Seven Denver Broncos veterans most vulnerable to cap victims in 2021

The Denver Broncos is expected to have $ 14 million in capitalization space for 2021, which means the team is not in a bad position, but could use more space to retain free agents or add others.

I talked about the Broncos’ options with Von Miller, but he is not the only veteran the team could be prepared to move on with.

New general manager George Paton will have to make decisions about a number of veterans hired for 2021, many of whom are aging or have seen their performance drop in 2020.

As I continue my preview of the Broncos off-season and the decisions before Paton, I want to look at the veterans, in addition to Miller, who are under contract for 2021, their respective cap hits, the cap space saved by cutting or exchanging them likelihood of them coming back or not in 2021. We start with the three most vulnerable.

AJ Bouye, CB

Limit reached in 2021: $ 13.375M

Savings if cut or traded: $ 13.375M, no dead money

Likely to stay: Between health problems, bad game and suspension, I’m not betting on Bouye’s retention. The cornerbacks that may be available at the free agency are a solid group and the Broncos should be able to find a better value there.

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Kareem Jackson, S

Limit reached in 2021: $ 12.8 million

Savings if cut or traded: $ 10 million, $ 2.8 million of dead money

Likely to stay: Jackson was not as good in 2020 as he was in 2019, but his situation could go either way. Since security mate Justin Simmons is a candidate for an extension, the Broncos are unlikely to sign a second security at the free agency.

There is no guarantee that Denver will find one in the draft that he likes too, so it could mean that Jackson will be retained for the last year of his contract. One possibility is for the Broncos to ask him to restructure his contract, converting the base salary into incentives to give the team flexibility in adding free agents to assist in the defense.

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Jurrell Casey, DL

Limit reached in 2021: $ 11.8M

Savings if cut or traded: $ 11.8 million, no dead money

Likely to stay: Casey played only a few games before a broken bicep ended his season. Whether he stays, depends on what the Broncos want to do for a veteran defensive lineman. If the Broncos, say, sign again with Shelby Harris, they will probably cut Casey to make room for him.

Vulnerable second-level veterinarians

Melvin Gordon, RB

Limit reached in 2021: $ 9M

Savings if cut: $ 2.5 million, $ 6.5 million of dead money

Savings if negotiated: $ 7M, $ 2M of dead money

Likely to stay: Gordon played well overall in 2020 and, although the Broncos could void their guarantees in 2021 because of his arrest for DUI, that does not guarantee that they will part with him. I won’t be surprised if he gets hired.

Note that Gordon has some fully guaranteed money due in 2021, which is why savings are smaller at this point if he simply cuts, instead of trading.

One thing to keep in mind is that if Gordon is convicted, he will have to serve a three-game suspension in 2021. In that case, the Broncos would not have to pay for the games he lost.

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Bryce Callahan, CB

Limit reached in 2021: $ 8.1M

Savings if cut or traded: $ 6.8 million, $ 1.3 million of dead money

Likely to stay: Callahan had a season worthy of the Pro Bowl, but he missed the last few games because of a foot injury. But because he played well and his injury will not require surgery, Callahan will likely be retained.

Nick Vannett, TE

Limit reached in 2021: $ 3,575M

Savings if cut or traded: $ 2.7 million, $ 875k dead money

Likely to stay: Vannett had a bad start to 2020 and was inactive for one game because of the coaches’ decision, but he played better in the second half. Although the Broncos can save some space on the cap by cutting it off, there is a chance that it has kept for now. The Broncos can always cut it later if they find a better option at the free agency or in the draft.

Jeff Driskel, QB

Limit reached in 2021: $ 3.25M

Savings if cut or traded: $ 2.5M, $ 750K of dead money

Likely to stay: Driskel was behind Brett Rypien on the depth chart. This means that there is not much to say other than that it will be cut. There is no justification for maintaining a third-string QB at a cost of $ 2.5 million in limit space.

Other potentially vulnerable veterinarians

There are two veterans, striker Graham Glasgow and striker Ja’Wuan James, who have been mentioned as possibly being dismissed and replaced by younger players.

Cutting one of the players would not help the Broncos, because they both have a guaranteed base salary for 2021. However, the Broncos could switch any of the players to gain a small space limit.

It wouldn’t be much for any of the players, with $ 3M released and $ 9M dead money to trade Glasgow, and $ 4M released with $ 9M dead money to trade with James, respectively. Still, negotiations are an option for the Broncos, and they would not necessarily have to include a draft choice to move any player.

With that said, I don’t expect the Broncos to trade either player. But they can revisit in 2022, when they get more limit flexibility when passing any player.

Most Likely Scenario

My expectation is that Bouye, Casey and Driskel will be cut. Going beyond that trio, the Broncos’ ceiling would increase to about $ 39.5 million. Keep in mind that the cutoff of the top 51 applies, therefore, some players who fall below the cutoff would rise above it with the three released.

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