Does Ronnie Hillman Have Trade Value?
When asked about Ronnie Hillman‘s trade value, two NFL GMs told Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that he doesn’t have much because he doesn’t play special teams. The Broncos running back is said to be on the bubble as the 53-man deadline approaches.
Denver has already handed Hillman $600K through a signing bonus and workout bonuses, but his $1.4MM base salary is non-guaranteed. By most accounts, Devontae Booker and Kapri Bibbs have leapfrogged the one-time Broncos starter.
Broncos Cut Players To Get To 53
The Broncos are making their way to 53. Here’s the list of cuts: 
- CB John Tidwell (via Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post on Twitter)
- DT Kyle Peko (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post)
- WR/KR Kalif Raymond (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9NEWS)
- ILB Dwayne Norman (link via Klis)
- CB Taurean Nixon
- DL Eddie Yarbrough (Twitter link via Troy Renck of Denver7)
- RB/FB Juwan Thompson (Twitter link via Klis)
- DL Lars Koht (Twitter link via Klis)
- WR Mose Frazier (Twitter link via Klis)
- OLB Vontarrius Dora
- OLB Sadat Sulleyman (Twitter link via Renck)
- OT Lars Hanson
- OT Justin Murray (Twitter link via Klis)
- DL Henry Melton (story)
- G Robert Myers (via Wolfe on Twitter)
- S Ryan Murphy (Twitter link via Klis)
Thompson, an undrafted free agent, clawed his way on to the 53-man roster in each of the last two season. Unfortunately, he was not able to make the final cut this year thanks to the numbers crunch in the backfield and his lingering injuries. In 2014, the Duke product ran for 272 yards off of 54 carries with three rushing touchdowns. He also added four catches for 25 yards. Last season, Thompson appeared in 15 regular season games but carried the ball only 18 times for 48 yards while adding six catches for 51 yards. Andy Janovich will likely serve as Denver’s fullback with Thompson gone.
Peko got the highest bonus of any undrafted rookie free agent this year so it is a mild surprise to see him cut. The defensive tackle and other players on today’s cut list should find their way to Denver’s taxi squad.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Broncos' Mark Sanchez Decision To Come Friday?
- Mark Sanchez could qualify for this above discussion, though it’s highly unlikely the Broncos would receive a Day 2 pick for him with $4.5MM and just one season left on his contract. Troy Renck of Denver7 reports (on Twitter) a Sanchez resolution could come by Friday. The Broncos have engaged in efforts to try and trade Sanchez this week after naming Trevor Siemian the Week 1 starter.
Reactions From Tim Tebow’s Baseball Workout
Tim Tebow worked out in front of representatives of 28 different MLB teams on Tuesday and he didn’t exactly look the part of a polished big leaguer. Tebow got “mixed reviews” after his audition on the USC campus, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com writes. 
Tebow, 29, ran a solid 6.70-second 60-yard-dash and belted some long home runs in practice. However, he struggled to hit off-speed pitches from former big-leaguers David Aardsma and Chad Smith. Also, according to one scout who spoke to Crasnick, Tebow showed a below-average 40 grade arm on the 20-80 scouts scale – an especially poor showing for a former NFL quarterback. Even though Tebow did not have a great day on the field, he still insists that he is serious about his baseball pursuit.
“This isn’t about publicity,” Tebow said. “It’s definitely not about money. I took a pay cut to do this. For me, you pursue what you love regardless of what else happens. If you fail or fall flat on your face, and that’s the worst thing that can happen, it’s OK. When did pursuing what you love become such a bad thing? I’ll make all the sacrifices to be the best I can.”
For what it’s worth, Tebow understands that he has some work to do before he reaches the big leagues and he may even consider playing winter league ball in Latin America. If Tebow is indeed willing to leave the country to play baseball, one can’t help but wonder why he was never willing to try and reignite his football career in the CFL.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Broncos Cut Britton Colquitt, Others
Another member of the Broncos’ Super Bowl winning team has left Denver. Punter Britton Colquitt was among the players released today, according to a team announcement. As a vested veteran, Colquitt is free to sign with any club and is not subject to waivers. Rookie Riley Dixon now figures to be the Broncos’ punter in 2016.
Colquitt has been with the Broncos since late in the 2009 season and was the Broncos’ longest-tenured player. Now, 2010 first-round pick Demaryius Thomas stands as the longest-tenured player in Denver. Colquitt’s agent tells Mike Klis of 9NEWS (on Twitter) that he was willing to take a $1MM cut from his $3.25MM salary. Last year, he accepted a pay cut from $3MM to $1.6MM.
Yesterday, it was reported that the Broncos were gauging trade interest in Colquitt. Apparently, Denver could not find any takers. The Vikings, Cardinals, and Bears are among the teams that could show some interest in the punter now that he is available.
