More than 1,000 NFL players were cut in recent days, including 37 players waived or released by the Denver Broncos. Teams across the league have set their initial 53-man rosters, and more moves are on the way soon.
Clubs now have the opportunity to place waiver claims on cut players with fewer than four years of experience, and waiver wire pickups will be awarded on Wednesday morning. The waiver wire order follows the order of this year’s NFL draft, so the Broncos are 20th in line, making them a long shot to land any of the top waiver wire players.
Not every team is targeting the same position, though, so Denver might get lucky. With fullback Michael Burton (hamstring) on season-ending injured reserve and tight/end fullback Nate Adkins (ankle) set to miss the beginning of the season, the Broncos will be in the market for a blocking tight end and/or fullback.
Two fullbacks were cut this week: Ravens undrafted rookie Lucas Scott and Seahawks undrafted rookie Wesley Steiner. On the tight end front, Treyton Welch will be a name to watch after being surprisingly cut by the Saints.
Two years ago, Denver attempted to bump offensive tackle Demontrey Jacobs down to the practice squad, but he was claimed off waivers by the Patriots. New England has now cut Jacobs, so if the Broncos want to get him back, they have an opportunity to.
On defense, the team surprisingly cut linebacker Levelle Bailey on Tuesday. It looks like Denver will go with undrafted rookie Karene Reid at linebacker, but the list of LBs who recently became available includes Chad Muma, Krys Barnes and Isaiah Simmons.
There are also several punters hitting free agency or the waiver wire. The Broncos are expected to stick with sixth-round draft pick Jeremy Crawshaw, but we’ve listed the recently cut punters below.
12 players Broncos could target on waiver wire/free agencyTE Treyton WelchP Ryan StonehouseP Oscar ChapmanP James BurnipP​ Thomas MorsteadP Cameron JohnstonFB Lucas ScottFB Wesley SteinerLB Isaiah SimmonsLB Krys BarnesLB Chad Muma OT Demontrey Jacobs
Waiver claims will be processed at 10 a.m. MT (noon ET) on Wednesday, Aug. 27. Broncos Wire will have full coverage of any players Denver lands (or loses) on the waiver wire.
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