Broncos Cut 5 Players Ahead of NFL Deadline
Less than 24 hours removed from a romping shutout win in the preseason finale, the Denver Broncos have made their first roster cuts. On Sunday, the team announced several transactions.
The Broncos waived wide receivers Kendall Hinton, J.J. Koski, and Nick Williams, along with cornerback Delonte Hood. Offensive tackle Isaiah Prince was released.
The Broncos' deadline to whittle the 90-man offseason roster to the final 53 is on Tuesday, August 29. Expect another 17 or so cuts, but it could be more, depending on how the NFL waiver wire shakes out.
It's unfortunate to see Hinton go, as he's been an underrated asset to the team since arriving as a college free agent back in 2020. It was Hinton whom the Broncos had to turn to as the first-team quarterback against the New Orleans Saints that year after the NFL eliminated Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel, and Brett Rypien from playing in Week 12 due to an exposure to COVID.
Then-GM John Elway was livid, but the NFL wouldn't budge. The league wanted to make an example out of the Broncos during the pandemic season, as Lock and company purportedly tried to "deceive" the NFL front office.
Hinton played that game. It didn't go well for him or the Broncos, but the former Wake Forest quarterback stepped up to the plate. His wristband ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
However, Hinton has simply been unable to impress the Sean Payton coaching staff this summer. His preseason performances have been forgettable, and he dealt with drops, which is not something a wideout on the roster bubble can survive without offsetting them with some big plays.
Like all coaches, and especially former players, Payton dreads this period on the NFL calendar.
"I think that the dream for so many of these guys is still alive even if it’s not here," Payton said on Saturday night. "The thing that keeps—I don’t want to stay up at night—but making sure we find the right 53 [players]. You don’t want to lose a player when you had control over it and then have him have success somewhere else.”
Happy trails, Hinton, and best of luck to the other boys who were shown the door on Sunday.
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