The Broncos also waived offensive tackle Kyle Roberts and wide receiver Bralon Addison. Tight end Garrett Graham has been placed on season-ending IR.
Broncos Contact Cowboys About Mark Sanchez Trade
The Broncos have reached out to the Cowboys regarding a potential trade of quarterback Mark Sanchez, tweets Jane Slater of the NFL Network. However, Dallas is not interested in Sanchez at his current salary. Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report says (Twitter link) the Cowboys are just one of several teams Denver has contacted about Sanchez.
Dallas has been looking for a veteran backup to play behind rookie Dak Prescott since it was announced that Tony Romo will be sidelined for awhile with a back injury. The Cowboys talked to the Browns about Josh McCown, but found their asking price to be too high, and also had discussions with Nick Foles earlier this offseason. At the current time, Dallas’ No. 2 QB would be 2015 UDFA Jameil Showers.
The Broncos traded for Sanchez this spring as a Plan B in case they were unable to re-sign Brock Osweiler or bring in an established veteran at QB. Denver did not retain Osweiler or land a vet, but Sanchez was unable to win the starting job or even secure the No. 2 role. He’s set to earn a base salary of $4.5MM in 2016, $1MM of which is guaranteed.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Broncos Cut 11 Players
The Broncos announced that they have released one player and waived ten others. The full list is below:
[RELATED: Broncos Shopping Mark Sanchez]
Released:
Waived:
- TE Manasseh Garner
- S Antonio Glover
- OL Mathu Gibson
- OT Cameron Jefferson
- DT David Moala
- WR Durron Neal
- WR DeVier Posey
- LB Darnell Sankey
- LB Frank Shannon
The roster now stands at 79 players. The Broncos must be down to 75 by 3pm CT on Tuesday.
Broncos Trying To Trade Mark Sanchez
The Broncos are working the phones and trying to trade Mark Sanchez, according to Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). If they do not find a taker, Sanchez could be cut today or tomorrow.
Of course, this comes on the heels of the Broncos’ announcement that Trevor Siemian will be the team’s starter for Week 1 of the regular season. With Siemian established as the quarterback of the present and rookie Paxton Lynch as the QB of the future, Sanchez is without a real place on the Broncos’ depth chart after an uninspiring summer.
The Broncos traded for Sanchez this spring as a Plan B in case they were unable to re-sign Brock Osweiler or bring in an established veteran at QB. Denver did not retain Osweiler or land a vet, but Sanchez was unable to win the starting job or even secure the No. 2 role.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cowboys Won’t Rule Out Prescott Bumping Romo
In 2001, Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe was hit hard by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis and shut down for the season with a sheared blood vessel in his chest. After that, a quarterback by the name of Tom Brady stepped into the starting lineup and never gave the job back. Could we see a repeat of that in Dallas now that Tony Romo will be sidelined for an extended period? For what it’s worth, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones won’t rule out a scenario in which rookie Dak Prescott impresses and runs away with the starting gig (via Peter King of The MMQB). 
[RELATED: Latest On Cowboys’ QB Search]
“I can’t imagine a scenario where Tony’s not our quarterback when he’s ready,” Jones said. “But things happen. You know that. You know what happened to Bledsoe and Brady. I’m sure Tony’s aware of that. But the reality is, Tony’s going to come back for us and play great, we believe.”
It’s worth noting that Prescott will have a fairly manageable schedule to kick off the season. The Cowboys first six games in order are against the Giants (home), Redskins (away), Bears (home), 49ers (away), Bengals (home), and Packers (away). For now, the Cowboys are planning on Romo regaining the starting job once he is healthy. But, the team knows that the rookie could potentially unseat the 36-year-old QB.
In his chat with Jones, King mentioned the Cowboys’ efforts to trade up for Paxton Lynch in this year’s draft. While the Cowboys whiffed on Lynch, Jones now says that team is thrilled with Prescott and happy with the way things turned out.
“I don’t think our guys would even consider trading Prescott for Lynch right now,” said Jones. “No, I know they wouldn’t. That’s how much they like Dak right now.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Trevor Siemian To Start For Broncos
The Broncos have announced that Trevor Siemian will be their starting quarterback to open the 2016 season. Siemian cemented his status as
the Broncos‘ starting quarterback after turning in a solid performance during Saturday night’s preseason victory over the Rams.
Siemian offers no real NFL experience, but he impressed Broncos brass this offseason with his arm and overall poise. Mark Sanchez was widely expected to come away as the team’s starter this offseason, but he quickly fell behind the 2015 seventh-round pick. Now, one has to wonder if Sanchez will be on the Broncos’ roster to start the season. The Broncos haven’t asked Sanchez to take a pay cut yet, but that could be coming soon.
Rookie Paxton Lynch has received rave reviews for his raw talent in practices this offseason, but the team believes that he will need some more seasoning before being thrown into the NFL fire.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.