This Broncos roster, both by Sean Payton‘s own admission and by plain sight, is the deepest it’s been in Payton’s three-year tenure.

That is an undeniable positive. It also will lead to some excruciatingly tough decisions, with players who’ve put together strong camps nonetheless likely to land on the waiver wire.

“I was taught at a young age, the most significant thing is the right 53,” Payton said in early August. “So that’s what keeps you up at night — making sure we’re finding that group.”

Broncos 53-man roster projection: Who will make Sean Payton’s last cut?

The Broncos’ brass will have long hours this week as cut day dawns, with teams required to reduce their offseason rosters from 90 players to 53 by 2 p.m. MT Tuesday. The team can elect to sign a maximum of 16 players to their practice squad if they clear waivers, and the Broncos have until 11 a.m. ET Wednesday to claim players off waivers who’ve been cut by other teams.

Let the rodeo begin. Here’s a tracker of every roster move from the Broncos this week. The Denver Post will continue updating this list through Wednesday.

For those who missed it, here’s the final roster projection from The Post’s Broncos beat.

Latest updates

Sunday 

7:27 p.m.: Denver’s made its first offensive-line cut, waiving rookie guard Clay Webb, who signed with the Broncos after falling undrafted out of Jacksonville State. Webb had some flexibility on the interior, but Denver’s deep on tackles and only has a few reserve OL spots up for grabs. He could easily wind up being a practice-squad stash, though, after he was widely viewed as a potential Day 3 pick in April.

6:45 p.m.: The Broncos are making another cut to a stuffed secondary, as they’ve waived rookie UDFA Joshua Pickett with an injury settlement, a source confirmed. Pickett was held out of Denver’s Week 2 preseason game with a hand injury, but had a toe-tap interception against the 49ers in early August. The Broncos still have a slew of corners on the bubble to sort out, between Damarri Mathis, Quinton Newsome, Reese Taylor and fellow rookie Jaden Robinson.

6:05 p.m.: Denver’s waiving cornerback Micah Abraham, who was brought in in mid-August for some extra defensive-back help amid injuries. The Broncos first signed the 2024 sixth-round pick out of the UFL.

3:40 p.m.: On to the receiver room — Denver’s waiving undrafted rookie Joaquin Davis, a source confirmed Sunday. It was an expected move, as the Broncos just traded Devaughn Vele because of a surplus of talent at wideout. Still, Davis could be a natural candidate to develop on the practice squad — a toolsy blend of 6-foot-4 height and sub-4.4 speed. He’s an ideal Sean Payton wideout, and veteran wideout Courtland Sutton developed a visible affinity for Davis during camp.

3:34 p.m.: The Broncos have made their first cut, according to sources: outside linebacker Andrew Farmer, who was entering his second year in Denver after an eight-game stint with the Chargers in 2023. Farmer made a number of standout plays throughout camp, but the Broncos’ edge depth was set. A source told The Post that Farmer isn’t expected to sign to Denver’s practice squad either, but the 25-year-old has some solid tape to put forth to the NFL’s other 31 teams.

1:05 p.m.: Welcome, all. Sean Payton, George Paton and company have a heck of a few decisions to make, and a lot of potential leverage around the league. They already traded Devaughn Vele to the New Orleans Saints for draft capital last week because of the Broncos’ depth at receiver; they might have another trade piece in QB3 Sam Ehlinger, who authored a standout performance against the Saints on Saturday. The Vikings just sent backup QB Sam Howell and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Eagles for a 2026 fifth-rounder and a 2027 seventh-rounder. Could Paton jump on some QB-needy team and get a pick for Ehlinger?

Keep an eye on players like DL Eyioma Uwazurike, RB Audric Estime and CB Damarri Mathis, too, after all had strong performances against New Orleans.

Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.

Originally Published: August 24, 2025 at 1:05 PM MDT