After wrapping up preseason on Sunday, Denver Broncos general manager George Paton and coach Sean Payton must now trim the squad from 91 players down to a 53-man roster by Tuesday afternoon.
Before the cuts begin (likely later today), we put together one final 53-man roster prediction for the Broncos. It featured a dozen difficult decisions, and some of the players we cut might be surprising to fans in Denver.
At wide receiver, for example, Brandon Johnson was cut despite scoring a 46-yard touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals. On the defensive line, Jordan Jackson was cut after totaling two sacks on Sunday. Pass rusher Dondrea Tillman is also a cut candidate despite his standout performance in the preseason finale.
Linebacker Levelle Bailey’s 94-yard pick-six didn’t guarantee him a spot on the squad. Safety Keidron Smith’s three preseason takeaways weren’t enough for him to make it, either.
Such is life in the NFL.
12 hardest (projected) Broncos roster cuts
1. WR Brandon Johnson
2. RB Tyler Badie
3. RB Blake Watson
4. OL Nick Gargiulo
5. OL Sam Mustipher
6. OT Alex Palczewski
7. DL Jordan Jackson
8. DL Matt Henningsen
9. OLB Dondrea Tillman
10. ILB Levelle Bailey
11. DB Keidron Smith
12. P Riley Dixon
If they clear waivers, most of the above players would likely return on the practice squad. Our projected cuts are also just that — projections. Several of these players could end up making the 53-man roster. We’ll find out soon enough. All of Denver’s roster cuts will be tracked on Broncos Wire.
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