The Denver Broncos will open training camp this week and that will begin the march to the 2023 season. The team has 12 training camp practices scheduled from July 28-August 17 and there will also be three preseason games to help determine which are the best 53 players to head into the season with.
Of course, many cuts are going to be harder to make than others.
Forming a roster is no easy task and the teams that have the best depth overall are usually the ones that are still playing at the end of the year.
This season, the Broncos must be prepared to finally turn the corner after several disappointing seasons that have created a losing culture within the organization, something that long-time fans are not used to dealing with.
Going off of the projected 53-man roster I recently published, these will be the five hardest cuts for the team to make this summer.
Broncos' most difficult cuts before 2023 season: P.J. Locke, Safety
The safety position is one of the more difficult to assess with this roster.
Justin Simmons and Caden Sterns are locks to make the roster and veteran Kareem Jackson, who was signed to another one-year deal this offseason, will likely make the team for added experienced depth.
Rookie JL Skinner seems like a player the team received great value for in the sixth round of the draft and Delarrin Turner-Yell is there as well.
P.J. Locke has been an integral piece of the special teams for several years now and though he doesn't contribute much on the defensive side of the ball, that is his main role. Will the Broncos move on from that?
My roster has the team keeping nine offensive linemen, with swing tackle Isaiah Prince getting the final spot on the roster. But an argument can easily be made to just keep eight offensive linemen, cut Prince and keep Locke.
I don't believe the Broncos will cut Skinner, unless he has a terrible summer, as he would be subjected to waivers before having a chance to be added to the practice squad, and there is just too much potential there to take that chance.
Locke will be a guy sitting directly on the roster bubble.
Broncos' most difficult cuts before 2023 season: Art Green, Cornerback
Art Green is one of the more interesting players in the undrafted crop this year and though him making the 53-man roster as a rookie is a bit of a longshot, it will still be tough to cut him and expose him to the 24-hour waiver window because there is certainly some talent there.
He will only put that on further display this summer in camp and preseason games, prompting other teams around the league to catch wind of his abilities.
Green is 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds and ran a sub 4.4 40-yard dash (4.36) at his pro day. Those physical traits are not to be taken lightly and if the team can get him to improve his tackling ability, he absolutely has a place in the NFL.
The Broncos may not have him up to that speed by the time the season rolls around, and they have solid cornerbacks ahead of him on the depth chart, but cutting to him and allowing another team to swoop in and capitalize on that potential is a risk.
Broncos' most difficult cuts before 2023 season: Seth Benson, Linebacker
At the inside linebacker spot, the team will likely keep Josey Jewell, Alex Singleton, Drew Sanders and Jonas Griffith. That all seems pretty easy to predict.
But Seth Benson offers some upside as a special teams guy who could be called on in a pinch throughout his career. For long-time Broncos fans, think of players like Keith Burns and David Bruton.
Those guys had long careers as players used primarily on special teams. Benson could be that guy. In fact, he could be the special teams ace. And if Locke doesn't make the team, it could be even more difficult to cut him.
He's a tough, physical player who is willing to engage. He is not a perfect prospect by any stretch and he does have some glaring limitations such as a lack of a burst and he struggles on passing downs, but as a special teams guy, he could carve out the same kind of role that has kept Locke in the league for four seasons now.
Broncos' most difficult cuts before 2023 season: Thomas Incoom, Edge
Another undrafted player makes the list.
At the edge rusher position, according to my projections, Baron Browning, Frank Clark, Randy Gregory, Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper will make the roster. Assuming the team keeps six edge rushers, the final spot comes down to Christopher Allen, Thomas Incoom, Aaron Patrick and Marcus Haynes.
I gave the nod to Allen, a player who went undrafted last season despite looking good on the field in his time at Alabama. There was some talk that the Broncos got one of the best undrafted players any team signed last season in Allen, but an injury forced him to miss the entire season.
This year, he makes the team ahead of Incoom, Patrick and Haynes. An argument could be made that the team will keep the more experienced Patrick as he can contribute on special teams, but I feel it will be much more difficult to part ways with Incoom.
Incoom had 11.5 sacks last season at Central Michigan and has a long frame with the ability to become a great situational pass-rusher at the nexl level. When the Broncos added Clark well into the offseason, it hurt Incoom's chances to make the final roster, but much like in the case of Green, another team may quickly snatch Incoom up off of waivers if he is cut loose.
Broncos' most difficult cuts before 2023 season: K.J. Hamler, Wide Receiver
The projected 53-man depth chart above lacks many names on the cut line that would come as a surprise, but this is one.
Wide receiver K.J. Hamler, a second-round pick in 2020, is going to have his work cut out for him to make this team. Personally, I don't think Sean Payton is going to have any use for him unless he has a huge summer and would prefer to rely on someone he is familiar with, like Marquez Callaway.
The Broncos will probably look to trade Hamler before they let him go, likely just looking for a future draft pick in return.
Hamler was a talented college wide receiver at Penn State but his NFL days have been marred by injuries, forcing him to miss 26 games in three seasons. That has severely limited his production and with the Broncos drafting Marvin Mims and signing Callaway this offseason, there is little room for any kind of error if you're Hamler.
If he is kept around, he is going to bet the fourth or fifth wide receiver on the depth chart and there is a good chance the team would rather have a future pick in that case and allow another team to see what they can get out of Hamler.