The Broncos may have let Malik Jackson walk to Jacksonville, but that doesn’t mean they’re not making moves. According to multiple reports, John Elway has released both Louis Vasquez and Owen Daniels.
The #Broncos are releasing guard Louis Vasquez, source said. Clearly some space, as he was to hit at $6.75M.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2016
https://twitter.com/MikeKlis/status/707272111140700160
While both moves aren’t shockers, they do come as a bit of a surprise. With Vasquez now on his way out, and Evan Mathis already on the open market, the Broncos are currently without both of their starting guards, creating even more question marks on an already porous offensive line.
Max Garcia is clearly a guy Denver has a lot of faith in, but he can only play one position; Elway must have something else up his sleeve.
Vasquez may have fallen off over the last couple seasons, but it wasn’t that long ago that he was a First-Team All-Pro guard. The $6.75 million they saved by cutting him must have meant a lot to the Broncos’ offseason plans.
Likewise, Daniels isn’t the Pro Bowl tight end he once was, but he did have some big moments last season, especially in the AFC Championship. Cutting him, though, saves the Broncos another $2.5 million.
This gives Denver roughly $16 million in cap space, and there’s a very good chance Elway has several more cost-cutting moves coming down the pipeline.
It’s how they use this money that is the bigger question.