Only three days after the Denver Broncos' final preseason game, the team has been drastically cut from 80 men to 53.

Roster cut days are some of the most difficult days in the NFL. For some players, they may never get another shot to play football. For others, they could find a home with another squad, or even make the practice squad for the team they were cut from. Regardless, it is a difficult process for everyone.

Early Tuesday morning, the Broncos traded outside linebacker Malik Reed to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a late-round draft pick. 

“I love Malik. Everyone does. Great kid. Really good player,” said Broncos' General Manager George Paton. “We just had a log jam. We have a lot of really talented outside backers that can rush. I thought it’d be best to trade Malik and trade him somewhere where he’s going to fit in with a really good organization. We wouldn’t of just traded him anywhere. He wanted to go to Pittsburgh and we found a home for him. I think it’s a win-win for both sides.”

During the preseason, there was a bit of a punter battle that ended up being much closer than fans once speculated. In a bit of a shocking move, it was announced that veteran punter Sam Martin was released by the Broncos. Martin's release meant that Corliss Waitman won the punter battle. Fans speculated that Martin's release was also due to money issues, but Paton clarified that was not the case.

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“It had nothing to do with it. We picked the best punter for us. The punter with the most upside, the biggest leg. Money had nothing to do with it. We have plenty of cap room to do what we need to do. We’re not going to get rid of a good player than can help us win for money,” Patton explained.

Towards the end of his presser, Paton addressed his desire to win this season. 

“We want to win now. We want to win this year. So, there’s a fine line, just getting picks to get picks. We also want to win games.”

As of Tuesday evening, the Broncos roster is officially at 53 men. It may not end up being the final roster, as Paton could possibly find himself searching the waiver wire.