The Denver Broncos had a polarizing roster cut day, slimming down to the 53-man roster with plenty of complicated decisions.
With the season opener looming for the Denver Broncos, some unfortunate news hit the team earlier this week ahead of the Monday Night Football showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Linebacker Jonathan Cooper was placed on the commissioner's list, meaning he is unable to practice or play while the league reviews the legal battle.
This goes back to June, when news broke that Cooper was arrested twice within roughly a week for a domestic dispute, and his trial finally began last week.
The linebacker pleaded not guilty, but the situation is still ongoing and something to monitor for both the NFL and Broncos.
Looking at the repercussions of the suspension on the field, Mike mentions that LB Jonah Eliss may need to step up with Cooper's absence, raising questions about how well Denver can recover from missing their star.
Moving on to the final game of this year's preseason, Mike mentions that the dominant 34-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings was highlighted by quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who played exactly like someone who wanted to earn the QB2 role.
Ehlinger and QB Jarrett Stidham were believed to be in a tight battle for the backup of Bo Nix, with the decision seemingly still not certain.
Moving on to Sunday night's roster cuts, our trio give their picks for the most surprising names that didn't make Denver's roster.
Eric starts the conversation with fullback Adam Prentice, who showed out in the preseason but failed to make the 53-man. However, Prentice did make the practice squad and the "expectation" is that he will eventually get the call-up to the NFL.
Randy's pick is LB Red Murdock, 'Mr. Irrelevant' in the 2026 NFL Draft. Murdock is a player that all of our hosts raved about all offseason long, as he appeared to have a lot of potential. The good news, however, is that the LB did not get picked up by another team, so he can still make the roster down the road.
Mike's pick is tight end Justin Joly, who was the highest draft pick to be cut this season. Mike's theory is that Joly would clear waivers and return to Denver, but the Miami Dolphins swooped him up -- effectively ending his tenure with the Broncos.
The trio discusses some of the other notable snubs from Denver's 53-man, as well as the decision making behind the cuts/releases.
Listen to the full episode for the entire breakdown of Denver's roster cut day, and join Roundtable's Broncos' site to ensure you don't miss anything with the team as the regular season approaches.
