Tag: roster cuts

Broncos release updated depth chart for Week 1

The Broncos have released their updated depth chart ahead of a Week 1 showdown with the Raiders.

After setting their 53-man roster and 17-player practice squad for the 2023 season, the Denver Broncos are now set for their Week 1 showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 10.

The team released their first official depth chart of the 2023 regular season on Wednesday and there are no big surprises. Here’s a look at the team’s updated depth chart going into Week 1.

Offense

Position Player Player Player Player
QB Russell Wilson Jarrett Stidham
RB Javonte Williams Samaje Perine Jaleel McLaughlin
FB Michael Burton
TE Adam Trautman Greg Dulcich Chris Manhertz Nate Adkins
WR Jerry Jeudy Marvin Mims
WR Courtland Sutton Brandon Johnson
LT Garrett Bolles Cam Fleming
LG Ben Powers Quinn Bailey
C Lloyd Cushenberry Luke Wattenberg Alex Forsyth
RG Quinn Meinerz Quinn Bailey
RT Mike McGlinchey Cam Fleming

Defense

Position Player Player Player
DE Zach Allen Elijah Garcia
NT D.J. Jones Mike Purcell
DE Jonathan Harris Matt Henningsen
OLB Randy Gregory Nik Bonitto Thomas Incoom
OLB Jonathon Cooper Frank Clark
ILB Josey Jewell Justin Strnad
ILB Alex Singleton Drew Sanders
CB Pat Surtain Ja’Quan McMillian Fabian Moreau
Slot Essang Bassey
CB Damarri Mathis Riley Moss Tremon Smith
FS Justin Simmons Delarrin Turner-Yell
SS Kareem Jackson OR Caden Sterns JL Skinner

Special Teams

Position Player Player Player
K Wil Lutz
P Riley Dixon
LS Mitchell Fraboni
PR Marvin Mims Tremon Smith
KR Marvin Mims Jaleel McLaughlin

To view the Denver Broncos’ complete 2023 schedule, click here.

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Why the Colts parted ways with Darius Rush at roster cuts

Chris Ballard had one reason why the Colts waived Darius Rush at roster cuts.

The Indianapolis Colts are going into the regular season with an extremely young cornerback room, one that won’t be featuring one of their fifth-round picks from the 2023 NFL draft.

In a mildly shocking move, the Colts wound up waiving fifth-round pick Darius Rush as a part of the moves to get the roster to 53 players before Tuesday’s deadline. Meanwhile, they opted to keep seventh-round pick Jaylon Jones.

When asked what went into cutting Rush, general manager Chris Ballard’s answer was pretty simple.

“That’s a good question, that was hard. Jaylon Jones,” Ballard said Wednesday of the reason that led the Colts to make that decision.

Jones was one of the true standouts for the Colts throughout training camp and the preseason. He worked his way up the depth chart while others in the room dealt with injuries, and he showed upside on both defense and special teams. If they had to choose one over the other, keeping Jones was the right call.

Physically, Rush fit the exact profile the Colts like in their cornerbacks. He’s physical, lengthy and has elite speed. But he struggled with consistent mirroring and made a poor habit of biting on double moves.

In theory, the Colts could have kept both players, but Ballard believes the roster mechanics would have made that difficult.

It became more about wanting other players more than they wanted to keep Rush, which is the harsh reality of life in the NFL.

“We’d had to of kept seven corners, so it would have been tough. It would have been tough. Kenny Moore (II) – we think has had a great camp. Tony Brown – I love Tony. Let me just make this known. I love Tony Brown. That dude competes. He’s a great teammate. He’s all-in,” Ballard said. “Then you have (Darrell) Baker (Jr.). We have Dallis (Flowers) – all these guys that have all come in and played really good football and have really good upside. And they’re all young. JuJu (Brents) is coming along.”

The emergence of Baker and Flowers, along with Brown’s abilities on special teams, made the room very crowded throughout camp and the preseason. Rush quickly found a new home, though, being claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Look, it just happened to be a group that’s young and talented. Nothing against Darius (Rush) – wish him the best. I know he was claimed. Wish him the best. I went back and forth with him earlier about it. He’s very talented, but it was a good group.”

The Colts are rolling with a young cornerback room, and it will be an interesting experiment to see down the road if the front office was correct in making this move.

