HEADLINES

Omar Brown (Nebraska)

WR Phillip Dorsett, DL Angelo Blackson Among Broncos’ Early Cuts

August 26th, 2024 at 5:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos began moving down toward the 53-man limit. Teams need to reduce rosters to the regular-season limit by 3pm CT on Tuesday. Denver has higher-profile moves in the works, aiming to trade Tim Patrick and Samaje Perine, but multiple other vested veterans are part of this initial cut contingent.

Released:

Waived:

A former first-round pick, Dorsett never looked like a 53-man candidate on a Broncos team that has made a few moves at wide receiver this offseason — to the point Patrick is no longer in its plans. This marks the second time this year the Broncos released Dorsett; they cut him in mid-May only to re-sign him days later. Dorsett, 31, joined the Broncos on a practice squad deal just after teams finalized their initial 53-man rosters last August. He played in two games and caught one pass in 2023. The Broncos were Dorsett’s seventh NFL team.

Blackson, 31, has been a D-line contributor for nine seasons. With 42 starts on his resume, Blackson has played for five NFL teams (Titans, Texans, Cardinals, Bears, Jaguars). He joined the Jaguars late last summer and played 11 games as a backup. Since signing Blackson in April, the Broncos received word of Eyioma Uwazurike‘s reinstatement from a gambling suspension. The team also traded for John Franklin-Myers since signing Blackson, who would stand to generate some interest as a late-summer free agent.

Broncos Sign 13 UDFAs

May 10th, 2024 at 4:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

With rookie minicamps underway, the final batch of UDFA hauls are coming into focus. Here is the Broncos’ 13-man group:

The Broncos were believed to be targeting tight ends this offseason, but the team did not draft any or add an outside veteran free agent. This stands to place importance once again on 2022 third-rounder Greg Dulcich shaking off his chronic hamstring trouble. Neither of the tight ends in this UDFA class profile as players who would help on the receiving front immediately. A blocking tight end, Leonard did not eclipse 175 receiving yards in any of his five Yellowjackets seasons. Yassmin came to Utah after being noticed at a rugby camp; the ex-Dalton Kincaid Utes teammate showed some promise in 2022, catching 13 passes for 301 yards. He trudged through an injury-shortened 2023 season.

Constantinou will challenge veteran Riley Dixon for the Broncos’ punting job; Denver reacquired Dixon last year, giving him a $3.5MM deal. No guarantees remain on the eight-year veteran’s contract. An Australia native, Constantinou was a first-team All-SEC honoree in 2021 and second-team punter in 2022.

Watson received a $250K salary guarantee and a $25K bonus, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. An Old Dominion transfer, Watson impressed as an outlet option in his one season at Memphis. He totaled 480 receiving yards to go with 1,152 on the ground in 2023. He will join a suddenly crowded Denver backfield, which houses Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, Jaleel McLaughlin and fifth-round pick Audric Estime. Brown and Crum each received $250K in total guarantees, according to Klis, coming in just south of Watson’s mark. Brown transferred from Northern Iowa to Nebraska, while Crum made 49 starts (36 at right tackle, 13 at left tackle) for Wyoming. Crum’s 2023 season at LT earned him first-team All-Mountain West Conference acclaim.

Not listed here, Nebraska cornerback Quinton Newsome is set to sign for $100K in total guarantees, Klis adds. The Broncos will need to cut one more player to make room on their 90-man roster, according to the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. Newsome was a three-year Cornhuskers starter who saw his draft stock hurt by a December shoulder surgery.