Report: Broncos Cut Nate Hairston; DB to Re-Sign
Nate Hairston, for the time being, is out of a job and off the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos reportedly cut the veteran defensive back from its offseason roster on Thursday. Per 9News' Mike Klis, however, Hairston's release — a "procedural move" — is temporary; he's slated to re-sign with the team Friday.
A 2017 fifth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts, Hairston initially joined Denver in December, plucked off the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad. He appeared in three games, logging 16 defensive snaps due to a rash of injuries in the secondary, but was held off the stat sheet. He played another 17 snaps on special teams.
Hairston, 27 in June, had been under contract through 2021 with a scheduled $990,000 base salary for the upcoming season. His new agreement is likely to check in around the veteran's minimum.
The 6-foot, 185-pound cover man faces long odds of cracking the Broncos' final roster when it's whittled down in September. He will need to leapfrog the likes of Essang Bassey, Kevin Toliver, and Parnell Motley between now and then to see the field behind locked-in CBs Ronald Darby, Kyle Fuller, Bryce Callahan, and Michael Ojemudia.
The club is expected to further bolster the corps through this month's NFL draft.
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