Horse Tracks: The Broncos have more cap space than you might think

Free agency this season has the potential to be quite spicy in Broncos Country. We’ve got people thinking Antonio Brown gets traded to the Broncos (and outside of his lofty contract, I’d love having him on this roster with this coach and quarterback). There’s an obvious need for a running back, and I’ve heard practically every free agent name as an idea for the Broncos.

Our lead-off article below lays out how teams rank in both cap space and draft capital this season. Of course, with the success the Broncos had in 2025, their draft capital isn’t ranked that high. They are finally free of cap hell with the Russell Wilson contract behind them and are sitting currently at ~$28M in cap space.

Don’t think that’s the limit, though. There are multiple players that the Broncos can cut in order to create more cap space. From a raw money standpoint, Mike McGlinchey, Ben Powers, Dre Greenlaw, Brandon Jones, Marvin Mims, Matt Peart, Riley Moss, and Drew Sanders could all be cut to regain some cap space. The option exists to convert salary to signing bonus as well, which could help open up room if George Paton needs to make some big splashes. The ability to create $30-$40M more in cap room exists, though it isn’t likely to be realistic. Strategic moves here or there especially where the team has depth already on the roster.

The Walton-Penner ownership group, Sean Payton, and George Paton have done a masterful job of turning around the fortunes of the Denver Broncos in a few short years. Now that they have navigated the choppy waters of a rebuild, they get to set their targets on far brighter horizons.