The most painful aspect of the roster cutdown process is in the books.
The Denver Broncos set their initial 53-man roster on Sunday, after making close to 40 personnel cuts , including multiple rookie draft picks and several tenured veterans. There were some surprises to be sure , but we learned from GM George Paton on Sunday evening that Denver plans to bring several of these surprise cuts back to the practice squad, provided certain players clear waivers.
However, among the handful of tenured veterans the Broncos cut were several who didn't hit the waiver wire due to their vested NFL experience. Those players are free to re-sign with the Broncos practice squad immediately.
Counting the international player exemption, the Broncos will look to fill 17 spots on the practice squad in the coming days, with the bulk of them happening on Monday. Keep in mind, of the 1,100 players (or so) who were waived at the deadline last year, less than 30 waiver claims were made.
Waiver claims aren't as common as fans may think, but it's definitely something to factor into the risk/reward strategy when a team is trimming its roster.
We'll be tracking every single move here.
Michael Bandy | WR ( Source )
Adam Prentice | FB
Mitchell Fraboni | LS
Lucas Krull | TE ( Source )
Calvin Throckmorton | OL ( Source )
David Agoha | OLB | International Exemption
Red Murdock | LB ( Source )
Miles Scott | S ( Source )
Brent Austin | CB ( Source )
Kolbe Katsis | WR/R ( Source )
Tyler Miller | OT
Gavin Ortega | OL ( Source )
Luke Basso | LS ( Source )
Johnny Walker | OLB ( Source )
Cody Schrader | RB ( Source )
Sean Fresch Jr. | CB/R ( Source )
Drew Sanders | LB ( Source )
Justin Joly | TE | Miami Dolphins ( Source )
Reese Taylor | CB | Miami Dolphins ( Source )
Cameron Ross | WR/R ( Source )
Jordan Miller | DL ( Source )
Taurean York | LB ( Source )
Jaleel McLaughlin | RB ( Source )
Denver Broncos long snapper Mitchell Fraboni (48) warms up against the Kansas City Chiefs. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
With the waiver wire process yet to fully play out, the only players who've actually re-signed to the practice squad are vested veterans. However, the Broncos want Katsis and Ortega back if teh clear waivers, two undrafted rookies who impressed this summer.
With Marvin Mims Jr. sidelined, Katsis was the Broncos' best returner of the preseason, highlighted by his 48-yard kick return in the preseason finale. The Broncos like Ortega's upside, and he impressed them by stepping up in the wake of team's injury crisis at center in training camp and held down the second- and third-team duties while veteran Calvin Throckmorton rocked the first-team.
Throckmorton re-signed with the practice squad, and it's good to see him stick around. He really went to bat for the Broncos, and he should have made the 53-man roster, but he'll likely see plenty of action this season as an elevated and potentially promoted player.
Bandy and Krull are a pair of tenured veterans whom the Broncos have kept close for the past several years, but the roster math just didn't favor them this time around. They'll be utilized in-season as game-day elevations and both have the potential to be promoted to the 53-man roster at some point.
The Broncos raised some eyebrows by cutting both of their long snappers on Sunday, including their main guy, Fraboni. The plan is to keep him on the practice squad initially, elevate him for the first three weeks before officially promoting him to the 53-man roster.
Basso, the undrafted rookie, is also expected to re-sign to the practice squad if he clears waivers. Not sure what the rationale is there, though.
Prentice will be another common game-day elevation. It won't be long before he'll be promoted to the 53-man roster because new offensive coordinator Davis Webb clearly has big plans for Prentice in the offense.
Agoha is expected to be signed. He'll carry the international player exemption, allowing the Broncos to roster 17 players on the practice squad instead of 16.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/broncos/onsi as Broncos Practice Squad Tracker: Every Signing and Rumor .