NFC South News Roundup: How each team fares after leaguewide roster cuts

NFC South News Roundup: How the Falcons, Panthers, and Buccaneers are faring after leaguewide roster cuts

It’s been a busy week around the NFL, including all three of the New Orleans Saints’ divisional opponents. But how are the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers faring in the wake of roster cuts? Let’s check in on each of them with coverage from our peers around the NFL Wires Network:

Broncos’ updated 53-man roster after Thursday’s roster moves

Here is a look at the Broncos’ updated 53-man roster after a flurry of roster moves on Thursday.

The Denver Broncos set an initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, but after six transactions on Thursday, that roster has already seen a few changes.

To view a gallery showing photos of each player on the 53-man roster, click here. To view the roster as a list of names and no photos, see below.

Number Position Player
3 QB Russell Wilson
4 QB Jarrett Stidham
33 RB Javonte Williams
25 RB Samaje Perine
38 RB Jaleel McLaughlin
20 FB/TE Michael Burton
82 TE Adam Trautman
80 TE Greg Dulcich
84 TE Chris Manhertz
45 TE/FB Nate Adkins 
10 WR Jerry Jeudy
14 WR Courtland Sutton 
83 WR Marvin Mims 
89 WR Brandon Johnson
77 OL Quinn Meinerz
74 OL Ben Powers
79 OL Lloyd Cushenberry
69 OT Mike McGlinchey
72 OT Garrett Bolles
73 OT Cam Fleming
75 OL Quinn Bailey
60 OL Luke Wattenberg 
76 OL Alex Forsyth 
99 DL Zach Allen
98 DL Mike Purcell
91 DL Matt Henningsen
93 DL D.J. Jones
92 DE Jonathan Harris
95 DL Elijah Garcia
5 OLB Randy Gregory
0 OLB Jonathon Cooper
55 OLB Frank Clark
42 OLB Nik Bonitto
59 OLB Thomas Incoom
47 ILB Josey Jewell
49 ILB Alex Singleton
41 ILB Drew Sanders
40 ILB Justin Strnad
2 CB Pat Surtain
27 CB Damarri Mathis
36 CB Fabian Moreau
 35 CB Ja’Quan McMillian
 21 CB Essang Bassey
 37 CB Riley Moss
23 CB Tremon Smith
 31 DB Justin Simmons
 30 DB Caden Sterns
 22 DB Kareem Jackson
 22 DB Delarrin Turner-Yell
 34 DB JL Skinner 
16 K Wil Lutz
19 P Riley Dixon
48 LS Mitchell Fraboni

The Broncos are also building a 17-player practice squad. We are tracking the team’s practice squad signings on this page.

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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’ projected depth chart update after roster cuts

After the Broncos set their 53-man roster, here is our updated depth chart projection for the 2023 season.

After setting their 53-man roster and 16-player practice squad for the 2023 season, the Denver Broncos are now set for their Week 1 showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 10.

The team will release an official depth chart next week, but while we wait, we have created a projected depth chart following all the roster cuts. (Keep in mind that this is not the official depth chart going into Week 1.)

Offense

Position Player Player Player Player
QB Russell Wilson Jarrett Stidham
RB Javonte Williams Samaje Perine Jaleel McLaughlin
FB/TE Michael Burton Nate Adkins
TE Adam Trautman Greg Dulcich Chris Manhertz Nate Adkins
WR Jerry Jeudy Marvin Mims
WR Courtland Sutton Brandon Johnson
LT Garrett Bolles Cam Fleming
LG Ben Powers Quinn Bailey
C Lloyd Cushenberry Alex Forsyth
RG Quinn Meinerz Luke Wattenberg
RT Mike McGlinchey Cam Fleming

Defense

Position Player Player Player
DE Zach Allen Elijah Garcia
NT D.J. Jones Mike Purcell
DE Jonathan Harris Matt Henningsen
OLB Randy Gregory Nik Bonitto Thomas Incoom
OLB Jonathon Cooper Frank Clark
ILB Josey Jewell Drew Sanders
ILB Alex Singleton Justin Strnad
CB Pat Surtain Ja’Quan McMillian
Slot Essang Bassey Riley Moss
CB Damarri Mathis Tremon Smith Fabian Moreau
FS Justin Simmons Kareem Jackson Delarrin Turner-Yell
SS Caden Sterns Kareem Jackson JL Skinner

Special Teams

Position Player Player Player
K Wil Lutz
P Riley Dixon
LS Mitchell Fraboni
PR Marvin Mims Jaleel McLaughlin
KR Marvin Mims Tremon Smith Jaleel McLaughlin

To view the Denver Broncos’ complete 2023 schedule, click here.

