Broncos Release Veteran Tight End One Year After Paying Him

The Denver Broncos are still in the process of making roster cuts with the new league year right around the corner.

With the NFL's new league year approaching next week, the Denver Broncos are busy making the necessary moves to become salary-cap-compliant and maybe, just maybe, even have a little money to play with in free agency. The Broncos released safety Justin Simmons on Thursday, sending shockwaves throughout the Mile High City.

That was followed on Friday by news that veteran wideout Tim Patrick had restructured his contract to return on a one-year deal. But Broncos GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton weren't done, as we learned that veteran tight end Chris Manhertz has been released. 

Releasing Manhertz saves the Broncos $2.65 million in salary and $2.12 million in cap space, according to 9NEWS' Mike Klis, inching the team closer to cap compliance. 

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Payton arrived last year under the mandate of doing his best to make the Russell Wilson trade work for the Broncos. After suffering the pain of studying the tape, Payton quickly deduced that he'd have to design a run-heavy offense, and to do so, he'd need a road-grading tight end. 

Enter Manhertz, who was signed a year ago to a two-year, $6.65M deal. He went on to appear in 16 games in 2023, starting four. He caught two passes (on four targets) for 16 yards.

The Broncos became a run-first offense, though every yard was dearly bought. The Wilson-led version of the Payton offense epitomized the 'three yards and a cloud of dust' cliche. 

But Manhertz was one of Payton's lynchpins to keeping defenses somewhat honest against the Broncos. Unfortunately, Wilson's inconsistency as a passer and the cavalcade of sacks he took made it hard for Payton to scheme defenses into backing off the approach of stacking the box. 

Opponents would load the box, and the Broncos would run straight into it, time after time. Rinse repeat. And just when you thought Wilson was about to make them pay, he'd hold onto the ball too long, run around, and take a sack, with the replay showing (often) multiple receivers running free. 

The Manhertz release signals that Payton's run-heavy approach with Wilson was a temporary thing and that the Broncos will be transitioning back to a more traditional version of the coach's long-standing scheme. However, we still don't know who the quarterback will be. 

We'll have an answer to that question following the 2024 NFL draft. Circle May. Until then, hurry up and wait for answers.

As the Broncos continue to trim the roster and create cap flexibility, each move signals more and more than a rebuild is imminent. And this time around, it seems that the Broncos could be bearing down for the long haul with Payton at the controls, orchestrating said rebuild with patience. 

But the bloodletting isn't over yet, in all likelihood. Stay tuned. 

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