Denver Broncos Trim Roster To 53 For Regular Season Opener vs. Colts
By Andrew Dill
Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Denver Broncos safety Duke Ihenacho (33) reacts against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos had to make moves like every other team Sunday afternoon to trim down their roster to 53-players. The team had until 2:00 PM MT and they finished the job. Notable cuts include Duke Ihenacho, Kevin Vickerson, and Gerell Robinson.
Here’s the complete list of the cuts in positional order:
QB: Zac Dysert
RB: Kapri Bibbs
WR: Bennie Fowler
WR: Nathan Palmer
TE: Cameron Morrah
TE: Jameson Konz
TE: Gerell Robinson
OL: Vinston Painter
OL: Matt Paradis
OL: Ryan Miller
DL: Kevin Vickerson
DL: Brian Sanford
DL: Kenny Aninuke (IR)
DL: Sione Fua
LB: Shaquille Barrett
LB: L.J. Fort
CB: Jordan Sullen
CB: Jerome Murphy
CB: Louis Young
S: Duke Ihenacho
S: John Boyett
K: Mitch Ewald
The one cut that came to a surprise to me like many others was strong safety Duke Ihenacho. He came out of the blue during training camp last season, starting week one in the Broncos 2013 season opener. He played in 17 games last season, collecting 73 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and 6 pass deflections.
Vickerson was another one that was a surprise but made sense with Mitch Unrein on the roster. Vickerson played in just 11 games last season before injuring his hip and electing for surgery following the week 12 game against the New England Patriots. Big Vick finished the season with 82 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 pick, and 11 pass deflections.
Denver can add some players to the practice squad if they indeed clear waivers. I would like to see Barrett, Bibbs, Dysert (hopefully), and Gerell Robinson make the squad just to name a few.