3 BRONCOS PLAYERS ALREADY ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK BEFORE OTAS

The Denver Broncos are about to be in the full swing of their offseason workouts and minicamps, which means every player on the 90-man roster is going to be under the microscope. There could be a variety of reasons for the Broncos to be motivated to be critical of some of the veterans on this team, especially financially. The $37.79 million in dead money from the Russell Wilson deal will continue to have ramifications on the roster throughout the offseason, even as the Broncos have over $11 million in cap space currently.

Now that the 2024 NFL Draft is over, the Broncos can get a clearer look at who will make up this roster in the coming months through rookie minicamp and the other OTAs through the middle of June.

Which players are already on the chopping block before OTAs even start?

1. Jarrett Stidham, QB

Even though the Denver Broncos have released Ben DiNucci, Jarrett Stidham remains on the chopping block heading into the Denver Broncos' offseason program.

Again, it's important to keep in mind the team's financial situation and the impact Russell Wilson's contract is still having on that. Stidham is only due to count $7 million against the salary cap this year, and could save the Broncos $5 million if cut or traded at any point this offseason.

With only $1 million in guaranteed salary, moving on from Stidham is something that could be palatable for the Broncos and allow them to move forward with Bo Nix and Zach Wilson. There are some in Broncos Country who have expressed concern over the idea of going into the 2024 season with Wilson as the backup instead of Stidham, but Wilson actually has a lot more overall experience as a starter.

Stidham has started just four NFL games compared to Wilson's 33. Even though Wilson has had his struggles in the NFL, he counts just $2.73 million against the cap. Do the Broncos want to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster?

2. Samaje Perine, RB

If you're a conspiracy theory type, you might have noticed that Samaje Perine wasn't included in the Denver Broncos' uniform reveal while Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin were. As Brian Windhorst might ask -- now why would they do that?

The team's decision to go after Audric Estimé in the 2024 NFL Draft and prioritize undrafted free agent Blake Watson (essentially investing more money than they would a 6th-round pick) add even more fuel to the fire that Samaje Perine won't be around this coming season for the Denver Broncos.

Perine was extremely effective in the role he was asked to play last year for the Broncos. He was a tremendous weapon for the team in their two-minute drill, playing a big role as a receiver out of the backfield and really becoming a primary weapon for Russell Wilson in the passing game. The Broncos wouldn't have had their impressive winning streak last season without Perine and his contributions.

Still, it was a little odd that he didn't even reach 100 carries on the season. Perine wasn't nearly as featured in the running game as he probably should have been, and now the Broncos have decisions to make with a handful of young players on the roster.

The arrival of Estimé, in particular, feels like bad news for Perine.

3. Damarri Mathis, CB

One player defensively who is firmly on the chopping block this offseason is former starting cornerback Damarri Mathis.

Mathis, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Pittsburgh, was considered an absolute steal for the Broncos when he was originally picked. Draft experts felt like Mathis could go in the third round, and the Broncos were able to snatch him up near the beginning of Day 3. When he initially got his first opportunity to play as a rookie in 2022, Mathis had a rough go against the Los Angeles Chargers, being called for four pass interference penalties in one game.

After that, however, he started to figure things out and actually provided the team with steady play opposite Pat Surtain II for the remainder of the season. In 2023, the Broncos felt good enough about Mathis that they essentially went into the offseason planning on him being the starter, and that's what he was to open last season.

To say he struggled would be an understatement. Although there were struggles at every level of the defense that certainly didn't benefit Mathis, he was constantly out of position and giving up big plays when he was in the lineup last year. The Broncos have Riley Moss potentially ready to start going into the 2024 season, but they've also signed veteran Levi Wallace and drafted Kris Abrams-Draine in 2024.

Forget just the starting lineup -- Mathis's roster spot could be in jeopardy.

This article was originally published on predominantlyorange.com as 3 Broncos players already on the chopping block before OTAs.

2024-05-09T16:11:21Z dg43tfdfdgfd