The Broncos released veteran guard Louis Vasquez today, but he’s not the only player on the chopping block in Denver. According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS (via Twitter), the Broncos have also released tight end Owen Daniels. Troy Renck of the Denver Post adds (via Twitter) that long snapper Aaron Brewer has been cut as well. The team has since confirmed all three moves.
[RELATED: Broncos place Peyton Manning on reserve/retired list]
Daniels, who had two years left on his contract, would have had a cap number of $4.5MM on Denver’s books in 2016. By releasing him, the Broncos trim that figure by $2.5MM to $2MM, and avoid paying him a $500K roster bonus that had been due next week. The veteran tight end, who will turn 34 in November, caught 46 balls for 517 yards and three touchdowns during his lone season in the Mile High City.
As for Brewer, he had served as the Broncos’ long snapper since the 2012 season. Any cap savings Denver creates as a result of cutting Brewer would be extremely marginal, so it appears the team is parting ways with him for other reasons.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
This is another way to go about creating cap space. Despite making a big impact in the AFC championship game, Daniels had lost a couple of steps and struggled to get open during the regular season. The Broncos would be wise to save at this position, already employing Virgil Green and now-second-year Jeff Heuerman, instead of trying to replace Daniels from outside.