Broncos’ biggest mistake on 53-man roster cutdown day ahead of 2026 NFL season

The Denver Broncos roster is loaded with depth, so some tough cuts were inevitable when the team was trimming their roster down to 53 players. Notably, the team was forced to waive three of their rookie draft picks, despite the fact that they didn’t have a 2027 NFL Draft selection until the third round. Furthermore, the Broncos opted against rostering a long snapper, and they cut fan favorite Jaleel McLaughlin.

None of those moves were necessarily mistakes; they were just unfortunate repercussions of having a Super Bowl-caliber team with tons of talent. Denver did make one move that was a mistake, though.

The Broncos had numerous tough decisions to make

The Broncos’ initial 53-man roster didn’t shape out exactly as projected. The team has made out so well in recent drafts that nobody would have guessed that three rookie draft picks wouldn’t make the roster. All of Justin Joly, Miles Scott, and Red Murdock were let go.

Joly was a fifth-round pick, making him one of the highest-drafted Broncos’ picks this century to not make the team as a rookie. He also had an 88-yard touchdown during the preseason that was arguably the highlight of the exhibition games for Denver. However, Joly was a raw prospect who the coaching staff didn’t feel was ready to contribute right away. Even though the team traded up to get him, they exposed him to waiver claims, where he was picked up by the Miami Dolphins.

Luckily, Scott and Murdock were both brought back on the practice squad. Both players were seventh-round picks. Scott plays the safety position, and Murdock is a linebacker who holds the college football record for forced fumbles. Another big roster decision was keeping Tyler Badie on the team over McLaughlin in a move that was considered the final roster decision for the team. Badie brings special teams value and is a solid pass protector, but McLaughlin became one of the team’s most popular players because of his breakaway speed.

The Broncos didn’t need to roster three quarterbacks

While none of the aforementioned moves were easy to make, and they were all controversial in the eyes of some, they all made sense for where the team is at now. The Broncos are looking to win the Super Bowl, so they weren’t in a position to waste roster spots on youngsters who aren’t ready to contribute. Furthermore, Badie fits more because he can help out without requiring many carries. Denver already has to give touches to J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, and Jonah Coleman.

The biggest mistake the team made was keeping three quarterbacks, though. That isn’t to say that there isn’t tons of talent in the quarterback room. Bo Nix has been one of the best players in the NFL over the past two seasons and has arguably outplayed all of his QB draft class peers, which includes Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, and Michael Penix Jr. Had Nix not suffered a last second injury in the Divisional Round last season, it is possible he would have led the Broncos to a championship victory.

Nix’s backups have shown plenty of potential, too. Jarrett Stidham is considered one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league, and Sam Ehlinger threw three touchdown passes in Denver’s final preseason game. The Texas product looks ready to take the jump from practice squad talent to someone who can step up if called upon.

While Stidham has clearly been ahead of Ehlinger on the depth chart in recent years, Ehlinger’s training camp and preseason successes made it clear that he is perfectly capable of being the guy behind Nix. Stidham is expensive for a backup, as he has an $8 million cap hit, but releasing him would have saved the team over $4 million. It is also a little hard to trust him after he got so little going in the AFC Championship Game.

Of course, circumstances were far from ideal when Stidham was thrust into action. Nix’s injury came at the worst of times, and Stidham was forced to play in a snow game where it was hard to move the ball through the air. Saying he shouldn’t have made the team isn’t a knock on his skill level. Instead, it just goes to show that a roster spot and some cap space could have been better allocated elsewhere.

The backup quarterback position is important. The Broncos’ playoff experience last year proved that. The third-string signal caller just isn’t nearly as important, though. The Broncos should have moved forward with two quarterbacks making the team, not three, and Ehlinger should have had the edge over Stidham.

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