Head coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos have begun whittling their roster down to the 53-player limit, and the first to suffer from the numbers are Israel Antwine and Ron Stone Jr. Both players were recent additions to the group.
“#Broncos have started their cuts,” the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson reported on X on August 29. “Source says they are letting go of DT Israel Antwine.”
9News’ Mike Klis reported that Stone was on the outs, too, a shortly after the news on Antwine.
Teams were allowed to roster up to 90 players (91 with International Player Pathway program participants) during the offseason and trainng camp. With the preseason over, they have until 6 p.m. ET to get in compliance with the leauge rules for regular-season roster size limits.
Broncos Roster Cuts Live Tracker (Source)
- DL Israel Antwine (Tomasson)
- OLB Ron Stone Jr. (Klis)
- NT Jordan Miller (Klis)
- WR Joseph Manjack (Tomasson)
- OT Foster Sarell (Klis)
- WR Kyrese Rowan (Klis)
- C Lecitus Smith (Zac Stevens/DNVR Broncos)
- G/C Reid Holskey (Klis)
- SAF Parker Robertson (Klis)
Newcomers Mark First Broncos Cuts Ahead of Deadline
The Broncos signed Antwine on August 26, one day after they signed Stone. As recent additions, it makes sense that they would be at least among the first cuts as Payton and the Broncos get down to 53 players.
Miller, whose departure was first reported by Klis in a separate post, has been with the Broncos since the 2024 season but has never seen the field in a regular season game.
Manjack is a college free agent who had three catches for 40 yards during the preseason.
Sarell, like Antwine and Stone, joined the Broncos this week, giving him little time to make an impact on the field, be it in-game or practice. Sarell has NFL regular-season experience, though, and could be a candidate to return on a different deal.
This Is Not Necessarily The End
One key to note about all roster moves between now and Sunday’s deadline is that teams will also need to fill out their 16-player (17 with IPP program) practice squad, too. So, many of the names set free may already have plans in place to return in that capacity.
Still, Broncos head coach Sean Payton made it clear that the Broncos would have to make some difficult decisions.
They began with their defense, which returns nine of 11 intended starters from 2025.
This story will be updated.
Broncos Cuts Tracker: Multiple Defenders Out First as 53-Man Roster Takes Shape