The Denver Broncos made a bit of a surprising move on Wednesday, releasing veteran safety Taylor Rapp less than one week after signing him.
Rapp was considered a likely candidate for the team's 53-man roster, which has to be finalized in less than one week. Though it sounds entirely possible that Rapp will be back with the team at some point, his departure keeps the door open for one of the team's other safeties, at least temporarily.
Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones are set as the team's starters, but it's anyone's guess as to who else will be kept.
The other five safeties on the roster are Devon Key, JL Skinner, Tycen Anderson, seventh-round pick Miles Scott and undrafted free-agent signing Parker Robertson. Any combination of these players
could make the final roster.
Which Broncos player will keep their roster spot following the release of Taylor Rapp?
Four seems like a good and likely final number for safeties on this roster for the Broncos.
Roberston can be dismissed easily from this group and Scott, though he does have potential, could use a year of seasoning on the practice squad. That leaves us with Key, Skinner and Anderson, who are all primarily special teams guys.
Key and Skinner have been in the team's system, while Anderson was the only unrestricted free agent the Broncos signed once free agency opened this offseason.
Broncos released Taylor Rapp just a day after Vance Joseph praised JL Skinner and the step he’s taken this year
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevens) August 26, 2026
Good news for Skinner
Key is a strong contributor to the team's special teams unit and it would be a surprise to see him go after he earned an All-Pro nod in 2025. Between Skinner and Anderson, we'll lean towards Skinner because of his familiarity in Denver and the fact that he has seen some defensive snaps in Vance Joseph's system.
However, this could be a glaring weakness for the team, especially if one of the starters goes down like Jones did last season. The Broncos no longer have P.J. Locke to plug in for that situation, which is another indicator that Rapp will likely be brought back after his personal situation has resolved.
For now, Skinner should be safe and could be one of the last additions to the 53-man roster when the Broncos make it official this weekend.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos' 4th-year safety may be safe following release of veteran
