Denver Broncos Cut Down To 53-Man Roster

The Denver Broncos on Saturday made their final cuts of the preseason to reach the league mandated 53-man roster by the 2 PM MDT deadline. The team made 22 moves since they played their final preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night.

"Today is the toughest part of my job," said Broncos general manager John Elway after the final cuts were announced. "It's hard breaking dreams."

There were no big surprises as far as the releases were concerned. The most notable veterans to be released were defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson and safety Duke Ihenacho.

Vickerson, a nine year veteran, was having one of the best seasons of his career in 2013 when he suffered a dislocated hip injury that limited him to just 11 games. Rehab from the injury had a greater impact on Vickerson than anticipated and hampered his ability to truly compete against the versatile Mitch Unrein in OTA's and training camp.

Finances were also a factor in determining Vickerson's fate as the Broncos are pressed up against the salary cap after an offseason of All-Pro costless agent signings. Vickerson was due to count $2.66 million against this year's cap. By releasing Vickerson the Broncos have increased their cap space by $1.76 million.

Ihenacho was one of the surprises of last year's training camp, making plays all over the field that included some bone jarring tackles. He went on to play in 17 games, including the playoffs and Super Bowl. Ihenacho went from being a starter at safety in 2013 to third team during training camp. The signing of Aqib Talib and the return of Quinton Carter from injury squeezed Ihenacho out.

Following his release, Ihenacho tweeted from his twitter account @nacholyfe: "At the end of the day, always remember business is business. For both sides. On to whatever is next. #PositiveLiving."

The Broncos released quarterback Zac Dysert in what was a tough decision. Dysert, a 7th round draft pick by the Broncos in 2013, made the roster as the third quarterback but did not appear in any games.

The solid play of Brock Osweiler, who appears ready to assume the starting role once Manning retires, and the need for the roster spot at other positions of need conspired to shove Dysert off the roster. With the durability that Peyton Manning has shown over his career, the Broncos feel comfortable going with just two quarterbacks.

Dysert impressed the coaches with his play over the the last two preseasons and the fear of losing him to another team in 2013 forced the Broncos to place him on their opening day roster. The Broncos hope that Dysert will make it through waivers unclaimed which would allow them to resign him to the practice squad. It is unlikely that a player as talented as Dysert, who was 12-of-18 for 106 yards this preseason, would go unclaimed due to the number of quarterback starved franchises in the league.

For only the second time in six years, the Broncos will have two undrafted costless agents on their roster. Running back Juwan Thompson and wide receiver/punt returner Isaiah Burse overcame long odds to make the team. Thompson was so high on the Broncos radar that he received a whopping $3,500 for a signing bonus. Things broke Burse's way after the season ending injury to wide receiver Jordan Norwood dropped the punt returner job into his lap, an opportunity he grabbed after a good performance in practice and the final preseason game against the Cowboys.

Just one of the Broncos' six draft picks from 2014 was released, center Matt Paradis who was selected in the sixth round. The position is well covered by Manny Ramirez who did a great job jumping into the complicated role as a center for Manning in 2013 and nine year veteran Will Montgomery is an experienced backup.

The Broncos end the preseason with a roster they believe is more athletic and talented than the AFC championship team of a year ago.

"This is by far the deepest team since I've been here," Elway said.

The Broncos must now begin the toughest part of the process that began last June in OTA's, turning the 53 players on their roster into Super Bowl champions.