Broncos GM Defends Roster Cuts, Praises Bo Nix as Team’s Future
On Thursday, the Denver Broncos punctuated an eventful week with GM George Paton holding court for his annual post-roster press conference. The Broncos whittled their 90-man offseason squad down to the final 53 players ahead of Tuesday's deadline, which included some difficult decisions and cuts.
On the field, the Broncos' eye is on their Week 1 home opener on September 7 vs. the Tennessee Titans. But inside the offices at Broncos HQ, Paton's job is never done — not only from a roster-building and scouting perspective, but also from a business standpoint.
What did we learn from Paton's presser? Let's get to my three biggest takeaways.
Paton Built the Nest Around His 'Franchise QB'
The Broncos enter the 2025 regular season with a roster as deep as we've seen since the Super Bowl 50-era squad. Two of their cuts this week were claimed off waivers, and several other players were signed away by other NFL clubs.
Paton feels like the preseason games illustrated just how deep the Broncos are this year, specifically in how the second and third-team units were able to extend leads.
“We like our roster. We like the depth of this roster. I think you could see that depth throughout the preseason," Paton said. "We extended leads with our second and third phase. How talented this roster is, we’ll see."
The Broncos' roster garnered little love last summer from the national press, and while this year wasn't quite as bad, Paton's squad still didn't get the respect that it deserved. Armed with a franchise quarterback in Bo Nix, Paton sees a roster that features all the requisite building blocks of a possible contender.
"Last year, we were the 31st roster in the league, and we didn’t believe that. We have a strong roster, and obviously, that’s day-to-day, that’s week-to-week," Paton said. "We feel we’re strong in the trenches. We feel like we have a franchise quarterback. We like the weapons we have on offense, and we play really good defense. That’s a recipe to win a lot of games, so we feel good about this roster.”
On the heels of Nix's historic rookie season, the onus was on Paton and Payton to continue building the nest around their young franchise quarterback. The early returns suggest that the Broncos' power duo did just that.
Audric Estime: A Victim of the Numbers Game
The Broncos waived Estime on Tuesday, and although he went unclaimed, he opted to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad. The Broncos' fifth-round investment went up in smoke, but that was a chance Paton and company took by waiving him.
Paton shared his thoughts on Estime on Tuesday, wishing the second-year running back well in his new football home, and predicting big things yet to come for the former Notre Dame star.
“[I am a] big fan of Audric. I thought he had some moments last season. We drafted Audric, and he was 20 years old. You don’t see that very often," Paton said. "We knew he’d take some development, and he did develop. I liked the way he finished against New Orleans. The bottom line, we were just able to keep four [running backs]. It’s hard to keep more than that. We just wish him the best. He’s going to be a really good pro. I think he’s with the Eagles, and again, we just wish him the best.”
Yes, Estime fell victim to the numbers game, but the reality was that he failed to outshine the fourth running back the Broncos kept on the roster: Tyler Badie. Not only did Badie flash more consistently as a ball-carrier on offense in the preseason, but he's also willing and able to contribute on special teams, as evidenced by his 46-yard kick return in the finale in New Orleans.
Third-phase value is a crucial component for the fourth and final running back to make a roster, and Estime didn't present that. The Broncos might miss the power that Estime brought to the table in short-yardage situations, but this running back room is talented and explosive, which is a marked improvement over the 2024 depth chart.
John Franklin-Myers Extension: Nothing New
The Broncos still have several starters playing in a contract year, and Franklin-Myers is one of the big ones. All-Pro rush linebacker Nik Bonitto will likely take precedence, but Franklin-Myers has been vocal this offseason about his desire for an extension.
Paton addressed the JFM subject before signing off.
“John is a really good player. [It was a] big bonus we were able to get John last year," Paton said. "Like a number of other of our players in the final year of their deals, we’d like to have them all back. John’s no different."
Paton explained that finding ways to retain and extend key players is as much of a puzzle as figuring out which players to keep on the 53-man roster. Under the strictures and limitations of the NFL salary cap, keeping the best players around is a cipher every NFL GM has to decode.
"We have a number of players, and it’s a puzzle, kind of like your roster management, like the 53-man. So we’re working through a lot of that now," Paton said. "We’re excited to have John Franklin [-Myers], we’re excited to have [C Luke] Wattenberg and a lot of these guys in the last year of their deals.”
Luke Wattenberg is probably the third-most-pressing player in a contract year, behind Bonitto and Franklin-Myers. The Broncos are projected to have $48.6 million in salary-cap space next year, so there's wiggle room, to say the least.
With Nix playing on a rookie contract for at least the next three seasons, counting 2025, the Broncos have to capitalize on a cost-controlled franchise quarterback, and make hay while that particular sun is shining. Will Franklin-Myers get extended?
