Two Roster Moves That Would Give Broncos Cap Space to Reload

The Denver Broncos enter the offseason in a decent position with regard to the salary cap. The Broncos are expected they will roll over more than $10 million from unused salary in 2022.

With Denver's roster needs, that $10M won’t be enough to fill the holes before the NFL draft. The Broncos need to make a few moves that will put them in an excellent position for free agency.

There are two transactions that make sense to free up cap space, and neither should surprise Broncos Country as the team gears up for the madness on March 13. The Broncos need to hit it out of the park this offseason to fill in a few glaring weaknesses on the roster.

Let's break down the two cuts the Broncos should make.

Ronald Darby | CB

This move is needed because Darby cannot stay healthy. The best ability is availability, and he has missed significant time since signing with the Broncos.

Darby has missed more games than he's played, having been healthy enough to take the field in 18-of-34 games as a Bronco. He has never played an entire season in his NFL career.

When healthy, Darby is a solid contributor, and the combination of him and Patrick Surtain II is a good cornerback tandem. However, the emergence of rookie Damarri Mathis has made Darby expendable.

The Broncos would add approximately $10M in cap space by cutting him. The one hiccup is Darby’s health once again. His injury muddies the waters of when he can be released.

When Darby is deemed healthy will be a factor in when he can be cut and when the Broncos can realize the cap savings. If his time recovering from the same injury in 2019 is any indication, he could be cut before June 1.

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Graham Glasgow | OL

Glasgow’s versatility along the offensive line was a benefit in 2023 because of all the injuries suffered by that unit. He was able to fill in at guard and center, but his play has dropped off significantly.

Age and injuries seem to have caught up to this once-promising free-agent signing. Glasgow is definitely expendable heading into this offseason.

Letting go of Glasgow would add an estimated $11M in cap savings, and unlike Darby, there is no question about when those savings can be realized. There are significant questions along the offensive line this offseason, though, and while making this move will add one more, the Broncos need to bring in better players to shore up an often porous line.

The cap savings from these two moves will put the Broncos in a great position to make some much-needed signings this offseason, including keeping DreMont Jones in the Orange and Blue for 2023.

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