“I think there’re going to be a number of tough decisions, but I’d rather be in that position than the position we were in two years ago at this time,” Sean Payton said to reporters after the preseason victory over the Cardinals. Bo Nix has done his part in making those choices difficult: 16 of 25 for 141 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, and a passer rating of 92.3 this preseason. He’s taken care of the football and maintained the operation on schedule, just the kind of things coaches refer to as winning habits. And yet, the players around him just shifted in a blur.

The largest Monday news: triple blow to Nix’s supporting cast. As per sources, Denver is waiving RB Blake Watson, and last season’s talented young backs, Audric Estime and Kyrese Rowan, are out of the 2025 picture following camp. By cutting them three skill-position losses, two in the backfield, one in the receiver room, just as Sean Payton prunes down to 53. It’s not fatal, but it reconfigures the menu for a QB who lives off rhythm throws, check-downs, and run-pass equilibrium.

In this scenario, the timing is the worst. Watson injured his knee on a kickoff return in the preseason closer in New Orleans and is getting a short-term injury settlement. Estime was fighting an uphill battle all camp, sandwiched by a crowded RB room. And Rowan’s late surge couldn’t beat the numbers game among the receivers. For Nix, it translates to fewer known preseason targets and more burden on the guys who are still around. That’s life in late August: one minute you’re rehearsing with the band; the next, three instruments are missing before the encore.

Now, let’s try to understand why Denver waived them. Audric Estime put out his most complete tape of the summer: solid on teams, sturdy in pass pro, and blazing as a downhill finisher with a notable grab in space. He’s a 5-11, 227-pound bruiser back who generally improves with volume, which bodes well for a workhorse. However, it’s less of a tidy fit for a No. 3 role that has five or six touches per game. He also fell to sixth on the Broncos’ tailback depth chart behind J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Tyler Badie, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Watson.

On the other hand, Kyrese Rowan had a quiet first two games, one target across 32 snaps. However, he caught fire in the final game with 4 receptions and some important perimeter blocks that set up runs. The film was promising, but Denver’s WR corps required special-teams chops and regular separation throughout the month. Rowan’s late-season push put him on the map; the numbers still excluded him.

Denver also parted ways with a group of bubble players: OLB Garrett Nelson, WR Jerjuan Newton, CB Damarri Mathis, and OL Marques Cox were all included in releases/waivers through multiple reports. A reminder that the margins are razor-thin when the calendar turns over to the cut week. Corner Damarri Mathis, a fourth-round starter at one point. His roster destiny illustrates how merciless this week is for players between “solid” and “irreplaceable.”

Sean Payton’s Broncos made seven moves?

The calendar is the villain league-wide. Rosters trim 90 in August, then have to cut to 53 by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday; that’s around 1,184 jobs gone throughout the NFL in roughly 24 hours. Players with less than four accrued seasons go on waivers. Prioritized by the 2025 draft order, veterans with four-plus years become street free agents immediately. And the phones just keep ringing, front offices swap fringe contributors instead of letting them go for free. So we get a rush of small deals in the final hour or so. If a player is about to be cut loose, someone out there is asking, ‘What would it take?’

Denver opened its salvo Monday, making seven moves: DB Micah Abraham, WR Joaquin Davis, DT Michael Dwumfour, OLB Andrew Farmer, OL Xavier Truss, G Clay Webb, and CB Joshua Pickett (injury settlement). In each instance, the tale was the same: flashes of promise, not enough week-to-week performance, and congested rooms. Dwumfour struggled in the interior but was squeezed out by rotational vets in front of him. Truss and Webb both joined via UDFA, provided size, but suffered protection-plan hiccups in August that kept them behind more flexible swing linemen. Farmer demonstrated effort at the edge, but Denver’s staff favored rushers who possessed greater special-teams value. Abraham and Pickett fought on units and in sub-packages; a few missed fits, and the injury ledger sealed the deal.

So what does it all mean for Bo Nix? The QB’s preseason has highlighted sound decision-making and ball security. Now the pressure falls on performing behind a streamlined cast. Look for Payton to lean even more on solid pass protection, quick check-downs to his backs, and high-percentage rhythm throws built around a route tree that matches Nix’s quick reads with his timing-based system. If Denver can execute it ‘on rails,’ the QB won’t require fireworks to advance the chains.

It’s ugly, but it’s the late-August drill: cut to 53 today, construct the lifeboats tomorrow. Payton preferred hard choices to the alternative.