Heading into the preseason finale last Friday, there were murmurs that Denver Broncos tight end Justin Joly could be on the roster bubble. But surely the team wouldn't waive a fifth-round pick so soon into his career, right?
That all seemed to go out the window when Joly hauled in an 88-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
It's uncommon to see in today's league. Teams don't want to give up on players that they used a precious draft pick to select, but on top of that, general managers don't want to admit a mistake that quickly. Apparently, none of that moved the Broncos when they parted ways with Joly on Sunday. Evidently, he was just too raw for an active-roster spot in Denver.
It was a surprising, nearly unheard-of decision. Teams will rarely
cut a player that soon after being drafted in the fifth round. For the Broncos, no such instance of this had happened since 2005. That year, the Broncos used a third-round pick to select troubled Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett. Not only was Clarett cut that summer, but he never played a down in the NFL.
Justin Joly was the No. 152 pick overall. I believe that makes him the highest pick waived by the Broncos at the roster deadline as a rookie since Maurice Clarett in 2005 (No. 101).
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 30, 2026
The Broncos may have brought Joly back to the practice squad, but there was almost no chance of him clearing waivers, and he didn't. He was quickly scooped up by the Miami Dolphins, who also have former Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich as their current starter.
That 88-yard touchdown seemed to lock Joly into a roster spot in Denver. If that didn't do it, it was likely decided fairly early on that he wasn't going to be a part of this year's squad.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Justin Joly was highest-drafted rookie to be waived by Broncos since 2005