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Chiefs signed two proven veterans to practice squad on Wednesday

The #Chiefs signed two tested veterans to their practice squad on Wednesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs added defensive tackle Danny Shelton and defensive back Deon Bush to their practice squad on Wednesday according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Both veterans saw action with Kansas City in the preseason and were surprise cuts on Tuesday when the team trimmed their roster to the NFL-mandated 53-player threshold.

While Shelton and Bush certainly would have preferred to make the 53-man roster instead of landing on Kansas City’s practice squad, they will have the opportunity to be elevated to play in regular season games if injuries necessitate their involvement.

Shelton was a first-round pick in the 2015 NFL draft and won his first Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs last season. Bush entered the league a year after Shelton in 2016 as a fourth-round selection and was also on Kansas City’s championship roster in 2022.

While neither is likely to see action in the Chiefs’ first regular season game next week, they will provide valuable depth that Kansas City can lean on as their title defense campaign progresses.

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Broncos announce 14 practice squad signings

The Broncos have announced 14 of their 17 practice squad signings for the 2023 season.

After setting a 53-man roster, the Denver Broncos have announced 14 practice squad signings for the 2023 season. The team announced the following signings on Wednesday evening:

Position Player
QB Ben DiNucci
RB Tyler Badie
RB Dwayne Washington
WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
WR Michael Bandy
OL Demontrey Jacobs
OL Will Sherman
DL Jordan Jackson
DL P.J. Mustipher
DL Tyler Lancaster
DL Haggai Ndubuisi*
OLB Marcus Haynes
CB Art Green
DB Devon Key

The Broncos have not yet officially announced the signings of wide receivers Phillip Dorsett and David Sills or tight end Lucas Krull. The signings should become official soon, perhaps as early as Thursday.

*As part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway, defensive lineman Haggai Ndubuisi does not count against the 16-player practice squad limit.

Related: 10 notable players not signed to the practice squad

Last year, Denver’s initial practice squad included offensive lineman Quinn Bailey, wide receiver Kendall Hinton, defensive lineman Jonathan Harris and cornerbacks JaQuan McMillian and Essang Bassey. Bailey, Harris, McMillian and Bassey are all on the active roster this year.

Four of those players — all but Bassey — started at least one game for the Broncos last year, and Bassey is expected to play in the slot this season. So while Denver’s practice squad players haven’t made the Week 1 active roster, they could get opportunities to see the field later this year.

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Broncos set practice squad: View the 17 players for 2023

The Broncos have set their 16-player* practice squad for 2023.

After finalizing a 53-man roster, the Denver Broncos have also finalized a 16-player* practice squad for the 2023 season. We have been tracking all of the team’s signings and the practice squad now appears to be full (but none of these signings will become official until confirmed by the team).

*Fans should note that defensive lineman Haggai Ndubuisi does not count against the 16-player limit as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program.

Panthers claim former Saints guard Calvin Throckmorton off waivers

The Panthers claimed former Saints guard Calvin Throckmorton off waivers. He’ll face his old team in Week 2:

If you can’t beat them, sign them. That’s the Carolina Panthers’ motto — they claimed former New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton on waivers Wednesday, per the daily NFL transactions wire. Throckmorton was waived Tuesday at the roster cuts deadline and now he’ll be playing against his former team as soon as Week 2.

He’s joining several former teammates in Carolina. This offseason the Panthers signed longtime Saints defensive tackle Shy Tuttle, backup quarterback Andy Dalton, and former Saints safety Vonn Bell as veteran free agents. That’s a lot of familiar faces.

Throckmorton was first signed by the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon. He developed into a solid backup and played a lot of snaps at left guard in relief of Andrus Peat when the starter was injured at times during the last two seasons. It wasn’t likely he would clear waivers given his combination of age and experience, and now he’s playing for a division rival.

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