Subscribe
Follow Us
The Denver Broncos returned to the playoffs last season for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in the 2015 season. The Broncos have already made major offseason moves to improve on their ten-win season. Denver closed mandatory minicamp on June 12, and we look at the three players who could potentially be cut after their 2025 minicamp.
Denver has already made some major offseason moves. First, the Broncos signed Dre Greenlaw, while also bringing back Jarrett Stidham and adding Sam Ehlinger. Still, the biggest move may be the one they just made. The Broncos recently signed J.K. Dobbins, who played last season for the Los Angeles Chargers. Meanwhile, they just closed their mandatory minicamp. The Broncos will open training camp in July.
Between now and then, Sean Payton and the front office will be making moves. They will certainly bring in some more players, but in the process, these are the players that could unexpectedly find themselves as free agents soon.
J.K. Dobbins takes a roster spot
The Broncos' running game struggled last season. They were 16th in the NFL in rushing yards per game, and nearly a quarter of their rushing yards last year came from Bo Nix. The Broncos were also tied for 22nd in the NFL in rushing touchdowns last season, with four of their 12 rushing touchdowns coming from Nix. It became a clear need that Denver had to address this offseason.
First, Javonte Williams was allowed to leave in free agency. He was the leading rusher last year with 513 yards. He also scored four times last season. Meanwhile, Audric Estime ran for 310 yards and two scores as a rookie last season. The Broncos also made other moves at running back this offseason. RJ Harvey was drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft this past year by the Denver Broncos. Harvey has already stood out in rookie minicamp for the Broncos. In his last two years at UCF, he ran for just under 3,000 yards while also scoring 38 times on the ground.
Denver also just recently brought in Dobbins. Dobbins had a great season for the Chargers last year, playing in 13 games and running for 905 yards with nine scores. His 905 yards were the most of his career, while his nine touchdowns tied a career high. With Dobbins and Harvey now in the backfield, Jaleel McLaughlin may be the odd man out. McLaughlin went undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft out of Youngstown State. He has run for 906 yards in his two seasons with the Broncos, but has scored just twice. With Dobbins expecting to take the starting role and Harvey as the second back, McLaughlin could find himself looking for new work soon.
The Broncos cut a 2022 draft pick
One of the major moves for the Broncos this offseason was the signing of Talanoa Hufanga. When healthy, he has been great in his career. In 2022, Hufanga had 97 tackles, with nine pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two sacks, and four interceptions. He was having another great year in 2023 before tearing his ACL and missing the rest of the season. Last season, he was starting to come back into form before a wrist injury placed him on injured reserve again. Still, he is clearly slated to be the starting safety in Denver, along with Brandon Jones.
With Jones and Hufanga in the starting role, and Devon Key and P.J. Locke returning as the backups at the safety position, there is a logjam at safety for the Broncos. Further, Denver brought in Sam Franklin this offseason. Franklin was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers out of Temple. He has not established himself as a starting-level safety, but has established himself as a solid special-teams player, and someone who stays on rosters for those skills.
With that, the odd man out will be Delarrin Turner-Yell. Turner-Yell was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. In 2022 and 2023, he would appear in 30 games, but had just 42 tackles and one fumble recovery. He also had just one pass breakup. He would tear his ACL at the end of the 2023 season and then miss the entire 2024 season while recovering. Turner-Yell has not met expectations so far, and he could be on his way out this year.
A rookie pushes a veteran out
Safety is not the only secondary position that could see someone find their way to free agency this offseason. The battle at corner is also prevalent for the Broncos this offseason. They have two established starting corners currently. Patrick Surtain II has become one of the best defensive backs in the NFL. Surtain is coming off being named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year this past season. Meanwhile, Riley Moss has become a solid corner on the other side. Last year, he had 86 tackles and one interception.
In the first round of the NFL draft, the Broncos drafted Jahdae Barron with the 20th overall pick. Barron was a great player at Texas, capping his career with being named an All-American and winning the Jim Thorpe Award. Barron has already shown that he is ready for the NFL game and looks to be the starting nickel corner for the Broncos this upcoming season. With the Broncos also having Damarri Mathis and Kris Abrams-Draine on the roster, Ja'Quan McMillian could be the odd man out thanks to Barron joining the team.
McMillian was signed as an undrafted free agent in the 2022 offseason out of East Carolina. He was a second-team All-American and a two-time Second-Team All-AAC player in college. He did not play much as a rookie, not playing until week 18. Still, he became the primary nickel corner in his second season. He has now been the primary nickel corner for the last two seasons, having four interceptions and 119 tackles in the two years. Still, McMillian has not logged many snaps outside of the nickel spot, and with Barron now on the roster, he would be the sixth cornerback. This may mean his time in Devner is coming to an end.
