Tag: Mike Purcell

Mike Purcell wants to re-sign with Broncos

Mike Purcell would like to re-sign with the Broncos, but Denver will probably wait until after the NFL draft.

Veteran defensive lineman Mike Purcell wants to re-sign with the Denver Broncos and finish his career with the team, according to the Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson.

Purcell (6-3, 328 pounds) will turn 33 later this month. He’s a run-stuffing nose tackle who has spent the last five seasons with the Broncos. The defensive lineman has totaled 166 tackles (13 behind the line), 14 quarterback hits, four pass breakups, 3.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one safety in 65 games (37 starts) in Denver.

The Broncos will likely wait until after the NFL draft (April 25-27) to make a decision on re-signing Purcell. He had a salary cap hit of $2.25 million in 2023. Zach Allen, D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach are Denver’s top defensive lineman going into the 2024 season. That’s a solid starting trio, but the Broncos could use more depth up front.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Purcell return to the team on a one-year deal in May.

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5 in-house free agents Broncos should let walk

With limited salary cap space, the Broncos should let these in-house free agents walk this offseason.

The NFL’s free agency negotiating window will open on March 11. Two days later, the new league year (and the official start of free agency) will begin on March 13.

The Denver Broncos have several key players scheduled to become free agents this year, but the team won’t be able to re-sign all of them. The Broncos are currently about $14 million over the salary cap, so Denver will have to make some cap-saving moves to create more cap space.

We previously identified six in-house free agents the Broncos should re-sign once the team has some cap space to work with. Today, we’re taking a quick look at five players the team should let walk in free agency — not necessarily based solely on performance, but also with the salary cap in mind.

The biggest name on the list is center Lloyd Cushenberry, who is coming off a career year and is expected to draw interest from multiple teams.

Ranking the Broncos’ upcoming in-house free agents

The Broncos have 14 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next month. We rank them here.

NFL teams can begin negotiating with pending free agents from other teams beginning on March 11 ahead of the official start of free agency on March 13. So if the Denver Broncos do not give extensions to their in-house free agents before March 11, those players will be allowed to negotiate with other clubs.

OverTheCap.com lists 16 upcoming in-house free agents for the Broncos, 14 unrestricted free agents and two restricted free agents. (It should be noted that wide receiver Michael Bandy was listed as a free agent on our previous list, but OTC now says he is under contract for the 2024 season.)

The most notable free agent for Denver this year is center Lloyd Cushenberry. He will likely draw a big contract, perhaps one the Broncos will not be able to afford. Consequently, the team seems to be preparing for life without Cushenberry in 2024.

Another notable free agent for Denver is safety P.J. Locke. With Caden Sterns coming off a serious injury, the Broncos will be very thin at safety if Locke does not return this season.

Denver linebacker Josey Jewell has been a key starter on defense, but it remains to be seen if the Broncos plan to re-sign him. Denver’s kicker, Wil Lutz, is also set to become a free agent next month, as is No. 1 tight end Adam Trautman.

Here is the full list of the Broncos’ upcoming free agents, ranked 1-16.

10 players who might play their last game for Broncos on Sunday

The Broncos will need to get out of a salary cap hole in 2024, and these players might become cap casualties.

The Denver Broncos will wrap up their 2023 NFL season on Sunday when they face the Las Vegas Raiders on the road in Week 18.

Once the final whistle blows, the offseason will begin immediately for the Broncos, and coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton are poised to have a busy spring with many challenging decisions.

Denver is projected to be $18 million over the salary cap in 2024, according to an estimate from OverTheCap.com, and that’s before potentially releasing quarterback Russell Wilson and creating an even bigger cap mess.

The Broncos will have to dig out of a salary cap hole this offseason, forcing the team to make some tough decisions. To become cap-compliant, Denver will likely have to part ways with multiple players either through cuts, trades or free agency.

Ahead of the team’s season finale, here’s a quick look at ten players who could play* their final game for the Broncos on Sunday. (*We’ve also included a few injured/benched players who could depart in 2024.)

Broncos made 6 roster moves on Thursday

After setting an initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, the Broncos made six more roster moves on Thursday.

After setting an initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, the Denver Broncos continued making roster moves on Thursday.

First, the team placed cornerback K’Waun Williams (ankle), defensive back P.J. Locke (leg) and offensive tackle Alex Palczewski (hand) on injured reserve. Those three players will now have to sit out at least the first four games of the 2023 season before being eligible to return to the active roster.

After placing those three players on IR, the Broncos re-signed defensive lineman Mike Purcell, cornerback Fabian Moreau and offensive lineman Quinn Bailey. Because they are veterans, those players did not have to pass through waivers after being cut by Denver on Tuesday.

See a recap of the team’s Thursday roster moves below.

Broncos DL Mike Purcell restructures contract

Broncos defensive lineman Mike Purcell has restructured his contract, likely assuring he will make the 53-man roster.

The Denver Broncos have restructured veteran defensive lineman’s Mike Purcell’s contract, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Before the restructure, Purcell was scheduled to earn $3.5 million in 2023. That has been reduced to $2.25 million, according to Klis, but Purcell can earn back $1.25 million through incentives.

