Denver Broncos

Around the AFC West: Roster cuts

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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ENGLEWOOD, CO – MAY 24: Denver Broncos quarterbacks Trevor Simian (13) Mark Sanchez (6) Paxton Lynch (12) during OTA’s May 24, 2016 at UCHealth Training Facility. (Photo By John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

The AFC West begins it’s first contest of the regular season on Thursday when the Denver Broncos play host to the Carolina Panthers.

Meanwhile on Sunday, the Chiefs host the Chargers and the Raiders travel to New Orleans. However, before the regular season can start, each team had to cut their rosters down to a league mandated 53. That means that there were plenty of NFL-caliber players cut by teams trying to compete for a playoff spot. Some of these players came as a bit of a surprise. Others were predicted way back when camp first started.

Here I dive into our rival teams’ sites so you don’t have to. I’ll discuss the biggest names and a few surprise cuts over the weekend. A link for a complete list of cuts for each team will be provided.

Denver Broncos- Biggest name

We will start with the team that cut probably some of the most interesting players of any in the AFC West. The Broncos lost assumed starter at quarterback Brock Osweiller in free agency way back in march to the Houston Texans. In order to replace him they drafted Paxton Lynch in the first round and signed veteran Mark Sanchez. Left on the roster was former seventh-round pick Trevor Siemian who expected to compete with Sanchez for the starting job.

Siemian ended up doing more than compete as he received the vote of confidence from head coach Gary Kubiak for the starting position. The result left Sanchez out in the cold looking for another team. This wasn’t surprising as the Broncos let it be known that Sanchez was available shortly after the third preseason game.

However there isn’t a GM in the NFL who would trade a lame horse for Sanchez when they know the Broncos wanted nothing to do with him. The Broncos feel that Lynch may be ready to start sometime this season and so there was no need for two quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart.

Say what you want about Sanchez but when his defense is solid so he doesn’t have to make critical decisions he can serve a purpose. Dallas signed him to a free agent contract shortly after he was released.

Other Notable Names

One name that was a bit of a surprise to see waived by Denver was running back Ronnie Hillman. Hillman was the starter at the beginning of last season when injury allowed CJ Anderson to take over. Hillman is talented but has had some issues with health and fumbling. He may catch on with another team though running back has proven to be a very deep position in the market over the last several years.

Chiefs’ Dustin Colquitt’s brother Britton was also cut by the Broncos in order to save money at a position that has far less impact if one is shopping in the bargain bin. Colquitt is a solid punter that should latch on somewhere else as long as he lowers his price tag some.

Click here for a complete list of Denver transactions.

September 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Seth Roberts (10) is congratulated by wide receiver Rod Streater (80) and running back Latavius Murray (28) for scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Ravens 37-33. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland Raiders- Biggest Name

It says a lot about how young the Raiders are when their roster cuts consist mostly of rookies. The most tenured player cut by the silver and black was none other than former Chief Neiko Thorpe. Thorpe battled with second year corner Dexter McDonald for the fifth spot on the team and apparently he lost. This may speak more about the depth on the Raiders than we know. While other teams are having to make more difficult cuts the Raiders only need to trim some undrafted free agents.

Other Notable Names

Running back George Atkinson III was released after a stellar preseason with 191 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Atkinson is the son of a former Raiders safety from the golden days of the rivalry in the late 60s early 70s. Legacy and even a good preseason was not enough to secure him a spot on the roster.

Click here for a complete list of Oakland Raiders’ transactions.

Melvin Gordon had a disappointing rookie year. That may be compounded by his most recent surgery. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego Chargers- Biggest Name

The Chargers are going to have a tough time keeping up with the rest of the AFC West this season. They are coming off one of the worst years under Philip Rivers and the defense may still struggle. Much like the Oakland Raiders, the Chargers didn’t have to trim much in the way of big names. Fullback Chris Swain might have the biggest story as he is currently an officer in the Naval Reserve.

Swain rushed for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL’s salute to service night. He may yet be signed to the practice squad as he cleared waivers earlier on Sunday. The Chargers will look to improve their roster through the waiver wire as they have the third highest position on any claims.

Other Notable Names

One position that surprised some with cuts by the Chargers was tight end. The Chargers cut both Tim Semisch and Matt Weiser on Saturday. This leaves them with Antonio Gates who is a shell of his former self, rookie Henry Hunter and former Chief Sean McGrath. If Gates gets hurt again this season then opposing defenses will focus more on the talented wide receiver group. McGrath is serviceable but he’s no playmaker.

The Chargers will also have to make another cut once they activate DE Joey Bosa off of the exempt list sometime this next week.

Click here for a complete list of the San Diego Chargers’ transactions.

Chiefs cuts and reactions are found here, here and here.