The Broncos cut the roster down on Saturday to the final 53 players who will start the season against Baltimore on Sept. 13, with some surprise players being sent packing and several questions still looming.
Interesting Cut No. 1
At inside linebacker, Gary Kubiak opted for Todd Davis and Corey Nelson to back up Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan over Lamin Barrow and Steven Johnson. Barrow had a solid preseason and Johnson had appeared in at least ten games in all three of his seasons with the Broncos, including 16 in 2013 and 14 in 2014.
Inside linebacker was an area of surprising depth with the (hopefully) full return of Marshall and Trevathan, so perhaps there was more to John Elway’s Hard Knocks conversation with Texans GM Rick Smith than the team wanted to let on.
Still, none of the ILBs were moved before the deadline and Barrow and Johnson will hope to find homes elsewhere.
Interesting cut No. 2 says goodbye, maybe, to a local and fan favorite.
Interesting Cut No. 2
Ben Garland, a graduate of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, joined the Broncos in 2010 as an undrafted free agent and moved between the roster and a team ambassador role, and then back to the roster, while he served his duties to the United States Air Force.
The Grand Junction native began the year as the starting left guard for the Broncos, but lost the job to rookie Max Garcia in the first week of training camp. Garcia has subsequently surrendered the job after the Broncos signed All-Pro guard Evan Mathis.
Garland, though with the team in some capacity since 2010, was classified as a second-year player because of time spent with the Air Force and on the practice squad. He saw action on offense and special teams in eight games for the Broncos in 2014.
To this day, Garland still serves in the Colorado Air National Guard as a public affairs officer and holds the rank of captain. He was named the Broncos’ 2014 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for his leadership on the field and in the community.
It’s for that reason that the cut is so interesting. Yes, football is all about maximizing the contributions of the 53 men on the roster and the 45 who suit up on Sundays, but Garland offered a community appeal unlike any other player on the roster.
Garland remains practice squad eligible, so there is a chance the team could re-sign him, but with nine offensive linemen already on the 53-man roster, that would seem like a wasted spot on the 10-man practice squad if it was simply a community/PR move.
Interesting cut No. 3 sees a longtime under-performer make his exit.
Interesting Cut No. 3
Veteran cornerback Tony Carter, who spent five of his six NFL seasons with the Broncos, was also released. Rookie Lorenzo Doss and Curtis Marsh, who signed a future contract with Denver in 2014, will be the third-string cornerbacks and contribute on special teams.
Carter had made frequent appearances on “Surprise Veteran Cuts” lists for several years running, and for good cause. In six years in the league, Carter has managed just 44 tackles in 42 games, with a career high of 23 in 15 games in 2012 for Denver. He also had three career interceptions, including one for a touchdown.
Carter was also a contributor on special teams, even taking an unsuccessful crack at being a return man in 2013, but the continued struggles of the coverage and return units during the preseason made Carter an easy target for release as Gary Kubiak tries to remake the third phase.
Fellow veteran special teamer David Bruton survived the cuts over Carter, mostly because he has been a team leader and captain (and is currently the longest-tenured Bronco), but also because he is the primary backup to T.J. Ward and will start in Ward’s place while the strong safety plays out his one-game suspension to start the season. Bruton, now 29, may have just a year or two left as a senior member on special teams now that Carter is gone, as Kubiak is clearly moving in a younger direction for that unit.
In the wake of these cuts, three big personnel questions are still lingering.
Depth Chart Question No. 1
Special teams has been a major deficiency for the Broncos in recent years, so finding quality contributors in that unit was clearly a priority for Kubiak. Isaiah Burse, who handled the lion’s share of punt returns in 2014 was released and now Omar Bolden has been tabbed to handle both punt and kickoff duties. Can he handle it?
Bolden and Andre Caldwell took nearly the same number of kickoffs in 2014, with Bolden out-gaining Caldwell by 10 yards per return for the season. Caldwell will remain the backup on kickoffs and Jordan Norwood will be backup on punts and third string on kickoffs.
Burse averaged just 7.3 yards per return in 2014, so the bar isn’t set too high for Bolden, but the real key to his success will be in ball control. Burse had three fumbles in 2014, which led to him ultimately losing his punt return duties to Wes Welker and Emmanuel Sanders who were essentially asked to play centerfielders and just maintain possession with fair catches.
Kubiak doesn’t want to have to resort to Sanders on punt returns – it’s simply too risky to put such an important asset in that role – so Bolden has to step up. But Caldwell has been uninspiring (the offense’s version of Tony Carter) and Norwood struggled with ball control during the preseason himself, so depth in the return game is a major cause for concern.
Bolden needs to light things up or Kubiak may be forced to make a mid-season move. Can he find another Trindon Holliday?
Depth chart question No. 2 could have big implications for Peyton Manning.
Depth Chart Question No. 2
Prior to the final preseason game, the Broncos traded veteran swing tackle Chris Clark to the Houston Texans for a seventh round draft pick. Clark had started 14 games and the entire preseason at left tackle in 2013 when Ryan Clady went down with a season-ending injury, and had been pegged as the starting right tackle to start 2015 before losing the job to Ryan Harris after the first day of camp.
Clark would have given Denver a reliable swing tackle, but Kubiak (and maybe John Elway?) apparently liked what they saw in second-year player Michael Schofield that they moved Clark even before the preseason had ended.
Perhaps they should have waited, because Schofield was absolutely dominated in the fourth and final preseason game, matching up against mostly reserves and players who are now out of work. That’s disconcerting considering Harris is an older player and has a history of injuries himself. It’s equally disconcerting that the left tackle is a rookie, Ty Sambrailo. Combined, Sambrailo and Schofield have zero games of NFL experience to start the season.
Schofield looked extremely shaky during preseason play against live competition, so the health and performance of Clark and Sambrailo are paramount to keeping Peyton Manning upright throughout the season.
Depth chart question No. 3 will be put to the test early.
Depth Chart Question No. 3
Defensive end Derek Wolfe has, by many standards, underperformed in his three years with the Broncos. As the Broncos’ first-overall (second round) draft pick in 2012, Wolfe was expected to be a run-stopper who can also get to the quarterback. Injuries and general lack of performance raised big questions as Wolfe heads into his contract year. The fact that Wolfe got himself suspended for four games for violating the league’s PED policy doesn’t help his cause.
So with Wolfe out for four games to start the season, Denver is being forced to use veteran Antonio Smith. Smith was a virtual no-show throughout the preseason and comes with his own major baggage, stemming from child abuse allegations that surfaced over the summer. Behind Smith on the depth chart is Vance Walker. Behind Malik Jackson on the opposite side is Kenny Anunike, who had a monster showing during the first game of the preseason, but was sidelined for the remainder and underwent arthroscopy on his knee just a few weeks ago.
Anunike is expected to be back for Week 1, but he may not be up to form. That leaves Denver very thin at defensive end. The Broncos face three very good rushing attacks in the first four weeks, including Jamaal Charles in Week 2 and Adrian Peterson in Week 4. Will the line hold up without Wolfe?
How the interior line plays against Baltimore could signal whether or not they’ll survive Charles the next week and Peterson shortly thereafter.