This will give Denver some salary cap relief and Purcell will have an opportunity to eventually earn the same amount through incentives. After giving the team some cap relief, Purcell now seems to be a lock to make the 53-man roster.

Purcell has played for the Broncos since 2019, totaling 141 tackles (12 behind the line), nine quarterback hits, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one pass breakup in 49 games (27 starts).

Purcell is listed as the No. 2 nose tackle on the team’s depth chart behind D.J. Jones. There might be situations this year where the Broncos have both Jones and Purcell on the field at the same time with Jones lining up as a defensive end and Purcell in the middle.

Purcell is entering the final year of his deal that runs through the 2023 season. He is scheduled to become a 33-year-old unrestricted free agent next May.

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Broncos DL Mike Purcell activated from NFI list

Broncos defensive lineman Mike Purcell passed his physical and was removed from the non-football injury list on Wednesday.

Denver Broncos veteran defensive lineman Mike Purcell was activated from the non-football-injury list on Wednesday after passing his physical. Purcell is on the 90-man offseason roster and is now cleared for the 2023 season.

Purcell, 32, has spent four years with the Broncos, totaling 141 tackles (12 behind the line), nine quarterback hits, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one pass breakup in 49 games (27 starts).

While Purcell was sidelined, D.J. Jones was listed as the starting defensive end on the depth chart with Tyler Lancaster and PJ Mustipher listed as depth options behind Jones.

It remains to be seen if the Broncos will use Purcell as a rotational nose tackle this season, or if Jones will move to defensive end, opening up a starting spot for Purcell on the inside. Either way, Purcell figures to be a key part of the team’s defensive line this fall.

Denver will finalize a 53-man roster on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

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Broncos place 2 players on PUP list, but not Javonte Williams

The Broncos placed OLB Baron Browning and WR Kendall Hinton on the PUP list, but RB Javonte Williams avoided that designation.

The good news continues for Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams.

The Broncos said this spring that they expected Williams (knee) to be ready for the start of training camp, but it was unclear if the team was being overly optimistic. That expectation became more realistic after Williams was able to participate in organized team activities (on a limited basis) in May.

Now, with training camp set to begin this week, Denver has announced that two players will be placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and Williams is not among them.

Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick (knee), outside linebacker Aaron Patrick (knee), and rookie safety JL Skinner (pectoral) also avoided the PUP list. Denver has cleared all four players for the start of camp.

The Broncos are placing outside linebacker Baron Browning (knee) and wide receiver Kendall Hinton (undisclosed) on the PUP list, the team announced. Denver also placed wide receiver KJ Hamler (pectoral) and defensive lineman Mike Purcell (offseason surgery) on the non-football injury (NFI) list.

Players on the PUP and NFI lists still count against the 90-man offseason roster, but they are not eligible to practice. Players can be activated from the PUP or NFI list at any point during training camp.

Here’s a quick recap of the team’s injury-related moves on Sunday.

Broncos place WR KJ Hamler, DL Mike Purcell on NFI list to begin camp

Broncos WR KJ Hamler and DL Mike Purcell will begin training camp on the non-football injury list.

The Denver Broncos will begin training camp with two players on the non-football injury list.

The Broncos have placed wide receiver KJ Hamler and defensive lineman Mik Purcell on the NFI list, according to the league’s transaction wire. Field Yates of ESPN first reported the Hamler news and KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis first reported the Purcell news.

Hamler, 24, suffered a partially-torn pectoral muscle this spring while working out away from the team’s facility. He had hoped to be ready for the start of training camp but that won’t be the case.

Purcell, 32, underwent a “minor” surgery this offseason. It’s unclear how long the defensive lineman will be sidelined.

Players on the NFI list still count against the 90-man offseason roster but are not able to practice after suffering an injury unrelated to an NFL practice or game (or team-organized workout). Hamler and Purcell can be activated from the NFI list to the active roster at any time during training camp.

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Broncos injuries: 2 players recovering from ‘minor’ surgeries

Broncos defensive linemen D.J. Jones and Mike Purcell are recovering from ‘minor’ offseason surgeries, according to 9News.

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Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams (knee) being limited at practice to begin organized team activities is a very positive development for the team.

On the other side of the ball, the news isn’t as good as defensive linemen Mike Purcell and D.J. Jones are both recovering from “minor offseason surgeries,” according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

It’s not clear what surgeries Purcell and Jones had done, but Purcell suffered elbow and ankle injuries last year and Jones had shoulder and knee injuries in 2022.

Elsewhere on the injury front, coach Sean Payton said wide receiver Jerry Jeudy “banged his thigh” at Thursday’s practice and will be fine.

Meanwhile, cornerback Pat Surtain, safety JL Skinner, outside linebackers Christopher Allen and Ray Wilborn and wide receivers Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler worked on the side during Thursday’s practice. Special teams ace Aaron Patrick (recovering from torn ACL) is also sidelined.

Overall, it’s mostly good news on the injury front for Denver. Recovering players seem to be coming along well and the new injuries seem to be mostly minor. The team will hope that trend continues this season.

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