Washington, Wide receiver
It's quite difficult to determine what the Broncos are going to do with last year's fifth-round pick, Montrell Washington.
By many accounts, he has had a great training camp and he still offers the team a dynamic option as a return man. But the Broncos have so many wide receivers on the roster even with Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler not standing in the way.
Washington will be a tough player for the team to cut if Sean Payton is unable to find a spot for him. But at wide receiver, the Broncos have Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Brandon Johnson and Marquez Callaway all in a good spot to make the team.
Washington may be able to steal Callaway's spot, or the Broncos could keep six wide receivers. If neither of those things happens, Washington will probably be cut and I would be surprised if he wasn't scooped up by another team.