After the Broncos and the rest of the NFL trimmed their roster down from 90 players to 53, a number of players hit the waiver wire with the ability to be claimed. While the Broncos were not awarded anyone, they did see two of their former players claimed by other teams.
Cornerback Damarri Mathis was claimed by the Carolina Panthers, and undrafted rookie offensive linemen Xavier Truss was claimed by the New Orleans Saints. Both of those players will be on the respective 53-man rosters and will have
a fresh start with a new team.
Damarri Mathis is a former 4th-round selection who showed some promise during his rookie season but quickly fell out of favor with the Broncos. He struggled as a starter, was later benched, and the Broncos went out and drafted three corners (Moss, Abrams-Draine, and Barron), all while he was still on the roster. He entered camp on the outside looking in and remained there throughout the preseason, and was eventually waived.
Now, he will reunite with former Denver Broncos Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero in Carolina and will look to have a fresh start with the Panthers.
As for Xavier Truss, he joined the Broncos this spring as an undrafted free agent and was looking to crack their 53-man roster or potentially join their 16-man practice squad. Unfortunately for Truss, he was among the players waived by the Broncos, but he seemed like a player they could bring back to their practice squad. However, he would be claimed by the New Orleans Saints and now join their 53-man roster and provide some depth along their offensive line.
The Broncos played the Saints this past weekend, and they got a good look at Truss and apparently liked what they saw and are now adding him to their roster. In the end, the Broncos are losing some potential young depth along their offensive line, but still have some returning to their practice squad to replace the ones they are losing.
This is the second straight year that the Broncos have lost an undrafted free agent offensive lineman during waivers. Last season, undrafted rookie tackle Demontrey Jacobs was claimed off waivers by the Patriots, and now, Truss lands with the Saints.
