Report: Broncos Cut Team Captain After Patriots Loss

Kareem Jackson's future in Denver is suddenly very cloudy.

The Denver Broncos have waived veteran safety Kareem Jackson, according to 9NEWS' Mike Klis. However, Klis reports that the Broncos plan to re-sign Jackson provided he goes unclaimed on the waiver wire. 

As a veteran, Jackson is subject to waivers. If he clears by noon Tuesday, Jackson is expected to rejoin the Broncos with a move to the practice squad making the most sense for both parties. It would give Jackson the flexibility not only to finish the season in Denver—where he can still provide veteran leadership and depth to a reeling Broncos team coming off a devastating loss to New England—but also sign with another playoff contender.

The Christmas Day move came on the heels of Jackson's four-game suspension. The Broncos' Week 15 loss in Detroit concluded the veteran's suspension, but the team dragged its heels all week, and in a surprise move, opted not to active him back to the 53 roster, so to speak. 

The Broncos had a 54-player roster exemption during Jackson's suspension. In other words, it was as if Denver's roster was at 52 players (not counting Jackson), which allowed the team to add another player to round out the 53 while he was suspended. 

The NFL deadline to reinstate him to the active roster was Christmas Day, and the Broncos instead waived him. The strategy of this move is centered solely around the Broncos re-signing him to the practice squad, with two games left to go. 

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If Jackson goes unclaimed on waivers, and the Broncos re-sign him to the practice squad, the team can use its gameday roster 'elevations' to get the safety on the field for what would almost certainly be his final games in Denver. As a player named a team captain before the season started, the Broncos' handling of Jackson has been a bit unconventional. 

The four-game suspension Jackson recently completed was his second of the season. The NFL handed down a previous four-game suspension, which was reduced to two games upon appeal. 

As a result of NFL discipline, Jackson has missed a whopping six games (by mandate) and another by the Broncos holding out until Christmas Day to waive him (he didn't suit up in Sunday night's 26-23 loss to the New England Patriots. Combined with the multiple fines the league has levied against Jackson, it's cost him north of $1 million this season, and when you factor in taxes and other deductions on his paychecks, he's basically made half of his $2.5M base salary. 

One of the reasons the Broncos could afford to delay their decision on Jackson is the emergence of young safety P.J. Locke. In Jackson's stead, Locke has started six of the seven missed games, appearing in 14 this season, and totaling 43 tackles (26 solo), two tackles for a loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception. 

While Locke still displays the inconsistencies of youth, he's been a playmaker on Vance Joseph's defense, making one impact play after another. The soon-to-be 27-year-old initially went undrafted out of Texas back in 2019, and after a short stint on the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad, he's been in Denver since December of that year. 

Locke gives the Broncos a viable option to start next to Justin Simmons for the foreseeable future, with the hope that 2021 fifth-rounder Caden Sterns can bounce back from back-to-back seasons marred by the injury bug to serve as the third safety. 

As for Jackson, his future as a Bronco is unclear. If another team claims him on waivers, his playing days in the Orange and Blue are over. 

But that's a big if, as Jackson is in the NFL's crosshairs and could be perceived as being radioactive by teams at large. We'll find out by mid-week what the immediate future holds for the 14th-year vet. 

UPDATE: Jackson was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans. The Broncos gambled, and it backfired. 

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