Broncos cut Super Bowl-winning ex-Pro Bowler after failed trades - report
The Denver Broncos have cut veteran running back C.J. Anderson, per Pro Football Talk and other media reports.
The Broncos have released veteran RB C.J. Anderson. He had two years remaining on his contract and was due $4.5M in salary this season. Anderson is coming off a career year with 1,007 rushing yards.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 16, 2018
Anderson, who made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos, has spent all five of his NFL seasons with Denver.
Picked up in 2013 as an undrafted rookie out of the University of California, Berkeley, Anderson has been a steadying, if unspectacular, player for the Broncos.
Anderson, 27, is actually coming off of his best season as a pro, tallying 1,007 rushing yards with three touchdowns and another 224 receiving yards.
The Broncos had reportedly been shopping Anderson around the league, but found no suitors, ultimately leading them to cut the productive running back, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
Anderson’s release is still a somewhat surprising move in a Denver offseason that’s been full of them.
After his team limped to a 5-11 record last season, general manager John Elway has been aggressive in overhauling the roster. It’s just not abundantly clear if his moves are going to work.
First, the Broncos targeted former Minnesota Vikings starter Case Keenum to be their new starting quarterback. While Keenum was a feel good story last season, it remains to be seen if he can replicate his success with the Vikings.
If anything, Anderson’s departure only hurts the rushing attack that Keenum needs to be effective. There is no evidence that Keenum will be demonstrably better for Denver than last season’s starter, Trevor Siemian.
Second, the Broncos traded away starting cornerback Aqib Talib in what amounted to little more than a salary dump. In exchange for the Los Angeles Rams eating the remainder of Talib’s expensive contract, the Broncos received a paltry fifth-round draft pick.
Yes, the financial savings are significant and cornerback Bradley Roby may be ready to replace him, but getting rid of Talib is still going to hurt the one area in which the Broncos excelled last year — pass defense.
Now the team is dumping arguably their most consistent offensive player, and there still isn’t a clear reason why.
The team saves money, but not a game-changing amount. The team will have around $4.5 million more in cap space, per Spotrac.
A youth movement or a full rebuild in Denver is unlikely, considering that Keenum is 30 years old and the bulk of the Broncos’ talented defensive players are in their prime. And yet, the team opted to cut a running back who’s only 27 with just 693 career rushing attempts. Mileage clearly isn’t an issue for Anderson.
There also isn’t a clear-cut replacement for him either. The free agent market has dried up, the running backs still on the roster are absolutely nothing to write home about and it’s extremely unlikely that talented incoming rookie running back Saquon Barkley will fall to the Broncos at No. 5 in the upcoming NFL draft.
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