The Denver Broncos roster is now at 80 players after the team eliminated nine players and saw a veteran shut out due to the pandemic. Here’s a quick summary, all in one place, of the 10 moves on the list.
Waived
Riley Neal | QB: Neal played college ball at Vanderbilt and was signed to be a camp arm with the highest ceiling possible as a 3-caliber QB if he could unseat Brett Rypien. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, Neal will never have a chance, at least not in Denver.
Tre ‘Crawford | LB: Crawford signed a futures deal in January. He simply was not given the opportunity to join or join with his coaches, thanks to the fact that the entire portion of the Low Season Training Program was canceled this year.
Kelvin McKnight | WR: Signed as a college free agent last year, McKnight was a smaller slot receiver with a positive return. You will have to wait to land somewhere else.
Khalfani Muhammad | RB: This one will disappoint some fans. Seen as a ‘Phillip Lindsay-lite’, Muhammad shone during the 2019 preseason. Although it was not enough to be on the list of 53 men, it was enough to continue the organization for more than a year.
Kahani Smith | S: Signed as a futures project late last season, Smith was another victim of the pandemic.
Shakial Taylor | CB: Taylor offered some intrigue when the team added him from the exemptions in November last season. Unfortunately, the coaches had enough exposure to the player since last fall. making a safe decision, though it’s still an unfortunate development because, in a traditional NFL summer, you never know what kinds of opportunities the preseason snapshots might have provided.
Nico Falah | C: Arriving as an exemption claim in late 2018, Falah suffered a lower leg injury in the summer of 2019 and is now out of the gate. The Broncos are strong on the inside offensive line and have some depth after the draft.
Zimari Manning | WR: Hailing from the small state of Tarleton, not much is known about the undrafted rookie except for the fact that he produced some great numbers in Division II football.
What happens next to the Broncos? Don’t miss any news and analysis! Take a second and Sign up to receive our free newsletter and receive the latest Broncos news in your inbox daily!
Published
Joel Heath | New Testament: An experienced veteran, Heath is a former Houston Texan who brought some girth and experience to the nose tackle position but the Broncos feel they can cope with Mike Purcell.
Opt out
Kyle Peko | DL: The fifth-year trencher decided to choose not to participate in the 2020 season due to the coronary. Based on his relative age health as a professional athlete, Peko himself might not be considered high risk for COVID-19, but his wife’s immune system may still be compromised in the wake of his successful battle with cancer last year.
Peko is understandably unwilling to roll the dice with the possibility of exposing her to error. The Broncos gave Peko the highest risk opt-out designation, meaning he will receive a $ 350K stipend for staying out of the 2020 season.
Whats Next
With the roster reduced to 80 players, the Broncos can now advance through training camp without having to split the team into two squads and walk the intricate thread of basically running two different teams. The Broncos are 10 fewer players than they were, but at least the team can attack what will be a unique training ground on a united front.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
